Vehicle Seat Armrest Locking With Dual Stationary Drive Profiles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing adjustable armrest assemblies for vehicle seats are complex in construction and prone to reliability issues due to precise manufacturing tolerances and potential malfunctions from wear and jamming, particularly in solutions involving movable cam elements.
Innovation Solution
The armrest assembly incorporates two stationary driving elements with differently shaped profiles, one for upwards and one for downwards rotation, to control the engagement and disengagement of the armrest's locking mechanism, reducing the number of moving components and enhancing reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a movable cam element is used to control locking and disengagement, then the armrest can be adjusted between positions, but the device complexity increases and reliability decreases due to wear and jamming
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a movable cam element that rotates to control locking, the patent inverts the approach by using two stationary driving elements with differently shaped profiles. The armrest carrier rotates on these stationary profiles, eliminating the movable cam while achieving the same locking and disengagement functionality through the interaction of the rotating carrier with the fixed driving elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the movable cam element from the system and replaces it with stationary driving elements. By removing the movable cam, the source of wear and jamming is eliminated, while the locking mechanism's functionality is preserved through the carrier's rotation on the stationary profiles.
2Reliability
If precise manufacturing tolerances are required for cam element operation, then reliable locking is achieved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses two stationary driving elements with differently shaped profiles that serve as templates or copies for the carrier's rotation path. These stationary profiles define the exact motion required for locking and disengagement, eliminating the need for precise tolerance control on a movable cam element while maintaining reliable locking functionality.
3Reliability
If a separate manually operated actuating device is provided for disengagement, then reliable locking is achieved, but device complexity and ease of operation worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the locking mechanism self-servicing by integrating the disengagement function into the armrest's own rotation movement. The carrier's rotation on the two stationary driving elements automatically controls both locking and disengagement, eliminating the need for a separate manually operated actuating device while maintaining reliable locking.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1c
Figure 2a
Figure 2b
AI summary
The present invention relates to an armrest assembly including an armrest, provided with a carrier (10) carrying first engaging means (12), and a support (30), provided with a counterbody (20) carrying second engaging means (22) suitable for engaging said first engaging means. Thanks to these engaging means (12, 22) the armrest can be locked in a plurality of intermediate position when it is rotated upwards from its lowermost, operative position towards its resting position. In order to allow the armrest to be smoothly rotated back from said resting position to said operative position, said carrier (10) is provided with a driven member (14) and the counterbody is provided with two different driving elements (26, 28), so that the path of the driven member (14) is controlled by the driving profile of the first driving member (26) when the armrest is rotated in a first direction, and by the driving profile of the second driving element (28) when the armrest is rotated in a second, opposite direction.