Angled Aircraft Seating Arrangement for Aisle Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft passenger seating arrangements face challenges in balancing comfort and seat density, requiring designs that accommodate various activities while ensuring safety and unimpeded access to aisles, and must be adaptable to different aircraft configurations.
Innovation Solution
A seating arrangement that includes convertible seats with angled orientations and offset footrests, allowing for direct access to aisles, and a method to determine optimal seating configurations based on cabin parameters, seat dimensions, and configuration rules to maximize seat width and density.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If seats are arranged in a high-density configuration to maximize airline revenues, then seat density increases, but passenger comfort and unimpeded access to aisles deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies angular orientation of seat centerlines relative to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft cabin, transitioning from traditional parallel alignment to angled configurations. This dimensional change in seat arrangement allows seats to be positioned at angles (e.g., 15-30 degrees) to the longitudinal axis, enabling high-density packing while maintaining triangular or trapezoidal patterns that preserve aisle accessibility and egress paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs asymmetric seat configurations where seats in different columns are oriented at different angles relative to the longitudinal axis. Inboard columns may have seats angled at one degree while outboard columns use different angles, creating an asymmetric pattern that optimizes both density and access. The staggered positioning of seats across columns further enhances this asymmetric arrangement.
2Ease of operation
If seat width and legroom are increased to improve passenger comfort, then comfort improves, but cabin space utilization and seat density deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
By orienting seats at angles to the longitudinal axis rather than parallel to it, the patent effectively utilizes diagonal space in the cabin. This angular arrangement allows seat bottoms and footrests to be positioned more efficiently, providing adequate legroom and comfort while packing more seats into the available cabin volume through optimized geometric patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different angular orientations to seats in different columns (inboard vs. outboard columns), with each column configured optimally for its specific location. This local optimization allows maximum seat width and legroom in each column while maintaining overall high density across the entire cabin layout.
3Ease of manufacture
If a standardized seat design is used to simplify manufacturing, then ease of manufacture improves, but adaptability to different aircraft configurations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a universal seat design that can be installed in multiple angular orientations and column configurations to adapt to different aircraft types and cabin layouts. The same standardized seat unit can be arranged in various angular patterns (different degrees from the longitudinal axis) and staggered arrangements, allowing a single seat design to serve multiple aircraft configurations without requiring custom modifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The seat arrangement system is designed to be dynamically configurable, where standardized seats can be positioned at different angles and staggered positions depending on the specific aircraft configuration. This dynamic adaptability allows the same seat design to be optimized for different cabin widths, aisle positions, and density requirements across various aircraft models.
Data Source
AI summary
A seating arrangement for use in a cabin of a vehicle includes a first column set, a second column set, and an aisle between the first and second column sets. The first column set includes a first column of seats, a second column of seats, and a third column of seats. The first column set additionally includes an egress path of a first seat of the first column defined between a first seat and a second seat of the second column and between a first seat and a second seat of the third column. The egress path allows for direct unimpeded access from the first seat of the first column to the aisle, and the egress path is perpendicular to the aisle.