Vehicle Seat Air Bag Shape Adaptation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle seat devices for children have difficulty providing optimal support as children grow, limiting the usable period due to fixed support shapes that do not adapt to changing physiques.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle seat device with a back base fixed to the seat back, a rotatable movable member, and an air bag integrated into the seat cover, which expands to form an optimal support shape corresponding to the child's physique, with additional side and cushion support features that rotate to provide stable support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the support shape is set to a large shape in advance based on child growth, then the child seat can accommodate larger children, but the support performance deteriorates for smaller children
Solution Approach 1:
The seat cover is designed to be dynamically changeable in shape through air bag expansion. The air bag can be inflated to adjust the seat support shape according to the child's physique, transforming the static support structure into a dynamic one that adapts to different sizes and shapes of children, thereby maintaining reliable support performance across various user types.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical state of the seat cover is changed by introducing air into the air bag, which expands and alters the shape parameters of the seat support. This parameter change allows the seat to transition from a fixed large shape to an adjustable shape that matches the child's body, resolving the contradiction between accommodating larger children and maintaining support performance for smaller children.
2Device complexity
If a storage-type child seat is used with fixed support shape, then the device complexity is reduced, but the usable period is limited
Solution Approach 1:
A pneumatic system using an air bag is introduced into the storage-type child seat. The air bag can be inflated or deflated to adjust the seat support shape, enabling the simple storage structure to provide adaptable support for children of different ages and sizes, thereby extending the usable period without significantly increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The air bag system provides multi-functionality to the storage-type child seat by enabling shape adjustment. This allows the same basic structure to serve multiple purposes: storing the child seat in a compact form and providing customized support when in use, thus extending the usable period while maintaining structural simplicity.
3Reliability
If the air bag is expanded to form optimal seat support shape, then the support performance is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The seat cover is designed as a flexible shell that can be inflated by the air bag to form the desired support shape. This flexible shell approach allows the complex support shapes to be achieved without complex structural components, as the shape is formed by the inflation of the air bag within the flexible cover, thereby improving support performance while limiting the increase in device complexity.
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 offers adaptable support performance suitable for children of varying sizes by optimizing the seat cover shape and load distribution, enhancing stability and convenience through automatic development and storage mechanisms.
Implementation Method 1
The air bag is expanded so that the seat cover is bulged to form a seat support shape of the child seat
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A vehicle seat device (11) includes: a back base (13) that is fixed to a frame (F) of a seat back (3); a movable member (MP) that is rotatably connected to the back base; and an air bag (35) that is provided on an inside of a seat cover (X, X0, X1, X2) covering the back base and the movable member, wherein the movable member is rotated so that a backrest surface (3s) of the seat back is divided to develop a child seat (10), and the air bag is expanded so that the seat cover is bulged to form a support shape of the child seat.