Vehicle Seat Sliding Mechanism Synchronizes Locking Pins
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle seat sliding mechanisms often experience a 'half-locked' state due to play in locking pins, which can lead to incomplete locking or unlocking, causing operational issues and noise.
Innovation Solution
A seat sliding apparatus featuring a guide bracket connected to stepped locking pins, a clamping bushing to prevent floating, and a lever-operated mechanism that ensures all locking pins engage or disengage simultaneously, using torsion springs and a supporting member with specific leg designs to maintain alignment and prevent partial locking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If locking pins are used in the seat sliding mechanism, then the seat can be locked in position, but play in the locking pins causes a half-locked state leading to incomplete locking or unlocking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple locking pins into a unified locking mechanism where all pins are connected through the guide bracket. This ensures that when one pin fails to lock properly, the connected pins prevent partial locking by forcing all pins to lock or unlock together, eliminating the half-locked state and improving locking reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The guide bracket serves as an intermediary component that connects multiple locking pins and guides their movement. It ensures synchronized motion of all locking pins, preventing play and misalignment, thereby improving both manufacturing precision requirements and locking reliability
2Reliability
If multiple locking pins are used to secure the seat, then locking security is improved, but the complexity of ensuring all pins lock/unlock simultaneously increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple locking pins into a single functional unit through the guide bracket connection. This unified structure simplifies the synchronization mechanism by ensuring that all pins move together as one group, reducing the complexity of coordinating individual pin operations while maintaining high locking security
Solution Approach 2:
The guide bracket is designed with predetermined movement paths and geometric constraints that automatically guide the locking pins into proper alignment and synchronized motion. This pre-designed guidance eliminates the need for complex active control mechanisms, reducing device complexity while ensuring reliable simultaneous locking of all pins
3Ease of operation
If locking pins have play or floating movement, then ease of insertion is improved, but noise and incomplete locking occur
Solution Approach 1:
The guide bracket acts as an intermediary that provides predetermined guidance paths for the locking pins. This guidance structure allows easy insertion by directing the pins along fixed paths while eliminating unwanted play and floating movement, thereby preventing noise generation during operation
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 solution effectively prevents the 'half-locked' state, minimizes play and noise, and ensures secure locking and unlocking of the seat, enhancing operational reliability and user experience.
Implementation Method 1
The connecting bar is mounted with one or more torsion springs for promoting upward and downward operation
Implementation Method 2
each of the plurality of locking pins is connected to a spring adapted to insert the locking pin into a through-hole
Data Source
AI summary
A seat sliding apparatus for vehicles is provided. The seat sliding apparatus includes a track and a guide bracket with legs connected to stepped locking pins to regulate the locked state of the locking pins which engage the track. In one embodiment, the track includes through-holes which are engaged by the locking pins. Accordingly to another aspect of the apparatus, a plastic bushing is provided to prevent horizontal/vertical floating of the locking pins, thereby minimizing the play of the locking pins and prevent floating. The apparatus also may simultaneously prevent a half-locked state of the locking pins.