Helical Spring Release Mechanism for Seat Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing seat adjustment mechanisms for motor vehicles suffer from inefficiencies in retaining the seat components in desired positions due to limitations in manual release mechanisms, particularly with elongated cables, which often require high user force and can be prone to unwanted movement.
Innovation Solution
A release mechanism featuring a housing with a pivot element and a rotor, connected by a helical coil spring that biases the rotor for rotation, allowing manual rotation to shift an elongated flexible cable and include a rotation-limiting feature to prevent unwanted axial shifting, enabling easy assembly and reduced user force requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a manual release mechanism with elongated cable is used for seat adjustment, then the seat components can be retained in desired positions, but high user force is required and unwanted movement occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanism transforms the static cable tension system into a dynamic rotor-spring system where the rotor can rotate freely within defined limits. The helical coil spring provides continuous rotational bias, allowing the rotor to move dynamically while maintaining reliable position retention through controlled friction and spring pressure, thereby reducing the force needed for operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameters of the release mechanism by introducing a helical coil spring that converts linear cable tension into rotational force. The spring's rotational and axial bias transforms the force application method, allowing the same position retention function to be achieved with significantly reduced user input force through mechanical advantage and energy storage in the spring.
2Ease of operation
If a manual release mechanism with elongated cable is used, then seat adjustment is achievable, but the mechanism is prone to unwanted movement and rattling
Solution Approach 1:
The helical coil spring is pre-compressed during assembly to store rotational bias energy before operation. This preliminary action ensures the rotor is always under controlled spring pressure, preventing unwanted movement and rattling by maintaining continuous stabilizing force, while still allowing easy operation when the user applies force to rotate the rotor.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotor acts as an intermediary element between the cable and the spring system. It translates cable tension into controlled rotational movement while the spring provides stabilizing pressure. This intermediary mechanism absorbs shocks and prevents direct transmission of instability, reducing rattling and unwanted movement while maintaining ease of operation.
3Stability of the object's composition
If friction is increased to prevent unwanted rotor shifting, then stability improves, but user force requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanism applies friction locally and selectively through the spring pressure on the rotor, rather than throughout the entire system. The helical coil spring provides localized frictional force at the rotor-spring interface to prevent unwanted shifting, while the rotation-limiting feature provides additional localized constraint. This localized friction approach maintains stability without requiring high user force for operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses dynamic friction control where the spring pressure can be adjusted to provide just enough friction to prevent unwanted rotor shifting. The rotation-limiting feature dynamically engages only when the rotor reaches its travel limits, allowing free rotation during normal operation with minimal friction, thereby maintaining stability without increasing user force requirements.
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 mechanism effectively reduces the force needed for user input by utilizing a helical coil spring's rotational and axial bias, minimizing rattling and noise, while allowing for easy installation and adjustment of seat components with reduced frictional resistance.
Implementation Method 1
a helical coil spring having a first end connected to the housing, and a second end connected to the rotor. The coil spring is rotationally deformed to rotationally bias the rotor for rotation in a first direction about the axis, and the coil spring is also compressed, and biases the rotor axially away from the housing along the axis.
Implementation Method 2
The mechanism includes a helical coil spring having a first end connected to the housing, and a second end connected to the rotor. The coil spring is rotationally deformed to rotationally bias the rotor for rotation in a first direction about the axis, and the coil spring is also compressed, and biases the rotor axially away from the housing along the axis.
Implementation Method 3
Friction between the boss and a side surface of the arcuate slot prevents shifting of the rotor that could otherwise occur due to the axial bias of the helical coil spring.
Data Source
AI summary
A release mechanism generates a force on a cable to operate an adjustment mechanism or the like in a seat or other device. The release mechanism includes a rotor, a housing, a spring, and a cover that attaches to the housing. The spring generates a torque, and the spring also axially biases the rotor into engagement with the cover to prevent rattling.