CAR SEAT

CONTENTS

• Definition

• Seat nomenclature

• Design philosophy

• Types of Seat

• Child Safety Seat and it’s Types

• Seat Construction

• Safety Features

• Seat Upholstery
 CAR SEAT

A car seat is the chair used in automobiles. Most car seats are made from cheap,
but durable materials, made to withstand as much beating as possible. The material
for these seats is usually used for the back of the seat, as well as the part where
one's posterior goes.
SEAT NOMENCLATURE
H -point
In vehicle design and especially automotive design, the H-point
(or hip-point) is the relative vertical location of an occupant's hip,
specifically the pivot point between the torso and upper leg portions
of the body, either relative to the floor of the vehicle or relative to the
height above pavement level – and pertinent to seating comfort,
visibility from the vehicle into traffic and other design factors.
Technically, the measurement uses the hip joint of a 50th Percentile
male occupant, viewed laterally.

As with the location of other automotive design "hard points," the H-point has major ramifications in
the overall design of a vehicle, including roof height, aerodynamics, visibility, comfort, ease of entry and
exit, interior packaging, safety, restraint design and collision performance. As an example, higher H-points
can provide more legroom, both in the front and back seats.

There has been a recent global trend toward higher H-points. Referring to the trend in a 2004
article, The Wall Street Journal noted an advantage: "the higher the H-Point, the higher you ride in the
car, and in some cases, the more comfortable you feel behind the wheel“

Vehicle interior ergonomics are integral to an automotive design education. The Society of
Automotive Engineers (SAE) has adopted tools for vehicle design, including statistical models for
predicting driver eye location and seat position as well as an H-point mannequin for measuring seats and
interior package geometry. Occupant posture-prediction models are used in computer simulations and
form the basis for Crash test dummy positioning.
 DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
The design of the car seat is guided by Ergonomics ( It is the scientific discipline concerned with
designing according to human needs, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in
order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance. The field is also called human engineering, and
human factors.),which has five aspects viz. safety, comfort, ease of use, productivity/performance, and
aesthetics.

• Height
Adjuster.

• Back Rest.

• Head Restraint.

• Seat Foam.
 TYPES OF CAR SEATS

Types of Car Seats

1. Anti-submarine seat

This kind of seats prevent forward movement of the occupant in case of collision.
It is a safety feature, important for front seats over rear seats.

2. Bucket seat and Bench seat

A bucket seat is a seat contoured to hold

one person, distinct from bench seats which are
flat platforms designed to seat multiple people.
Bucket seats are standard in fast cars to keep
riders in place when making sharp or quick
turns . kind of seats prevent forward movement
of the occupant in case of collision. It is a safety
feature, important for front seats over rear seats.
 3. Power seat

A power seat in an automobile is a front seat which can

be adjusted by using a switch or joystick a set of small electric
motors. Most cars with this feature have controls for the driver's
seat only, though almost all luxury cars also have power controls
for the front passenger seat.

In addition to fore and aft adjustments, power seats can

be raised or lowered and tilted to suit the comfort of the driver
and/or passenger. Many power seats allow occupants to adjust
the seat lumbar or seatback recline, all at the push of a button
or flick of a switch.

Some cars also have memory adjustments, which can recall

usually) two different adjustments of the seat by pressing a button,
along with settings and adjustment for such conveniences as
rearview mirrors and the car‘s stereo system.
4. Climate control and ventilation seat

Some vehicles includes the option of seat climate control (i.e. heating by seat warmers) and
ventilation .Ventilation was introduced on 1997 by Saab and heatin by Saab on 1971. It is a safety
feature , important for front seats over rear seats.

5. Backseats and fold-down

New car models includes fold-down seating

(i.e. Toyota Corolla / Verso), to gain transport space.
 Child safety seat
After the first automobile was manufactured and put on the
market in the early 1900’s, many modifications and adjustments have
been implemented to protect those that drive and ride in these vehicles.
Most restraints were put into place to protect adults without regard for
children, infant through pre-school age. Though child seats were begin
-ning to be manufactured in the early 1930’s, their purpose was not the
safety of children. The purpose was to act as booster seats to bring the
child to a height easier for the driving parent to see them. It wasn’t until
1962 that seats were invented in England by Jeans Ames with the purp
-ose of protecting a child.

