Car Seat Thigh Support Structure for Bilateral Lateral Stability

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing thigh supports for car seats provide lateral support only in one direction, leading to user sliding during quick turns and requiring excessive effort to maintain seating position.

Innovation Solution

A thigh support design with a support body positioned between the thighs and additional side supports that extend upwards from the seat surface, providing bilateral lateral support and preventing sideways shifting.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a single seat plate with support body is used providing support on one side, then the structure is simple, but the user slides off the seat during quick turns in one direction only

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelateral support coverageVSAvoidseat plate configuration

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The single seat plate is divided into two separate seat plates (first seat plate and second seat plate), each providing support for one thigh. This segmentation allows the support body to be positioned between the thighs, providing lateral support in both directions during turns while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Adaptability or versatility

If the support body is placed against the outside of one leg, then the structure is simple, but support is provided only in one lateral direction

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebilateral lateral supportVSAvoidsupport body positioning

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of placing the support body against the outside of one leg as in conventional designs, the support body is inverted to be positioned between the two thighs. This inversion allows the support body to contact both thighs simultaneously, providing lateral support in both directions during turns.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Reliability

If the support body height is insufficient, then the structure is compact, but the user can slide over the support body during fast turns

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveanti-slip performanceVSAvoidsupport body height

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLength of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The support body height is increased to at least 10 cm, which is sufficient to prevent the user from sliding over it during fast turns. This parameter change ensures reliable lateral support while maintaining a compact overall design through the use of two seat plates.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Stability of the object's composition

If downwardly extending ridges are added to prevent sideways shifting, then the support stability improves, but the manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesupport body stabilityVSAvoidseat plate manufacturing

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

Downwardly extending ridges are added only to specific edges of the seat plates where they are needed to prevent sideways shifting of the support body. This localized feature provides the necessary stability while minimizing the impact on manufacturing complexity, as the ridges can be integrated into the seat plate molding process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP4344948B1Thigh support for a driver's or passenger seat of a car

Publication Date: 2025.10.22 BIKE BASICS GMBH

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AI summary

A thigh support 21 for providing additional lateral support to the driver or passenger of a car has a support body 23 and two seat plates 25, 27 attached with an edge to the support body and resting on the seat surface 33 of the seat 31. During use, the support body 23 is present between the thighs of the user, with the user resting with the thighs on the seat plates. The seat plates are provided on the opposite edge with side supports 28. The combination of two side supports and a support body present between them ensures that each of the thighs of the user find support in both lateral directions in this embodiment of the thigh support, so that the user does not shift and does not have to make any or little effort to maintain his or her position on the seat surface.