Railway Seat Leg Rest Collision Prevention Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing seat apparatuses in railway vehicles cannot prevent collisions between leg rests or catching of luggage/luggage by leg rests, and they fail to operate the leg rest in case of a power source failure.
Innovation Solution
A seat apparatus with a control unit that determines the orientation of adjacent seats and invalidates the tilt operation command for the leg rest when they face each other, and includes a setting means to allow the leg rest to operate even in case of a power source failure by fixing the detection signals to specific states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If the leg rest is operated by an electric motor based on current consumption detection, then the leg rest can be driven automatically, but it cannot prevent collisions or catching of luggage/luggage before they occur
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit determines the relative orientation of adjacent seats before allowing leg rest operation. When seats are detected to be facing each other, the tilt operation command is invalidated in advance, preventing collisions or luggage catching before they can occur. This preliminary check resolves the contradiction by maintaining automatic operation while adding preventive safety logic.
2Reliability
If the tilt operation command is invalidated when seats face each other, then collision between leg rests is prevented, but the leg rest cannot operate even when adjacent seats have power source failures
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the operation status of the leg rest based on the operational status of adjacent seats. When adjacent seats are normally operated, the control unit invalidates tilt commands when seats face each other. However, when power source failures are detected in adjacent seats, the control unit allows tilt operation to proceed. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by making the safety restriction conditional rather than absolute.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit changes the operational parameter (validity of tilt operation command) based on the power source status parameter of adjacent seats. When power source failures are detected, the parameter change allows operation despite facing orientation, resolving the contradiction between safety restrictions and operational necessity.
3Reliability
If the control unit determines seat orientation and invalidates tilt commands, then safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit receives feedback signals from adjacent seats indicating their orientation and power source status. Based on this feedback, the control unit automatically determines whether to validate or invalidate tilt operation commands. This feedback mechanism implements safety logic without requiring complex manual intervention systems, resolving the contradiction between safety improvement and complexity increase.
Data Source
AI summary
[Object] To inhibit leg rests from colliding with each other and to allow a leg rest of his/her own seat to operate even in the case where a power source failure or the like occurs.[Solving Means] A seat apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a seat body; a control unit; and a setting means. The seat body includes a leg rest. The control unit includes a controller. The controller determines whether the seat body is in a first state in which the seat body does not face a front seat or a back seat of the seat body or a second state in which the seat body faces one of the front seat and the back seat. The controller enables, where the controller has determined that the seat body is in the first state, a tilt operation command for the leg rest to tilt forward, and invalidates, where the controller has determined that the seat body is in the second state, the tilt operation command. The setting means fixes the determination result by the controller to the first state.