Before these seats were invented, rates of death in infants to

young children were staggering. Over 2,000 children under the age of
fourteen in the United States die every year in automobile accidents. As
if the rate of deaths was not enough, another 320,000 are injured each year. These injuries and deaths are
not just a result of the severity of the accidents themselves. The staggering numbers, in general, can be
related to the amount of children not being properly restrained within the vehicles. These children are either
strapped into adult seat belts or completely unrestrained altogether. As a result of these statistics, it is
required by law the children under the age of four be secured in safety seats made for children in most of
the fifty states. Also, most states require booster seats for children aged four to fourteen dependent upon
each individual child’s age, weight, and height.
Types of Child safety seat :-
1. Front-facing seat 2. Rear-facing seat
 SEAT CONSTRUCTION

Seat Construction
Parts

1. Armrest
2. Backrest, with lumbar support
3. Headrest
4. Seat base
5. Seat Track

Adjustments

1. backrest angle
2. cushion edge
3. fore-and-aft position
4. headrest angle
5. headrest level
6. lumbar position
7. seat depth
8. seat height
9. the upper section of the seat backrest, may be tilted to the front for
optimum, individual shoulder support
10. variable head support at the sides
 Parts
1. Armrest

An armrest (or arm-rest) is a feature found in most modern

automobiles on which the occupants can rest their arms. Armrests
are commonly placed between the front car seats on the driver and
passenger side of the vehicle. Sometimes one or two armrests may
also be attached to each individual seat, a feature commonly found
in minivans (MPVs) and some SUVs.

Many larger cars also have a broad arm-rest between the back seats, which may be folded
out when the central (third) seating place is not required. In some designs where occupant safety is
emphasized, including some Volvo models, the armrest doubles as a child seat, complete with specially
adjustable seatbelt.

Armrests in some vehicles may also feature further accessories, such as cup holders, audio and
climate controls as well as storage compartments.
 2. Backrest , with lumbar support

The upper part of a seat. The backrest of front seats

usually tilt in order to help the occupant find the most comfortable
driving position. Some also include lumbar adjustment.

The rear-seat backrests of some cars can also be tilted for

comfort and many cars have rear backrests that can split and fold to
increase the capacity of the boot. Some have rear backrests that can
only be released from inside the boot, to improve security.

Lumbar support - An adjustment built into the lower backrest of

some car seats which allows drivers of different size and build to vary the
firmness of the padding around their lower spine. Not all these systems
give the support doctors would recommend, however.
 3. Headrest

In an automobile, the headrest or head restraint is a

device attached to the top of the seat behind the occupant's
head. Headrests started to appear as an option on American
cars in the late 1960s. Headrests were required by NHTSA in
all cars sold in the US, effective January 1, 1969.

Today, most headrests are cushioned for comfort, are

height adjustable and most commonly finished in the same material as the rest of the seat, as seen in the
picture to the right.

Headrests are provided for comfort as well as safety, as they can break the backlash movement of
the occupant's head during a collision, thus preventing potentially fatal whiplash neck injury. When
travelling in an automobile, a properly adjusted headrest can reduce the severity of the neck injury.

The top of the headrest should be in line with the top of the occupant's head. The headrest should
not, however, be placed behind the occupant's neck. Maintaining an adequate separation from the vehicle
in front while driving and pressing your back against the seat while facing forward if a collision appears
eminent might also be advisable. This helps prevent the neck being forced backwards, and decreases the
risk of whiplash.
4. Seat base

5. Seat Track
Adjustments

Backrest Angle Headrest Angle

Safety Features

Seat Beats

A seat belt, sometimes called a safety belt, is a safety harness designed to secure the occupant
of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result from a collision or a sudden stop. As part of an
overall occupant restraint system, seat belts are intended to reduce injuries by stopping the wearer from
hitting hard interior elements of the vehicle or other passengers (the so-called second impact) and by
preventing the passenger from being thrown from the vehicle.

Types of seat belts

1> Lap
2> Sash
3> Three-point
4> Belt-in-Seat (BIS)
5> Five-point harnesses
6> Six-point harnesses
7> Seven-point harnesses (5+2)
 Lap

Adjustable strap that goes over the waist. Used frequently in older cars,
now uncommon except in some rear middle seats. Passengers aircraft seats
also use lap seat belts to prevent injuries.

