Morphing Rear Bench Seat for Symmetric Three-Passenger Comfort
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle rear bench seats often have an uncomfortable middle seat due to insufficient space for contouring, leading to an elevated seat bump, which can cause discomfort and an asymmetric seating posture when three passengers occupy the seats, with the middle passenger sitting on a narrower seat.
Innovation Solution
A morphing vehicle seat design featuring an outer frame and a movable inner frame that adjusts relative to the outer frame to vary the seating surface geometry, allowing for flat or contoured configurations based on the number of occupants, ensuring optimal comfort and symmetry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the middle seating place is provided with a trough-shaped contour like the outer seating places, then seating comfort for the middle passenger is improved, but the available space in the middle of the bench seat is insufficient to accommodate such contouring without creating an elevated seat bump
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the middle seating place geometry changeable between different configurations. The middle seating place can transform from a flat surface to a trough-shaped contour, allowing the seat to adapt its shape based on occupancy needs. This dynamic transformation eliminates the permanent elevated seat bump while providing contouring support when required, thus resolving the contradiction between seating comfort and space utilization.
2Quantity of substance
If the middle seating place width is reduced to accommodate three passengers, then the bench seat can accommodate more passengers, but the middle passenger experiences discomfort due to sitting on a narrow elevated surface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the middle seating place width and shape dynamic rather than fixed. When three passengers are detected, the middle seating place transforms into a trough-shaped contour that provides lateral support and comfort despite the reduced width. This dynamic adaptation allows the seat to maintain comfort for the middle passenger while still accommodating three passengers on the bench seat.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a movable inner frame is added to enable geometry variation of the seating surface, then adaptability to different occupancy scenarios is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the bench seat into multiple independent frame structures: an outer frame supporting the outer seating places and an inner frame supporting the middle seating place. This segmentation allows the middle seating place to be independently controlled and transformed into a trough-shaped contour, providing adaptability to different occupancy scenarios while keeping each frame structure relatively simple and manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies the nested doll principle by positioning the inner frame within the outer frame structure. The inner frame that supports the middle seating place is nested within the boundaries of the outer frame, allowing the middle seating place to have independent geometric transformation capabilities while being integrated into the overall bench seat structure. This nesting approach enables complex functionality without proportionally increasing overall structural complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle seat including at least one outer frame on which an outer part of a seating surface is supported, and at least one inner frame on which an inner part of the seating surface is supported and which is movable relative to the outer frame.