Safety Seat Support Strap Force Decoupling Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety seats in armored vehicles transmit excessive forces from mine explosions or accidents directly to occupants, causing significant stress, and require numerous fixation points for decoupling, which is inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A safety seat design utilizing a support strap with an extension piece that lengthens under load and a winding unit to maintain tension, allowing the strap to absorb and reabsorb forces, thereby reducing stress on occupants and decoupling from the vehicle floor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If seats are rigidly attached to the vehicle floor, then fixation points are minimized, but excessive forces from mine explosions or accidents are transmitted directly to occupants
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful force transmission path by decoupling the seat from the vehicle floor structure. The support strap acts as a removable intermediary that can be configured to absorb or transmit forces selectively, preventing direct force transmission to occupants while maintaining seat functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The support strap serves as a mediator between the vehicle floor and the seat. It can be configured in different states (relaxed, tensioned, extended) to control force transmission, acting as a controllable intermediary that protects occupants from harmful forces while allowing necessary seat movement and positioning.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If pulling elements are used to decouple seats, then force transmission is reduced, but a large number of fixation points are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible support strap (textile belt) instead of rigid pulling elements. This flexible element can be configured to provide the necessary decoupling function with minimal fixation points, as it can accommodate various positions and force directions while maintaining its protective function.
Solution Approach 2:
The support strap is designed to be dynamically configurable between different states (relaxed, tensioned, extended). This dynamic capability allows the same strap to adapt to different operational requirements without requiring multiple fixed configurations or additional fixation points, reducing overall system complexity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the support strap is allowed to extend under load, then force absorption is improved, but the effective length increases reducing readiness for subsequent impacts
Solution Approach 1:
The support strap operates in periodic cycles of extension and retraction. During an impact, it extends to absorb forces; afterward, it automatically retracts to its original length, ready for the next impact. This periodic action ensures both effective force absorption and continuous readiness without requiring manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The support strap system is self-regulating through its elastic properties. After extending to absorb impact forces, the strap automatically retracts using its stored elastic energy,无需 external assistance. This self-service mechanism ensures the strap is always ready for subsequent impacts without requiring manual resetting or additional energy input.
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 design effectively absorbs and redistributes forces during accidents or explosions, reducing stress on occupants and preventing submarining, while being lightweight, easy to assemble, and cost-effective.
Implementation Method 1
forming the at least one support strap with an extension piece configured to lengthen when exposed to a load as a result of an accident or explosion
Implementation Method 2
The winding unit builds up a biasing force so that the support strap retracts immediately when relaxed and becomes taut by the biasing force, applied by a spring force for example
Data Source
AI summary
In a method for reducing the impact of a force upon a person seated in a safety seat of a motor vehicle at least a seat unit of the safety seat is restrained at least in part by at least one support strap. The support strap is formed with an extension piece configured to lengthen when exposed to a load as a result of an accident or explosion. A winding unit holds the support strap to shorten an effective length of the support strap and to build up a force to maintain the support strap under tension after the support strap underwent a lengthening in an area of the extension piece as a result of a load caused by a force resulting from an accident or explosion so as to reestablish an effective length of the support strap for lengthening during a subsequent force impact.