Motor Vehicle Seat Locking System with Proximity Sensor
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing seat adjustment systems in vehicles face issues with ease of use, as purely automatic adjustments can be delayed and manual adjustments can be laborious, particularly when unlocking and locking mechanisms are involved.
Innovation Solution
A partially automated locking system where the adjustment component is automatically unlocked by a motor upon detection of a predetermined operating event, allowing for manual adjustment with optional spring support, thereby simplifying the design and enhancing user experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a purely automatic adjustment system is used, then the operator is relieved of manual adjustment activities, but the system requires real-time reaction to operator gestures and may cause delays that reduce ease of use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial automation by automating only the unlocking process while leaving the actual adjustment movement manual. The motorized actuating drive releases the locking mechanism when a sensor detects operator intent, but the adjustment component must then be moved manually by the operator. This partial automation eliminates the delay of waiting for full automatic adjustment while still relieving the operator of the difficult unlocking action, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and adjustment speed.
2Ease of manufacture
If a manual locking system is used, then the design is robust and simple, but the unlocking process requires great effort and reduces ease of use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the purely mechanical unlocking system with an electromechanical system. A motorized actuating drive with a sensor detects operator intent and automatically activates the unlocking mechanism. This substitution eliminates the need for the operator to exert great physical effort to unlock the adjustment component, while the locking mechanism itself remains mechanically simple and robust, thus resolving the contradiction between design simplicity and ease of operation.
3Ease of operation
If a motorized unlocking system with sensor detection is implemented, then the operator is relieved of unlocking effort, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the adjustment system into distinct functional parts: a sensor unit for detecting operator intent, a motorized actuating drive for unlocking, and a mechanical locking mechanism for securing the adjustment component. By dividing the system into these modular segments, the complexity is managed through functional separation, allowing each component to be optimized independently while working together to provide automatic unlocking without excessive overall system complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2c
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a locking system for a seat arrangement (2) of a motor vehicle (3) which has an adjustment component (4) that can be manually adjusted into at least one locking position, wherein the locking system (1) has a locking mechanism (5) and wherein the adjustment component (4) can be locked and unlocked in the locking position by means of the locking mechanism (5), wherein the locking mechanism (5) has an actuating drive (6) by which the locking mechanism (5) can be unlocked by motor, and wherein the locking system (1) has a proximity sensor (7) which can be triggered by a predetermined operating event, and wherein the adjustment component (4) can be unlocked by motor via the actuating drive (6) by triggering the proximity sensor (7).