One-piece seat structure and cold forming processes to create seat structures

Abstract

A one-piece seat structure for use in a vehicle seat assembly comprising a first portion having a first set of characteristics; a second portion having a second set of characteristics; wherein the first set of characteristics differs from the second set of characteristics and wherein the number of portions within the same one piece structure can be multiple; and wherein the one- piece seat structure is formed from a tailored welded blank or monolithic blank using a cold forming process with optional additional post forming processes including post form heat treatment, edge treatment, and the like.

Description

[0001] Cross References to Related Applications [0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 106,045, filed October 16, 2008, entitled "ONE-PIECE SEAT STRUCTURES AND PROCESSES USING COLD FORMING TO CREATE SEAT STRUCTURES," filed in the name of Zekavica et al. Priority, and benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 228,836, filed July 27, 2009, in the name of Zekavica et al., entitled "ONE-PIECE SEAT STRUCTURES AND METHOD OF FORMING," which applications are incorporated into this specification by reference. Background technique [0003] The present disclosure generally relates to the field of vehicle seating. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to one-piece seating structures and methods of forming seating structures using cold forming. [0004] The seat structure (e.g., seat back frame, seat base cushion frame, lower seat structure, back frame seat belt tower, etc.) can provide strength to t...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

First, the welding methods used to join the fabricated components—especially laser welding—need tight tolerances with respect to parameters (e.g., gaps) to produce reliable structural welds, which can Requires complex and expensive fixtures or tooling in the manufacturing cycle

Second, concerns about reduced reliability due to tight tolerances can lead manufacturers to use excessive welds to join the components to enhance reliability, which increases unit cost and cycle time for manufacturing

Third, a separate stamping die or tool may be required to produce each individual component, which increases unit cost and repair costs

Fourth, the greater the number of individual components used to construct the seat structure, the higher the likelihood that the absence of one component will halt the entire manufacturing process of the seat structure

Fifth, such construction methods require the use of a considerable amount of part handling downstream in the manufacturing process, which increases the cost per piece

Sixth, such a component approach would limit the optimization of weight and strength, since the desire to reduce cost by including as few parts as possible in the assembly would lead manufacturers to structurally overdesign parts of the seat structure (overdesign) to achieve reduced parts

Seventh, some conventional joining methods (e.g., GMAW, fasteners) require overlapping and / or added material, such as redundant parts or filler material, which adversely affects weight and cost

Additionally, as a product moves downstream in its manufacturing cycle, the cost of handling or modifying said components increases significantly, so it is desirable to reduce or eliminate downstream operations

Images