Deformable vehicle seat
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle seats with conventional elastically deformable materials struggle to provide consistent comfort for a wide range of occupant sizes and weights while effectively managing impact pulses during collisions, particularly in limited space and autonomous vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle seat with a controllable deformable material having adjustable resistance to deformation, controlled by a system that alters its properties based on occupancy and collision warnings, using magnetorheological or shaped memory polymers, and temperature/light intensity adjustments to enhance comfort and collision safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional elastically deformable materials are used in vehicle seats, then the seat provides basic comfort for occupants, but the seat cannot effectively manage impact pulses during collisions and cannot adapt to different occupant sizes and weights
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the seat cushion material's resistance to deformation adjustable over time. The material transitions from a softer state during normal occupancy to a stiffer state during collision events, enabling the seat to adapt its mechanical properties dynamically rather than remaining static. This resolves the contradiction by allowing the seat to provide comfort for various occupants while also effectively managing impact pulses when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the seat cushion material by using controllable deformable material whose resistance to deformation can be modified. The system alters the material's stiffness parameter in response to detected collision conditions, transforming the seat from a passive comfort element to an active safety component that can manage impact forces while maintaining adaptability to different occupants.
2Ease of operation
If the seat cushion is designed to be highly deformable for comfort, then occupant comfort is improved, but the seat cannot effectively couple mechanical shock from the seat frame to the occupant during collisions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the seat cushion's mechanical properties dynamic rather than static. The controllable deformable material allows the seat to operate in different mechanical states: a compliant state for comfort during normal use and a stiff state for effective shock coupling during collisions. This dynamic transition resolves the contradiction between comfort and shock coupling capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by detecting collision conditions and pre-adjusting the seat cushion stiffness before the full impact occurs. This allows the seat to be in the optimal stiff state when the collision force is applied, ensuring effective mechanical shock coupling while maintaining comfort during normal operation.
3Reliability
If the seat uses fixed resistance material for collision safety, then impact pulse management is improved, but the seat cannot provide consistent comfort for a wide range of occupant sizes and weights
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by making the resistance to deformation dynamic rather than fixed. The controllable deformable material allows the seat to adjust its stiffness based on detected collision conditions, providing consistent impact pulse management while maintaining the ability to adapt to different occupant sizes and weights during normal use.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from collision detection to control the resistance of the deformable material. When a collision is detected, the system adjusts the material's stiffness to optimize impact pulse management. This feedback mechanism allows the seat to maintain both reliability during collisions and adaptability to different occupants during normal operation.
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
The system provides customizable comfort for various occupants and effectively manages collision forces by adjusting the seat's deformability, ensuring efficient energy coupling and reduced impact on occupants.
Implementation Method 1
the controllable deformable material is a magnetorheological material, having a viscosity that is dependent on a magnetic field applied to the controllable deformable material
Implementation Method 2
The shaped memory polymer has a propensity to return to an un-deformed state from a deformed shape when the shaped memory polymer is controlled to have a reduced resistance to deformation
Implementation Method 3
the control element in proximity to the controllable deformable material comprising at least one resistance wire disposed within the controllable deformable material
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle seat comprises a controllable deformable material and control apparatus is provided for controlling the state of a controllable deformable material. The control apparatus is configured to generate a signal to cause a control element in proximity to the controllable deformable material to change the characteristic of the controllable deformable material and thereby change the state of the controllable deformable material. The controllable deformable material is controllable to change state from a first state to at least a second state and is controllable to change state from at least the second state to the first state, the controllable deformable material being more deformable per unit force in the second state than in the first state.