Retractable Vehicle Seat Back Headrest With Low-Friction Stem Guidance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motor vehicle seat back headrests do not effectively enhance protection and retraction, often hampering rear vision and suffering from issues with stem positioning dispersion.
Innovation Solution
The headrest features a curved stem with a ball and socket joint articulation allowing three degrees of freedom, a dual stem design, and a strap-activated lock, reducing friction and improving retraction by allowing height adjustment and easy deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the headrest is positioned in the high position to enhance protection, then the protection provided by the headrest is improved, but the rear vision of the driver is hampered
Solution Approach 1:
The headrest is designed to be dynamically adjustable between high and low positions. The stem slides within the socket to allow height adjustment, and the lock mechanism enables easy transition between positions. This dynamic positioning resolves the contradiction by allowing the headrest to provide maximum protection when needed (high position) and clear vision when not needed (low position).
Solution Approach 2:
The position parameter of the headrest is made variable through the sliding stem mechanism. By changing the vertical position parameter of the headrest, the system can optimize both protection (high position) and visibility (low position) based on operational requirements.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the stem is positioned rigidly to ensure stable guidance, then the guidance of the stem in the socket is improved, but the friction of the stem in the socket increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stem is segmented into bearing zones and intermediate zones. The bearing zones provide stable guidance when in contact with the socket, while the intermediate zones with smaller cross-sections reduce friction during movement. This segmentation allows the stem to alternate between guidance and low-friction states during sliding.
Solution Approach 2:
Different zones of the stem have different local qualities: bearing zones have larger cross-sections for stable guidance, while intermediate zones have smaller cross-sections for reduced friction. This local variation in geometry optimizes both guidance stability and friction reduction during the sliding motion.
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 solution enhances protection, simplifies production, and ensures smooth retraction of the headrest while maintaining effective guidance and reduced friction, thereby addressing the challenges of dispersion and retraction efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a return element interposed between the slide and the support and biasing the headrest to its low position
Implementation Method 2
the support is mounted on the structure through an articulation element having at least a degree of freedom to rotate about an axis of orientation
Implementation Method 3
the stem comprises a succession of bearing zones separated from one another by intermediate zones having a cross section that is smaller than the cross section of the bearing zones. Thus, the friction of the stem in the socket is reduced.
Data Source
AI summary
Motor vehicle seat back comprising a structure, a headrest, a headrest, a support, a slide, a return element and a lock. The structure comprises at least one socket. The headrest comprises at least one stem mounted so as to slide in the socket between a high position and a low position. The stem has a curve. The support is mounted on the structure through an articulation element having at least a degree of freedom to rotate about an axis of orientation. The slide is connected to the stem and capable of sliding relative to the support in a direction of sliding. The return element is interposed between the slide and the support and biases the headrest towards its low position. The lock has an active state in which it is capable of holding the headrest in the high position and an inactive position in which it releases the headrest.