Vehicle Seat Rail Friction Reduction via Ball Track Elevations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing longitudinally adjustable vehicle seats face challenges in reducing friction and enhancing user comfort during adjustments, particularly in recognizing the correct position and facilitating easy entry and exit.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a ball holder system with elevations and end stops in the seat rail pair, where elevations are produced by chipless machining to reduce friction and facilitate easy entry, and end stops are formed by pressed-in portions to limit displacement and provide user feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If friction reduction mechanisms are implemented in the seat rail pair, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs balls with spherical geometry to reduce friction between the seat rail components. These balls roll within ball raceways formed in the rails, converting sliding friction into rolling friction, which significantly reduces the force required for seat adjustment while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The ball holder acts as an intermediary component that carries and positions the friction-reducing balls within the seat rail pair. This mediator element enables the friction reduction mechanism without requiring complex integrated designs, allowing for easier manufacturing and assembly while achieving the desired ease of operation.
2Ease of operation
If elevations are added to the ball raceway to provide user feedback, then ease of operation is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The elevation is introduced as a localized feature within the ball raceway rather than requiring precision across the entire raceway surface. This localized quality change provides tactile feedback to the user at specific positions (indicating correct seat adjustment points) while the rest of the ball raceway can be manufactured with standard tolerances, thereby reducing overall manufacturing precision requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring the entire ball raceway to provide precise positioning feedback, the elevation provides partial action by creating discrete tactile cues at key positions. This partial feedback mechanism is sufficient for user guidance without demanding high precision across the full range of motion, easing manufacturing constraints.
3Reliability
If end stops are formed by pressed-in portions to limit displacement, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The end stop function is merged with the existing seat rail structure by forming pressed-in portions directly on the rail components. This integration combines the displacement limiting function with the structural elements already present in the seat rail pair, achieving reliable displacement limitation without adding separate, complex end stop mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressed-in portions on the seat rails serve as self-contained end stops that automatically limit displacement through their geometric configuration. The balls and ball holder interact with these pressed-in features to naturally restrict the range of motion, providing reliable displacement limitation without requiring external control systems or additional active components.
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
This solution reduces friction, enhances user comfort by simplifying seat adjustment and recognition of the correct position, and allows for easy entry and exit by requiring a specific force to overcome elevations, thereby improving the overall usability of the vehicle seat.
Implementation Method 1
balls arranged in the ball hold and arranged between the first seat rail and the second seat rail, in order to reduce friction. The first seat rail forms a ball raceway, along which the balls roll.
Implementation Method 2
At least one elevation protrudes into the ball raceway. The elevation may be overcome by at least one ball and the ball holder.
Implementation Method 3
A first end stop and a second end stop delimit the movability of the seat rail pair.
Data Source
AI summary
A longitudinally adjustable vehicle seat, having at least one pair of seat rails (10), has a first seat rail (12) fixed to the structure, a second seat rail (13) guided in the first seat rail (12) and connected to the vehicle seat (1). Balls (14) are arranged in ball holders (15), which are arranged between the first seat rail (12) and the second seat rail (13) in order to reduce friction. The first seat rail (12) forms a ball track along which the balls (14) roll with a first end stop and a second end stop, which limit the mobility of the pair of seat rails (10). At least one elevation (12″) is provided, which projects into the ball track. The elevation (12″) can be overcome by at least one ball (14) and the ball holder (15).