Vehicle Seat Pad Structure for Lateral Support Without Added Weight
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle seat designs fail to adequately support passengers during left-right acceleration, such as during vehicle turns, while also preventing an increase in weight due to the added structural support required.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle seat design featuring a seat frame with side frames and wires, where a harder polyolefin resin bead foam second pad layer is supported by the side frames and wires, and includes grooves with projections to prevent wire displacement, maintaining seating comfort and support rigidity while minimizing weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a panel-type seat frame is used to support the pad entirely from the back side, then support rigidity is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The seat frame is segmented into side frames and wires that work together to support the pad. The side frames provide lateral support while wires provide additional support points, distributing the support function across multiple components rather than requiring a solid panel structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The pad is constructed as a composite structure with a harder second pad layer and a softer first pad layer. This composite pad structure provides the necessary support rigidity while maintaining comfort, allowing the use of a lighter wire-based frame instead of a heavy panel frame.
2Weight of stationary object
If the pad is not supported between the side frames and wires, then weight is reduced, but deformation due to deflection increases
Solution Approach 1:
The second pad layer is specifically designed with localized hardness at the back side of the pad where it contacts the side frames and wires. This localized hardness provides resistance against deflection and deformation during lateral acceleration, while the overall pad structure remains lightweight.
Solution Approach 2:
The grooves in the second pad layer are designed with curved cross-sections that match the shape of the wires. This curved geometry allows the wires to fit snugly into the grooves, preventing relative movement and reducing pad deformation during lateral acceleration.
3Stability of the object's composition
If grooves with projections are added to prevent wire displacement, then stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The groove structure combines multiple functions into a single component: it retains the wire in place, provides lateral support through its walls, and the projections integrated into the groove walls prevent wire displacement in multiple directions. This merging of functions reduces the need for separate retention mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The groove structure with projections is formed as an integral part of the second pad layer during foam molding. The pad structure itself provides the retention mechanism through its own geometry, eliminating the need for separate wire retention components or assembly steps.
Data Source
AI summary
A seatback and/or a seat cushion has left and right side frames arranged spaced apart in a left-right direction, and wire laid between the left and right side frames. The wire extends substantially in parallel to the side frames. A pad is placed on the side frames and the wire. The pad includes a first pad layer on the side of a seating surface, and a second pad layer on a side of the pad opposite to the seating surface. The second pad layer is harder than the first pad layer. The second lad layer is supported while being in contact with the side frames and the wire.