Vehicle Seat Position Control for Anti-Submarining Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Submarining incidents occur when vehicle occupants, particularly in reclined seats, experience forward motion during collisions or decelerations, leading to potential injuries due to the lap belt impinging on the abdomen and the risk of ejection from the vehicle.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising sensors and a processor that determines the occupant's posture and seat angle, adjusting the seat position automatically to reduce the likelihood of submarining by altering the angle between the seat back and seat base, and optionally notifying the occupant to change their posture.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the seat back is positioned in a reclined position to allow passengers to rest or sleep, then passenger comfort is improved, but the probability of submarining incidents increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of occupant posture using sensors (cameras, radar, weight distribution sensors) and proactively adjusts the seat position or sends notifications before a collision occurs. This advance preparation ensures that when deceleration happens, the occupant is already in a safe position or receives immediate alert to correct their posture, thereby maintaining comfort during normal travel while preventing submarining during emergencies.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors occupant posture through sensors and provides real-time feedback via notifications when an unsafe reclined position is detected. This feedback loop allows passengers to maintain comfortable reclined positions during normal operation while automatically correcting unsafe conditions, thus resolving the contradiction between comfort and safety by enabling comfortable positioning only when safe.
2Reliability
If the lap belt is positioned to secure the occupant during normal travel, then seat belt functionality is maintained, but the lap belt may impinge on the abdomen during deceleration causing injury
Solution Approach 1:
The system detects unsafe reclined postures in advance and either automatically adjusts the seat to a safer angle or notifies the occupant to straighten up before a collision occurs. This preliminary correction ensures that during deceleration, the occupant's pelvis remains properly positioned against the seat back, preventing the lap belt from sliding forward and impinging on the abdomen, while maintaining normal seat belt functionality throughout.
3Reliability
If the seat angle is adjusted dynamically based on real-time data, then submarining prevention is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs multi-functional sensors (such as cameras or radar devices) that serve both occupancy detection and posture monitoring purposes. The same sensor data is used for multiple functions: detecting whether an occupant is present, determining their posture, calculating seat angles, and triggering appropriate responses. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated sensors and components, thereby managing system complexity while achieving reliable submarining prevention.
Data Source
AI summary
Various systems and methods are presented regarding controlling respective positions of a seat back and seat base to mitigate the risk of a vehicle occupant submarining in the event of the vehicle being involved in a collision/rapid deceleration. Positioning of the seat back/seat base can be controlled in accordance with the occupant's physiology and posture, e.g., reclining. Cameras/radar sensors in the passenger compartment in conjunction with seat sensors can be generate physiology/positioning data, which can be processed, and based thereon, the seat back/base positions can be controlled by one or more motors.