Compression Array Layout for Individual Seat Bladder Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle seat massage systems lack an efficient and flexible air distribution mechanism to individually control multiple massage bladders, leading to inefficiencies in fluid flow and control.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing overlapping groups of sheets with transverse columns and shared inlet valves to modulate fluid flow, allowing individual control of multiple bladders with fewer valves, enhancing fluid distribution efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional massage systems use individual valves for each bladder, then each bladder can be controlled independently, but the number of valves increases leading to increased system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the valve network into hierarchical segments: shared inlet valves that serve multiple rows, and column valves that control specific columns. This segmentation allows individual bladder control while reducing the total valve count by sharing common control elements across multiple bladders.
Solution Approach 2:
Shared inlet valves are designed to serve multiple rows simultaneously, making a single valve perform the function of controlling multiple bladders. This multi-functionality reduces the overall valve count while maintaining the capability to individually control each bladder through coordinated valve operation.
2Device complexity
If overlapping groups of sheets with shared inlet valves are used, then valve usage is reduced and complexity decreases, but fluid flow control becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid distribution network is segmented into rows and columns that intersect at bladder locations. This segmentation allows precise fluid flow control by independently activating specific row-column intersections, making it easier to manage complex flow patterns with fewer valves.
Solution Approach 2:
The sheet structure acts as an intermediary that distributes fluid from shared inlet valves to multiple rows and columns. The sheets contain embedded channels that guide and regulate fluid flow, simplifying the control mechanism while maintaining precise flow distribution to individual bladders.
3Device complexity
If fewer shared inlet valves are used, then system complexity is reduced, but fluid distribution efficiency may decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from a one-dimensional linear valve arrangement to a two-dimensional grid structure with rows and columns intersecting at bladder locations. This dimensional change allows shared inlet valves to efficiently serve multiple bladders through the sheet's multi-directional fluid distribution channels, maintaining high efficiency with reduced valve count.
Solution Approach 2:
The sheet structure with its embedded channels automatically distributes fluid from shared inlet valves to the appropriate rows and columns based on the valve activation pattern. The system self-regulates fluid distribution through the sheet's inherent channel architecture, eliminating the need for complex external flow control mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a first group of sheets providing a first plurality of rows, each having an inlet and an outlet, and a first column transverse to the first plurality of rows. The first column prevents fluid from flowing from the respective inlets to the respective outlets of the first plurality of rows when the first column is filled with fluid. A second group of sheets provides a second plurality of rows and a second column transverse to the second plurality of rows. The second column prevents fluid from flowing from the respective inlets to the respective outlets of the second plurality of rows when the second column is filled with fluid. A shared inlet valve modulates fluid flow into the one of the first plurality of rows and the one of the second plurality of rows.