Vehicle Seat Recliner Control Plate with Stop Protrusions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle seat recliners face challenges in reducing weight and cost due to the large number of parts and space constraints, which affect passenger comfort and safety, as well as the difficulty in selecting a spring with sufficient elasticity for stability and durability.
Innovation Solution
A recliner design that eliminates the need for a separate cap or cover by using a control plate with stop protrusions to couple the input member, allowing the spring to be wound externally and providing a spiral spring for increased elasticity, reducing the number of parts and weight while maintaining stability and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separate cap or cover is used for assembling the input member, then the input member can be securely assembled, but the number of parts increases and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control plate integrates the functions of both the control mechanism and the assembly cover into a single component. The control plate includes a through hole that receives the input member and stop protrusions that secure it, eliminating the need for a separate cap or cover while maintaining assembly security.
2Reliability
If more parts are used for assembly, then assembly security is improved, but weight increases and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
By combining the control plate and assembly cover into a single integrated control plate, the overall weight of the recliner is reduced while maintaining the necessary assembly security through the stop protrusions that engage with the input member.
3Volume of moving object
If the recliner size is reduced, then installation space is improved and weight is reduced, but the spring selection becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The spring is repositioned from an internal location to an external location, allowing it to be wound around the input member outside the main recliner mechanism. This dimensional change enables the use of a larger, more elastic spring while keeping the overall recliner size compact for installation.
4Reliability
If the spring is wound externally, then elasticity is improved and durability is improved, but the assembly structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The external spring assembly is integrated with the control plate structure. The control plate's through hole and stop protrusions work together to secure the spring-wound input member, creating a unified assembly structure that is not more complex than traditional designs while providing improved elasticity and durability.
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 design minimizes the recliner's diameter, reduces weight, and enhances stability during collisions, while ensuring necessary elasticity and durability, thus improving passenger safety and reducing manufacturing costs.
Implementation Method 1
providing a spiral spring for increased elasticity
Implementation Method 2
allowing the spring to be wound externally and providing a spiral spring for increased elasticity
Data Source
AI summary
A recliner for a vehicle seat is configured such that a plurality of stop protrusions is provided along an edge of a center hole formed in a control plate, and fore-end corners of the stop protrusions are stopped by the outer circumferential surface of a rod part of an input member when the rod part of the input member passes through the center hole of the control plate, whereby the coupling and assembly of the input member is performed by the stop protrusions of the control plate.