Modular Panel Support System for Vehicle Seat-Gap Resting Surface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle rest systems are cumbersome, expensive, require complex setup, and lack intuitive installation, often failing to provide a comfortable, horizontal surface for passengers due to inadequate horizontal space between seats.
Innovation Solution
A support system that spans the gap between the rear and front seats using a panel structure with adjustable connectors and rigid members, providing a horizontal surface for comfortable resting while being lightweight, easy to set up, and compact for storage, utilizing existing vehicle anchoring features like safety loops and headrests.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If existing rest systems are installed to provide horizontal surface for resting, then passenger comfort is improved, but device complexity and setup time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rest system is divided into separate modular components: a rest surface panel, support legs with anchoring features, and connection elements. Each component can be independently manufactured, stored, and assembled, allowing for simple setup without complex integrated structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The support legs incorporate adjustable and collapsible mechanisms that allow the structure to transition between compact storage configuration and extended resting configuration. This dynamic design enables easy setup and teardown while maintaining structural integrity during use.
2Ease of operation
If additional devices are installed to create horizontal resting surface, then resting comfort is improved, but weight and bulk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rest surface is constructed from a thin, lightweight panel material that provides sufficient rigidity for comfortable resting while minimizing weight. The panel can be made from materials like plywood, MDF, or composite sheets that offer high strength-to-weight ratio.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses separate lightweight support legs rather than a heavy monolithic structure. Each leg is an independent component that can be optimized for minimal weight while providing necessary support, and the modular design allows using only the required number of legs based on the rest surface size.
3Length of stationary object
If the gap between front and rear seats is utilized for resting, then available horizontal length is increased, but structural stability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The support legs are equipped with anchoring features that attach to predetermined locations on the vehicle seats before the rest surface is assembled. This preliminary anchoring establishes stable support points that prevent the rest surface from shifting or collapsing, ensuring structural stability in the confined gap space.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of relying solely on the limited longitudinal gap space, the system extends support into the vertical dimension by using adjustable support legs that can be positioned at optimal heights. This three-dimensional approach to positioning creates stable triangular support structures that maximize the available space while ensuring rigidity.
4Area of stationary object
If rest system is designed for full coverage, then resting comfort is improved, but storage compactness worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The rest surface is designed as a separate panel that can be folded or removed independently from the support legs. This segmentation allows the large-area rest surface to be collapsed flat or detached for storage, while the support legs can be collapsed into a compact configuration, minimizing overall storage volume despite providing large resting area during use.
Solution Approach 2:
The support legs incorporate collapsible mechanisms that allow them to transition from an extended configuration supporting a large rest surface to a compact folded configuration for storage. This dynamic transformation enables the system to provide full-coverage resting area when needed while occupying minimal space during storage or transport.
Data Source
AI summary
A support system is provided for a passenger vehicle having front seats, rear seats, a front anchoring feature 3 forwardly of a gap between the front and rear seats and a rear anchoring feature 2 rearwardly of the gap. The support system includes (i) a panel structure, (ii) front end connectors connecting the panel structure to the front anchoring features of the vehicle, (iii) rear end connectors connecting the panel structure to the rear anchoring features of the vehicle, and (iv) a supporting arrangement providing support to laterally opposing side portions of the panel structure to resist inward displacement of the laterally opposing side portions of the panel structure towards one another when supporting a load on an upper supporting surface of the panel structure. The supporting surface extends the substantially horizontal supporting platform at the rear of a vehicle for extending the resting or storage area of the vehicle.