Energy attenuating seat assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current automotive and racing seats face challenges in providing adequate impact protection and energy attenuation while minimizing weight and material usage, with existing solutions often requiring complex and costly manufacturing processes, and prone to resin cracking upon impact.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an energy attenuating continuous unwelded coil mat system embedded within the seat's material layers, which redirects and converts impact energy into heat, reducing the need for multiple resin layers and enhancing material strength without increasing weight, combined with features like heating, cooling, and ventilation systems, and adaptable foam structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If multiple layers of carbon fiber and resin are used to enhance impact protection, then strength and safety are improved, but weight increases and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure combining carbon fiber layers with foam material layers. The carbon fiber provides tensile strength while the foam provides energy absorption through compression. This composite approach achieves superior impact protection compared to using only carbon fiber, while the foam reduces the amount of resin needed, thereby reducing weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and properties of materials by using foam with specific density and compression characteristics. The foam material's ability to compress and rebound changes the impact dynamics, providing energy attenuation without requiring excessive carbon fiber layers, thus reducing weight while maintaining protection.
2Strength
If multiple layers of carbon fiber and resin are used to enhance impact protection, then strength and safety are improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The composite structure of carbon fiber and foam layers simplifies manufacturing by combining materials that serve different protective functions. The foam layers can be pre-formed and then combined with carbon fiber sheets, reducing the need for complex multi-step resin infusion processes required for all-carbon fiber constructions.
Solution Approach 2:
The seat structure is segmented into distinct functional layers: carbon fiber layers for structural integrity and foam layers for energy absorption. This segmentation allows each layer to be manufactured and prepared separately, then assembled together, reducing overall manufacturing complexity compared to a monolithic multi-layer carbon fiber construction.
3Stability of the object's composition
If resin layers are used to bond carbon fiber layers, then structural integrity is improved, but resin cracking upon impact occurs and environmental pollution increases
Solution Approach 1:
The foam material acts as a crack-arresting layer within the composite structure. When impact occurs, the foam compresses and absorbs energy, preventing crack propagation through the carbon fiber layers. This reduces resin cracking issues while the foam's cellular structure provides environmental benefits by reducing the total volume of harmful resins required.
Solution Approach 2:
The foam material serves as an intermediary between impact forces and the carbon fiber structure. It mediates the impact energy through compression and rebound, protecting the carbon fiber and resin interfaces from stress concentrations that would cause cracking. This intermediary function maintains structural integrity while reducing harmful effects.
4Ease of manufacture
If traditional seat materials and structures are used, then manufacturing is simpler, but impact energy is not adequately attenuated and spinal damage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The combination of carbon fiber and foam creates a composite structure that maintains relative manufacturing simplicity while dramatically improving impact energy attenuation. The foam layers can be easily integrated into existing composite manufacturing processes, and their energy-absorbing characteristics provide superior spinal protection compared to traditional materials.
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 solution provides enhanced multi-dimensional impact force attenuation, reduces the risk of spinal damage in crashes, and offers improved comfort and safety by distributing impact forces more effectively, while also simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing material costs.
Implementation Method 1
redirects and converts impact energy into heat
Implementation Method 2
a non-Newtonian layer (21) positioned between the inner and outer layers
Data Source
AI summary
A seat assembly that includes a main body portion having a seat portion and a back portion extending upwardly from the seat portion. The main body portion includes an inner layer and an outer layer. A middle layer is positioned between the inner and outer layers. The middle layer includes a plurality of rings that are not co-axial with one another.