System for transforming the interior of a vehicle into a sleeping or load space
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Solution Overview
Problem
Most vehicles do not have the capability to transform their interior into a spacious sleeping space, as the front seats are not designed to recline fully and create a flat surface, limiting users' options for comfortable rest during travel.
Innovation Solution
The system includes modular back supports that can retract and recline horizontally, combined with a telescoping mechanism for the headrest and armrest adjustments, allowing the seats and mid-section to transform into a continuous flat surface, enabling users to lie horizontally or diagonally inside the vehicle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the front seats are designed with fixed rigid back supports for structural strength and passenger safety, then the seat stability is improved, but the ability to transform into a sleeping space is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The back support is divided into multiple modular sections (upper backrest, lower backrest, seat cushion) that can independently move relative to each other. This segmentation allows the seat to maintain structural integrity during normal use while enabling transformation into a flat sleeping surface by adjusting each module's position and angle.
Solution Approach 2:
The seat incorporates dynamic adjustment mechanisms including telescoping sections that can extend and retract, and articulating joints that allow various angles of recline. These dynamic features enable the seat to transition from a rigid sitting position to a flat horizontal sleeping surface, providing both stability during operation and adaptability for different uses.
2Ease of operation
If the back support is made long and rigid to provide adequate lumbar support and comfort, then the comfort is improved, but the gap distance between front and rear seats becomes insufficient for full recline
Solution Approach 1:
The back support includes telescoping sections where one module can slide within another, similar to nested dolls. This nesting mechanism allows the back support to extend to provide adequate lumbar support when needed, then retract to reduce the overall length, enabling full recline within the limited gap distance between front and rear seats.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of only extending the back support length in one dimension, the design uses articulating joints that allow the back support to pivot and fold at multiple angles. This dimensional change enables the long back support to be folded compactly during transformation, accommodating the limited space while maintaining full lumbar support capability during normal sitting.
3Adaptability or versatility
If modular back supports with telescoping mechanisms are added to enable seat transformation, then the sleeping space capability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The complex transformation function is divided into simpler modular components, each with its own adjustment mechanism. The back support is segmented into multiple sections that can be adjusted independently through standardized telescoping and articulating mechanisms, making the overall system more manageable and easier to manufacture despite the advanced functionality.
4Shape
If the seat height is reduced by retracting the back support to enable flat recline, then the sleeping surface flatness is improved, but the ease of entering and exiting the seat deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The seat incorporates dynamic height adjustment capability through telescoping mechanisms that allow the seat to transition between high and low positions. During normal use, the seat maintains a higher position for easy access. When transformation is needed, the telescoping sections retract to reduce height, enabling the back support to recline fully flat while maintaining the ability to return to the original comfortable entry height.
Data Source
AI summary
A system, mechanisms, and components for converting the interior of a vehicle into a sleeping space is disclosed. The vehicle may have front seats with modular back supports that can transform to reduce the seat height so that the back support can recline horizontally backwards and lay flat with the bottom support of the rear seat. The modular back support may have an upper section and a lower section, where the upper section may fold or retract inside the lower section. Additionally, the headrest of the front seat may also retract inside the modular back support to reduce the seat height. The mid-section of the vehicle where the center console and armrest are located may also transform to create a continuous flat surface inside the vehicle.