Vehicle Lumbar Support Assembly with Adjustable Comfort Mat

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional lumbar support assemblies in vehicle seats cannot be adjusted to fit individual passenger physical conditions, limiting their ability to provide optimal support for the back and waist regions.

Innovation Solution

A lumbar support assembly featuring a 'U'-shaped fixing wire, cross wire, upper and lower plates, comfort mat, support mat, operating device, and elevating device, which allows the comfort mat to be adjusted vertically and protruded backward to accommodate different passenger shapes and sizes through a system of rotating and elevating mechanisms.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the rotary rod position is fixed in the conventional lumbar support assembly, then the structure is simple and reliable, but the comfort mat can only move in forward and backward directions and cannot be adjusted according to passenger's physical conditions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadjustability of comfort matVSAvoidstructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes the previously fixed rotary rod position dynamic and adjustable. The rotary rod can now be positioned at different locations along the seat back frame through an adjustment mechanism, allowing the comfort mat to adapt to different passenger physiques and seating positions, thus resolving the contradiction between adaptability and structural simplicity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The lumbar support assembly is divided into separable components including the adjustable rotary rod mechanism, the comfort mat, and the seat back frame. This segmentation allows independent adjustment of the rotary rod position while maintaining overall structural integrity, enabling customization without excessive complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Adaptability or versatility

If the comfort mat is fixed to the seat back frame, then the structure is simple and stable, but the comfort mat cannot transform position to accommodate different passenger needs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveposition transformation capabilityVSAvoidmechanism complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The comfort mat is transformed from a fixed component to a dynamic one through the adjustable rotary rod mechanism. The mat can now rotate and reposition itself based on the rotary rod's position, providing adaptability to different passenger requirements while using a relatively simple rotational mechanism rather than complex multi-axis positioning systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3100907B1Lumbar support assembly
Publication Date: 2018.11.14 DSC CO LTD
  • EP3100907B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3100907B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3100907B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A lumbar support assembly disposed on a seat back frame within a vehicle seat and configured to support the back and waist regions of a passenger may include a fixing wire configured to be disposed on the seat back frame, a comfort mat provided with an upper end disposed on a cross wire combined with an upper end of the fixing wire so as to be rotatable and configured to support the back and waist regions of the passenger, a rotating device disposed on the fixing wire and rotating a lower end of the comfort mat toward the back region of the passenger, and an operating device disposed on the fixing wire and transforming the rotating device to protrude toward the comfort mat.