Second Row 60% Seat Cushion Optimization

Abstract

This paper discusses changes in a seat mechanism design to address an issue found as part of automotive validation. For an automotive manufacturer, prototype vehicles were found to have insufficient retention of the second row 60% seat in stowed position. Root causing was performed for these vehicles. It was concluded that the current mechanism design specification did not consider variation in seat trim outline, vehicle mounting floor and seat type. Five designs were proposed where the mechanism output was increased to account for variation of these factors. Three designs were tested in vehicle to determine which would be the winning design solution. All three were determined to have the desired performance, however two of the designs were discarded after finding that they rattled, which would pose as a potential customer dissatisfier Key Terms ⎯ design, seat, mechanisms, Computer Aided Engineering (CAE), Buzz Squeak and Rattle (BSR).