Wall-Mounted Crew Seat with Folding Hinge and Stowed Belt Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
In the commercial airline industry, there is a need to maximize passenger seating while maintaining sufficient space for crew attendant seats and adhering to regulations such as unobstructed passageway clearance, which is challenging due to limited space and regulatory requirements for emergency exit pathways.
Innovation Solution
A crew attendant seat design with a minimal lateral profile, incorporating improved hinge mechanisms, a novel locking mechanism, compact storage for accessories, and recessed components to minimize space usage, allowing for automatic stowage and deployment without handles extending into passageways, and reinforced structural elements to meet crash and turbulence standards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the number of passenger seats is increased to maximize seating capacity, then productivity is improved, but the space available for crew attendant seats and passageway clearance is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The crew attendant seat is segmented into multiple functional components: a wall-mounted folding mechanism, a compact seat assembly, and an integrated storage compartment. This segmentation allows the seat to occupy minimal space when folded while providing full functionality when deployed, thereby maximizing passenger seating capacity without compromising passageway clearance requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The seat assembly is designed to nest within the wall structure when not in use. The seat bottom and backrest fold into a compact configuration that fits within the wall-mounted housing, with the storage area providing additional nesting space for accessories. This nested design minimizes the lateral profile and ensures adequate passageway clearance while maintaining all necessary seat functions
2Productivity
If the number of passenger seats is increased to maximize seating capacity, then productivity is improved, but the space available for crew attendant seats is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The crew attendant seat employs a folding mechanism with movable components that transition between deployed and stowed positions. The seat bottom rotates about a horizontal axis, and the backrest rotates about a vertical axis, allowing the seat to dynamically adjust its volume requirement. When folded, the seat occupies minimal wall space, effectively reducing the volume needed for crew seating while maintaining full functionality when in use
Solution Approach 2:
The seat design transitions from a three-dimensional space-consuming structure to a two-dimensional wall-mounted profile through folding mechanisms. By utilizing the wall surface area rather than consuming cabin volume, the seat effectively moves the problem into another dimension (from volume to surface area), thereby maximizing passenger seating capacity without compromising crew seating availability
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional folding seat mechanisms are used, then ease of manufacture is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional components required for space optimization
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functions are merged into single components to reduce overall device complexity. The wall-mounted folding mechanism simultaneously provides structural support, folding capability, and space optimization. The storage area is integrated into the seat assembly rather than being a separate component. This merging approach maintains ease of manufacture while achieving the required space optimization for minimal lateral profile
Solution Approach 2:
The folding mechanism serves multiple functions: it provides the folding action for space optimization, supports the seat structure, and enables the minimal lateral profile when stowed. The integrated storage area serves both as structural support and as a functional storage space. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed, thereby maintaining ease of manufacture while achieving the required complexity for space optimization
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 design effectively increases passenger seating capacity while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements for passageway clearance and safety standards, providing a compact and efficient solution for crew attendant seating.
Implementation Method 1
A spring member may be mounted at one end to an inner surface of the frame and at another end to an adjustable aperture on the hinge mechanism. The spring member may cause the seat bottom to automatically move to the stowed position or the deployed position
Data Source
AI summary
A crew attendant seat assembly configured to be installed in an aircraft cabin and including a seat including a seat bottom hinged to a seatback to rotate between a stowed position and a deployed position, a spring member mountable to a static structure adjacent the and to an adjustable aperture on the hinge, the spring having two mounting positions, a harness mounted to the seat for restraining a seated passenger including a shoulder strap and a lap belt, and a storage area for retaining at least one of the lap belt and the buckle when the seat bottom is stowed, wherein at least one of the lap belt and the buckle are enclosed by the crew attendant seat assembly when the seat bottom is stowed.