Deformable Roller Guide for Vehicle Seat Play Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Roller guides in vehicle seats often experience excessive play due to opposing movements, leading to blocking issues within U-shaped guide rails, which complicates manufacturing and increases costs when using multiple rollers with fixed axes.
Innovation Solution
A roller guide with a deformable shell part made from materials like elastomers or thermoplastics, which can be pressed against the guide rail's inner wall when occupied, reducing play and allowing smooth rolling, and automatically blocking when unoccupied to prevent trapping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single roller is used in the guide rail, then the device complexity and manufacturing cost are reduced, but the roller experiences blocking due to play between the roller and guide rail walls
Solution Approach 1:
The roller shell part is made from elastomeric material that changes its deformation state based on pressure applied by seat occupancy. When occupied, the material deforms to release the roller from blocking; when unoccupied, it returns to original shape to maintain blocking position.
Solution Approach 2:
The roller guide system transitions from a static blocking mechanism to a dynamic one where the elastomeric material continuously adapts its state based on the presence or absence of seat occupancy, enabling automatic blocking and unblocking without manual intervention.
2Ease of operation
If the roller is pressed against the guide rail wall to reduce play, then rolling smoothness is improved, but the roller becomes blocked when the seat is unoccupied
Solution Approach 1:
The roller experiences periodic states of blocking and unblocking corresponding to the periodic occupancy and unoccupancy of the seat. The elastomeric material enables the roller to alternate between pressed against the wall (reducing play) and released (allowing blocking) based on occupancy cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastomeric roller shell automatically responds to occupancy changes by deforming or recovering, thereby self-regulating the roller's contact with the guide rail wall without external control mechanisms. The system serves itself by using the occupancy weight to control the blocking state.
3Reliability
If elastic material is used for the roller shell, then automatic blocking when unoccupied is achieved, but the material must withstand wear from rolling movement
Solution Approach 1:
The roller shell is made from elastomeric material that provides both the necessary elasticity for automatic blocking and sufficient wear resistance through material selection. The elastomeric material inherently combines elastic properties with wear-resistant characteristics suitable for rolling contact applications.
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
This design allows for cost-effective and simplified production by using a single roller per bearing, ensuring smooth operation and safety features like automatic blocking to prevent trapping.
Implementation Method 1
at least the roller shell part of the roller consists of material that can be deformed by pressure being applied by means of seat occupancy
Implementation Method 2
as soon as a person leaves the seat and the seat is no longer occupied, there is no longer sufficient pressure on the roller to deform it sufficiently on its underside... contact with the upper side of the roller is opposite the inner wall of the guide rail on the upper side of the roller and there is therefore a blockage
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 6a~6c
AI summary
The seat (1) has a roller guide comprising a partly lateral open guide rail. A roll shell of a roller comprises a tread along a roll lower-side inner wall of the guide rail. The inner wall is arranged parallel or at an angle to a longitudinal extension of an axle. The roll shell is made of an elastic material deformable by seat occupancy by applying pressure. The roll shell is applied in a quiescent condition without the seat occupancy in the roll lower-side inner wall of the guide rail. Lower part (5) of the seat is connected with upper part (6) of the seat through scissor arms (7).