Autonomous Vehicle Seats and Doors With Reduced Door Sweep
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles lack flexible seating configurations and efficient door mechanisms, limiting their ability to accommodate diverse passenger needs and reduce traffic congestion while ensuring safe and accessible transportation.
Innovation Solution
The autonomous vehicle features configurable passenger seats that pivot to adjust seating orientations and a door assembly with a linkage system that reduces the swept path during opening and closing, allowing for various seating configurations and improved access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the autonomous vehicle uses fixed seating configurations, then the vehicle structure is simple, but the vehicle cannot accommodate diverse passenger needs and multiple purposes
Solution Approach 1:
The passenger seats are designed with movable components including a seat bottom that can translate along the longitudinal axis and a seatback that can rotate about a pivot point. These dynamic elements allow the seating configuration to change from forward-facing to rear-facing orientations, enabling the vehicle to accommodate diverse passenger needs without requiring multiple fixed seat types.
Solution Approach 2:
The seat assembly is divided into separate functional components: a base, a seat bottom coupled to the base, and a seatback coupled to the base. This segmentation allows independent movement of each component - the seat bottom can translate while the seatback can rotate - providing versatile seating configurations while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the door assembly uses a traditional hinge mechanism, then the door structure is simple, but the swept path is large causing traffic congestion and safety issues
Solution Approach 1:
The door assembly employs a linkage mechanism with multiple movable components including a first linkage arm and a second linkage arm connected through a coupling. This dynamic system allows the door to follow a controlled trajectory during opening and closing, significantly reducing the swept path compared to traditional fixed-hinge mechanisms while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
A coupling connects the first linkage arm and the second linkage arm, acting as an intermediary element that coordinates their movement. This coupling enables the door to transition smoothly between open and closed positions while minimizing the space required for door operation, thereby reducing traffic congestion and improving safety.
Data Source
AI summary
An autonomous can include one or more configurable passenger seats to accommodate a plurality of different seating configurations. For instance, the one or more passenger seats can include a passenger seat defining a seating orientation. The passenger seat can be configurable in a first configuration in which the seating orientation is directed towards a forward end of the autonomous vehicle and a second configuration in which the seating orientation is directed towards a rear end of the autonomous vehicle. The passenger seat can include a seatback rotatable about a pivot point on a base of the passenger seat to switch between the first configuration and the second configuration. Alternatively, or additionally, the autonomous vehicle can include a door assembly pivotably fixed to a vehicle body of the autonomous vehicle such that a swept path of the door assembly when moving between an open position and a closed position is reduced.