Laminated Vehicle Seat Pad for Stability and Low-Frequency Cushioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional seat pads face challenges in maintaining stability while providing superior cushioning performance, especially during low-frequency vibrations, leading to instability sensations for vehicle occupants.
Innovation Solution
A seat pad design featuring a laminated structure with a first foam body having higher Asker F hardness and hysteresis loss, and a second foam body with greater modulus of repulsion elasticity, effectively suppressing deformation-induced instability and enhancing cushioning performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a material with high cushioning properties is used in a thin seat pad, then cushioning performance is improved, but seat surface stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The seat pad is divided into multiple layers with different foam materials, each layer performing a specific function: the first layer provides cushioning while the second layer provides stability. This segmentation allows each material to be optimized for its specific role rather than requiring a single material to perform both functions.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the seat pad have different material properties tailored to their specific functions. The first layer has high cushioning properties while the second layer has high stability properties. This local differentiation of material qualities resolves the contradiction by allowing each zone to excel at its designated function.
2Weight of moving object
If the seat pad is made thin to reduce weight, then weight is reduced, but cushioning performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The seat pad uses a composite structure combining two different foam materials with complementary properties. This allows the seat pad to achieve adequate cushioning performance in a thinner configuration than would be required with a single material, thereby reducing weight while maintaining performance.
Solution Approach 2:
By segmenting the cushioning function across multiple layers, each layer can be thinner than a single-layer design would require, yet the cumulative effect provides adequate cushioning. This enables weight reduction through thinning while preserving the necessary cushioning performance.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the seat pad deforms under low-frequency vibration, then flexibility is improved, but occupant stability sensation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The first layer is designed with local quality optimized for flexibility and vibration absorption, while the second layer is designed with local quality optimized for stability. This spatial differentiation allows the seat pad to exhibit both flexibility and stability characteristics simultaneously without compromise.
Solution Approach 2:
The first layer acts as an intermediary that absorbs and attenuates low-frequency vibrations before they can cause unwanted deformation. This protective intermediary layer allows the seat pad to maintain flexibility while preventing the transmission of destabilizing vibrations to the occupant.
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
The seat pad achieves a balance between stability and cushioning, effectively reducing instability sensations and ensuring a superior cushioning experience for vehicle occupants by attenuating low-frequency vibrations.
Implementation Method 1
the first foam body has at least one of an Asker F hardness and a hysteresis loss that is greater than in the second foam body
Implementation Method 2
when the hysteresis loss of the first foam body is greater than the hysteresis loss of the second foam body, it is possible to furnish the first layer with a high attenuation capability towards vibration that is input in a low frequency band
Implementation Method 3
the second foam body has a greater modulus of repulsion elasticity than the first foam body
Data Source
AI summary
A seat pad (10) that is mounted in a vehicle and used as a seating portion is provided with: a first layer (11) that is formed by a first foam body (A), and a second layer (12) that is formed by a second foam body (B) and that is laminated to the first layer, wherein the first foam body has at least one of an Asker F hardness and a hysteresis loss that is greater than in the second foam body, and the second foam body has a greater modulus of repulsion elasticity than the first foam body.