Rotatable Upper Seatback for Passenger Head Clearance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle seating systems do not effectively manage passenger safety during collision events by creating sufficient clearance to prevent contact between passengers and the seatback, especially in frontal and oblique collisions.
Innovation Solution
A rotationally collapsible seatback system with a pivot joint and guide bracket, coupled with a resilient member, automatically deploys during a collision to create clearance and then returns to its original position, utilizing inertia and resistance to manage deceleration forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the seatback is made rigid and fixed to provide structural support, then strength and stability are improved, but passenger safety during collision is worsened due to lack of clearance
Solution Approach 1:
The seatback is divided into two segments: a lower portion that remains fixed to the base for structural support, and an upper portion that can pivot independently. This segmentation allows the lower portion to maintain strength while the upper portion creates clearance during collision, resolving the contradiction between structural integrity and passenger safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The upper portion of the seatback is made dynamic through a pivot joint, allowing it to rotate forward during collision events. This dynamic behavior enables the seatback to adapt to collision forces, creating necessary clearance while the lower portion maintains static structural support.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the upper portion of the seatback is made collapsible to create clearance during collision, then passenger safety is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The upper portion of the seatback is designed to deploy automatically during collision through its own inertia, without requiring external sensors, actuators, or control systems. The pivot joint and guide bracket enable self-driven deployment, minimizing added complexity while achieving the safety function.
Solution Approach 2:
The inertial forces generated during collision, which are harmful in themselves, are converted into a beneficial force that drives the upper portion forward to create clearance. The collision energy is thus utilized to activate the safety mechanism rather than requiring separate power sources.
3Reliability
If a resilient member is added to provide resistance to pivoting, then control over deployment is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient member modifies the mechanical parameters of the pivot joint by introducing a controllable resistance force. This resistance parameter can be tuned to ensure the upper portion pivots only under sufficient collision forces, providing reliable deployment control without requiring complex electronic or mechanical control systems.
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
The system effectively reduces the risk of passenger collision with the seatback by creating temporary clearance during a collision and ensures the seatback returns to its original position to receive occupants safely, enhancing passenger safety.
Implementation Method 1
A resilient member provides a resistance to pivoting of the upper portion of the seatback and the resilient member is operably coupled to the upper portion of the seatback and the lower portion of the seatback
Implementation Method 2
The upper portion of the seatback pivots from the resting position to the deployed position during a frontal collision of the vehicle
Data Source
AI summary
A seating assembly for a vehicle includes a base. A seatback having a lower portion is rotatably coupled to the base and an upper portion is pivotably coupled to the lower portion by at least one pivot joint. The at least one pivot joint is disposed on a front portion of the seatback. A guide bracket is disposed on a rear portion of the seatback and is configured to guide the upper portion of the seatback between a resting position and a deployed position. A resilient member provides a resistance to pivoting of the upper portion of the seatback and the resilient member is operably coupled to the upper portion of the seatback and the lower portion of the seatback. The upper portion of the seatback pivots from the resting position to the deployed position during a frontal collision of the vehicle.