Motor Vehicle Seat Adjustment Device with Controlled Nut Breaking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motor vehicle seat adjustment devices fail to prevent injury during impacts by allowing uncontrolled movement of the seating portion, which can cause harm to the occupant, especially at the knees.
Innovation Solution
A device comprising a threaded rod, a rotating nut with a breaking point, and a housing with a weakness area, designed to disengage and prevent forward movement of the seating portion during impacts by breaking under specific forces, ensuring the seating part moves only towards the backrest, thus avoiding knee injuries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the seating portion is made movable to allow adjustment, then comfort and adaptability are improved, but uncontrolled movement during impacts can cause injury to the occupant
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a pre-designed weakness area in the nut that is prepared in advance to break at a specific force threshold. This preliminary structural preparation ensures that when an impact exceeds the safe force level, the nut automatically breaks and locks the threaded rod, preventing further uncontrolled movement of the seating portion and protecting the occupant from injury.
2Reliability
If the nut and housing are made strong to ensure structural integrity, then reliability is improved, but the device cannot disengage during impacts to prevent injury
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a specific weakness area only in certain parts of the nut and housing, rather than making the entire structure uniformly weak. The weakness area is strategically positioned in the nut to break at a predetermined force, while other parts of the assembly maintain sufficient strength for normal operation. This localized weakness allows the device to disengage controllably during impacts while maintaining overall structural integrity during regular use.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a breaking mechanism is added to the nut to enable controlled disengagement, then safety during impact is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the safety function from a complex active control system and implements it through a simple passive breaking mechanism. By removing the need for sensors, actuators, and control electronics, the invention achieves injury prevention through a straightforward weakness area in the nut that breaks at a predetermined force, significantly reducing device complexity while maintaining effective safety functionality.
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 device effectively disengages to prevent forward movement of the seating portion during impacts, thereby reducing the risk of injury to the occupant by ensuring the seating part moves only towards the backrest, enhancing safety and comfort.
Implementation Method 1
the threaded rod and the nut cooperating in rotation to move the movable seating part
Implementation Method 2
the nut comprises a nut weakness area for the breaking of said nut... the breaking point corresponding to a force applied to the first end of the threaded rod
Data Source
AI summary
A device for adjusting the length of the seating portion of a motor vehicle seat, the seating portion comprising a movable seating part, the adjustment device comprising a threaded rod, a rotating nut, and a housing receiving the nut and the threaded rod, the threaded rod comprising a first end in connection with the movable seating part and a second end opposite the first end, the threaded rod and the nut cooperating in rotation to move the movable seating part, wherein the nut comprises a nut weakness area for the breaking of said nut.