Aircraft Seat Movable Panel for Aisle Access
Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft passenger seat units in business class often restrict access due to limited space, posing challenges for passengers with reduced mobility, such as wheelchair users, who need to access seats from aisles.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a movable panel that can be shifted between a closed and open position, allowing passengers to access the footrest from the aisle, thereby facilitating easier access for passengers with reduced mobility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the movable panel is in the closed position to enclose the footrest and provide privacy, then passenger privacy and enclosure are improved, but access to the seat from the aisle is blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The panel is designed to be movable between closed and open positions, allowing it to dynamically change from enclosing the footrest to exposing access to the seat. This dynamic configuration enables the same structure to provide both privacy when closed and accessibility when opened, directly resolving the contradiction between enclosure and access.
2Volume of moving object
If the panel encloses the footrest to provide a compact business class seat unit, then space efficiency is improved, but accessibility for passengers with reduced mobility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The movable panel allows the seat unit to transition between a compact enclosed state for space efficiency and an open state for accessibility. When the panel is moved to the open position, it exposes the side of the footrest, creating an access path for passengers with reduced mobility while maintaining the compact footprint of the business class seat unit.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the panel is fixed in the closed position to maintain structural integrity, then structural stability is improved, but ease of access for wheelchair users deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The panel is designed with movable mounting arrangements that allow it to be positioned in both closed and open states while maintaining structural integrity in each position. The mounting mechanism provides stable support for the panel whether it is enclosing the footrest or moved to expose access, enabling both structural stability and accessibility as needed.
Data Source
AI summary
An aircraft passenger seat unit configured for use adjacent an aisle of an aircraft cabin is disclosed. The seat unit comprises a seat, a footrest, and a movable panel. The movable panel is movable with respect to the footrest between a closed position in which the movable panel at least partially encloses a side of the footrest and an open position in which the movable panel at least partially exposes the side of the footrest such that, in use, when the panel is in the open position, a passenger can access the seat from an aisle through the partially exposed side of the footrest.