Vehicle Seat Fitting Eccentric Bearing Support via Axial Projections

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing fittings for vehicle seat adjustments face difficulties in accommodating harder materials, as the collar becomes increasingly difficult to pull due to material hardness, leading to inefficiencies in the eccentric bearing support.

Innovation Solution

The edge of the receptacle is partially widened by forming individual axial projections from the material of the fitting part, creating a support bearing with sufficient axial dimensions to accommodate the eccentric, allowing for high-strength material usage and optimizing the axial dimension, thereby replacing the need for a collar.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If a collar is used to support the eccentric bearing in high-strength materials, then the material hardness and strength are improved, but the collar becomes increasingly difficult to pull and assemble

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvematerial strengthVSAvoidease of assembly
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The collar is divided into multiple segments that can be separately positioned and assembled. Each segment can be independently installed onto the fitting part, allowing for easier assembly without requiring the entire collar to be pulled on at once. This segmentation overcomes the difficulty of assembling collars in high-strength materials.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The eccentric bearing is nested within the collar structure, and the collar segments are designed to fit together in a nested manner. This allows the bearing to be assembled first, followed by the collar segments being placed over it in sequence, simplifying the overall assembly process while maintaining the strength benefits of high-strength materials.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Reliability

If the axial dimension of the bearing support is increased to accommodate the eccentric, then the support stability is improved, but the overall axial dimension of the fitting part increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesupport stabilityVSAvoidaxial dimension
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLength of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of increasing the axial dimension uniformly, the collar is designed with localized radial extensions at specific positions. These extensions provide the necessary support surface area for the eccentric bearing without requiring a proportional increase in axial dimension. The support function is achieved through dimensional optimization in the radial direction rather than purely axial extension.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The collar features localized thickenings or radial extensions only at the positions where bearing support is required, rather than uniformly increasing the axial dimension throughout. This allows the fitting part to maintain compact overall dimensions while providing sufficient support surface area at critical locations for eccentric accommodation and stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

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

This solution enhances the axial support for the eccentric bearing, enabling efficient adjustment of the vehicle seat's backrest inclination without the limitations of harder materials, ensuring a stable and stepless adjustment mechanism.

Implementation Method 1

the edge of the receptacle is partially widened along its circumference by means of individual axial projections, creating a support bearing which has sufficient axial dimensions to accommodate and support the eccentric or the bearing of the eccentric

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMechanical contact support: Friction

Data Source

PatentEP2467279B1Fitting for a vehicle seat
Publication Date: 2014.11.12 JOHNSON CONTROLS COMPONENTS GMBH & CO KG
  • EP2467279B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2467279B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2467279B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a fitting (10) for a vehicle seat, in particular for a motor vehicle seat, comprising a first fitting part (11) on which a ring gear (17) is formed, a second fitting part (12) on which a gear (16) is formed, said gear meshing with the ring gear (17), whereby the two fitting parts (11, 12) are in a transmission connection with each other, a rotatably supported rotating eccentric (27) for driving a relative rolling motion of the gear (16) and of the ring gear (17) being driven by a carrier (21), and a bearing (28) for the eccentric (27) being arranged on the edge (12b) of a receptacle (12a) of one of the two fitting parts (11, 12), wherein the edge (12b) of the receptacle (12a) is partially extended along the circumference of the edge by means of individual axial projections (12c).