Vehicle Seat Back Panel Impact Moderation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle seat designs increase component count and fabrication costs while attempting to moderate impacts on the head area of rear seat occupants during frontal collisions, as seen in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2010-208481, which requires additional components like gears.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle seat design featuring a seat back frame with a tiltable seat back panel that displaces toward the lower side upon impact, reducing the number of components and moderating head impacts by providing a reactive surface that absorbs and distributes force effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a divided seat back frame with gears is provided to moderate head impact, then head impact is moderated, but the number of components and fabrication costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the seat back panel with the seat back frame into a single integrated structure. The seat back panel is directly attached to the seat back frame without requiring separate gears or linkage mechanisms. This integration eliminates multiple components while maintaining the impact moderation function through the panel's ability to tilt and detach during collision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the essential function of impact moderation from the complex gear mechanism and implements it through a simplified structure. By removing the gears and using only the seat back panel with attachment portions, the design achieves head impact moderation with fewer components. The panel's displacement and detachment capabilities provide the necessary protection without mechanical complexity.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a divided seat back frame with gears is provided to moderate head impact, then head impact is moderated, but fabrication costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the seat back panel with the seat back frame into a single integrated structure. The seat back panel is directly attached to the seat back frame without requiring separate gears or linkage mechanisms. This integration eliminates multiple components while maintaining the impact moderation function through the panel's ability to tilt and detach during collision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the essential function of impact moderation from the complex gear mechanism and implements it through a simplified structure. By removing the gears and using only the seat back panel with attachment portions, the design achieves head impact moderation with fewer components. The panel's displacement and detachment capabilities provide the necessary protection without mechanical complexity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the seat back panel is disposed at the upper side relative to the upper frame, then head impact is moderated, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the seat back panel with the seat back frame into a single integrated structure. The seat back panel is directly attached to the seat back frame without requiring separate gears or linkage mechanisms. This integration eliminates multiple components while maintaining the impact moderation function through the panel's ability to tilt and detach during collision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a dynamic structure where the seat back panel can tilt and detach during collision. The panel is positioned above the upper frame to ensure contact with the occupant's head during frontal collision, and the attachment portions allow the panel to rotate and separate, providing impact moderation through controlled movement rather than fixed rigid structures.
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 suppresses the increase in component count and moderates impacts on the head area of rear seat occupants by using a simple, lightweight seat back panel that displaces and detaches upon contact, thereby reducing reaction forces and enhancing safety without the need for additional components like gears.
Implementation Method 1
the seat back panel displacing toward the seat lower side when an impact load is applied from the upper side of the seat back
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a vehicle seat including: a seat back frame standing from a seat rear end side of a seat cushion, a left and right pair of cushion frames, the seat back frame being supported to be tiltable in a seat front-and-rear direction, and the seat back frame structuring a framework of a seat back; and a seat back panel that is provided at the seat rear side of the seat back frame, an upper frame structuring an upper end portion at the seat rear side of the seat back frame, an upper end portion of the seat back panel being disposed at the seat upper side relative to the upper frame, and the seat back panel displacing toward the seat lower side when an impact load is applied from the upper side of the seat back.