Optimisation of Automotive Seat Kinematics

Automotive seating structures have evolved over an extended period of development, resulting in convergence of practical embodiments to a planar kinematic chain, typically based on a four-bar linkage. Seating structures are subject to a stringent set of constraints and objectives, including: allowable envelope of motion, structural integrity, modularity and product cost. Although four-bar linkage kinematics is well understood, the large design space, combined with multiple constraints and objectives, impose significant challenges to design optimisation. The following work illustrates a practical method to resolve these conflicting design requirements by mapping the feasible design space and quantifying the relative merit of feasible designs for various objectives.