Vehicle Seat Coupling Device for Stiff Load Transmission
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle seats face increased weight and manufacturing cost due to the need for high stiffness in rail and coupling devices to minimize deformation during vehicle crashes, which is not effectively addressed by current designs.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle seat design featuring a rail device with an upper and lower rail, and a coupling device with upper and lower engagement portions that engage each other to distribute loads linearly, minimizing deformation without increasing weight or cost, by positioning these engagement portions directly above the coupling device and allowing for frictionless movement under normal conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the rail device and coupling device are built with high stiffness to minimize deformation during vehicle crashes, then the resistance to deformation improves, but the weight and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling device is divided into separate engagement portions (upper engagement portion on the rail device, lower engagement portion on the coupling device) that can independently engage and disengage. This segmentation allows the system to achieve necessary stiffness during engagement while using lighter materials overall, as the components don't need to be uniformly thick-walled throughout their entire structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The engagement portions are designed with localized reinforcement only where needed for strength (at the engagement interfaces), while other portions of the rail device and coupling device can use thinner, lighter materials. This local quality approach provides high stiffness at critical points without increasing the overall weight of the entire seat assembly.
2Strength
If the rail device and coupling device are built with high stiffness to minimize deformation during vehicle crashes, then the resistance to deformation improves, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the coupling device into separate engagement portions that can be independently manufactured and assembled, the manufacturing process becomes more efficient. Each component can be produced using standard fabrication processes without requiring expensive tooling for complex monolithic structures, thereby reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining necessary strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The design uses local reinforcement only at critical engagement points rather than uniformly thick structures throughout. This allows manufacturers to use cost-effective materials and processes for the majority of each component while providing enhanced strength only where mechanically necessary, optimizing the balance between strength and manufacturing cost.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the upper engagement portion and lower engagement portion are positioned directly above the coupling device, then the linear transmission of load improves, but the complexity of precise positioning increases
Solution Approach 1:
The engagement portions are designed to merge with the existing rail device and coupling device structures rather than requiring separate, precisely positioned components. The upper engagement portion integrates with the rail device housing, and the lower engagement portion integrates with the coupling device body, simplifying assembly while maintaining proper alignment for linear load transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The engagement portions are designed with self-aligning features that ensure proper positioning through geometric constraints and mating surfaces. This equipotential design approach allows the components to automatically find their correct relative positions during assembly, reducing the need for complex precision positioning procedures while ensuring optimal load transmission alignment.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a vehicle seat which is attached to a floor of a vehicle via a rail device and a coupling device with a high level of stiffness so as to minimize deformation of the rail device and the coupling device without substantially increasing the weight and the manufacturing cost of the seat. The vehicle seat is provided with an upper engagement portion secured to a member on a side of an upper rail of the rail device, and a lower engagement portion secured to a member on a side of a lower rail of the rail device and including a part opposing a corresponding part of the upper engagement portion from above defining a prescribed gap therebetween. The coupling device is provided laterally spaced from the rail device, and the upper engagement portion and the lower engagement portion are provided substantially directly above the coupling device.