Sash

Adjustable strap that goes over the shoulder. Used mainly in the 1960s,but of limited benefit because it
is very easy to slip out of in a collision .

Three-point

Similar to the lap and shoulder, but one single continuous length of webbing.
Both three-point and lap-and-sash belts help spread out the energy of the
moving body in a collision over the chest, pelvis, and shoulders.
Belt-in-Seat (BIS)

The BIS is a three-point where the shoulder belt attachment is to the backrest, not to the b pillar.
The first car using this system in the United States was the 1990 Mercedes-Benz SL Some cars like the
Renault Vel Satis use this system for the front seats. This system allegedly is safer in case of rollover,
especially with 4-8 years old children, though other sources dispute this claim.

Five-point harnesses

Safer but more restrictive than most other seat belt

types. They are typically found in child safety seats
and in racing cars. The lap portion is connected to a
belt between the legs and there are two shoulder belts,
making a total of five points of attachment to the seat.
(Strictly speaking, harnesses are never to be fastened
to the seat—they should be fastened to the frame/sub
-frame of the automobile.)
Six-point harnesses

Similar to a five-point harness but includes an extra belt between the legs, which is seen by some
to be a weaker point than the other parts. These belts are used mainly in racing. In NASCAR, the six-
point harness became popular after the death of Dale Earnhardt was wearing a five-point harness when
he suffered his fatal crash. As it was first thought that his belt had broken, some teams ordered a six-
point harness in response.

Seven-point harnesses (5+2)

Aerobatic aircraft frequently use a combination harness consisting of

a five-point harness with a redundant lap-belt attached to a different part
of the airframe. While providing redundancy for negative maneuvers
(which lift the pilot out of the seat), they also require the pilot to un-latch
two harnesses if it is necessary to parachute from a failed aircraft.
Aesthetic

Upholstery

Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs,
webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word upholstery comes from the Middle English words up
and Holden, meaning to hold up. The term is applied to domestic furniture and also to applications in
automobiles and boats. A person who works with upholstery is called an upholsterer; an apprentice
upholsterer is sometimes called an outsider or trimmer.

• Frames.

• Spring systems Cushions.

• Pillows, padding and fills.

• Fabrics and leathers.

Frame

CRH complete seat structures, all components have been optimally adjusted to one
another. Those lightweight structures are offered in both manual and power design .

Modular complete seat structure

This modular complete seat structure concept offers a multitude of options since manual
and power components can be interchanged. It is designed to be used on a complete vehicle
platform. The options range from 4-way manual to 10-way power adjusters and there is also a
manual comfort, easy entry with memory available for two door application.

Information

• length adjustment: 250 mm
• height adjustment: 56 mm
• recliner: +14° / - 40°
• back frame adjustment latch:  42°
• tilt adjustment: +/- 3.5°
• cushion adjustment: 60 mm
 Complete seat structure with integrated head rest.

The key feature of this seat is its compact design. It offers power and semi-power
adjustment functions with manual back frame adjustment latch. Weight sensors have been
integrated into the cushion pan. The slim recliner offers the possibility of adding additional
custom design features.
Information
• length adjustment: 245 mm
• height adjustment: 44 mm
• recliner: +19° / - 45°
• back frame adjustment latch:  40°
• tilt adjustment: +/- 3.5°
• cushion adjustment: 60 mm

High-stability complete seat structure

seat structure with integrated head rest.
Manual complete seat structure
This high-strength seat structure was developed to be used in vehicles with high
crash pulses. It was designed with a single-sided recliner. The robust tubular frame offers
the option for different designs and it was designed without the need for decorative trim
panels
Information

• length adjustment: max. 213 mm

• recliner: +15° / - 6°
• back frame adjustment latch:  96
• Spring systems Cushions.

• Pillows, padding and fills.

Upholsterer
Fabrics and leathers finish.
Seat cover.
Major car seat manufacturers in the US:-

• Graco

• Chicco

• Britax

• Maxi- Cosi

• Peg Perego

• Baby Trend

• Combi International

• Evenflo
Thank You.