Adjustable Lie-Flat Seat With Dynamic Contour Panels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ergonomic lie-flat passenger seats require additional or replaceable components to accommodate different seat surface contours for sitting and lie-flat positions, which can be inconvenient and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A seat design featuring adjustable mechanisms in both the seat back and bottom, utilizing moveable panels and actuators to change the surface contour between deployed and retracted configurations, allowing for seamless transition between sitting and lie-flat positions without the need for extra components, using materials like carbon composite, plastic, or metal for durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional seats use additional or replaceable components (mattresses, contoured inserts) to accommodate different seat surface contours, then the seat can provide ergonomic support for both sitting and lie-flat positions, but the device complexity increases and requires additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the seat bottom and backrest surfaces dynamically adjustable through moveable panels that can change their contour between deployed and retracted configurations. This allows a single seat structure to adapt to different ergonomic requirements without needing multiple static components or replaceable inserts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements universality by designing the moveable panel mechanisms to serve multiple functions: they provide ergonomic contouring for sitting positions, flatten for lie-flat positions, and can be adjusted to various intermediate configurations. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate components for different seating modes.
2Device complexity
If conventional seats are designed for both sitting and lie-flat positions with fixed contours, then the seat structure is simpler, but it cannot provide optimal ergonomic support for both configurations simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The moveable panels transition from static to dynamic structures, allowing the seat to change its contour profile on demand. The panels can be positioned in different configurations to provide ergonomic support for sitting, lie-flat, or intermediate positions, maintaining structural simplicity while achieving adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the seat surface by moving the panels between configured positions. This alters the contour, angle, and surface area of the seat bottom and backrest, enabling optimal ergonomic parameters for different seating configurations without changing the fundamental seat structure.
3Ease of operation
If the seat bottom adjustment mechanism is deployed to create contour, then ergonomic support is improved, but the mechanism protrudes from the seating surface creating an uneven contour
Solution Approach 1:
The moveable panels are designed to be substantially flush with the surrounding seating surface when in the retracted configuration, creating a smooth transition. When deployed, they provide ergonomic contouring while maintaining a relatively streamlined profile that minimizes disruption to the overall seating surface geometry.
Data Source
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AI summary
Described is a passenger seat that includes a seat bottom with a rear edge, the seat bottom including a bottom seating surface and a seat bottom adjustment mechanism where the seat bottom adjustment mechanism forms at least a portion of the bottom seating surface. The passenger seat also includes a seat back extending from the rear edge of the seat bottom, the seat back including a back seating surface and a seat back adjustment mechanism where the seat back adjustment mechanism forms at least a portion of the back seating surface. The adjustment mechanisms may each be configured to move between a deployed configuration and a retracted configuration. The seat bottom adjustment mechanism may be substantially flush with the bottom seating surface in the retracted configuration, and the seat back adjustment mechanism may be substantially flush with the back seating surface in the retracted configuration.