Foldable Seat Structure With Nesting Legs for Impulse Loads
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Solution Overview
Problem
Theater-style seating chairs lack front legs, making them unsuitable for handling impulse loads, such as an occupant falling with full body weight and momentum, which can cause damage due to severe angular momentum and torque at the pivot point, and they lack a suitable means to manage such forces.
Innovation Solution
A seating apparatus with a front leg assembly, rear leg assembly, attaching members for structural stability, and a rebound apparatus that automatically returns the seat to a retracted state, including a rebound regulation means to control the rebound response, ensuring safety and stability under impulse loads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If front legs are added to theater-style chairs, then the ability to handle impulse loads is improved, but the device complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The front leg assembly is designed to nest within the seat structure when retracted, and deploy outward when needed. The leg components are stored in a compact configuration within the seat frame, allowing the structure to maintain a simple theater-chair profile while having the capability to extend front legs for impulse load support.
Solution Approach 2:
The front leg assembly transitions from a static to a dynamic structure that can deploy and retract. The legs are mounted on pivots allowing them to rotate between a retracted position (flush with seat) and a deployed position (extended forward), enabling the structure to adapt its complexity based on operational needs.
2Strength
If front legs are added to theater-style chairs, then the occupant load capacity is improved, but the space constraints in theater environments are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The front leg assembly nests within the seat structure when not in use, maintaining a compact footprint suitable for theater environments. The legs are stored in a retracted configuration that does not protrude significantly from the seat frame, preserving the space-efficient profile required for tight theater seating arrangements.
Solution Approach 2:
The legs deploy dynamically only when impulse loads are detected or anticipated, rather than being permanently extended. This on-demand deployment allows the structure to achieve high load capacity when needed while maintaining a small space footprint during normal operation.
3Reliability
If a rebound apparatus is added to control the return to retracted state, then the safety and comfort of occupants is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A rebound control mechanism is incorporated that provides cushioning during the return to retracted state. This mechanism, positioned at the pivot point of the front leg assembly, absorbs and regulates the rebound energy when legs return to their nested position, preventing sudden movements that could injure occupants while maintaining relatively simple overall system architecture.
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 seating apparatus effectively supports and stabilizes occupants under impulse loads, preventing damage and ensuring safety by providing independent support through front and rear leg assemblies and regulating the rebound response to prevent injury or damage.
Implementation Method 1
a rebound apparatus for returning the seat member from a deployed state to a retracted state
Implementation Method 2
a rebound regulation means, for regulating the rebound response of the seat
Data Source
AI summary
In various embodiments, a seating apparatus includes a seat member, a front leg assembly, a rear leg assembly, one or more attaching members for attaching the seating apparatus to a proximate structure and a rebound apparatus for returning the seat member from a deployed state to a retracted state. In various embodiments, the seating apparatus may further include a rebound regulation means, for regulating the rebound response of the seat, delivered by the rebound apparatus.