Elastic Seat Rail Retainer for Constant Rail Spacing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing seat rail retainers fail to maintain a constant interval between the lower and upper rails, leading to inefficient sliding, potential vibration, noise, and risk of the seat becoming stuck or deformed over time.
Innovation Solution
A seat rail retainer with a body fixed to the first rail, an elastic supporting portion protruding to elastically press the second rail, and an inserting body providing elastic force to the supporting portion, ensuring stable and efficient sliding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional retainer structure is used without elastic supporting portions, then the structure is simple, but the interval between rails cannot be maintained constant leading to vibration and noise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs elastic supporting portions that function as flexible elements to maintain the interval between rails. These elastic components deform elastically under load and recover, ensuring constant spacing while absorbing vibrations and preventing noise, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state of the supporting portions from rigid to elastic, allowing them to dynamically adjust to variations in rail positioning. This parameter change enables the retainer to maintain constant interval while accommodating thermal expansion, manufacturing tolerances, and operational stresses without increasing overall structural complexity.
2Reliability
If the retainer structure is rigid and fixed, then manufacturing is simple, but the seat may become stuck or deformed after prolonged inactivity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic elastic system. The elastic supporting portions can deform and recover, allowing the retainer to adapt to changes in rail position over time. This dynamic capability prevents the seat from becoming stuck or deformed during prolonged inactivity while maintaining ease of manufacture through simple elastic component design.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic supporting portions act as beforehand cushioning elements that anticipate and absorb potential deformations or sticking issues before they occur. By providing pre-compression and elastic recovery capability, the system prevents stuck or deformed states during long periods of inactivity without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms.
3Ease of operation
If elastic supporting portions are added to maintain constant interval, then sliding smoothness improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic supporting portions function as flexible elements that provide continuous contact between the retainer and rails, ensuring smooth sliding motion. These elastic components conform to slight irregularities in the rail surfaces, reducing friction and preventing vibration and noise, thereby improving ease of operation with minimal increase in structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic supporting portions are designed to self-adjust and self-regulate the interval between rails without requiring external control mechanisms. The elastic deformation and recovery of these portions automatically maintains constant spacing and ensures smooth sliding, eliminating the need for complex adjustment or monitoring systems.
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 retainer maintains a constant interval between the rails, ensuring smooth and efficient sliding, preventing excessive operational force, vibration, and noise, and maintaining functionality even after prolonged periods of inactivity.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic supporting portion (9) protruding from the body (7) to be elastically pressed by the second rail (5)
Implementation Method 2
an inserting body (11) inserted into the body (7) to supply an elastic force to the elastic supporting portion (9)
Data Source
AI summary
A seat rail retainer includes a body, among a first rail and a second rail that are disposed to slide straightly respectively in a longitudinal direction, the body being fixed to the first rail, an elastic supporting portion protruding from the body to be elastically pressed by the second rail, and an inserting body inserted into the body to provide an elastic force to the elastic supporting portion.