J-Track Seat Assembly for Aircraft Egress
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current aircraft seat designs hinder efficient ingress and egress, leading to discomfort, damage to instruments, and increased maintenance costs due to the need for crew members to navigate around or over seats, which can disrupt operations and compromise safety.
Innovation Solution
A J-track seat assembly with a lever-activated mechanism that allows the seat to slide backward and inboard, using adjustable roller bearings and a conduit to prevent damage and foreign-object-debris intrusion, with visual indicators for locking status and spring-loaded plungers for secure engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the seat is fixed in position, then the structural simplicity is maintained, but the ingress/egress efficiency is reduced and crew members must navigate around or over seats
Solution Approach 1:
The seat is designed to be movable along a predetermined J-shaped track rather than fixed, allowing it to transition between operational position (forward) and ingress/egress position (rearward and inboard). This dynamic positioning enables crew members to efficiently exit through a single door without navigating around fixed seats, directly resolving the contradiction between operational simplicity and egress efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The seat assembly is divided into separable components including the seat unit, the J-track mechanism, roller bearings, and locking pins. This segmentation allows the seat to move independently along the track while maintaining structural integrity, enabling efficient egress without requiring complex integrated mechanisms.
2Ease of operation
If the seat moves along a curved path during egress, then the egress efficiency is improved, but the risk of derailment increases at the transition between straight and curved portions
Solution Approach 1:
Roller bearings are positioned at the transition zones between straight and curved portions of the J-track to provide support and reduce friction during directional changes. This beforehand cushioning prevents derailment by ensuring smooth navigation through high-risk transition areas, allowing the seat to safely follow the curved egress path.
Solution Approach 2:
The roller bearings act as intermediary elements between the seat and the J-track, facilitating smooth movement during the transition from straight to curved portions. These rollers reduce friction and provide mechanical assistance during directional changes, preventing derailment while enabling the curved path motion.
3Reliability
If the locking mechanism uses multiple openings and plungers, then the locking reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking pins serve multiple functions: they engage with openings to lock the seat in place, provide structural support during movement, and indicate locking status through their position. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, achieving reliable locking without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple locking pins are combined into a single integrated locking mechanism controlled by one handle. When the handle is actuated, all locking pins move simultaneously to engage or disengage from their respective openings, providing reliable multi-point locking while maintaining simple operation through a single control.
4Productivity
If the seat is allowed to move freely during egress, then the ingress/egress speed is improved, but the wear on the rails increases
Solution Approach 1:
The direct friction-based contact between the seat and J-track is replaced with a roller bearing mechanism. These rollers reduce friction by converting sliding friction into rolling friction, allowing the seat to move quickly along the track during egress while minimizing wear on the rails, thus resolving the contradiction between egress speed and rail durability.
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
Facilitates smooth transition from flight to egress mode, reduces wear on rails, prevents derailment, and allows crew members to exit through a single door, enhancing safety and reducing maintenance costs by minimizing contact with controls and instruments.
Implementation Method 1
two or more glides or wear plates that support at least part of a weight of the seat to reduce wear on the first and second predetermined paths and/or that add stability to the seats while traveling along the predetermined path
Implementation Method 2
The locking pin/plunger is spring-loaded, and the locking pin/plunger may be operated with a Bowden cable or push-pull-rod
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention includes a movable seat assembly for a vehicle, comprising: first and second predetermined paths located on the floor of the vehicle, each path having an operational location at a first end and an ingress/egress location at a second end, the paths having a substantially straight portion and a curved portion; a seat slidably connected to the paths and capable of translation between the first and the second position; two or more openings on the floor of the vehicle on or about the first and second predetermined paths that provide a locking position for the seat, wherein the two or more opening are connected via a conduit below the surface of the floor; and at least one locking pin/plunger connected to the seat and capable of engaging the two or more openings to lock the seat in place along the first and second predetermined paths.