Vehicle Seat Backrest With Self-Adjusting S-Shaped Lumbar Support
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle seats with adjustable lumbar supports require manual operation, limiting comfort for individuals of varying sizes and potentially impairing safety while driving, as they often do not accommodate different body shapes effectively and can cause long-term muscle strain.
Innovation Solution
A seat with a backrest that features S-shaped elements swivel-mounted between the shoulder and lumbar areas, allowing for automatic reconfiguration by shifting body weight, enabling curvature adjustments without manual operation, using S-shaped rods or panels that can be arrested in desired positions for optimal spinal support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If manual adjustment mechanisms are provided for lumbar support, then adaptability to different body shapes is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates as it requires hand usage which may impair driving safety
Solution Approach 1:
The backrest elements are designed to automatically reconfigure themselves based on the occupant's body shape and weight distribution. The S-shaped elements swivel automatically when the occupant shifts their sitting position or applies pressure with their back, eliminating the need for manual operation while adapting to different body types.
Solution Approach 2:
The backrest incorporates dynamically adjustable elements that can change their configuration in real-time. The S-shaped elements can swivel between different angular positions to adapt to varying lumbar and shoulder contours, providing continuous adaptation without manual intervention.
2Ease of manufacture
If the backrest is designed for average size persons with fixed S-shape, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but adaptability to different body sizes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The backrest uses dynamically adjustable S-shaped elements that can change their curvature and position to accommodate different body sizes. This maintains manufacturing simplicity while achieving adaptability through mechanical flexibility rather than multiple fixed configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The backrest is divided into multiple independent S-shaped elements (shoulder area elements and lumbar area elements) that can adjust independently. This segmentation allows each element to adapt to different body contours while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
3Device complexity
If backrest reconfiguration requires changing inclination setting, then structural simplicity is improved, but functional versatility deteriorates as it cannot independently adjust lumbar and shoulder areas
Solution Approach 1:
The backrest is segmented into independent S-shaped elements for the shoulder area and lumbar area, each capable of swiveling independently around horizontal axes. This allows independent adjustment of different body regions without requiring complex coordinated movement or sacrificing structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
Each S-shaped element can dynamically adjust its curvature and angular position independently. The lumbar area elements and shoulder area elements respond independently to occupant pressure and body shape, providing versatile adjustment while maintaining relatively simple individual element structures.
Data Source
AI summary
A seat with a backrest and sitting surface, in particular for motor vehicles, wherein the backrest comprises a backrest frame and, disposed between it, elements forming an S-shaped backrest with a shoulder area that can be reconfigured in the forwards and backwards directions, and a lumbar spine area that can be reconfigured in the forwards and backwards directions, wherein the elements are swivel-mounted to rotate about an imaginary or real axis extending horizontally between the shoulder and lumbar spine areas and running through the backrest frame or parallel with it in such a way that, without changing an existing inclination setting of the backrest relative to the sitting surface, a reconfiguration of the lumbar area and/or the shoulder area in the forwards direction can be made automatically by reconfiguring the shoulder area and/or the lumbar area in the backwards direction.