Seat Cover Fastening with Beading Edge for High-Tension Stability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fastening systems for vehicle seat covers require high tension and are not secure, especially under load or high temperatures, and are limited to metal support structures due to the reliance on hook portions that can slip.
Innovation Solution
A fastening system with a support frame featuring a beading edge and a fastening device that provides a secure engagement in at least six degrees of freedom, using plastic fastening devices with frame openings and units that create a force and form fit, ensuring stability against translational, rotational, and directional forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a hook portion is used to fasten the cover to the support structure, then the cover can be stretched onto the support structure, but the hook portion slips under high cover stress or high temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening device is divided into multiple independent fastening elements (at least three, preferably four or five) distributed along the fastening edge. Each fastening element independently engages with the support structure through a fastening opening, distributing the mechanical stress across multiple points rather than concentrating it at a single hook portion, thereby preventing slippage under high cover stress or temperature variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The fastening element features a nested structure where a fastening opening is formed within the fastening device body. The support structure inserts into this opening, creating a nested engagement where the support structure is contained within the fastening device, providing secure retention while allowing for thermal expansion and contraction without disengagement.
2Shape
If high cover tension is applied to obtain a fold-free cover, then the cover appears smooth, but the hook portion experiences high force perpendicular to its cross-section
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening load is segmented across multiple fastening elements (at least three, preferably four or five) positioned at different locations along the cover edge. This distribution reduces the perpendicular force on each individual fastening element, allowing the cover to maintain a fold-free appearance without subjecting any single fastening point to excessive stress that would cause slippage.
Solution Approach 2:
The fastening opening is designed with specific dimensional characteristics (length, width, orientation) that allow the support structure to engage in a manner that resists forces in multiple directions. The opening's geometry transforms the concentrated perpendicular force into distributed stresses along the engagement interface, reducing the risk of slippage while maintaining cover tension for a smooth appearance.
3Ease of operation
If the fastening is designed to be detachable, then the cover can be removed and reinstalled, but the loading capacity is too low to ensure secure fastening
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening opening is designed as a nested structure where the support structure inserts into and is retained by the fastening device. This nested engagement provides secure fastening capacity while maintaining detachability - the support structure can be inserted into the opening and removed by pulling it out, yet during normal use, the nested geometry prevents accidental disengagement even under high load or temperature variations.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of designing a detachable fastener that relies on friction or simple mechanical interlocking, the invention inverts the approach by creating a nested engagement where the support structure itself becomes part of the fastening mechanism. The support structure inserts into the fastening opening, and the combination of the opening's geometry and the support structure's shape creates a secure, load-bearing connection that is easily installed and removed but resistant to accidental detachment.
4Reliability
If multiple fastening elements are used to increase security, then the fastening becomes more reliable, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple fastening elements (at least three, preferably four or five) are merged into a single integrated fastening device formed as one piece from the support structure. This unified structure reduces manufacturing complexity compared to assembling multiple separate fasteners, while still providing distributed fastening points that enhance reliability. The single-piece construction simplifies production and installation while maintaining the security benefits of multiple engagement points.
Data Source
AI summary
A fastening system for fastening a covering apparatus to a support structure is provided. The fastening system comprises a support frame having a fastening edge configured as a beading and a fastening device for fastening the covering apparatus on the support frame. The fastening device has a fastening opening into which a fastening unit projecting from the support frame engages at least partially so that a fastening fixed in at least six degrees of freedom is ensured.