Seat Rail Power Slider Layout to Avoid Drive Shaft Interference
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing seat adjusting devices face challenges due to complex and large rail structures, which degrade the design freedom for mounting the fixed rail on the floor, and also suffer from weight disadvantages due to rigid stoppers used to define the limits of the seat's movement.
Innovation Solution
The proposed adjusting device incorporates a drive system with a motor and transmission member passing through the fixed rail, a power supply system with a slider that slides within the fixed rail to avoid interference with the transmission member, and a bearing member with standing walls and a linking wall part to support the threaded shaft while minimizing weight and maximizing support rigidity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a power supply rail having a duct shape is disposed side by side with and on the outside of the fixed rail to support a slider, then the slider can be slidably supported, but the overall rail structure becomes large and complicated and the degree of freedom in design of the structure for mounting the fixed rail on the floor is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the power supply rail and the fixed rail into a single integrated structure. The power supply electric wire is routed through the fixed rail itself rather than requiring a separate power supply rail, thereby merging two previously separate components into one unified rail structure that performs both structural and electrical functions
Solution Approach 2:
The fixed rail is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support for the slider and also houses the power supply electric wire. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for a separate power supply rail, reducing overall structure complexity while maintaining reliability
2Strength
If a stopper with a flange shape is made thick in the axial direction to enhance support rigidity, then the support rigidity is improved, but the weight of the stopper increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stopper is designed with a curved or arc-shaped cross section instead of a flat flange shape. This curved geometry provides structural rigidity through the arch effect, distributing loads more efficiently and achieving sufficient support strength without requiring excessive thickness, thereby reducing weight while maintaining rigidity
Solution Approach 2:
The stopper thickness is optimized locally rather than uniformly throughout. The curved cross-sectional design concentrates material where structural strength is most needed, providing adequate rigidity in critical areas while minimizing material usage in less critical regions, thus achieving a weight-rigidity balance
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 configuration simplifies and reduces the size of the rail structure, enhances design freedom for mounting the fixed rail, and achieves sufficient support rigidity while lightening the weight of the bearing member, thus improving the overall efficiency and flexibility of the seat adjusting system.
Implementation Method 1
a threaded shaft extending in the longitudinal direction of the fixed rail, a nut member that is screwed around the threaded shaft
Data Source
AI summary
In an arrangement which includes: a seat support body slidably supported on a fixed rail fixed to a floor; a power supply device supplying power to an electrical component on a seat side; and a drive device driving the seat support body in a front-and-rear direction and having a motor and a transmission member disposed so as to pass longitudinally through an interior of the fixed rail, the power supply device includes: a housing housing an electric wire for power supply; and a slider linked to the seat support body and slidable within the fixed rail. The electric wire is drawn out from the housing, retained by the slider and slidable within the fixed rail. The slider has an interference-avoiding portion for avoiding interference with the transmission member disposed so as to pass longitudinally through the interior of the fixed rail. Accordingly, the transmission member of the drive device and the slider for retaining the electric wire, which slides within the fixed rail, can be arranged in proximity to each other within the fixed rail while avoiding interference therebetween, thus enabling simplification and a reduction in the size of a rail structure.