Passenger seat comprising a manually extensible seat element, and passenger cabin area
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Solution Overview
Problem
In aircraft passenger cabins, the need for wider transverse aisles near emergency exits due to safety requirements limits the optimal use of space, as rows of seats must be spaced farther apart, reducing passenger capacity and comfort.
Innovation Solution
A passenger seat design with a pivotable second portion of the seat element that can adjust from a rest position to a use position, increasing seat depth and allowing the seat to be positioned closer to the aisle, while a locking mechanism ensures the seat remains in the use position when occupied and returns to the rest position when unoccupied, maintaining safety and space efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If rows of seats are arranged with increased seat pitch near emergency exits to provide required transverse aisle width, then safety requirements are met, but space utilization and passenger capacity are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The seat element incorporates a movable second portion that can pivot between a use position (providing full seat depth for passenger comfort) and a rest position (reducing seat depth to widen the transverse aisle). This dynamic transformation allows the same seat structure to satisfy both safety aisle width requirements and space optimization goals, eliminating the need for permanently increased seat pitch near emergency exits
Solution Approach 2:
The seat element is divided into a first portion (fixed) and a second portion (movable). The second portion can be pivoted independently to adjust the effective seat depth. This segmentation allows the seat to provide full depth when needed for passenger comfort while reducing its footprint when aisle width is required for safety compliance
2Adaptability or versatility
If the second portion of the seat element is made pivotable to adjust seat depth, then space flexibility is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is designed to be automatically activated by the passenger's own action of sitting down. The weight of the passenger on the seat element triggers the locking mechanism to secure the second portion in the use position, eliminating the need for separate manual locking actions or complex control systems
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism incorporates a weight-sensitive trigger that detects when a passenger is seated and automatically responds by locking the second portion in place. This feedback-based automatic locking simplifies the overall system by using the passenger's presence as the control signal, rather than requiring independent sensors or actuators
Data Source
AI summary
A passenger seat comprises a backrest and a seat element that includes a first portion adjoining the backrest and a second portion that can pivot between a rest position and an operational position. In the operational position, the second portion of the seat element increases a depth of a seat pan of the seat element that can be used by the user. A locking mechanism is configured to prevent a pivoting movement of the second portion of the seat element from the operational position thereof into the rest position thereof when a weight of a user sitting in the passenger seat acts on the seat element.