Modular Add-On Vehicle Seat Assembly with Rotatable Arms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for providing temporary seating outside a vehicle are either cumbersome, such as transporting chairs, or limited in adaptability to different terrains and vehicle configurations.
Innovation Solution
A modular add-on seat assembly that can be easily attached and detached from a vehicle's rear hitch, tailgate, or bumper, featuring a hitch bar with securement structures and rotatable arms, allowing for independent swiveling of seats, which can be folded and stored compactly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If chairs are transported in the vehicle for outdoor seating, then seating accommodation is provided, but transport complexity and storage space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The seat assembly is divided into multiple detachable components including the hitch bar, arms, and seat units. Each component can be independently removed and stored, allowing the system to be disassembled into compact segments that fit within vehicle storage spaces, thereby reducing transport complexity while maintaining seating functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The hitch bar is designed with multiple attachment options that can interface with different vehicle configurations (trailer hitch, tailgate, bumper). This multi-functionality allows the same base structure to provide seating accommodation across various vehicle types without requiring multiple specialized devices, reducing overall system complexity
2Adaptability or versatility
If folding chairs are used for outdoor seating, then seating is provided, but stability and adaptability to different terrains are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The arms are designed to be rotatable relative to the hitch bar, and the seat units can swivel independently on the arms. This dynamic capability allows the seating to adapt to different terrains and user positions, improving adaptability while maintaining stability through controlled movement rather than rigid fixed positions
Solution Approach 2:
The combination of the rigid hitch bar structure with the flexible rotatable arms and swiveling seat units creates a hybrid system. The rigid base provides stability and reliability, while the articulated joints provide adaptability to different terrains and configurations
3Reliability
If a permanent seat structure is attached to the vehicle, then seating stability is improved, but ease of assembly and disassembly deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment points on the hitch bar are pre-configured with aligned apertures and securement structures that guide the arms and seat units into proper positions during assembly. This preliminary configuration of the base structure enables quick connection of components without complex alignment procedures, maintaining ease of assembly while ensuring stable attachment
Solution Approach 2:
The arms serve as intermediary components between the rigid hitch bar and the seat units. They provide a buffered connection that allows for easy attachment and detachment of the seat units while maintaining a stable overall structure, facilitating quick assembly/disassembly without compromising seating stability
4Volume of moving object
If the seat assembly is designed for easy disassembly into compact format, then storage space is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The seat units can be folded onto the arms, and the arms can be positioned along the hitch bar, creating a nested compact configuration. This nesting arrangement allows all components to be stored within a minimal volume while the simple pin-and-aperture connection system keeps the disassembly structure relatively uncomplicated
Data Source
AI summary
An add-on seat assembly is provided for temporary attachment to the rear of a vehicle. Such seat assembly includes a hitch bar, one end of which has, intimately associated therewith, a structure and arrangement for releasable attachment to a trailer hitch which is intimately associated with the rear of a vehicle. The hitch bar includes a securement structure extending across the opposed other end thereof. The seat assembly includes a pair of arms that are demountably and rotatably attached to a respective one opposed end of the securement structure. The seat assembly also includes a pair of seat units, each including a seat bottom that is foldably secured to a seat back, the bottom of the seat bottom including a structure for demountably and rotatably attaching the seat unit to a respective one of the pair of arms.