Integrated Floor Pan Seat Mounting Footspace
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing seat mounting systems for vehicles are complex, inconvenient to assemble, costly, and do not effectively provide sufficient space for rear passengers' feet due to protruding brackets and screws, which also pose maintenance and aesthetic challenges.
Innovation Solution
A single-piece floor pan system that allows for easy mounting and adjustment of seats, integrated with sliding guides and mounting areas for additional components, which can be fixed to the vehicle frame using predefined locking points, optimizing space and reducing complexity while providing increased footroom for rear passengers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If traditional lateral guide rails and mounting brackets are used for front seats, then seat mounting and adjustment functionality is achieved, but rear passenger footspace is substantially limited in height and width
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the floor pan with the seat mounting system by integrating longitudinal guide rails directly into the floor pan structure. The guide rails are formed as integral parts of the floor pan rather than being separate lateral components, eliminating the need for protruding mounting brackets and screws that would otherwise encroach on rear passenger footspace. This integration resolves the contradiction by providing complete seat mounting functionality while maximizing rear footspace volume.
2Ease of operation
If multiple disconnected parts and components are used for seat mounting system, then seat adjustment and sliding functionality is achieved, but assembly operations become extremely long and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate mounting components (floor pan, guide rails, mounting brackets, fasteners) into a single integrated floor pan structure. The longitudinal guide rails are formed directly as part of the floor pan, eliminating the need for separate lateral mounting brackets and numerous fasteners. This integration dramatically simplifies assembly operations and reduces assembly time while maintaining all necessary seat adjustment and sliding functionalities.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated floor pan incorporates segmented guide rail structures that allow individual seat modules to be independently mounted and adjusted. The guide rails are divided into longitudinal sections that accommodate separate seat units, enabling modular assembly while maintaining the benefits of an integrated structure. This segmentation allows for efficient assembly operations with each seat being independently installable.
3Reliability
If mounting brackets and screws are placed on the supporting plane, then seat fixing is achieved, but aesthetic appearance is degraded and maintenance becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the mounting function directly into the floor pan structure through longitudinally extending guide rails that are formed as integral parts of the floor pan. This eliminates the need for visible mounting brackets and exposed fasteners on the supporting plane. The guide rails provide reliable seat fixing through their integrated structure while maintaining clean aesthetic appearance and facilitating easy maintenance, as there are no separate mounting components to corrode or fail.
4Adaptability or versatility
If equipment is placed below front seats on the supporting plane, then functionality for driver and passenger adjustment is achieved, but rear passenger comfort is further aggravated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent relocates the seat adjustment equipment from the horizontal plane (below the seats on the supporting plane) to the vertical dimension by integrating adjustment mechanisms within the seat structures themselves and along the vertical portions of the guide rails. This dimensional relocation allows adjustment functionality to be maintained while clearing the horizontal footspace area for rear passengers, thereby resolving the contradiction between adaptability and footspace volume.
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b~1c
Figure 2a~2c
AI summary
The present invention refers to the field of equipment for vehicles for the transport of persons in general, in particular the invention refers to those vehicles which are equipped with single seat or even with more seats. Reference is made for convenience to already known vehicles as vehicles with two or more seats, with any type of traction, both front and rear, as well as all-wheel drive. In particular,the present invention aims to describe an innovative device (1) for mounting one or more seats on motor vehicles.