Vehicle Seat Side Frame Force Limiter for Impact Alleviation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle seat designs face issues where the upper body of an occupant can be hit by the seat back during collisions, and the configuration is complicated due to the placement of torsion bars, which interferes with other seat components like lumbar supports.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle seat design featuring a seat back with tiltable side frames supported by connecting parts that include a base and a force limiter part allowing plastic deformation under tensile force, preventing the seat back from tilting and thus reducing impact on the occupant and simplifying the configuration by avoiding interference with other devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a torsion bar is provided to be bridged between the side frame of one side of the upper structure and the side frame of the opposite side of the lower structure, then the upper structure can be tilted to the front side of the seat to alleviate impact, but the configuration of the seat back becomes complicated due to interference with other devices mounted in the seat back
Solution Approach 1:
The force limiter part is extracted from the traditional torsion bar configuration and repositioned to be connected between the side frame and the seat cushion frame on the same side, removing it from the seat back interior space. This extraction eliminates interference with other seat back devices while preserving the impact alleviation function through plastic deformation of the force limiter part.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection configuration is changed from a horizontal bridging arrangement (across the seat back) to a vertical/diagonal arrangement (from side frame down to seat cushion frame). This dimensional repositioning removes the torsion bar from the conflicting space within the seat back, simplifying the overall configuration while maintaining structural integrity.
2Reliability
If the upper structure of the seat back is tilted together with the upper body of the occupant to the front side of the seat, then the gap formation between the upper body and seat back is suppressed, but the configuration becomes complicated due to the torsion bar placement
Solution Approach 1:
The force limiter mechanism is extracted from the seat back upper structure and relocated to connect the side frame with the seat cushion frame. This removes the mechanical complexity from the seat back while preserving the tilting function that prevents gap formation between the occupant and seat back.
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 enhances occupant protection by preventing the upper body from hitting the seat back during collisions and simplifies the seat configuration by eliminating interference with other components.
Implementation Method 1
a force limiter part which is interposed between the base part and the side frame and allows tilting of the side frame through a plastic deformation when a tensile force exceeding a predetermined value is loaded on the upper body restricting part of the seat belt
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle seat includes a pair of side frames, a seat back which includes a pair of connecting parts which respectively support the pair of side frames to be tiltable to a front side of a seat, and a seat belt which includes an upper body restricting part, which restricts an upper body of an occupant in the seat back, and in which the upper body restricting part is moored in the side frame. The connecting part which supports the side frame includes a base part which is fixed in a frame of the seat cushion, and a force limiter part which is interposed between the base part and the side frame and allows tilting of the side frame through a plastic deformation when a tensile force exceeding a predetermined value is loaded on the upper body restricting part of the seat belt.