Aircraft Sleeping Box Perpendicular Orientation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial aircraft passenger cabins, especially in economy class, lack comfortable sleeping options due to space constraints and existing solutions require passengers to leave the cabin to access sleeping areas, compromising comfort and safety.
Innovation Solution
Aircraft area equipped with sleeping boxes that can be installed in the passenger cabin, allowing passengers to lie perpendicular to the flight direction for crash safety, with a fastening apparatus that integrates with seat rails and other sleeping boxes for efficient space use, featuring reclining cushions, airbags, and personal service units for enhanced comfort and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional seats are converted to horizontal sleeping positions, then passenger comfort is improved, but installation space requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The sleeping boxes are oriented perpendicular to the aircraft's longitudinal axis, utilizing the lateral dimension of the cabin rather than the longitudinal dimension. This allows passengers to lie horizontally across the cabin width, providing full-length sleeping comfort while fitting within the existing cabin footprint without requiring additional longitudinal space.
Solution Approach 2:
The passenger cabin is divided into distinct sleeping box units that can be independently installed and configured. Each sleeping box is a self-contained module that can be arranged in various patterns, allowing flexible space utilization and enabling the conversion of existing cabin areas into sleeping zones without requiring complete reconfiguration of the entire cabin.
2Area of stationary object
If economy class seats are used to save installation space, then space efficiency is improved, but passenger comfort deteriorates due to limited backrest movement
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of relying on vertical backrest adjustment within the seat structure, the sleeping boxes extend horizontally across the cabin, providing full-length reclining surfaces. This dimensional shift from vertical to horizontal orientation enables economy-class space utilization while delivering first-class sleeping comfort.
3Reliability
If sleeping areas are separated from passenger cabins, then safety during turbulence is improved, but accessibility and convenience deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The sleeping boxes are integrated directly into the passenger cabin environment rather than being separated into distinct sleeping compartments. Passengers remain in the familiar cabin setting with access to overhead bins, call buttons, and cabin services, while the sleeping boxes provide crash-safe sleeping positions. This merging eliminates the need to leave the cabin for sleeping while maintaining safety standards.
4Reliability
If sleeping boxes are installed perpendicular to flight direction, then crash safety is improved through load distribution, but installation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sleeping boxes are designed with universal mounting interfaces that can be adapted to various aircraft floor configurations and seat rail systems. The perpendicular orientation provides optimal crash safety through load distribution across the passenger's body, while the standardized mounting design simplifies installation across different aircraft types, reducing overall installation complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 1c~1e
Figure 2
AI summary
A sleeping box (10) for installation in an aircraft comprises a casing (12) which is suitable for accommodating a person located in a reclining position parallel to a longitudinal axis (LG) of said casing (12) and which has an access aperture (14) in the area of a front side which extends perpendicularly to said longitudinal axis (LG) of the casing (12). The sleeping box (10) also comprises a fastening apparatus (16) which is configured to fasten the sleeping box (10) within a passenger cabin (18) of the aircraft in such a way that the longitudinal axis (LG) of the casing (12) extends perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis (LP) of said passenger cabin (18) and the access aperture (14) of said casing (12) borders on an aisle (33) which is present within said passenger cabin (18).