Air-Suspended Seat Bladder Valve System for Flat Folding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle seats with foldable seatbacks often have limited folding capabilities due to ergonomic and structural constraints, resulting in an angled cargo surface that reduces usable cargo space and makes it difficult to place objects reliably.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle seat design featuring a compressible edge bladder and inflation bladder connected by fluidic lines with check and dump valves, allowing for adjustable pressure distribution and compression to facilitate a flatter folding position of the seatback, thereby increasing cargo capacity and ensuring a stable surface for loading.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the seatback is designed with contours and thicknesses for ergonomic support, then passenger comfort is improved, but the degree of folding is limited resulting in reduced cargo space
Solution Approach 1:
The seat cushion incorporates an inflatable bladder system that dynamically adjusts its volume and shape. When inflated, the bladder provides ergonomic support contours for passenger comfort. When deflated, the cushion compresses to allow the seatback to fold flatter, maximizing cargo space. This dynamic transformation resolves the contradiction between maintaining comfort during use and achieving compact folding for cargo capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameters of the seat cushion by controlling the inflation and deflation of the bladder. The bladder can be inflated to increase cushion thickness and provide ergonomic support, or deflated to reduce thickness and enable greater folding. This parameter change allows the seat to adapt between two functional states: passenger mode with comfort optimization and cargo mode with space optimization.
2Ease of operation
If the seatback is designed with ergonomic contours and thicknesses, then passenger comfort is improved, but the rear surface angles significantly upward from the trunk surface reducing usable cargo area
Solution Approach 1:
The inflatable bladder system enables the seat cushion to dynamically change its thickness and contour. In the inflated state, it provides ergonomic support for passenger comfort. In the deflated state, it allows the seatback to achieve a flatter position with minimal upward angle, creating a level cargo surface that is versatile for various cargo configurations and improves adaptability for different cargo needs.
3Volume of moving object
If the seatback is folded to increase cargo space, then cargo capacity is improved, but the folding degree is limited by the cushion structure resulting in an angled surface
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a pneumatic system with an inflatable bladder to control the cushion's compression characteristics. By deflating the bladder, the cushion becomes more compressible, allowing the seatback to fold to a greater degree with reduced resistance. This pneumatic mechanism removes the structural limitation that normally prevents flat folding, enabling the seatback to achieve a near-horizontal position that maximizes cargo capacity while maintaining ease of folding operation.
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 enables a seatback to fold to a more horizontal position, enhancing cargo space utilization while maintaining a comfortable and safe seating contour, allowing for efficient use of vehicle trunk space and improved object placement.
Implementation Method 1
a check valve therein is openable toward the edge bladder under a fluid pressure from the inflation bladder
Implementation Method 2
A deflation line with a dump valve therein further fluidically connects the edge bladder and the inflation bladder
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle seat includes a cushion having a compressible edge bladder and a compressible inflation bladder positioned aft of the edge bladder. An inflation line fluidically connects the edge bladder and the inflation bladder, and a check valve therein is openable toward the edge bladder under a fluid pressure from the inflation bladder. A deflation line with a dump valve therein further fluidically connects the edge bladder and the inflation bladder.