Vehicle Seat Slide Rail Layout for Rearward Relaxing Position
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle seat slide mechanisms are not designed to accommodate a relaxing position further rearward than the conventional driving position, leading to issues with center of gravity and loading that prevent effective use of the relaxing mode.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle seat with an inclination drive portion and a slide mechanism that includes a mode switching switch, allowing the seat to slide rearward into a relaxing position while maintaining stability and reducing load on the slide mechanism by adjusting the seat's position and center of gravity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the seat is slid further rearward to create a relaxing position, then the relaxing space inside the vehicle is improved, but the center of gravity shifts to the rear side causing excessive loading on the slide mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The mode switching switch is positioned in advance at a location that cannot be operated from the relaxing mode slide position. This preliminary arrangement prevents the seat from being moved to an unsafe rearward position where the center of gravity would cause excessive loading on the slide mechanism, while still allowing forward movement to the driving position.
Solution Approach 2:
The mode switching switch acts as an intermediary control element that mediates between the driver's desire to move the seat and the safety constraints of the slide mechanism. By positioning the switch so it cannot be operated from the relaxing position, it serves as a safety intermediary that prevents harmful operations while allowing normal driving position adjustments.
2Ease of operation
If the mode switching switch is accessible from the relaxing position, then the ease of operation is improved, but the slide mechanism may be operated from an unsafe position causing defects
Solution Approach 1:
The mode switching switch is deliberately positioned to prevent operation from the relaxing position. This preliminary anti-action design proactively blocks the harmful action of moving or operating the seat from an unsafe position, before the harmful effect of excessive loading can occur. The switch geometry itself provides the protective function.
Solution Approach 2:
The geometric constraint of the mode switching switch position, which initially appears to limit accessibility, actually converts the potential harm of unsafe operation into a beneficial safety feature. The very limitation in switch accessibility from the relaxing position becomes the mechanism that prevents excessive loading on the slide mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle seat including a seat that includes a seat cushion and a seat back; an inclination drive portion configured to incline the seat back; and a slide mechanism configured to enable the seat to slide in a vehicle front-rear direction, in which the slide mechanism includes: a slide rail that includes an upper rail and a lower rail and supporting the seat to be able to move in a sliding manner in the front-rear direction, a slide drive portion configured to enable the upper rail to slide with respect to the lower rail, and a mode switching switch configured to enable switching between modes, in a normal mode, a slide range of the seat in the front-rear direction is a slide amount used when the vehicle is driven, in a relaxing mode, a slide amount is at a position where a slide position of the seat in the front-rear direction is rearward, with respect to a slide position at a rearmost end in the normal mode, and the mode switching switch is disposed on a front side where a switch operation is not able to be performed from the slide position of the seat corresponding to a slide amount in the relaxing mode.