Pneumatic Cushion Vehicle Seat Gap Bridging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle seats with pneumatic cushions do not provide optimal reclining comfort as they often leave a gap between the seat face and the rest element when adjusted, disrupting the continuous surface and hardness sensation for passengers.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle seat design featuring a pivoting rest element and a pneumatic unit that inflates the cushion when the seat is reclined and deflates it when in a seating position, bridging any gap and forming a continuous, uniformly hard surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the rest element is moved into a reclined position to provide better comfort, then a gap is formed between the seat face and rest element, but this gap disrupts the continuous surface and creates non-uniform hardness sensation
Solution Approach 1:
A pneumatic cushion is introduced as an intermediary element between the seat face and rest element. This cushion can be selectively inflated or deflated to fill the gap that forms during reclining, thereby maintaining a continuous, uniform surface for the passenger while still allowing the rest element to pivot into the reclined position for comfort.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a pneumatic cushion is added to bridge the gap, then continuous surface is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pneumatic unit serves multiple functions: it acts as a structural support element, a gap-filling mechanism, and a comfort regulator. By integrating this single multi-functional component, the patent achieves continuous surface uniformity without requiring multiple separate mechanisms, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
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
Enhances reclining comfort by creating a continuous, uniformly hard surface when the seat is reclined, improving passenger experience and safety by maintaining consistent cushion hardness and pressure.
Implementation Method 1
a pneumatic unit (9) which is constructed in such a manner that it substantially completely inflates the at least one pneumatic cushion (10) when the at least one rest element (3) is moved into the reclined position
Implementation Method 2
substantially completely deflates the at least one pneumatic cushion (10) when the at least one rest element (3) is moved into the seating position
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a vehicle seat (1) comprising a seat surface (2) and at last one backrest element (3, 13) which are pivotable about an axis (6) relative to the seat surface (2). The at least one backrest element (3, 13) is movable from a sitting position, in which the backrest element (3, 13) is positioned substantially at an angle (a) relative to the seat surface (2), into a reclined position, in which the seat surface (2) and the at least one backrest element (3, 13) form a substantially planar surface, and back again. The vehicle seat (1) has at least one pneumatic cushion (10; 10.1, 10.2) and a pneumatic unit (9), which is configured in such a way that the pneumatic unit substantially completely inflates the at least one pneumatic cushion (10; 10.1, 10.2) if the at least one backrest element (3, 13) is moved into the reclined position, and the at least one pneumatic cushion (10; 10.1, 10.2) is substantially completely emptied when the backrest element (3, 13) is moved into the sitting position. The at least one pneumatic cushion (10; 10.1, 10.2) is arranged in an edge region (8) of the seat surface (2) or of the at least one backrest element (3, 13), which adjoins the at least one backrest element (3, 13) or the seat surface (2), such that in the reclined position the at least one pneumatic cushion (10; 10.1, 10.2) extends between the seat surface (2) and the at least one backrest element (3, 13).