Deployable Legrest Assembly for Compact Aircraft Seat Stowage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft passenger seats lack effective and space-efficient legrests that can support all portions of a passenger's legs and feet while being compactly stowed, posing a challenge in densely seated areas where space and financial constraints are critical.
Innovation Solution
A deployable legrest assembly featuring a calf support platform, foot support platform, and footrest, with a fabric diaphragm and gas spring cylinder that allows for deployment and stowage without motors, using hinged and telescopic mechanisms to adjust between stowed and deployed configurations, and a lockable gas spring cylinder to assist in deployment and stowage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a legrest is designed to support all portions of a passenger's legs and feet, then passenger comfort is improved, but the space required for the legrest increases
Solution Approach 1:
The legrest is designed with multiple movable components including a calf support that pivots between stowed and deployed positions, a foot support that telescopes, and a foot rest that pivots. This dynamic design allows the legrest to provide full leg and foot support when deployed while occupying minimal space when stowed, directly resolving the contradiction between comfort and space requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The foot support is designed to telescope within the calf support structure, and the foot rest pivots to nest against the foot support when stowed. This nesting arrangement allows all components to be compactly stored within a small volume while still providing extensive support surfaces when deployed
2Area of stationary object
If a legrest is designed to be compactly stowed, then space efficiency is improved, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The legrest incorporates a gas spring cylinder that automatically provides the force needed to deploy the calf support from the stowed to the deployed position. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for motors or powered actuators, reducing mechanical complexity while achieving reliable deployment and compact stowage
Solution Approach 2:
The legrest is divided into functionally independent segments: a calf support platform, a foot support platform, and a foot rest. Each segment can move independently through its own mechanism (pivoting, telescoping, or pivoting), which simplifies the overall design compared to a monolithic structure while achieving compact stowage
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 legrest assembly provides comfortable support for passengers' legs and feet while maintaining a compact configuration, allowing for easy deployment and stowage without the need for powered actuators, enhancing passenger comfort in space-constrained aircraft environments.
Implementation Method 1
a lockable gas spring cylinder connected at one end to the seat frame and at another end to the calf support, wherein the cylinder biases the calf support toward the deployed configuration
Implementation Method 2
tensioned fabric diaphragm surfaces
Data Source
AI summary
A legrest assembly including a calf support hinged to a forward end of a seat frame and moveable between a stowed configuration generally vertically disposed below the forward end of the frame and a deployed configuration inclined above the stowed configuration, a foot support movable with and telescopically connected to the calf support, and a foot rest pivotally connected to the foot support and pivotable between a stowed configuration substantially parallel to the foot support and a deployed configuration extending outward from the foot support.