Zero-Gravity Seat Collapse Linkage for Collision Belt Restraint
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing zero-gravity vehicle seats pose safety hazards during collisions, as the zero-gravity mode reduces the restraining action of safety belts, potentially leading to serious injury or death.
Innovation Solution
A zero-gravity seat collapsing mechanism that instantly transitions from zero-gravity mode to a normal seated mode upon collision, utilizing a collapsing piece with a weakened portion and a pin that deforms and tears the collapsing piece to allow the seat frame to descend rapidly, restoring the safety belt's restraining action.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the seat is designed to maintain zero-gravity mode for comfort, then user comfort is improved, but safety during collision deteriorates due to reduced safety belt restraining action
Solution Approach 1:
The seat structure transitions from a static zero-gravity configuration to a dynamic collapsing mechanism that automatically changes state during collision. The linkage components and collapsing pieces are designed to remain stable during normal use but automatically collapse when subjected to collision forces, transforming the seat from a comfort-oriented configuration to a safety-oriented configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The collapsing mechanism is pre-designed with weakened portions and stop pins that create predetermined failure paths. During collision, the force transmission through linkage components automatically triggers the collapse before serious injury can occur, preventing the harmful effect of reduced safety belt restraining action by rapidly restoring proper seat geometry.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the seat structure is made rigid to prevent accidental collapse during normal use, then stability is improved, but the ability to collapse rapidly during collision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The seat structure employs differentiated material properties and structural characteristics at different locations. The linkage components and collapsing pieces have localized weakened portions with reduced cross-sectional areas that are strategically positioned to fail first during collision, while the overall structure maintains sufficient rigidity during normal use. This local weakness enables rapid collapse without compromising normal stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The seat structure is divided into multiple segments including linkage components, collapsing pieces, and stop pins that can move relative to each other. This segmentation allows the structure to maintain rigidity as a whole during normal use while enabling individual segments to collapse rapidly during collision, achieving both stability and rapid response through modular design.
3Ease of manufacture
If the collapsing mechanism uses simple structural components, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but the reliability of preventing accidental collapse deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The stop pins are pre-positioned within arc-shaped grooves during assembly, creating a predetermined mechanical constraint system. This preliminary arrangement ensures that the linkage components are properly guided and constrained during normal operation, preventing accidental collapse while maintaining simple component designs that are easy to manufacture and assemble.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The mechanism ensures the seat's safety by instantly restoring the normal seated mode during collisions, effectively re-establishing the safety belt's restraining action, thereby reducing the risk of injury or death.
Implementation Method 1
the pin can force the weakened portion of the collapsing piece to be deformed and torn
Implementation Method 2
the pin can force the weakened portion of the collapsing piece to be deformed and torn
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The present invention discloses a zero-gravity seat collapsing mechanism, including a base and a seat frame located on an upper side of the base, a rear end of the seat frame being rotatably connected to the base, upper linkage components being rotatably connected to a front end of the seat frame, lower linkage components being rotatably connected to a front end of the base, and the upper linkage component and the lower linkage component being hinged to each other by means of a pin, wherein a collapsing piece is fixedly connected to a side of each upper linkage component, the collapsing piece has an adapter hole located in a lower portion, a collapse channel located in an upper portion, and a weakened portion formed between the adapter hole and the collapse channel, the upper linkage component has a strip-shaped avoidance hole, and the adapter hole and the collapse channel are both exposed in the strip-shaped avoidance hole. The present invention provides the beneficial effect of a seat being able to instantaneously restore from a zero-gravity mode to a normal seated mode when a vehicle collision occurs, thereby improving the safety of the seat.