Expandable Vehicle Seat Structure for Flexible Cabin Space
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle seating arrangements often require additional deployable seats that restrict usable space when stowed, and semi-autonomous vehicles need flexible seating configurations that current seat dimensions and designs cannot accommodate.
Innovation Solution
An expandable seat with a movable support structure and flexible covering, allowing the seat to adjust between expanded and contracted states, enabling flexible seating capacity and configuration within the vehicle without the need for additional seats.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If additional deployable seats are provided in the vehicle, then seating capacity is increased, but usable space in the passenger compartment is restricted when the seat is in a stowed position
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of multiple seats into a single expandable seat unit. The support structure integrates multiple seating regions that can be configured to accommodate different numbers of occupants, eliminating the need for separate additional seats that would occupy space when not in use.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure is designed to be dynamically reconfigurable between expanded and contracted states. This dynamic capability allows the seat to adapt its size and seating capacity based on occupancy needs, providing full seating capacity when required and minimizing space occupation when not fully utilized.
2Quantity of substance
If the seat dimensions are increased to accommodate more occupants, then seating capacity is improved, but the position to which the seat can be moved is restricted by the overall dimensions of the seat
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure incorporates movable components including slide mechanisms and rotatable elements that enable dynamic repositioning. These mechanisms allow the seat to be moved to different locations within the vehicle and reconfigured for different seating arrangements, maintaining adaptability despite the ability to expand capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure is divided into multiple segments or sections that can move independently relative to each other. This segmentation allows the seat to be repositioned and reconfigured more easily than a monolithic structure, as individual segments can be adjusted to achieve desired positions and configurations.
3Reliability
If a flexible covering is fixed to the support structure, then coverage is maintained, but the covering cannot accommodate the movement and size changes of the support structure between expanded and contracted states
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier assembly is designed as a dynamic coupling mechanism that allows the flexible covering to move relative to the support structure. This dynamic connection enables the covering to accommodate the size changes and movements of the support structure while maintaining continuous coverage through the carrier's ability to adjust its configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible covering is designed as a thin, adaptable film that can conform to the changing geometry of the support structure. When coupled with the movable carrier assembly, the flexible covering can stretch, fold, and reposition itself to maintain coverage as the support structure transitions between expanded and contracted states.
Data Source
AI summary
An expandable seat for a vehicle comprising a support structure movable between an expanded state and a contracted state, the support structure forming a seating region that is greater in size when the support structure is in the expanded state than when the support structure is in the contracted state, and a flexible covering movably coupled to the support structure. The support structure and the flexible covering cooperate to ensure that the flexible covering covers the seating region of the support structure when the support structure is in the expanded state and when the support structure is in the contracted state.