Morphing Seat Surface for Blocking Unclean or Reserved Vehicle Seats

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

In ride-sharing and carpooling scenarios, passengers may encounter unclean or reserved seats in autonomous vehicles, leading to discomfort and inefficiencies, as existing systems lack effective means to prevent occupancy of such seats.

Innovation Solution

A seat blocking system that integrates a morphable seating surface and a seat blocker, which can change shape between sittable and unsittable configurations upon activation, using actuators and detectors to prevent passengers from sitting in unclean or reserved seats.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a seat blocking system with morphable seating surface is implemented, then passenger comfort and hygiene are improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveseat occupancy controlVSAvoidseat blocker mechanism

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The seating surface is designed to be dynamically morphable between sittable and unsittable configurations. The seat blocker mechanism can shift the seating surface to create an unsittable shape with expanded volume over the seat understructure, preventing passenger occupancy. This dynamic transformation allows the system to adapt its state based on occupancy requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The seating surface functions as a flexible shell that can be deformed by the seat blocker mechanism. When activated, the seat blocker causes the flexible seating surface to expand and morph into an unsittable configuration, effectively blocking seat occupancy without requiring rigid structural changes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

2Reliability

If the seating surface is expanded to block the seat, then seat blocking effectiveness is improved, but the volume and space occupied increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveseat blocking effectivenessVSAvoidseating surface expansion

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The seat blocker mechanism transforms the seating surface by expanding it in the vertical dimension and altering its spatial distribution. Instead of adding horizontal space, the system morphs the seating surface upward and outward to create an unsittable volume, maintaining compact footprint while achieving blocking effectiveness through dimensional transformation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS11840161B2Seat blocking system and method

Publication Date: 2023.12.12 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK

AI summary

A seat blocking system can comprise a seat. The seat can include a seat understructure and an overlying seating surface. The seat understructure can form a seat base and a seatback arranged in a seating configuration. The seating surface can be configured to morph between a sittable shape, in which the seating surface is coextensive with the seat understructure, and an unsittable shape, in which the seating surface is expanded over at least a portion of the seat understructure. The seat blocking system can include a seat blocker. The seat blocker can be integrated with the seat. The seat blocker can be operable to morph between a deactivated state, whereby the seat blocker leaves the seat understructure to impart the sittable shape to the seating surface, and an activated state, in which the seat blocker acts on the seating surface to impart the unsittable shape to the seating surface.