Concealable Floor Seating with Swivel Pillars and Access Flaps
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing seat installation systems in enclosed spaces require complex configurations and significant height reductions, along with increased costs, to allow for seat arrangements that can be cleared from the floor, as they necessitate deep cavities and supportive structures under raised access floors.
Innovation Solution
A seating system utilizing low pillars with swivellably mounted seat assemblies and covering flaps that form a raised access floor, allowing seats to be concealed with minimal height impact, featuring gas cylinders for smooth movement and locking devices for secure positioning, enabling manual or automated actuation and modular block arrangements for adaptable tiered seating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If seats are stowed under a raised access floor using existing solutions, then the floor surface can be cleared, but the cavity height required is considerable and the useful height of the enclosed space is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the seat assemblies movable between raised and lowered positions through swivelling mechanisms on articulation pillars. The seats can be dynamically reconfigured from a stowed position under the floor to an elevated position for use, eliminating the need for a deep permanent cavity while maintaining floor clearance capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes vertical dimensionality change by elevating seats above the floor plane on articulation pillars when in use, rather than only storing them horizontally under the floor. This dimensional transition allows the same space to serve both storage and seating functions without requiring significant reduction of useful height.
2Area of stationary object
If a raised access floor is used to conceal seats, then the floor surface can be cleared, but supportive structures are required which increase costs considerably
Solution Approach 1:
The articulation pillars serve multiple functions: they support the seat assemblies, provide swivelling articulation points, and act as structural supports for the floor covering. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate supportive structures, reducing complexity and cost while maintaining the floor clearance capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the support function and the articulation function into a single integrated pillar structure. The pillars combine structural support, mechanical articulation, and seat mounting functions, simplifying the overall system compared to traditional solutions that require separate support beams, articulation mechanisms, and floor structures.
3Volume of moving object
If seat assemblies are arranged with lateral articulation displacement, then the system becomes compact with minimal space between rows, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs asymmetric articulation where the pivot point of the seat assembly is displaced laterally relative to the pillar axis. This asymmetric configuration optimizes the compactness of the mechanism in the lowered position while maintaining adequate clearance in the raised position, achieving space efficiency without excessive complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively clears the floor surface by allowing seats to be lowered into a compact position under a raised access floor, maintaining minimal height and reducing costs, while enabling flexible seating arrangements and automatic operation for efficient space utilization.
Implementation Method 1
cylinders of gas being provided to assist in the swivelling movements
Implementation Method 2
Articulation of the arms of the seat assembly support structure to the pillars of the installation is achieved with an arrangement which is displaced laterally with regard to the longitudinal axis of said arms
Implementation Method 3
each seat assembly has one or more locking devices, by means of which the seats are locked in the raised position
Data Source
AI summary
A seating installation, which is concealable under the floor. The seats are mounted in articulated manner, with the possibility of swiveling between a lowered, cleared-away position and a raised position of use, on pillars which are fixed to the base floor. A number of flaps are mounted in articulated manner on the same pillars forming a raised access floor under which the seats may be concealed in the lowered position.