Screw-Nut System for Rapid Seat Booster Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing screw-nut systems for seat boosters in vehicles lack ergonomic and comfortable adjustment options, particularly when the adjustment range is wide, requiring users to turn the wheel for an extended time to reach the desired position, which is cumbersome, especially when access is difficult.
Innovation Solution
A screw-nut system that allows for both rapid and fine adjustments by utilizing a screw with diametrically opposed flats and nuts with threaded sections and recesses, enabling quick translation and precise positioning through angular phases, with guide means to maintain centering and a mechanism for switching between adjustment modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If a screw-nut system is used for seat booster adjustment, then the position can be adjusted, but when the adjustment range is wide, the user must turn the wheel for an extended time, which is cumbersome and reduces ergonomics
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment mechanism is segmented into two distinct modes: rapid adjustment mode where the screw translates without threading engagement, and fine adjustment mode where threading engagement is restored. This segmentation allows the system to offer both quick positioning and precise adjustment, resolving the contradiction between adjustment time and operational ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically transitions between two operational states based on adjustment needs. The floating nut can rotate to align recesses with threaded sections (enabling rapid translation) or misalign them (enabling fine threading adjustment). This dynamic state change allows the mechanism to adapt its behavior to different adjustment requirements, reducing overall adjustment time while maintaining ease of operation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a screw-nut system with long thread length is used to achieve wide adjustment range, then the adjustment range is sufficient, but the user must turn the wheel for a certain time, which proves annoying
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment process is divided into two phases: a rapid phase for covering the majority of the adjustment range, and a fine-tuning phase for precise positioning. The rapid phase utilizes direct translation of the screw within the floating nut without threading engagement, covering most of the adjustment range quickly. The fine-tuning phase engages the threading mechanism for precise adjustments, thus achieving wide adaptability while minimizing turning time.
Solution Approach 2:
The floating nut acts as an intermediary mechanism between the screw and the fixed nut. It provides a temporary engagement zone where the screw can translate rapidly without full threading engagement. This intermediary structure enables the system to achieve wide adjustment range through rapid translation while reserving threading engagement only for fine adjustments, significantly reducing overall turning time.
3Device complexity
If GB 2 041 062A system is used for car seat booster, then the structure is simple, but it does not offer fine adjustment possibility due to locking when threads are engaged
Solution Approach 1:
The floating nut is designed to be rotatable relative to the screw, allowing dynamic transition between locked (threaded engagement) and unlocked (rapid translation) states. This dynamic capability enables fine adjustment when needed while maintaining structural simplicity, as the same basic screw-nut components serve dual purposes depending on the rotational position of the floating nut.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the floating nut have different functional qualities: the threaded sections provide fine adjustment capability when engaged, while the recesses enable rapid translation when aligned with the screw. This local differentiation of function within the same component allows the system to offer both fine adjustment and rapid positioning without increasing overall structural complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1~4
Figure 5~6
Figure 7~8
AI summary
The invention relates to a screw-nut system (2), comprising a screw (4) and two nuts (6, 8). According to the invention, the relative angular position between the two nuts is adjustable. The screw and the two nuts are configured such that when the two nuts are angularly in phase, the screw can be oriented into a quick-adjustment position in which the threads of the screw do not cooperate with the threads of the two nuts and in which the screw can be moved freely in translation relative to the two nuts, and such that when the two nuts are angularly out of phase, the threads of the screw are in contact with the threads of the two nuts regardless of the orientation of the screw, so as to be able to make a fine adjustment by screwing the screw (4) into the two nuts (6, 8).