Rotatable Armrest Cable Routing Through Bracket Elongated Hole
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing armrest designs face challenges in accommodating an extra cable section when positioned beside a vehicle seat, as there is no space for it between the armrest body and the attachment base, making it difficult to rotate the armrest while maintaining cable integrity.
Innovation Solution
The armrest design includes a bracket fixed to the seat frame, an armrest body that rotates, and a cable with a retaining portion and elongated hole that allows the cable to move freely, ensuring the armrest can rotate with an extra section of cable in a limited space by maintaining a constant distance between the cable holder and the hole, which is arc-shaped with the rotation axis as the center.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the armrest body is directly attached to the sidewall of the vehicle seat without a connecting member, then the structure is simplified, but it becomes difficult to include the extra section in the cable required for rotation
Solution Approach 1:
The cable is nested through the bracket structure, passing through a through-hole in the bracket that is positioned between the armrest body and the seat sidewall. This allows the cable to be routed through the existing structural space without adding external complexity, while still providing the necessary length for armrest rotation.
2Ease of operation
If a connecting member is added to allow cable rotation, then the cable can accommodate armrest rotation, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket serves dual functions: it acts as both the mounting structure that attaches the armrest body to the seat sidewall and as the cable routing structure with its through-hole. By merging these functions into a single component, the design avoids adding separate connecting members while still providing the necessary cable accommodation for rotation.
3Ease of operation
If the cable is made longer to accommodate rotation, then the armrest can rotate freely, but the cable may become tangled or break more easily
Solution Approach 1:
The cable is pre-routed through the bracket's through-hole in a specific path that anticipates the rotation movement. This preliminary routing arrangement ensures that during rotation, the cable follows a smooth path through the designated space, preventing tangling and reducing stress concentrations that could lead to breakage.
Data Source
AI summary
An armrest according to the technology described herein includes a bracket, an armrest body, a device connecting port, an armrest-side connector, and a cable. The bracket is fixed to a seat frame. The armrest body is attached to the bracket to be rotatable. The device connecting port is exposed through an outer surface of the armrest body. The armrest-side connector is fixed to the seat frame at a position different from the bracket. The cable includes an end connected to the device connecting port and an end connected to an armrest-side connector. The armrest body includes a cable retaining portion through which the cable is passed and in which the cable is retained. Any one of the bracket and the armrest body includes a hole (an elongated hole) that allows movement of the cable along with rotation of the armrest body.