Vehicle Seat Swivel Assembly With Loop-Routed Cable Harness

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

In vehicle seats with vertical pivoting functions, the existing electrical connections are prone to damage due to shearing and twisting of electrical cables, which obstructs the passage and leads to premature wear or rupture, complicating assembly and maintenance.

Innovation Solution

A pivoting assembly design featuring a lower tray connected to the vehicle floor with an upper plate that pivots around a central axis, where the electrical harness winds around the axis, avoiding shearing and twisting, and is supported by a housing formed by the connection of the upper and lower plates, allowing easy assembly and secure cable management.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If electrical cables are routed directly through the pivoting assembly, then the electrical connection is established, but the cables are prone to shearing and twisting damage during rotation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveelectrical connection reliabilityVSAvoidcable damage from shearing and twisting
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

A cable management component with a cable receptacle and cable guide is introduced as an intermediary element between the electrical cables and the pivoting assembly. The cable guide directs the cables along a safe path that avoids the rotation axis, preventing shearing and twisting while maintaining electrical connectivity throughout the pivoting motion

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The cable management system routes cables in a different spatial dimension - using the vertical dimension and radial positioning away from the rotation axis - rather than allowing cables to be subjected to rotational shear forces in the horizontal plane. This dimensional repositioning eliminates the harmful mechanical stresses

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Reliability

If the electrical harness is routed through the pivoting assembly, then electrical power is supplied, but the assembly complexity increases due to cable management requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveelectrical power supplyVSAvoidcable management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cable management component is integrated with the existing pivoting assembly structure, combining the cable receptacle and guide features with the mechanical pivoting components. This merging approach provides effective cable protection without adding separate complex subsystems

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The cable management component serves as a mediating element that simplifies the overall system by providing a dedicated, structured path for cables, reducing the complexity of cable routing and installation procedures

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Ease of manufacture

If conventional cable routing is used through the pivoting assembly, then installation is straightforward, but maintenance becomes difficult due to cable damage and disassembly requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveassembly simplicityVSAvoidmaintenance difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

The cable management system is designed as a modular component that can be independently accessed and serviced. The cable receptacle and guide are segmented from the main pivoting mechanism, allowing cables to be inspected, replaced, or repaired without requiring complete disassembly of the pivoting assembly

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The cable management component acts as an accessible intermediary that provides a dedicated maintenance interface, allowing service personnel to address cable issues without disturbing the complex pivoting mechanism

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP4420927A1Assembly for a vehicle seat
Publication Date: 2024.08.28 FAURECIA SIEGES D AUTOMOBILE SA
  • EP4420927A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4420927A1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4420927A1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

Swivel assembly (18) for vehicle seat (10) comprising a lower plate (30) including at least one first hole (32); an upper plate (20) mounted to pivot relative to the lower plate (30) about a first axis (A1) and including at least one second hole (22); a housing (28) delimited in the direction of the first axis (A1) by the upper plate (20) and the lower plate (30); at least one electrical harness (50) which includes at least one electrical cable, the electrical harness (50) extending through said at least one first hole (32) of the lower plate (30) and through said at least one second hole (22) of the upper plate (20), an intermediate portion (52) of the electrical cable being received in said housing, said intermediate portion (52) forming at least one loop about the first axis (A1).