Vehicle Seat Sensor Harness Routing in Pad Recesses
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Solution Overview
Problem
In vehicle seats, particularly rear seats, there is inadequate space on the back side of the seat cushion and seat back to accommodate wire harnesses for seat sensors due to support by the vehicle body panel, leading to installation challenges.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle seat design with a panel-supported pad featuring a through hole and recess to accommodate the wire harness, allowing it to be positioned on the back surface of the pad, and a flexible sheet material with pressure-sensitive switches arranged in specific configurations to minimize erroneous detections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the pad is supported by the vehicle body panel, then the structural stability is improved, but the space for placing wire harness on the back side of the pad is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a recess in the back surface of the pad that extends from the through hole toward the edge, utilizing the depth dimension to generate additional space for the wire harness. This allows the wire harness to be positioned within the recess without requiring additional lateral or longitudinal space, thus resolving the space limitation while maintaining the panel-supported stable structure.
2Measurement precision
If pressure-sensitive switches are arranged in pairs in the fore and aft direction, then the occupant detection accuracy is improved, but the risk of erroneous detection due to pad deformation is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides each pressure-sensitive switch into multiple independent sensing elements arranged in pairs along the fore and aft direction. Each pair forms an independent detection unit that can distinguish between genuine occupant presence and pad deformation. The segmented arrangement allows the system to cross-validate signals from multiple elements, reducing erroneous detections while maintaining high detection accuracy.
3Ease of manufacture
If the wire harness is passed through a hole vertically extending through the seat cushion pad, then the wire harness positioning is simplified, but the wire harness may contact the occupant
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a recess as an intermediary structure between the through hole and the occupant seating area. The wire harness is positioned within the recess, which acts as a protective mediator that prevents direct contact between the wire harness and the occupant while still allowing the harness to pass through the pad structure for electrical connections.
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 design provides a secure space for wire harnesses and minimizes erroneous sensor detections, ensuring accurate occupant detection and reduced interference with other components, enhancing comfort and functionality.
Implementation Method 1
The pressure sensor is a sensor that detects the pressure applied to the seating surface of the seat cushion
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of pressure-sensitive switches arranged in a seating region of a vehicle seat, and configured to turn on by the seating of an occupant
Data Source
AI summary
A wire harness connected to a sensor is positioned on a back surface of a pad of a vehicle seat supported by a panel. The vehicle seat includes a panel; a pad supported by the panel; a skin material covering a front surface of the pad; and a sensor provided between the front surface of the pad and the skin material for acquiring information on a seat occupant, wherein the pad is provided with a through hole passed from the front surface of the pad to a back surface of the pad, and a recess formed in the back surface of the pad and connected to the through hole, the wire harness connected to the sensor extending in the through hole and the recess.