Vehicle Seat Support Member L-Shape Deformation Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle seats with shell type seat backs experience irreversible deformation during high loads, such as rear collisions, leading to potential breakage at joints and increased weight due to conventional reinforcement methods.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle seat design featuring a support member with a side plate and rear plate configuration, where the side plate is fixed to the recliner and extends upward, and the rear plate is fixed to the seat back shell in a manner that reduces the distance between the recliner and seat back shell, eliminating the need for additional reinforcement or increased thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the thickness of the paired support members is increased to suppress deformation, then the resistance to deformation is improved, but the weight of the vehicle seat increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support member transitions from a simple linear structure to an L-shaped configuration with two perpendicular plate portions (side plate and rear plate). This dimensional change allows the structure to resist deformation through geometric configuration rather than increasing material thickness, thereby maintaining strength while reducing weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The support member is divided into two functional segments: the side plate portion that faces the side surface of the seat back shell, and the rear plate portion that faces the rear surface. This segmentation allows each portion to optimally resist forces from different directions, improving overall deformation resistance without requiring uniform thickness increase throughout the entire member.
2Strength
If a metallic reinforcing member is provided to couple the paired support members together, then the deformation suppression is improved, but the device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcing function is merged into the support member itself by creating an integrated L-shaped structure. Instead of adding a separate metallic reinforcing member to couple support members, the side plate and rear plate portions work together as a unified structure, eliminating the need for additional components while maintaining deformation suppression capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The support member utilizes composite construction with the side plate and rear plate portions forming a combined structural system. This composite configuration provides enhanced rigidity and deformation resistance through the geometric arrangement of perpendicular plates, replacing the need for separate reinforcing members.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle seat includes a back frame mounted on a cushion frame via a recliner in a pivotally movable manner. The back frame has a support member connected to the recliner, and a seat back shell supported by the support member. The support member has a side plate portion and a rear plate portion facing a side surface and a rear surface of the seat back shell, respectively, and the side plate portion has a base portion fixed to the recliner, and an extension portion provided to extend more upward than the base portion. The side plate portion is fixed at the extension portion to the side surface of the seat back shell, and the rear plate portion is at least fixed in a region to the rear surface of the seat back shell, the region provided to rise from a lower position of the side plate portion.