Vehicle Utility Bed Seat With Pivoting Lower Back Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicles with movable utility beds, or 'dump beds,' face challenges in optimizing space utilization and passenger comfort due to the fixed nature of rear seats, which restricts the ability to efficiently convert between hauling and dumping positions while maintaining passenger support.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of pivotally coupled rear seats with upper and lower back supports that can move between passenger support and stored positions, allowing the seat back to stow and reveal space for the seat bottom, thereby reducing vertical height and enhancing comfort by using a double hinge mechanism or alternative coupling methods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the seat back is in a deployed position with lower back support in passenger support position, then passenger comfort is improved, but space utilization and vertical height are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The seat back is divided into two separate support structures: an upper back support and a lower back support. The lower back support can be pivotally moved between a passenger support position (providing comfort) and a stored position (saving space). This segmentation allows the lower support to be detached from the vertical space when not in use, resolving the contradiction between comfort and space utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The lower back support is designed with pivotal movement capability, allowing it to dynamically transition between deployed and stored positions. When a passenger needs support, the lower back support pivots to the passenger support position; when space is needed, it pivots to the stored position, revealing the space previously occupied by the seat bottom. This dynamic adjustment resolves the fixed contradiction between comfort and space.
2Ease of operation
If the lower back support is in passenger support position, then passenger comfort is improved, but the vertical height of the seat structure is increased
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the back support into upper and lower independent components, the lower back support can be positioned horizontally in front of the upper back support when stored, rather than extending vertically behind it. This segmentation allows the seat structure to have reduced vertical height while still providing full back support when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The lower back support transitions from a vertical arrangement (behind the upper back support) to a horizontal arrangement (in front of the upper back support). By moving the lower support to a different spatial dimension (from vertical stacking to horizontal positioning), the overall vertical height of the seat structure is reduced while maintaining passenger comfort functionality.
3Volume of moving object
If the seat back is stowed to reduce height, then space efficiency is improved, but passenger support capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The lower back support is designed to be dynamically repositionable between stored and deployed states. When the seat back is stowed vertically, the lower back support can be positioned horizontally in front of the upper back support, maintaining space efficiency. When a passenger needs support, the lower back support pivots to the passenger support position, restoring full support capability. This dynamic adaptability resolves the contradiction between stowed efficiency and support capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle includes a vehicular frame and a utility bed coupled with the vehicular frame. The utility bed includes a bed frame and a seat. The seat includes a seat bottom and a seat back. The seat back is movable between a stowed position and a deployed position. The seat back includes an upper back support and a lower back support. The lower back support is movably coupled with the upper back support and is movable between a passenger support position and a stored position.