Vehicle Seat Guide Rail Mounting Without Rail Drilling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle seat adjustment systems require costly and complex hole-drilling for attaching short guide rails to the vehicle floor, which becomes impractical and expensive for longer rails needed in autonomous driving applications, where a larger adjustment range is desired.
Innovation Solution
The use of connecting elements with engagement and connecting portions on the guide rail allows for a form-fitting and screw/rivet-based attachment to the floor assembly, eliminating the need for holes in the guide rail and simplifying the installation process by attaching the guide rail via these elements on different sides.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If guide rails are made longer to increase adjustment range for autonomous driving, then the adjustment range is improved, but the manufacturing cost and installation complexity increase due to requiring more holes and drilling operations
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting element is divided into two functional parts: an engagement portion for form-fitting connection to the floor assembly and a connecting portion for fixing to the guide rail. This segmentation allows the floor assembly to be connected independently without requiring holes in the guide rail, reducing manufacturing complexity and cost while enabling longer guide rails
2Length of moving object
If guide rails are made longer to increase adjustment range, then the adjustment range is improved, but the installation complexity increases due to requiring more holes and drilling operations
Solution Approach 1:
The connection system is segmented into two independent parts: the engagement portion connects to the floor assembly and the connecting portion attaches to the guide rail. This allows the guide rail to be installed without drilling holes through it, significantly reducing installation complexity while supporting longer guide rail lengths
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting element acts as an intermediary component between the guide rail and the floor assembly. By introducing this intermediate element with separate engagement and connecting portions, the complex drilling operation is eliminated and replaced with simpler attachment steps
3Reliability
If holes are drilled into guide rails to fix them to the floor assembly, then the connection is achieved, but the manufacturing cost increases and the guide rail structure is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The connection function is segmented between the engagement portion (providing form-fitting connection for reliability) and the connecting portion (providing attachment point). This eliminates the need to compromise the guide rail structure by drilling holes, while still achieving reliable connection through the two-part connecting element
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly of a vehicle comprises a floor assembly stationarily arranged in the vehicle and an adjusting device for longitudinally adjusting a vehicle seat in the vehicle comprising a guide rail connected to the floor assembly and extending along a longitudinal axis on the floor assembly, and an adjustment assembly associated with the vehicle seat, which is guided on the guide rail along the longitudinal axis. It is provided that the guide rail includes at least one connecting element which includes an engagement portion for a form-fitting engagement into an engagement device arranged on the floor assembly on a first side of the guide rail and a connecting portion with a fixing point for fixing the connecting element to the floor assembly by using a fixing element on a second side of the guide rail facing away from the first side.