Ergonomic Push Button Seat Adjustment Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional manual controls for adjusting seat or seat cushion position in vehicles are cumbersome and awkward to operate, both for the seated person and when not occupied, as they require lateral lever movement or lifting, which can be inefficient and difficult to manage.
Innovation Solution
A control panel with an angled ledge and actuator buttons integrated into the seat pan allows for ergonomic operation by enabling the operator to grasp and use their thumb and fingers to adjust the seat's extension and tilt, featuring a mechanism with a lever arm and latch system that facilitates forward-backward and tilting movements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional manual controls require lateral lever movement or lifting, then the seat adjustment mechanism can be activated, but the operation becomes awkward and cumbersome for the seated person
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of requiring the operator to move a lever laterally or lift it upward, the invention inverts the operation by allowing the operator to push a button forward with their thumb. This inversion of the control action simplifies the operation from complex lateral or lifting movements to a simple forward pushing motion, directly resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The control panel is designed to be operated by the seated person's own thumb and hand without requiring external assistance or complex manual manipulation. The button's forward movement directly actuates the adjustment mechanism, allowing the system to serve itself through simple, intuitive user input, improving ease of operation without adding complexity
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional manual controls are designed for seated operation, then they can adjust the seat position, but they become cumbersome to operate when the person is not occupying the seat
Solution Approach 1:
The button control design serves multiple functions and operating conditions: it can be easily operated by a seated person using their thumb, and it can also be operated by a standing person using their hand. This universal design allows the control to adapt to different operating conditions (seated or unoccupied seat) without becoming cumbersome, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and ease of operation across different scenarios
3Ease of operation
If the control panel includes a ledge for grasping, then the operator can easily manipulate the controls while seated, but the control panel structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The control panel is segmented into functional components: a grasping ledge for hand placement and an actuator button for thumb operation. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently - the ledge provides mechanical advantage for hand grasping while the button provides precise thumb actuation - without requiring the entire panel structure to be overly complex, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and structural complexity
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for moving a seat cushion of a seat on which the operator sits includes a seat frame and a pan supporting the seat cushion that is movably supported on the seat frame for movement relative to the seat frame, such as forward-backward or tilting movement. A control panel is mounted to the pan at a forward end of the pan and accessible by the operator while seated on the seat cushion. The control panel includes a housing defining a ledge that is configured so that the operator can grasp underneath the ledge with the operator's hand, with the thumb at an upper face of the control panel. An actuator button is supported on the housing at the upper face of the control panel for actuation by the thumb of the operator while grasping the ledge. A mechanism is connected to the actuator button and is configured and operable upon actuation of the actuator button to permit movement of the pan relative to said seat frame. In one embodiment, two push buttons are provided connected to corresponding extension and tilt mechanisms.