Vehicle Seat Slide Lock Mechanism Height Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle seat sliding apparatuses with slide-lock cancellation mechanisms increase the height of the link mechanism, compromising seating comfort and requiring higher operation forces, as they pivot about a vertical axis and abut against the seat cushion, and often necessitate complex link mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle seat sliding apparatus featuring a slide-lock mechanism with a spring member and lock member, where a drive unit supported by the upper rail includes a wedge with an inclined surface that pivots the lock member to cancel the slide-lock state, reducing the overall height and complexity of the cancellation mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the link mechanism pivots about a vertical axis to cancel the slide-lock mechanism, then the slide-lock cancellation function is achieved, but the height of the link mechanism increases and may abut against the seat cushion
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of pivoting the link mechanism about a vertical axis as in conventional designs, this patent inverts the pivot axis to be horizontal. The drive unit and link mechanism rotate about a horizontal axis that extends in the widthwise direction of the vehicle, allowing the mechanism to achieve slide-lock cancellation while maintaining a compact height that prevents contact with the seat cushion.
2Length of stationary object
If the distance between the center of pivot and the point of application of the link mechanism is shortened to reduce height, then the height of the link mechanism is reduced, but the operation force needed to pull the cable increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the dimensional orientation of the pivot axis from vertical to horizontal, effectively utilizing another spatial dimension to resolve the contradiction. By rotating the drive unit and link mechanism about a horizontal axis, the system achieves compact height while maintaining sufficient operational leverage through the reoriented mechanical arrangement.
3Ease of operation
If a complex link mechanism is used to achieve slide-lock cancellation, then the cancellation function is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates unnecessary intermediate links from the conventional complex link mechanism. By using a simplified drive unit that directly rotates about a horizontal axis and engages the lock member through a streamlined transmission path, the invention achieves slide-lock cancellation with reduced mechanical complexity while maintaining functional effectiveness.
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 design allows for reduced height and improved operability of the slide-lock cancellation mechanism, maintaining mechanical strength and reducing noise and sliding resistance, while accommodating various seat specifications without increasing the number of components.
Implementation Method 1
The slide-lock mechanism includes a spring member and a lock member. The slide-lock mechanism pivots the lock member with a biasing force of the spring member to a slide-lock position
Implementation Method 2
The slide-lock cancellation unit includes a wedge arranged in the drive unit. The wedge includes an inclined surface that pivots the lock member to a slide-lock cancellation position when sliding
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle seat sliding apparatus includes a lower rail, an upper rail, a slide-lock mechanism that pivots the lock member to a slide-lock position and holds the upper rail in a slide-lock state, and a slide-lock cancellation unit moved by operation of an operation member in a longitudinal direction of the upper rail to cancel an action of the slide-lock mechanism. The slide-lock cancellation unit includes a drive unit and an inclined surface arranged in the drive unit. The drive unit is supported by the upper rail so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction of the upper rail. Operation of the operation member slides the drive unit. The inclined surface pivots the lock member to a slide-lock cancellation position when sliding.