Lateral Torso Support Seat for Sideways Vehicle Operation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle seats for agricultural commercial vehicles do not provide adequate support for drivers in sideways or backward seated positions, leading to discomfort, pressure sores, and increased strain on the body, particularly the spinal column, due to limited degrees of freedom and insufficient torso support.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle seat with an additional torso support device that can be temporarily deployed laterally off-center at the level of the shoulder or chest region, movable from a parked position into a seat-free region above the seat back part, providing targeted support during sideways or backward seated postures without interfering with normal driving positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the driver adopts a sideways or backward seated posture to operate equipment or view working devices, then the driver can better reach operating elements and have improved view, but the driver experiences discomfort, pressure sores, and increased strain on the body structures
Solution Approach 1:
The seat back part is divided into a first region (lower portion) and a second region (upper portion), where the first region is fixed to the seat part and the second region is pivotally connected to the first region. This segmentation allows independent movement of the upper backrest region relative to the lower region, enabling the seat to adapt to sideways or backward postures while maintaining support.
Solution Approach 2:
The second region of the seat back part is designed to be movable relative to the first region through a pivotal connection, allowing the seat back to dynamically adjust its configuration. This dynamic capability enables the seat to accommodate various driving positions (forward, sideways, backward) while continuously providing ergonomic support to reduce body strain.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the seat back cushion is strongly contoured in the upper region to provide maximum support, then the driver receives good support and relief of strain, but the freedom of movement in the shoulder and arm region is impeded
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the seat back part into two independently movable regions, the patent allows the first region to provide strong contoured support for strain relief while the second region can move freely to accommodate shoulder and arm movements, resolving the contradiction between support and mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivotal connection between the first and second regions allows the seat back to dynamically adapt its shape. The contoured first region maintains support while the movable second region adjusts to the driver's arm and shoulder position, enabling both strain relief and freedom of movement.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the entire vehicle seat is swiveled using a rotary adapter to change driving position, then the driver can face different directions, but the driver must turn out of the comfortable upholstered seat contour leading to pressure sores and discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of swiveling the entire seat, the patent segments the seat back part into two regions that can move independently. This allows the seat to adapt to different driving positions while the driver remains seated in the comfortable upholstered contour, eliminating pressure sores caused by complete seat rotation.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable second region of the seat back part provides dynamic adaptation to sideways or backward postures without requiring the driver to leave the supportive seat contour. This localized movement maintains comfort while achieving positional flexibility.
4Reliability
If the swivel range of the rotary adapter is limited to maintain safe vehicle control, then the driver can safely control the vehicle, but the driver is forced into a twisted enforced posture that leads to body structure damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the seat back part into movable and fixed regions, allowing the upper backrest to adjust to sideways or backward positions without requiring complete seat swivel. This enables the driver to achieve necessary viewing angles while maintaining safe vehicle control posture, reducing twisted positioning and body strain.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a vehicle seat with a seat part and with a seat back part for supporting a driver of the vehicle in the sitting position on the vehicle seat, wherein the vehicle seat is characterized by an additional vehicle driver's torso support device which can be disposed outside the seat part and the seat back part and which can be temporarily disposed at least partially in an otherwise seat-free torso support region at the level of or above the upper third of the seat back part in front of the seat back part and laterally off-center on the seat back part, in order to provide support, laterally off-center of the seat back part, at least at the level of the shoulder or chest region of the driver who is sitting on the vehicle seat when he adopts a seated working posture oriented to the side or backwards, wherein the additional vehicle driver's torso support device is disposed so as to be movable by a moving device from a parked position into an additional torso support position in the otherwise seat-free torso support region.