Manual Lumbar Pump Assembly for Selective Air Bladder Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current lumbar support systems in vehicles lack a practical and efficient mechanism for manual adjustment of lumbar support, which can lead to discomfort and inadequate back support during long trips.
Innovation Solution
A manual pump assembly for a vehicle seatback that includes a plurality of air bladders with a valve body, a selection device, and a manually compressible air chamber, allowing for inflation and deflation of individual air bladders to customize lumbar support through a lever-operated air pump apparatus.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a manual pump assembly is added to enable individual air bladder adjustment, then lumbar support customization and comfort are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the air pump, valve body, and selection device into a single integrated pump assembly unit that couples with the seatback. This merging of multiple functional components into one compact assembly enables individual air bladder adjustment without adding separate complex mechanisms throughout the seat structure, thus improving adaptability while controlling overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump assembly serves multiple functions: it can inflate and deflate individual air bladders, provide lumbar support adjustment, and integrate with the existing seatback structure. The selection device allows the same pump mechanism to serve different air bladders, making the system multi-functional and versatile without requiring separate mechanisms for each function.
2Reliability
If multiple air bladders are used to provide comprehensive lumbar support, then lumbar support effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The lumbar support is divided into multiple segmented air bladders positioned at different locations (upper, middle, lower lumbar regions). Each air bladder can be independently inflated or deflated through the pump assembly, allowing targeted support for specific lumbar regions. This segmentation enables comprehensive lumbar support effectiveness while maintaining manageable system complexity through the unified pump control mechanism.
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
Enables users to manually adjust the lumbar support to their desired level of firmness and contour, enhancing comfort and reducing back pain by allowing precise control over the air bladder inflation and deflation.
Implementation Method 1
A manually compressible air chamber is coupled with the inlet for inflating the select one
Implementation Method 2
An air chamber has an exhaust port that is fluidly coupled with the valve body and is configured to manually dispense air therefrom
Data Source
AI summary
A pump assembly for a vehicle seatback includes a plurality of air bladders defining a lumbar support. A valve body has an inlet and a plurality of outlets that are coupled with the associated plurality of air bladders. A selection device is operably coupled with the valve body for engaging a select one of the plurality of air bladders with the inlet. A manually compressible air chamber is coupled with the inlet for inflating the select one.