Vehicle Seat Track Cam Release for Sitting-to-Standing Repositioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle seating assemblies lack the ability to be efficiently repositioned and moved within a vehicle to accommodate varying user preferences and needs, such as creating additional space for passengers and cargo, especially in loading and unloading scenarios, where existing solutions are either limited in mobility or require complex actuation mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle seating assembly system that includes a pivot bracket, gear assembly, locking disk assembly, and track assembly with a cam assembly that allows the seating assembly to transition between sitting and standing positions, enabling manual or powered actuation for movement along a track, thereby increasing space utilization within the vehicle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the seating assembly is designed to be movable between sitting and standing positions, then space utilization is improved, but device complexity increases due to the need for actuation mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The cam assembly is designed to rotate between a locked position (fixing the rail to the track) and an unlocked position (allowing the rail to slide), enabling dynamic reconfiguration of the seating assembly from sitting to standing position. This rotational movement allows the system to adapt between fixed and movable states without requiring complex actuation mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The cam assembly acts as an intermediary mechanism between the crank assembly and the rail-truck connection. When the crank assembly rotates the cam assembly, the cam's eccentric profile engages with the actuation plate to either lock or unlock the rail to the track, providing a simple mechanical mediation that avoids complex actuation systems.
2Device complexity
If manual actuation is used to move the seating assembly, then device complexity is reduced, but ease of operation decreases due to manual effort required
Solution Approach 1:
The cam assembly utilizes an eccentric cam profile (curved geometry) that converts rotational motion from the crank assembly into linear motion of the actuation plate. This curved mechanical advantage allows a user to easily rotate the cam assembly between locked and unlocked positions with minimal manual effort, improving ease of operation while maintaining simple device complexity.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the rail is fixed to the track, then stability is improved, but mobility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cam assembly provides dynamic control over the rail-truck connection. When the cam assembly rotates to the locked position, the eccentric cam profile engages with the actuation plate to fix the rail to the track, providing stability. When rotated to the unlocked position, the connection is released, allowing the rail to slide freely along the track, providing mobility. This dynamic switching resolves the contradiction between stability and mobility.
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 system allows for convenient repositioning and movement of the seating assembly between sitting and standing positions, providing additional space for passenger and cargo ingress and egress, and can be actuated manually or powered, enhancing usability in various vehicle loading and unloading scenarios.
Implementation Method 1
a cam assembly movable between a locked position and an unlocked position
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle seating assembly is provided that includes a pivot bracket coupled to a vehicle floor and disposed at a front of a seat frame, a gear assembly and a locking disk assembly disposed around an axis of rotation defined by the pivot bracket, wherein the gear assembly and the locking disk assembly are configured to each alternatively move the seating assembly from a sitting position to a standing position, and a track assembly disposed on the vehicle floor and between opposing side brackets of a seat frame. The track assembly includes a cam assembly movable between a locked position and an unlocked position. The vehicle seating assembly further includes a crank assembly extending between the pivot bracket and the cam assembly and configured to move the cam assembly from the locked position to the unlocked position.