End Bracket for Lateral Slide Rail Removable Seat
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for configuring second row seats in minivans are cumbersome and difficult to move due to their weight and the need to remove or relocate strikers, caps, and carpeting, limiting flexibility and access in cargo hauling and passenger seating arrangements.
Innovation Solution
A rail and carrier system with U-shaped and L-shaped components allows for lateral sliding and locking of seats, utilizing rollers and flexible rail covers for smooth movement and secure attachment, along with a towel bar mechanism for easy unlocking, enabling multiple seating configurations and improved access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If second row seats are made removable to provide cargo space flexibility, then cargo hauling capability is improved, but seat reconfiguration becomes difficult due to weight and complex attachment requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The seat system is divided into modular components: removable seats, fixed lower rails, and movable upper rails with strikers. This segmentation allows the heavy seat base to remain fixed while only the lighter upper rail assembly with strikers needs to be moved for reconfiguration, significantly reducing the effort required for seat positioning changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The upper rails are designed to be laterally movable within the fixed lower rails, transitioning from a static attachment system to a dynamic one. This allows the strikers to be easily repositioned along the lower rails to achieve different seating configurations without removing the seats entirely, making the system adaptable while easy to operate.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple strikers are provided for different seating positions, then seating configuration flexibility is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional caps and carpeting that must be moved or removed
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple strikers are integrated into a single continuous upper rail assembly that can slide laterally within the lower rail. Instead of having separate fixed strikers requiring individual caps and carpeting pieces to be moved, the strikers are combined into one movable unit, reducing the number of discrete components and simplifying the reconfiguration process.
Solution Approach 2:
The upper rail assembly serves multiple functions: it provides multiple striker positions for different seating configurations, acts as a lateral guide for the seat, and eliminates the need for separate caps and carpeting pieces by integrating the striker mounting function into the rail structure itself.
3Reliability
If strikers are fixed to provide secure seat attachment, then connection reliability is improved, but ease of reconfiguration deteriorates due to the need to remove or relocate strikers
Solution Approach 1:
The striker system transitions from fixed to dynamically movable. The upper rails with strikers can slide laterally within the fixed lower rails, allowing the strikers to be repositioned to different locations along the rail while maintaining secure attachment when in position. This dynamic capability enables easy reconfiguration without compromising connection reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The upper rails are nested within the fixed lower rails, creating a hierarchical structure where the movable upper rails containing strikers are guided and constrained by the stationary lower rails. This nesting arrangement provides secure attachment through the lower rails while allowing easy relocation of the upper rails with strikers along the lower rail path.
Data Source
AI summary
A bracket for use in a rail and carrier system for a removable seat for a motor vehicle, the rail and carrier system having first and second lower rails, first and second upper rails nested within the first lower rail, third and fourth upper rails nested within the second lower rail, includes a generally U-shaped end that is substantially similar to a U-shaped cross-sectional profile of the first and second lower rails, the U-shaped end having a center portion and two upper portions, and a generally L-shaped extension extending from a bottom of the center portion, the L-shaped extension having a first portion that is attached to the one of the first and second lower rails and a second portion that extends upward from the first portion. The second portion blocks movement of one of the first, second, third, and fourth upper rails.