Curved Aircraft Seat Back Structure Without a Seat Back Frame
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional aircraft seats require a seat back frame to support the load of a sitting person, leading to increased weight, reduced sitting space, and complex loading/unloading operations, with excessive thickness and parts contributing to aesthetic and functional issues.
Innovation Solution
An aircraft seat design featuring a back plate member with a curved surface for enhanced rigidity, reinforced by a separate member, eliminating the need for a seat back frame, and using a removable cushion with a geometry matching the back plate for improved comfort and ease of installation, along with a pocket for storage and reduced part count.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a seat back frame is used to support the load of a sitting person, then the structural strength is improved, but the weight of the seat increases and the sitting space is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the seat back frame from the structure entirely, extracting only the essential load-bearing function to the back plate member. The back plate is designed with optimized thickness and material properties to bear the sitting load without requiring a separate frame structure, thereby eliminating the weight penalty associated with traditional framed constructions.
Solution Approach 2:
The back plate member is designed with non-uniform thickness distribution, featuring localized reinforcement at critical load-bearing areas while maintaining thinner sections elsewhere. This local quality variation allows the structure to achieve necessary strength characteristics only where required, optimizing the weight-strength ratio by avoiding unnecessary material in non-critical regions.
2Strength
If a seat back frame is used to support the load, then the structural strength is improved, but the sitting space is reduced due to the frame occupying space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the seat back frame from the design, eliminating the volumetric occupation of frame elements. The load-bearing function is consolidated into the back plate member, which has a smaller volume footprint, thereby maximizing the available sitting space for the passenger while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The design transitions from a three-dimensional framed structure to a predominantly two-dimensional back plate configuration. This dimensional reduction eliminates the volumetric constraints imposed by frame depth and complexity, allowing for more efficient use of the available space envelope and creating a sleeker profile that maximizes sitting room.
3Strength
If the seat back frame is made wider to increase strength, then the structural strength is improved, but the sitting comfort is impaired due to contact with the sitting person
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the seat back frame that would otherwise need to be widened for strength, eliminating the source of the comfort problem. The back plate member achieves necessary strength through optimized material selection and thickness distribution without protruding into the passenger's personal space, thereby maintaining sitting comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The back plate member features localized thickness variations that concentrate structural strength at critical load-bearing zones while maintaining a slender profile in regions adjacent to the passenger's body. This local quality optimization allows the structure to achieve required strength without the need for overall width increases that would compromise comfort.
4Ease of operation
If a thick seat back cushion is used to offset the step height difference, then the sitting comfort is improved, but the sitting space is sacrificed and the weight is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the seat back frame that creates the step height problem in the first place. Without the frame structure, there is no step height difference to compensate for, allowing the use of a thinner cushion that preserves sitting space and reduces weight while still providing adequate comfort through direct contact with the optimized back plate surface.
5Reliability
If multiple parts (seat back frame, seat back cushion, surface cloth) are used, then the structural function is improved, but the number of parts increases and loading/unloading becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the seat back frame and back plate member into a unified structure where the back plate serves both as the primary structural element and the mounting surface for the cushion. This consolidation reduces the total part count by eliminating the separate frame assembly, simplifying both manufacturing and maintenance operations while maintaining structural reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The back plate member is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it serves as the primary load-bearing structural element, provides the mounting surface for the seat back cushion, and forms the visible aesthetic surface. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate dedicated components for each function, reducing overall system 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 design reduces weight and part count, enhances sitting comfort, and simplifies loading/unloading while maintaining structural integrity and aesthetics, allowing for efficient use of space and easy article handling.
Implementation Method 1
said back plate member is formed in the shape of a curved surface which enhances the surface rigidity
Data Source
AI summary
An aircraft seat which can receive the load of a sitting person with only a back plate member, using no seat back frame, thus eliminating the need for sacrificing the sitting space, which results from the existence of the seat back frame, and at the same time, allowing the weight of the seat to be reduced, is provided. The aircraft seat (1) on which an aircraft passenger is to sit comprises a seat back (10) made up of a back plate member (11) that a cushion (12) is installed onto a front face (11a) thereof for receiving the back of a sitting person, and a reinforcing member (13) which is disposed on the rear face (11b) of the back plate member (11) for reinforcing the back plate member (11), and said back plate member (11) is formed in the shape of a curved surface which enhances the surface rigidity.