Articulating Aircraft Overhead Bin for Easier Luggage Loading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional overhead bins in aircraft are difficult to access due to their high height, posing challenges for passengers in lifting and placing luggage, especially for those with mobility issues.
Innovation Solution
A storage bin assembly with a fixed bin portion and an articulating bin portion connected by an articulation system, allowing the articulating bin to move downward and laterally from a closed position to an open position, providing easier access and improved safety and comfort for users.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of stationary object
If the overhead bin is mounted at a high height to maximize storage space, then the storage capacity is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in lifting and placing luggage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the bin portion movable rather than fixed. The articulating bin portion can move between a first position (proximate to the fixed bin portion) and a second position (separated and lower than the fixed bin portion), allowing the storage space to be dynamically accessible at different heights during operation while maintaining maximum storage capacity when closed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dimensionality change by introducing lateral movement in addition to vertical movement. The articulating bin portion moves both downward and laterally away from the fixed bin portion, creating a multi-dimensional access path that reduces the reach required by passengers while maintaining the high-mounted storage configuration.
2Productivity
If the overhead bin is positioned high to maximize fuselage space utilization, then the productivity of the aircraft is improved, but the safety and comfort of users deteriorates due to difficult access
Solution Approach 1:
The movable articulating bin portion allows the storage system to adapt its position dynamically, reducing the effective height during loading operations while maintaining the high-mounted configuration for space optimization. This resolves the conflict between maximizing aircraft space utilization and reducing user strain during luggage placement.
Solution Approach 2:
The articulation system acts as an intermediary mechanism between the high-mounted fixed bin portion and the luggage being loaded. It provides a moving platform that bridges the height gap, allowing passengers to load luggage at a lower, more accessible position while the storage capacity remains optimized at the higher position.
3Device complexity
If a fixed bin structure is used to simplify the design, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ease of operation worsens due to lack of adjustable access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the overhead bin into two segments: a fixed bin portion and an articulating bin portion. This segmentation allows the fixed portion to maintain structural simplicity while the articulating portion provides adjustable access, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and operational ease.
Solution Approach 2:
By introducing the movable articulating bin portion connected through an articulation system, the patent adds dynamic adjustability to the otherwise fixed structure. This allows the system to maintain simplicity in its fixed components while gaining operational flexibility through the movable section.
Data Source
AI summary
A storage bin assembly includes a fixed bin portion, an articulating bin portion, and an articulation system. The fixed bin portion is configured to be mounted to an aircraft, and has a cavity configured for storage of luggage. The articulating bin portion is coupled to the fixed bin portion, and includes a shelf configured for supporting luggage. The articulation system movably couples the articulating bin portion to the fixed bin portion. The articulating bin portion is movable from a first position in which the articulating bin portion is proximate to the fixed bin portion to a second position at which the articulating bin portion is separated from the fixed bin portion and lower than the fixed bin portion.