Seat Back Retractor Bracket Layout for High-Stiffness Vehicle Seats
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle seat designs with seat belt retractors lack sufficient mechanical stiffness, leading to potential deformation under high loads and discomfort for occupants due to inadequate spacing between the retractor and the occupant.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle seat design featuring a bracket with an enlarged vertical dimension at one lateral end, supported by both side frame members, and connected to an upper cross frame member via a connecting member, which enhances mechanical stiffness and minimizes retractor deformation, while positioning the retractor to reduce discomfort for the occupant.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a cantilever bracket is used to support the seat belt retractor, then the device complexity is reduced, but the mechanical stiffness and resistance to deformation deteriorate under high load
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket is designed with an enlarged part at one lateral end that has a larger vertical dimension than the other end. This asymmetric configuration concentrates structural reinforcement at the location where the seat belt retractor is attached, providing enhanced mechanical stiffness and resistance to deformation under high load while maintaining simplicity elsewhere in the bracket structure.
2Strength
If the bracket is reinforced to resist deformation, then the mechanical stiffness is improved, but the space required in the seat back increases
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than uniformly reinforcing the entire bracket, the invention applies reinforcement locally at one lateral end through the enlarged part. This localized reinforcement provides the necessary mechanical stiffness and resistance to deformation at the critical load-bearing location while minimizing the overall space occupied by the bracket in the seat back structure.
3Area of stationary object
If the retractor is positioned closer to the belt guide, then the space required is minimized, but the structural support requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric bracket design with the enlarged part positioned at one lateral end enables the seat belt retractor to be located closer to the belt guide, minimizing the space required for seat belt routing. The enlarged part provides concentrated structural support at this location, ensuring adequate strength and resistance to deformation even with the reduced spacing between the retractor and belt guide.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a vehicle seat having a seat belt retractor supported in the seat back with a high mechanical stiffness. The seat back frame (F2) includes a pair of side frame members (31, 32), a bracket (50) extending between longitudinally intermediate parts of side frame members, and a seat belt guide (72) attached to an upper part of one of the side frame members and defining an opening for passing a seat belt (66). One of lateral end parts of the bracket is provided with an enlarged part (50D) having an enlarged vertical dimension as compared to the other end part of the bracket, and the seat belt retractor (65) is attached to the enlarged part of the bracket.