Active Material Reconfigurable Seats
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mechanical actuators in adjustable seats are costly, have a large form factor, high power consumption, and are not easily adaptable to varying occupant sizes, making it difficult to provide comfortable and safe seating configurations.
Innovation Solution
The use of active materials such as shape memory alloys, ferromagnetic shape memory alloys, shape memory polymers, and electroactive polymers that change properties in response to activation signals, allowing the seat to reshape, reconfigure, and adjust to occupant needs for comfort and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional mechanical actuators are used in adjustable seats, then the seat can be adjusted to different configurations, but the actuators are costly, have large form factor, high power consumption, and are not easily adaptable to varying occupant sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical actuators (solenoids, pistons) with active materials that directly change physical properties in response to electrical signals. This substitution eliminates complex mechanical linkages, reducing device complexity while improving adaptability through programmable control of material properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes active materials that change their physical parameters (stiffness, shape, density) in response to external stimuli such as electrical fields, magnetic fields, or temperature changes. This allows the seat to adapt to different occupant sizes by dynamically adjusting material properties rather than relying on discrete mechanical configurations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional mechanical actuators are used in adjustable seats, then the seat can be adjusted to different configurations, but the actuators have high power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The replacement of mechanical actuators with active materials eliminates the need for continuous mechanical force application. Active materials maintain their configured state without ongoing energy input, significantly reducing power consumption while preserving full reconfigurability through selective activation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs periodic or pulsed activation of active materials rather than continuous actuation. The materials are activated only when configuration changes are needed, and then maintain their state passively, reducing overall energy consumption compared to continuously operating mechanical actuators.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional mechanical actuators are used in adjustable seats, then the seat can be adjusted to different configurations, but the actuators have large form factor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes bulky mechanical actuator assemblies with thin-film or embedded active material layers integrated directly into the seat structure. This integration dramatically reduces the volume occupied by actuation components while maintaining full adjustment capability through distributed sensing and actuation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the actuator functionality directly into the seat material itself, eliminating separate actuator components. Active materials are embedded within or form part of the seat structure, combining the structural and actuation functions into a single integrated system with minimal volume.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Active material-based seats reduce actuator size, weight, and cost, while increasing robustness, enabling customizable comfort and safety features, such as massaging functions and impact protection, by altering stiffness and shape in response to activation signals.
Implementation Method 1
active material such as shape memory alloys, ferromagnetic shape memory alloys, shape memory polymers, and electroactive polymers that change properties in response to activation signals
Implementation Method 2
active material such as shape memory alloys, ferromagnetic shape memory alloys, shape memory polymers, and electroactive polymers that change properties in response to activation signals
Implementation Method 3
an active material in operative communication with the seat surface configured to undergo a change in at least one property upon receipt of an activation signal, wherein the change in at least one property is effective to transition the reversible curb from a stowed position to a deployed position
Data Source
AI summary
A seat assembly includes an active material in operative communication with a seat surface configured to undergo a change in at least one property upon receipt of an activation signal, wherein the change in at least one property is effective to change at least one feature of the seat surface.