Extendable Seat Pan Assembly With Comfort Spring for Crash Loads
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional aircraft seat pans are rigid and sacrifice occupant comfort to meet high performance requirements during crash testing, increasing cost, complexity, and weight.
Innovation Solution
An extendable seat pan assembly with a spring assembly that includes elongated sinuous wire springs and a cam profile mechanism, allowing the seat pan to move forward and upward as the backrest reclines, providing longer leg support while meeting FAA's compressive spine loading requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If rigid stationary seat pans are used to meet crash testing requirements, then strength and reliability are improved, but occupant comfort deteriorates and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the rigid stationary seat pan into a dynamic extendable seat pan that can change its configuration. The seat pan includes movable components that allow it to extend and retract, providing adaptability while maintaining structural integrity during crash events. This dynamic capability resolves the contradiction by allowing the seat pan to be rigid when needed for safety and flexible when needed for comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The seat pan is divided into multiple segments or components that can move independently. The extendable mechanism divides the seat pan structure into fixed and movable portions, allowing the movable portion to extend for comfort while the fixed portion maintains structural strength for crash protection.
2Strength
If rigid stationary seat pans are used to meet crash testing requirements, then strength is improved, but device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic extendable mechanism that simplifies the overall structure compared to traditional rigid designs. By using movable components that extend and retract, the design achieves crash resistance with fewer complex independent mechanisms, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining strength.
3Ease of operation
If extendable seat pan mechanisms are added to improve comfort, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the extendable mechanism with the existing seat pan structure, integrating the comfort-enhancing features into the overall design. By combining the extension mechanism with the seat pan frame and support structures, the design achieves improved comfort without adding separate independent mechanisms, thereby reducing complexity and cost.
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 solution enhances passenger comfort while meeting or exceeding FAA's compressive spine loading requirements, reducing weight and complexity by integrating a spring assembly that moves in conjunction with the backrest, thus improving the overall performance of the seat pan.
Implementation Method 1
a spring assembly including a plurality of springs
Implementation Method 2
the frame rails each have a cam profile along an underside of their forward end that travels on the rollers such that the cam profile moves the seat pan frame up and forward as the seat pan frame moves forward relative to the side walls
Data Source
AI summary
An extendable seat pan assembly configured to be supported on spaced side walls of a seat frame and including a seat pan frame having spaced frame rails retained longitudinally parallel to and adjacent the side walls, and a seat pan slidably supported on the frame rails and defining an opening therethough spanned by a spring assembly including a plurality of springs. An aircraft passenger seat including an extendable seat pan assembly.