Motor Vehicle Seat Frame Stop Element for Side-Impact Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
In motor vehicles, seat frames deform significantly during side impacts, causing occupants to shift and potentially collide, leading to serious injuries, as existing technologies have not adequately addressed the reduction of lateral movements and deformation.
Innovation Solution
A seat frame design featuring a stop element fixed to the base frame that contacts a rigid slide during impacts, restricting deformation by using a crosspiece and stop element to absorb and redirect forces, rather than reinforcing connecting rods, which are prone to bending.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If connecting rods are reinforced to reduce deformation, then strength increases, but device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The seat frame is divided into functional zones: the connecting rods remain lightweight and flexible for normal operation, while the stop element and slide contact surfaces provide localized reinforcement where impact forces occur. This segmentation allows the structure to be strong where needed without adding complexity throughout the entire frame.
Solution Approach 2:
The stop element acts as an intermediary component between the connecting rods and the slide. During side impacts, it mediates the force transfer by contacting the rigid slide first, preventing direct transmission of deformation forces to the connecting rods, thus protecting them from bending while maintaining overall structural integrity.
2Reliability
If connecting rods are reinforced to prevent bending, then reliability improves, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stop element is designed as a simple, easily manufactured component that can be produced through basic forming processes. Rather than making the entire connecting rod structure complex and expensive, the invention uses a simple stop element that provides the necessary impact protection at minimal manufacturing cost and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of uniformly reinforcing all connecting rods throughout their length, the invention applies reinforcement only at the specific location where impact forces are transmitted (the stop element contact point). This local quality approach maintains manufacturing simplicity while achieving the required reliability at critical locations.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the seat frame is made more rigid to reduce deformation, then safety improves, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The stop element is pre-positioned to contact the slide before the connecting rods can deform significantly during a side impact. This preliminary anti-action prevents the harmful deformation from occurring in the first place, maintaining safety without requiring the entire frame to be more complex.
Solution Approach 2:
The stop element serves as an intermediary that contacts the rigid slide during impacts, mediating the force transmission and preventing direct deformation of the seat frame. This intermediary approach achieves safety benefits without requiring the entire frame structure to be more complex.
Data Source
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Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a seat frame (20) for a motor vehicle seat comprising: - two longitudinal slides (21) equipped with means for attaching to the floor of the motor vehicle, and - a base frame (22) adapted to receive a seat cushion and mounted on the two slides. According to the invention, the seat frame includes a stop element (23) attached to the base frame and adapted to come into contact with one of the slides in the event of a side impact on the motor vehicle.