Seat-Attaching Bracket Bead Design for Surface Rigidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing seat-attaching bracket in automotive vehicles has low surface rigidity, leading to deformation during vehicle travel, which compromises ride comfort and the effectiveness of the urethane cushion in damping vibrations, especially when the vehicle encounters slopes or side collisions.
Innovation Solution
The seat-attaching bracket is designed with a stepped-down portion and a bead that protrudes upward, enhancing the surface rigidity by reducing the area of the attachment and stepped-down portions and acting as a knot for the upper wall portion, while maintaining the load transmission path integrity for side-collision loads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the upper face portion of the seat-attaching bracket is made large in area, then the bracket can support the seat and transmit side-collision loads, but the surface rigidity against vertically-directional loads becomes low, causing deformation during vehicle travel
Solution Approach 1:
The upper wall portion is segmented into three distinct functional regions: the seat-attachment portion (inward side) for supporting the seat, the stepped-down portion (outward side) for load transmission, and the connection portion connecting them. This segmentation allows each region to be optimized for its specific function, with the connection portion featuring a knot structure that significantly enhances surface rigidity without requiring a large overall area.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the upper wall portion are given different structural qualities: the connection portion has a knot structure with enhanced rigidity for connecting the seat-attachment portion to the stepped-down portion, while the stepped-down portion maintains a structure optimized for side-collision load transmission. This local differentiation allows the bracket to achieve high surface rigidity at critical points without unnecessarily increasing the overall area.
2Reliability
If the upper face portion is easily deformed due to low surface rigidity, then the urethane cushion cannot sufficiently damp vibrations, but increasing the area to improve rigidity may affect the load transmission path integrity
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the upper wall portion into distinct functional regions with specialized structures, the invention ensures that the connection portion with its knot structure provides sufficient rigidity to prevent excessive deformation, while the stepped-down portion maintains the load transmission path. This segmentation allows the urethane cushion to effectively damp vibrations without compromising the structural integrity needed for side-collision load transmission.
3Strength
If the seat-attaching bracket uses a roughly flat-plate shaped upper wall portion, then the structure is simple, but the surface rigidity is low causing the upper face portion to deform under vertical loads
Solution Approach 1:
The upper wall portion is divided into three segments (seat-attachment portion, stepped-down portion, and connection portion), with the connection portion featuring a knot structure. This segmentation adds structural complexity only where needed to enhance surface rigidity, rather than making the entire upper wall portion complex. The stepped-down portion remains relatively simple for efficient load transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The knot structure is applied locally only to the connection portion where high rigidity is needed to connect the seat-attachment portion to the stepped-down portion. Other regions maintain simpler structures optimized for their specific functions, balancing overall structural complexity with the local requirement for enhanced rigidity.
Data Source
AI summary
In a lower vehicle-body structure of an automotive vehicle comprising a pair of right-and-left side sills, a floor panel, and a first seat-attaching bracket supporting a front seat, an upper wall portion of the first seat-attaching bracket comprises an attachment portion to which the front seat is attached, a slant portion (connection portion) which extends downward from an outward-side edge side of the attachment portion, and a stepped-down portion which extends from the slant portion toward the side sill, and a bead which protrudes upward and extends from the slant portion toward the side sill in the vehicle width direction is provided at the stepped-down portion.