Reclining Seat with Folding Armrests for Flat-Surface Comfort
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Solution Overview
Problem
Reclining seats, particularly those used in vehicles, often become uncomfortable when reclined to a flat position due to fixed contours and static armrests that restrict movement and egress, failing to accommodate both sitting and lying positions effectively.
Innovation Solution
A reclining seat design with arm supports that fold flat and align coplanar with the seat when in a flat configuration, allowing for a continuous, unobstructed surface for lying down, and adjustable contours for varying positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the seat is designed with fixed contours for sitting support, then sitting comfort is improved, but comfort when reclined flat deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The seat contours are made dynamically adjustable rather than fixed. The seat includes adjustable contoured surfaces that can be reconfigured between different support configurations, allowing the same seat to provide optimal support for both sitting and flat reclining positions through mechanical adjustment mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The seat employs adjustable parameters including contoured surfaces with variable curvature and positioning. These parameters can be modified to change the support characteristics of the seat, enabling it to adapt between upright sitting configuration and flat reclining configuration with appropriate contour support for each position
2Device complexity
If static armrests are used, then structural simplicity is improved, but ease of egress and movement when flat deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The armrests are designed as movable components rather than static structures. They can be adjusted in position and configuration, allowing them to be moved out of the way when the seat is in flat configuration to facilitate egress and movement, while providing support when the seat is in upright configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The armrest structure is divided into separable or independently movable segments. This segmentation allows different portions of the armrest to be adjusted or removed as needed, particularly when transitioning to flat configuration, without compromising the overall structural integrity of the seat
Data Source
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AI summary
A reclining seat (20) including, but not limited to, a seat bottom(24); a seat back (22), a leg support (26), and an arm support (28) forming a seat assembly (38). The seat assembly is configured to be supported on a floor surface (36) and to move between an upright configuration and a flat configuration. The seat back and the leg support are transverse to the seat bottom, and the arm support is transverse to the seat back, when the seat assembly is in the upright configuration. The seat back, the seat bottom, the leg support and the arm support are each longitudinally aligned with one another when the seat assembly is in the flat configuration. An upper surface of the seat back, the seat bottom, and the leg support are each coplanar with one another and substantially coplanar with the arm support when the seat assembly is in the flat configuration.