Vehicle Seat Height Link Structure for Low Hip Point Clearance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle seats face challenges in maintaining aesthetic appearance while ensuring a sufficient height adjustment range of the seat cushion.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle seat design incorporating a link member with a concave portion on its end surface and a cover member to prevent contact between the link member and the cover, and a convex portion to restrict further movement, allowing for a lower hip point and sufficient height adjustment range.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the support member is extended toward the rear side to ensure sufficient height adjustment range, then the height adjustment range is improved, but the aesthetic appearance deteriorates due to exposed mechanical structures
Solution Approach 1:
A cover member is introduced as an intermediary element to conceal the support member's extension. The cover member is configured to cover the extended portion of the support member, thereby hiding the mechanical structure while allowing the support member to maintain its extended position for sufficient height adjustment range. This resolves the contradiction by mediating between the functional requirement (extension) and aesthetic requirement (concealment).
Solution Approach 2:
The cover member is selectively positioned only at the extended rear portion of the support member, leaving other areas of the seat mechanism exposed or unchanged. This localized application of covering maintains aesthetic appearance in critical areas while preserving the functional extension of the support member for height adjustment.
2Length of stationary object
If the link member is positioned closer to the placement surface to lower the hip point, then the hip point height is improved, but the risk of contact and damage to the cover member increases
Solution Approach 1:
A concave portion is pre-formed in the link member at the position where contact with the cover member might occur. This preliminary structural feature creates clearance or prevents direct contact between the link member and cover member, thereby preventing damage before it can occur. The concave portion is specifically designed to maintain the lowered hip point position while avoiding harmful contact.
3Shape
If the cover member is added to conceal the support member, then the aesthetic appearance is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cover member is designed as a thin, shell-like structure that conforms to the extended portion of the support member. This thin-film approach provides aesthetic concealment without adding significant structural complexity or weight. The cover member acts as a simple enclosing shell rather than a complex mechanical component.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle seat includes a seat cushion, and a height adjustment mechanism for the seat cushion. The height adjustment mechanism includes a link member having one end pivotably supported by the seat cushion, and a support member provided between a placement surface on which the vehicle seat is placed and the seat cushion, and pivotably supporting the other end of the link member. The support member extends rearward than the other end of the link member. The vehicle seat includes a cover member with which an end portion of the support member on the rear side is covered. An end surface of the link member on a placement surface side is provided with a concave portion recessed to a side opposite to the placement surface. The concave portion is provided between a supported portion supported by the support member and a supported portion supported by the seat cushion.