Lumbar Support Adjuster With Moving Motor for Tight Seat Space
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lumbar support adjusting devices require significant installation space for electric motors and pulleys, making them bulky and complex to install, especially in vehicle seat backrests, where space is limited.
Innovation Solution
A lumbar support adjusting device featuring a pair of guide members, an adjusting member coupled to them, and a drive mechanism with a motor that is displaceable along the guide members, allowing the motor to be integrated into the adjusting mechanism and reducing the need for dedicated installation space, using a shaft with a structured surface and a spindle transmission for efficient displacement and torque reduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a Bowden cable is used to couple the power actuator to the lumbar support, then the lumbar support can be adjusted, but the installation space required for the electric motor and pulley increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the electric motor with the pulley assembly by mounting the motor directly on the adjusting member that carries the pulley. This integration eliminates the need for separate mounting spaces for the motor and pulley, allowing both components to occupy the same spatial envelope and move together as a single unit along the guide members.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the motor mounting position dynamic by attaching the motor to the adjusting member rather than fixing it to the seat frame. This allows the motor to move along with the adjusting member and pulley assembly, enabling the entire drive mechanism to relocate to different positions within the available space and reducing the need for dedicated fixed installation areas.
2Reliability
If the electric motor is dimensioned to provide sufficient force for Bowden cable adjustment under load, then the adjustment function is reliable, but the motor size and required installation space increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a pulley as an intermediary mechanical element between the motor and the Bowden cable. The pulley system provides mechanical advantage, allowing a smaller motor to generate sufficient force for cable adjustment under load by leveraging the cable's tension and the pulley's leverage ratio, thereby reducing the motor size while maintaining adjustment reliability.
3Ease of operation
If the motor is installed spaced from the lumbar support to accommodate Bowden cable mechanics, then the adjustment mechanism functions properly, but the installation becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the motor, pulley, and adjusting member into a single integrated assembly. This merger simplifies installation by reducing the number of separate components that need to be mounted and connected, eliminating the need for separate motor mounting brackets, cable routing channels, and alignment procedures that would be required if the motor were installed separately.
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
This solution enables a compact and efficient adjustment of lumbar support curvature and height within the limited space of a vehicle seat backrest, reducing the risk of motor damage and simplifying installation by allowing the motor to move with the adjusting member, thus enhancing user comfort and installation ease.
Implementation Method 1
The drive mechanism comprises a motor (31), which is provided on the adjusting member (14) so as to be displaceable along the guide members (4, 5) jointly with the adjusting member (14)
Implementation Method 2
The drive mechanism may comprise a shaft having a structured exterior surface, e.g., a helical thread, and disposed so as to extend parallel to the guide members
Data Source
AI summary
An adjusting device for a lumbar support includes a pair of spaced guide members. A first adjusting member is coupled to the pair of guide members and displaceable along the pair of guide members and configured such that the lumbar support is adjusted when the first adjusting member is displaced. A second adjusting member is displaceable along the pair of guide members. A drive mechanism for effecting an adjustment of the lumbar support includes a motor provided on the first adjusting member so as to be displaceable along the guide members jointly with the first adjusting member.