Vehicle Seat Friction Reduction via Localized Soft Contact
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing vehicle seat designs experience high friction forces at the contact points between the seat cushion and seat back, making it difficult to rotate the seat back with respect to the seat cushion.
Innovation Solution
The vehicle seat design incorporates a seat cushion and seat back with side portions formed of harder elastic bodies, while the contact points between the rear part of the seat cushion and the rotation-center-side end part of the seat back are made of softer elastic bodies, utilizing a molding die with protruding parts to separate foaming materials into soft and hard elastic bodies for molding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If side parts of seat cushion and seat back are formed from harder elastic bodies, then holding property of seated person is improved, but friction force at contact portion increases making seat back rotation difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by forming the contact portions of the seat cushion and seat back from softer elastic bodies, while other side parts remain harder. This creates a localized soft region at the contact interface that reduces friction during rotation, while maintaining the overall hard structure needed for proper body support and holding property.
2Strength
If contact portions are formed from harder elastic bodies, then structural support is improved, but friction force increases requiring greater rotation force
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by creating a specific soft region at the contact portions between seat cushion and seat back, while maintaining harder elastic bodies in other areas for structural support. This localized material property differentiation reduces the friction force during rotation without compromising the overall structural integrity and support function.
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 design reduces the friction force at the contact points, allowing for easier rotation of the seat back relative to the seat cushion by minimizing the load and friction force, and facilitates easier manufacturing by adjusting the hardness of the seat components in two stages.
Implementation Method 1
foaming a foaming material in a molding die to mold the elastic body having a predetermined shape
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle seat including: a seat cushion including: a seating part formed of an elastic body; a side part formed of an elastic body harder than the elastic body forming the seating part; and a rear part; and a seat back including: a backrest part formed of an elastic body; a side part formed of an elastic body harder than the elastic body forming the backrest part; and a rotation-center-side end part; wherein the rear part and the rotation-center-side end part are in contact with each other, and wherein at least one of (i) at least one side portion of the rear part and (ii) at least one side portion of the rotation-center-side end part is formed of an elastic body softer than the elastic body forming the side part of the seat cushion and the elastic body forming the side part of the seat back.