Vehicle Seat Lateral Orientation Control for Turn Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle seats that change orientation during turns can cause discomfort for occupants when turns are prolonged, as the unusual seat configuration leads to prolonged exposure to lateral acceleration, affecting occupant comfort and stability.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle seat with a seat back that can laterally change orientation using an actuator and controller, which adjusts the seat back's position based on lateral acceleration thresholds and execution time to maintain occupant comfort during extended turns, featuring a posture control mechanism that reverses the seat back's orientation when the execution time exceeds a threshold, improving stability and comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the seat back orientation is changed to orient toward the turning direction during vehicle turns, then occupant stability and support are improved, but occupant comfort deteriorates when turns are prolonged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by automatically switching the seat back orientation between first and second positions based on detected turning conditions. When a turn is detected, the seat back switches to the first position to provide lateral support; when the turn ends, it switches back to the second position. This periodic switching ensures occupant stability during turns while preventing discomfort during prolonged turns, as the seat back does not maintain the unusual first position indefinitely.
2Force
If the seat back maintains an unusual configuration different from normal state during extended turns, then lateral acceleration support is improved, but occupant comfort deteriorates due to prolonged exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs feedback control through a detector that continuously monitors turning conditions and a controller that adjusts the seat back orientation based on detected parameters. The controller switches the seat back to the first position when lateral acceleration exceeding a threshold is detected, providing necessary lateral support. When the turn ends or lateral acceleration decreases below the threshold, the controller switches back to the second position, limiting the duration of the unusual configuration and preventing prolonged discomfort.
3Reliability
If the seat back orientation is dynamically adjusted during turns, then occupant support adequacy is improved, but device complexity increases due to actuator and control mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the seat back orientation adjustable rather than fixed. The seat back can switch between a first position (orienting toward the turning direction) and a second position (normal orientation) based on detected turning conditions. This dynamic adjustment allows the seat back to adapt to varying driving conditions, providing adequate occupant support during turns while returning to a comfortable normal position when turns end, thereby improving support adequacy without requiring continuously complex mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle seat comprising: a seat cushion; a seat back; an actuator capable of changing an orientation of the seat back laterally by moving a pressure-receiving member; and a controller configured to exercise control over the actuator. The controller includes a posture control unit configured to execute, during turning of a vehicle, a seat posture control under which the actuator is caused to move the pressure-receiving member from an initial position to an advanced position to cause the seat back to orient toward a turning direction. The posture control unit is configured to activate, when an execution time of the seat posture control has become equal to or greater than an execution time threshold value, a control under which the actuator is caused to move the pressure-receiving member from the advanced position to an intermediate position to reversely change the orientation of the seat back.