Pivotable Seat Units for Side-Accessible Cargo Conversion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing motor vehicle cabins face challenges in providing both high seating comfort and safety while allowing easy side loading, as previous designs either compromise on occupant protection or result in uneven, inaccessible loading spaces.

Innovation Solution

The design incorporates detachably anchored lateral vertical beams and cam mounts for secure locking, along with adjustable seat units that pivot inward to form a level loading area, ensuring strength, rigidity, and accessibility from the side.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If seats are designed for high comfort and safety with fixed positions, then occupant protection is improved, but side loading capability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoccupant protectionVSAvoidside loading capability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The seat units are designed with dynamic positioning capability, allowing them to be固定在safe positions during travel and moved to side positions during loading. The pivotable seat panels and adjustable backrests enable the cargo space to be accessible from the side while maintaining structural integrity and safety features during operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If seats are designed for high comfort with fixed positions, then seating comfort is improved, but conversion to loading space deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveseating comfortVSAvoidconversion to loading space
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The seat units feature dynamically adjustable components including pivotable seat panels about a first pivot axis and backrests that can be positioned at various angles. This allows the seats to provide comfortable fixed positions during travel and easily convert to form a level loading platform when pivoted to the side position, maintaining both comfort and versatility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Adaptability or versatility

If seats are made pivotable to enable side loading, then side loading capability is improved, but structural strength deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveside loading capabilityVSAvoidstructural strength
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The seat units are segmented into separate pivotable components (seat panels, backrests, headrests) that can independently move to side positions. This segmentation allows the loading function to be achieved without compromising the overall structural strength of the cabin frame, as each component is designed to pivot while maintaining structural integrity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

4Ease of operation

If seats are made pivotable to form loading platform, then loading accessibility is improved, but seating comfort deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveloading accessibilityVSAvoidseating comfort
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The seat units incorporate dynamically adjustable components including pivotable seat panels and backrests with multiple positioning options. During travel, the seats can be configured in comfortable fixed positions, and during loading operations, they can be pivoted to form an accessible loading platform, thus providing both comfort and ease of operation at different times.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3254894B1Usable space cabin of a motor vehicle
Publication Date: 2019.11.06 GENERAL DYNAMICS EURO LAND SYST MOWAG GMBH
  • EP3254894B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3254894B1 patent drawingFigure 3~9
  • EP3254894B1 patent drawingFigure 10~11

AI summary

The cargo cabin of a motor vehicle for transporting personnel and equipment has a cabin frame (2) formed by longitudinal and transverse beams, designed for a removable cabin shell, and a cabin interior with two rows of seats facing each other in the direction of travel and running laterally above a central vehicle floor. These seats have bench panels (59) and backrests (56) connected to each other via a first pivot axis (79). The bench panels (5) together with the backrests (56), forming a loading platform, can be pivoted inwards about a second pivot axis (65), so that the cargo cabin can be converted into a side-accessible cargo space for transporting equipment. Each bench panel (59) has a seat (55) designed for one person, and each seat is assigned a backrest (56) with seat belts (58) and a headrest (57).Each backrest (56) can be lowered towards the seat body (55) by means of a lowering mechanism (18) and is locked with side beams (25) which are detachably anchored in the cabin frame (2).