Nested Rail Spacer for Removable Vehicle Seat
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Solution Overview
Problem
In minivans, the second row seats are often difficult to reconfigure and remove due to their weight and the need to move or remove strikers and carpeting, limiting cargo space and user functionality.
Innovation Solution
A rail and carrier system that includes nested rails and cross brackets, allowing the second row seats to be slid laterally and easily removed, with a locking mechanism and cover system to facilitate movement and secure attachment, enhancing user accessibility and cargo space utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If second row seats are made removable to increase cargo space and user functionality, then adaptability improves, but ease of operation deteriorates due to seat weight and complexity of reconfiguration
Solution Approach 1:
The seat assembly is divided into separable components: the seat itself and the striker assembly. The striker can be independently removed from the rail system, allowing the heavy seat to remain in place while only the lightweight striker is manipulated. This segmentation enables easy reconfiguration without moving the entire heavy seat assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The striker is extracted as a separate, removable component from the seat assembly. By taking out the striker, the system allows the seat to be reconfigured by simply removing and repositioning the lightweight striker rather than moving the entire heavy seat, dramatically improving ease of operation.
2Reliability
If strikers and carpeting are fixed in place to maintain stability, then reliability improves, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in moving seats
Solution Approach 1:
The striker is designed with dynamic characteristics - it can be easily inserted into and removed from the rail system. The striker features a geometry that allows it to snap into place reliably when inserted, providing stable attachment, while its lightweight nature and simple insertion/removal mechanism enable easy repositioning, resolving the contradiction between stability and ease of operation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple strikers are provided for different seat positions to increase adaptability, then adaptability improves, but device complexity increases due to additional components and carpeting
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple strikers are provided along the rail system at different positions, and each striker serves the same function - attaching the seat. The strikers are identical or similar components, allowing the system to achieve multiple seat positions without increasing complexity significantly. The universality of the striker design means the same component is reused throughout the system.
Data Source
AI summary
A rail and carrier system for first and second removable seats for a motor vehicle includes two lower rails fixedly attached to and positioned laterally along a floor of the motor vehicle. Two upper rails are nested with and laterally slidable within each of the first lower rails. Cross brackets are laterally spaced apart and arranged perpendicular to the upper rails. Covers are connected to and extend between the cross brackets. Spacers are located laterally between upper rails within the lower rails. The spacers include a first shoe located in the lower rail, a second shoe located in the lower rail, and a first bracket connecting the first shoe and second shoe. The first and second shoes prevent the upper rails from contacting each other.