Vehicle Seat Support Control for Physique-Based Neutral Posture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle seats fail to effectively reduce fatigue, such as lower back pain, caused by long periods of sitting, as they cannot easily adapt to the varying physique of each individual, leading to inadequate posture adjustment.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle seat with ischial tuberosity, sacrum/ilium, and ninth thoracic vertebra support devices, controlled by a system that acquires physique information to adjust the seat's shape and position, replicating a neutral posture to reduce muscle tension and discomfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the vehicle seat uses fixed positioning for support points, then the structure is simple, but it cannot adapt to different user physiques and fails to reduce fatigue effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the support points (ischial tuberosity, sacrum/ilium, ninth thoracic vertebra) movable rather than fixed. Each support point can be independently positioned along its respective axis based on user physique data, transforming a static seat structure into a dynamic adaptation system that responds to individual user characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements parameter changes by adjusting the positions of multiple support points based on user-specific parameters such as height, weight, and body proportions. The control device modifies the spatial coordinates of each support point to match the user's physique, enabling the seat to adapt to different users through systematic parameter variation.
2Reliability
If the vehicle seat adjusts support points based on user physique, then fatigue reduction effectiveness improves, but the control system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the seat adjustment function into three independent support point control systems. Each support point (ischial tuberosity, sacrum/ilium, ninth thoracic vertebra) is controlled separately along its specific axis, allowing modular adjustment that simplifies the overall control logic while achieving comprehensive posture adaptation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by using user physique information as input data that the control device processes to determine optimal support point positions. The system receives user characteristics, calculates appropriate positioning parameters, and adjusts the support points accordingly, creating a closed-loop adaptation mechanism that ensures reliable fatigue reduction.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple support points are made movable along different axes, then posture adaptation to neutral posture improves, but the mechanical complexity of the seat structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing different degrees of freedom to different support points based on their specific functional requirements. The ischial tuberosity support moves along the vertical axis, the sacrum/ilium support moves along the fore-aft axis, and the ninth thoracic vertebra support moves along the recline angle axis, with each support point having movement capabilities tailored to its local anatomical requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle seat includes an ischial tuberosity support device that is driven to change a position of a part of a seat cushion corresponding to ischial tuberosities of a seated person; a sacrum/ilium support device that is driven to change a position of a part of a seat back corresponding to the sacrum and ilia of the seated person; a ninth thoracic vertebra support device that is driven to change a position of a part of the seat back corresponding to a ninth thoracic vertebra of the seated person; and a control device, wherein the control device sequentially executes: an information acquisition step of acquiring physique information of the seated person; a decision step of deciding parameters regarding a driving amount of each of the ischial tuberosity support device, the sacrum/ilium support device, and the ninth thoracic vertebra support device based on the acquired physique information; and an output step of driving the ischial tuberosity support device, the sacrum/ilium support device, and the ninth thoracic vertebra support device based on the corresponding parameters.