Extendable split headrest
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft seatback lengths in commercial aircraft often fail to meet regulatory specifications, particularly for aft-facing seats in small aircraft with limited cabin space, where the seatback must provide at least 36.5 inches of support, necessitating a solution for adjustable headrests that can extend to comply with regulations.
Innovation Solution
A headrest frame with a deployable top portion and a deployment mechanism, including a coil spring and lock mechanism, allows the headrest to slide along a strut, enabling the seatback length to be extended from a stowed to a deployed position, ensuring compliance with regulatory dimensions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If the seatback length is extended to meet regulatory specifications (36.5 inches), then compliance with regulations is achieved, but the device complexity increases due to the need for deployable mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The headrest frame employs a deployable top portion that can transition between retracted and extended positions, allowing the seatback length to be adjusted dynamically. This dynamic mechanism enables the seatback to meet the 36.5-inch regulatory requirement when extended while maintaining a more compact form when retracted, thus resolving the contradiction between length requirement and structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The top portion of the headrest frame is designed to nest within the main body of the headrest when in the retracted position. This nesting arrangement allows the extendable mechanism to be stored compactly within the existing headrest structure, minimizing additional space requirements and reducing the visual impact of the complexity while still achieving the required seatback length when deployed.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the headrest is made adjustable to extend seatback length, then adaptability to different occupancy conditions is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to the lock mechanism requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The lock mechanism is designed to automatically engage and disengage the top portion at specific positions during the deployment and retraction cycles. This self-locking feature eliminates the need for manual locking operations by the user, thereby maintaining ease of operation while enabling the adjustable functionality required for adaptability to different occupancy conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The lock mechanism acts as an intermediary element that automatically controls the engagement and disengagement of the top portion. By positioning the lock mechanism to engage at predetermined points in the travel path, the system provides automatic positioning and securing without requiring active user intervention, thus preserving operational simplicity while achieving the desired adaptability.
3Length of stationary object
If the top portion is deployed to extend seatback length, then the seatback length increases to comply with regulations, but the volume of the headrest frame increases
Solution Approach 1:
The top portion is designed to nest within the main body of the headrest frame when in the retracted position, minimizing the volume occupied by the extendable mechanism. When deployed, the top portion extends along the strut to increase seatback length, but the nesting capability ensures that the additional volume is only utilized when needed, thus resolving the contradiction between achieving regulatory length requirements and minimizing headrest frame volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The top portion extends along the longitudinal axis of the seatback rather than increasing volume in all dimensions. This linear extension approach allows the seatback length to be increased to meet regulations while keeping the cross-sectional dimensions and overall volume of the headrest frame relatively compact, effectively resolving the contradiction between length extension and volume increase.
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 adjustable headrest frame effectively extends the seatback length to meet regulatory requirements, providing enhanced occupant comfort and compliance with specifications in both small and large commercial aircraft, including during take-off and landing.
Implementation Method 1
a coil spring configured to store and release energy to enable the top portion to slide along the strut
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A~2B
AI summary
A headrest frame (220) for a seat is disclosed. In various embodiments, the headrest frame (220) includes a main body portion (222) having a stowed length (Ls); a top portion (240) configured to assume a stowed position and a deployed position with respect to the main body portion, the deployed position defining a deployed length (LD) greater than the stowed length (Ls); and a deployment mechanism (250) configured to urge the top portion into the deployed position from the stowed position.