Additive collapsible seat

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10870375-B2
Application number	US-201816195882-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 20, 2018
Priority date	Nov 20, 2018
Publication date	Dec 22, 2020
Grant date	Dec 22, 2020

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methodologies for vehicle seats include selectively collapsible safety layers providing collapsible support to reduce impulse experienced by the seated passenger imparted by the vehicle seat, which can reduce the likelihood and/or extent of injury attributable to occurrences exceeding threshold momentum changes, such as transportation vehicle collisions.

First claim

I claim:

1. A safety vehicle seat for a transportation vehicle comprising:
a frame for attachment with the transportation vehicle;
a comfort section arranged for engagement with a user's body seated on the vehicle seat, the comfort section including a resilient cushion for compression under load of the user's body; and
a collapsible support that provides support to the comfort section, wherein the collapsible support includes at least one precision safety section configured for failure to permanently collapse in response to a predetermined change in momentum to enable at least a portion of a connection structure to penetrate at least one cavity to reduce impulse between the vehicle seat and the user's body under vehicular collision.

2. The vehicle seat of claim 1 , wherein the collapsible support includes a safety matrix layer for providing collapsible support to the comfort section, the safety matrix layer including an engagement platform connected with one of the frame and the comfort section, and a collapsible safety structure secured with the engagement platform, the collapsible safety structure including at least one connection structure and at least one cavity, the at least one connection structure connected with the engagement platform and including the at least one precision safety section configured for failure to permanently collapse at the predetermined change in momentum to enable the at least a portion of the connection structure to penetrate the at least one cavity to reduce impulse between the vehicle seat and the user's body under vehicular collision.

3. The vehicle seat of claim 2 , wherein the safety matrix layer is arranged within a center section of a backrest of the vehicle seat.

4. The vehicle seat of claim 3 , wherein the vehicle seat includes a body having a base and the backrest extending vertically from the base, wherein the comfort section includes a first section forming a portion of the base and a second section forming a portion of the backrest.

5. The vehicle seat of claim 2 , wherein the safety matrix layer is arranged within an exterior trim layer such that collapse of the at least one precision safety section to penetrate the at least one cavity with at least a portion of the connection structure maintains the safety matrix layer within the exterior trim layer without protrusion outside of the exterior trims layer.

6. The vehicle seat of claim 2 , wherein the at least one connection structure is one of a network of connection structures included in the collapsible support.

7. The vehicle seat of claim 6 , wherein the network is formed as an additive structure having a single integral member forming a plurality of connection structures of the network.

8. The vehicle seat of claim 6 , wherein the network forms a lattice structure.

9. The vehicle seat of claim 8 , wherein the at least one cavity is defined by space formed between adjacent portions of the lattice structure.

10. The vehicle seat of claim 2 , wherein collapsing the at least one precision safety section includes at least one of deforming and breaking the at least one precision safety section.

11. The vehicle seat of claim 1 , wherein the comfort section includes an exterior trim layer defining an outer portion of the vehicle seat for contact with the user.

12. A transportation vehicle comprising:
a chassis;
a body mounted to the chassis;
a safety seat secured with the body for supporting a user in the seated position, the safety seat including a frame for attachment with the body, a comfort section arranged for engagement with a user's body seated on the vehicle seat, the comfort section including a resilient cushion for compression under load of the user's body and a collapsible support that provides support to the comfort section, wherein the collapsible support includes at least one precision safety section configured for failure to permanently collapse in response to a predetermined change in momentum to enable at least a portion of a connection structure to penetrate at least one cavity to reduce impulse between the vehicle seat and the user's body under vehicular collision.

13. The transportation vehicle of claim 12 , wherein the collapsible support includes a safety matrix layer for providing collapsible support to the comfort section, the safety matrix including an engagement platform connected with one of the frame and the comfort section, and a collapsible safety structure secured with the engagement platform, the collapsible safety structure including at least one connection structure and at least one cavity, the at least one connection structure connected with the engagement platform and including the at least one precision safety section configured for failure by permanently collapsing at the predetermined change in momentum to enable the at least a portion of the connection structure to penetrate the at least one cavity to reduce impulse between the vehicle seat and the user's body under vehicular collision.

14. The transportation vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the safety matrix layer is arranged within a center section of a backrest of the safety seat.

15. The transportation vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the safety seat includes a seat body having a base and the backrest extending vertically from the base, wherein the comfort section includes a first section forming a portion of the base and a second section forming a portion of the backrest.

16. The transportation vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the comfort section includes an exterior trim layer defining an outer portion of the safety seat for contact with the user.

17. The transportation vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the safety matrix layer is arranged within the exterior trim layer such that collapse of the at least one precision safety section to penetrate the at least one cavity with at least a portion of the connection structure maintains the safety matrix layer within the exterior trim layer without protrusion outside of the exterior trims layer.

18. The transportation vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the at least one connection structure is one of a network of connection structures included in the collapsible support.

19. The transportation vehicle of claim 18 , wherein the network is formed as an additive structure having a single integral member forming a plurality of connection structures of the network.

20. The transportation vehicle of claim 18 , wherein the network forms a lattice structure.

21. The transportation vehicle of claim 20 , wherein the at least one cavity is defined by space formed between adjacent portions of the lattice structure.

22. The transportation vehicle of claim 13 , wherein collapsing the at least one precision safety section includes at least one of deforming and breaking the at least one precision safety section.

Assignees

• Volkswagen Ag
• Porsche Ag

Inventors

• Recktenwald Benedict A

Classifications

• B60N2/42754 Primary

  of the cushion · CPC title

• B33Y80/00 Primary

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B60N2/68

  Seat frames · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B60N2/42745

  of the back-rest (B60N2/433 takes precedence; higher part of the back-rest moving together with the headrest B60N2/888) · CPC title