Seat Slide Rail Retainer Layout for Rattle-Free Sliding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional seat slide adjusters experience rattling and abnormal sounds due to local deformation of ball members in the upper rail, which is exacerbated by increased rigidity, leading to weight gain when thicker materials are used to mitigate this issue.
Innovation Solution
A seat slide adjuster with L-shaped retainers and differently sized ball members are positioned to avoid high-rigidity corners, ensuring smooth sliding and reduced weight by using thinner materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a ratchet mechanism is used to prevent the seat from sliding backward, then the seat position stability is improved, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the ratchet mechanism from the overall seat adjustment system, making it a separate, dedicated component rather than integrating it into the main adjustment mechanism. This allows the ratchet to provide reliable one-way locking while keeping the main adjustment mechanism simpler and more modular.
Solution Approach 2:
The seat adjustment system is divided into distinct functional segments: the manual adjustment mechanism for forward movement and the ratchet mechanism for preventing backward movement. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, reducing overall complexity while maintaining reliability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the seat slide adjuster is integrated into the seat belt retractor, then the device versatility is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the seat slide adjuster function with the seat belt retractor by integrating the ratchet mechanism into the retractor assembly. This combination allows a single component to serve dual purposes: seat position adjustment and seat belt retraction, thereby improving versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated mechanism serves multiple functions: it acts as both a seat slide adjuster with one-way locking capability and a seat belt retractor. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standardized integration interfaces.
Data Source
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AI summary
Rattling and abnormal sound between an upper rail and a lower rail are reduced, and sliding is more smoothly performed. Sliding resistance reducing members (14, 15) include retainers (141, 151) formed each in a substantially L shape in a cross section and including first retaining wall portions (1411, 1511) and second retaining wall portions (1412, 1512) located between vertical wall portions (11b, 12d) and between bottom wall portions (11a, 12c) of a lower rail (11) and an upper rail (12). The first ball members (142, 152) are disposed in middle positions of the first retaining wall portions (1411, 1511), and the second ball members (143, 153) are disposed in positions apart from the vertical wall portions toward the center in the width direction of the lower rail (11) in the second retaining wall portions (1412, 1512).