Vehicle Seat Backrest Cushioning Without Added Seat Depth

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle seat designs face challenges in providing increased cushioning for comfort without enlarging the seat's overall dimensions, particularly in reclining seats where pressure points like the shoulder require additional support, leading to discomfort if cushioning is insufficient.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle seat design featuring a support structure with a cavity on the user-facing side that allows a cushioned section to extend into this cavity, creating localized areas of increased thickness without increasing the seat's depth, combined with an adjustable pneumatic cushion for customizable comfort.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the thickness of the cushioning layer is increased to improve comfort, then the comfort level is greatly increased, but the overall dimensions of the seat increase or major reconfiguration of the support structure is required

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecomfort levelVSAvoidoverall dimensions of the seat

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLength of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by providing additional cushioning material only in specific high-pressure areas (such as the shoulder region) rather than uniformly throughout the entire seat. This is achieved by creating a cavity in the support structure at the location requiring extra comfort and filling it with additional cushioning material, thereby improving comfort where needed without increasing the overall seat dimensions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements the nesting principle by placing the additional cushioning material inside a cavity formed within the existing support structure. The cavity is shaped and dimensioned to receive the extra cushioning layer, allowing it to be nested within the original seat structure without increasing external dimensions. This enables the cushioned section to have localized increased thickness while maintaining the original seat envelope.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Ease of operation

If the cushioning material is thickened uniformly across the entire layer, then the comfort level is improved, but the overall dimensions of the seat increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecomfort levelVSAvoidoverall volume of the seat

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by providing additional cushioning material only in specific high-pressure areas (such as the shoulder region) rather than uniformly throughout the entire seat. This is achieved by creating a cavity in the support structure at the location requiring extra comfort and filling it with additional cushioning material, thereby improving comfort where needed without increasing the overall seat dimensions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial action by providing cushioning enhancement only in the specific region where additional comfort is needed (the cavity location) rather than applying it uniformly across the entire seat. This partial application of the cushioning solution achieves the comfort improvement goal while avoiding the volume increase that would result from uniform thickening.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Ease of operation

If additional cushioning is provided in a specific location, then comfort at that location is improved, but the seat size increases at that locality

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecomfort at specific locationVSAvoidseat depth at locality

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLength of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements the nesting principle by placing the additional cushioning material inside a cavity formed within the existing support structure. The cavity is shaped and dimensioned to receive the extra cushioning layer, allowing it to be nested within the original seat structure without increasing external dimensions. This enables the cushioned section to have localized increased thickness while maintaining the original seat envelope.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Data Source

PatentUS12179642B2Vehicle seat

Publication Date: 2024.12.31 THOMPSON AERO SEATING

AI summary

A vehicle seat 10 comprising a seat base 11 and a backrest portion 13, wherein the backrest portion comprises a support structure 13. A user engagable cushioned section 14 is locatable on a user facing side 16 of the support structure 13 and the support structure 13 is shaped and dimensioned to receive at least a portion 21 of the cushioned section 14 such that the cushioned section comprises at least one localised area of increased thickness 15.