Structural component, seat component and vehicle seat

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11975642-B2
Application number	US-202017600177-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 1, 2020
Priority date	Apr 1, 2019
Publication date	May 7, 2024
Grant date	May 7, 2024

Abstract

A kinetic structural component may have a flexible structure having at least one degree of freedom. The flexible structure can be moved between a compressed position and an expanded position or vice versa. The flexible structure may have at least one substructure which is configured, when said flexible structure is in the expanded position, to expand to form a curve or an arc and/or linearly.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A kinetic structural component, comprising:
a flexible structure having at least one degree of freedom, wherein
the flexible structure is movable between a compressed position and an expanded position or vice versa, the movement activated when a backrest of a seat having the structural component moves relative to a seat base, and
wherein the flexible structure comprises at least one substructure which is configured, in the expanded position of the flexible structure, to expand in a linear manner or expand to form a curve or an arc;

wherein the substructure is designed as a flexible grid having a plurality of lever elements which are articulated on at least one link by joints,
wherein the joints are designed as film hinges from polypropylene.

2. The structural component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the substructure comprises a plurality of expansion elements which are coupled in an articulated manner to one another in a row and/or in parallel in order, in the at least one degree of freedom, to expand into the expanded position or to compress into the compressed position.

3. The structural component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the flexible structure is designed as a monolithic flexible structure.

4. The structural component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one link is a moving link.

5. The structural component as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the moving link is designed to be narrow and/or flat.

6. The structural component as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the lever elements have different lengths, and therefore the lever elements, which are arranged in a row and/or parallel to one another, spread out in an arcuate or curved manner in the expanded state.

7. The structural component as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the lever elements have identical lengths, and therefore the lever elements, which are arranged in a row and/or parallel to one another, spread out linearly in the expanded state.

8. The structural component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the flexible structure comprises at least one or more outer surface elements coupled in terms of movement to the substructure.

9. The structural component as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the substructure is coupled in terms of movement to the outer surface element(s) in such a manner that the substructure changes its shape and its volume, and it expands, or compresses, depending on a controlled force acting on the link or the links of the substructure.

10. The structural component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the substructure is formed from a plurality of recurring mechanical expansion elements, including lever elements, which are connected by links to form a row.

11. The structural component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the substructure is formed from multiple rows of expansion elements comprising individual rows of expansion elements arranged one above another and/or next to one another.

12. A seat component, including back rest or seat part, wherein the seat component comprises at least:
a supporting structure,
padding and/or a cover element and
a structural component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least the substructure is coupled in terms of movement to the padding or to the cover element.

13. The seat component as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the at least one link is a moving link that is coupled in terms of movement to the padding and/or to the cover element.

14. The seat component as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the structural component is arranged between the supporting structure and the padding and/or the cover element.

15. A seat, comprising: a backrest adapted to support at least a lower back portion of an occupant, and a seat base adapted to support at least the buttocks of the occupant, wherein the backrest and the seat base are movable relative to one another and of which at least one of the backrest and seat base comprises a structural component comprising
a flexible structure having at least one degree of freedom, wherein
the flexible structure is movable between a compressed position and an expanded position or vice versa, and
wherein the flexible structure comprises at least one substructure which is configured, in the expanded position of the flexible structure, to expand in a linear manner or expand to form curve or an arc;
wherein the substructure is designed as a flexible grid having a plurality of lever elements which are articulated on at least one link by joints,
wherein the joints are designed as film hinges from polypropylene, wherein, when the backrest moves relative to the seat base, the flexible structure is movable into an expanded or a compressed position.

Assignees

• Adient Eng & Ip Gmbh
• Adient Us Llc

Inventors

• Frotz Thomas
• Bahr Daniel
• Hemmelrath Rudolf Wilhelm
• Oldach Sven

Classifications

• B60N2/646 Primary

  shape of the cushion · CPC title

• B60N2/34

  into a bed · CPC title

• B60N2/643

  shape of the back-rests (B60N2/66 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60N2/686

  Panel like structures · CPC title

• B60N2/995

  Lower-leg-rests, e.g. calf-rests · CPC title