Vehicle Seat Lumbar Support With Plate-Mounted Dual Adjustment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lumbar supports for vehicle seats lack reliability, ease of assembly, and customization to user needs, with external adjusters increasing space consumption and friction during use.
Innovation Solution
A lumbar support system featuring a wire structure with a main plate and electric motors mounted directly to the plate, allowing independent adjustment of arching elements for optimal comfort, reducing external components and minimizing friction through optimized actuation paths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If external adjusters are mounted to the seat frame for lumbar support adjustment, then the adjustment functionality is achieved, but the space consumption increases and the mounting effort increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the adjustment mechanisms directly with the main plate, merging the previously separate external adjusters into the core structure. The first and second adjusting members are integrated onto the main plate, eliminating the need for separate external mounting components on the seat frame, thus reducing space consumption while maintaining adjustment functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The main plate serves multiple functions: it acts as the structural base for the lumbar support and simultaneously integrates the adjustment mechanisms. By making the main plate multi-functional, the patent eliminates the need for separate external adjusters, reducing both space consumption and mounting effort while preserving full adjustment capabilities.
2Ease of operation
If the adjusting member is displaceable along the wire guide members, then the curvature adjustment is achieved, but the friction increases due to contact between the adjusting member and wire guide members
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the adjusting members from the wire guide member structure and relocates them to be mounted on the main plate. This separation removes the source of friction (contact between adjusting member and wire guide members) while preserving the curvature adjustment function through the relocated adjusting members that act on the arching element differently.
3Ease of operation
If the adjusting member is displaceable along the wire guide members, then the curvature adjustment is achieved, but the reliability decreases due to difficulty in supporting movable parts on bent wire guide members
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the adjusting members from the wire guide member structure and relocates them to be mounted on the main plate. This provides a stable, rigid mounting base for the adjusting members, eliminating the reliability issues associated with supporting movable parts on bent wire guide members while maintaining the curvature adjustment function.
4Device complexity
If the curvature drive mechanism is supported by the wire guide members, then the structure is simplified, but the customization capability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the curvature drive mechanism with the main plate, combining the structural support and adjustment functionality into a single integrated platform. This integration provides a stable base that allows for customized actuation characteristics while maintaining structural simplicity, as the main plate serves as both the structural element and the mounting platform for the adjusting members.
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 solution provides reliable, space-efficient, and customizable lumbar support adjustments that enhance user comfort by minimizing friction and external components, allowing for precise positioning and curvature changes without obstructing mechanisms.
Implementation Method 1
a position electric motor which is mounted to the main plate
Implementation Method 2
a curvature electric motor mounted to the main plate, for adjusting the curvature of the at least one arching element
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~2C
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
Lumbar support 1 for a backrest 3 of a vehicle seat 2 comprising a wire structure 10, having a pair of wire guide members 12, 14, for mounting the lumbar support 1 within the vehicle seat 2; a main plate 20, supported by the wire guide members 10, 12, wherein the main plate 20 is linearly movable with respect to the wire guide members 10, 14; a position drive mechanism 30, for linearly moving the main plate 20 with respect to the wire structure 10, wherein the main drive mechanism 30 comprises a position electric motor 32 which is mounted to the main plate 20; a curvature drive mechanism 50, comprising an adjusting member 54, wherein the adjusting member 54 is supported by the main plate 20 and movable with respect to the main plate 20; at least one arching element 40, 42 suspended between the main plate 20 and the adjusting member 54; and a curvature electric motor 52 mounted to the main plate 20, for moving the adjusting member 54 to adjust the curvature of the at least one arching element 40, 42.