Movable Side Armrest Seat for Accessible Rail Boarding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current armrest solutions in passenger transport vehicles, particularly in rail transport, do not allow unobstructed access to priority seating for individuals with reduced mobility, violating accessibility standards and potentially colliding with passengers seated behind.
Innovation Solution
A seat design with a laterally movable armrest connected to the seat shell, allowing it to transition between a low position for unobstructed access and a high position for support, ensuring compliance with accessibility standards and preventing collisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the armrest is kept immobile to maintain structural simplicity, then the device complexity is reduced, but accessibility for passengers with reduced mobility is hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The armrest is designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing it to transition between a raised position for passenger comfort and a lowered position for accessibility. This dynamic configuration enables the armrest to adapt to different operational requirements, resolving the contradiction between maintaining structural simplicity and ensuring ease of access for passengers with reduced mobility.
2Ease of operation
If the armrest is positioned high to provide arm support comfort, then passenger comfort is improved, but access to the seat is obstructed for passengers with reduced mobility
Solution Approach 1:
The armrest transitions between a raised operational position that provides arm support comfort and a lowered position that clears the path for passengers with reduced mobility to access the seat. This dynamic adjustment eliminates the harmful obstruction while preserving the beneficial comfort feature.
Solution Approach 2:
The armrest is lowered in advance before a passenger with reduced mobility approaches the seat, clearing the access path beforehand. This preliminary action prevents obstruction and facilitates smooth access, while the armrest can be raised again once the passenger is seated.
3Reliability
If the armrest remains in a fixed position to simplify the mechanism, then device complexity is reduced, but it may collide with passengers seated behind
Solution Approach 1:
The armrest is designed to lower automatically or upon detection of a passenger behind, moving out of the potential collision path. This dynamic adjustment prevents harmful collisions while maintaining structural simplicity through a straightforward mechanical linkage or sensor-actuated mechanism.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a vehicle seat (18) comprising a backrest (20), a seat (22), a foot (24), a shell (26) covering, at least partially, the rear and the lateral parts of the backrest and covering, at least partially, the lower surface and the lateral parts of the seat (22), and at least one side armrest (28), the side armrest is connected by mechanical linkage to the seat shell configured to make the side armrest movable, between a first low position (PB) of retraction and lateral access to the seat and a second high position (PH) of armrest, the armrest face of the side armrest (28) having a distal end (ED), relative to the backrest, the height of which in the first low position of the side armrest is less than the height of the distal end, relative to the backrest, of the armrest face of the side armrest in the second high position of armrest.