Removable Rear Occupant Support for Vehicle Storage Flexibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle designs lack efficient reconfigurable rear occupant supports that can provide variable storage space while maintaining occupant safety and ease of use.
Innovation Solution
A reconfigurable rear occupant support system in vehicles that includes a seat bottom and seat back, secured by a restraint system with upper and lower retainers and an occupant harness, allowing conversion between seating and storage configurations, with components detachable for enhanced storage and featuring a transportation unit for easy removal and relocation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the rear occupant support is made fixed to the vehicle frame, then occupant safety and restraint system reliability are improved, but storage space flexibility and adaptability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The rear occupant support is divided into separable components: the seat assembly (seat bottom and seat back) can be removed as a unit while the restraint system remains fixed to the vehicle frame. This segmentation allows the restraint system to maintain reliability while the seat assembly provides storage flexibility when removed.
Solution Approach 2:
The restraint system is designed to serve dual purposes: securing occupants when seats are installed and remaining as a fixed safety structure when seats are removed. The seat assembly itself serves multiple functions as both seating and removable storage, maximizing adaptability while maintaining safety.
2Volume of stationary object
If the seat bottom and seat back are made removable from the vehicle frame, then storage space capacity is improved, but device complexity and installation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The seat assembly is designed as a pre-assembled unit (seat bottom and seat back connected together) that can be installed or removed as a single component. This segmentation reduces installation complexity compared to assembling multiple separate parts, while still enabling easy removal to create storage space.
Solution Approach 2:
The seat bottom and seat back are combined into a single removable assembly that attaches to the vehicle frame. This merging simplifies the removal process and creates a cohesive storage unit, reducing the complexity of handling multiple separate components while maximizing storage capacity when removed.
3Ease of operation
If the rear occupant support is designed for easy removal, then ease of operation is improved, but weight and size of removed components increase
Solution Approach 1:
The restraint system is separated from the seat assembly, with only the seat bottom and seat back forming the removable unit. This segmentation removes unnecessary weight (the restraint mechanisms) from the moving components while maintaining ease of removal through simple attachment points on the vehicle frame.
Solution Approach 2:
The restraint system components (seat belts, anchors, and mounting hardware) are extracted from the removable seat assembly and fixed permanently to the vehicle frame. This extraction reduces the weight and size of the removable seat assembly while maintaining safety functionality, making the seat easier to remove and install.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle includes a vehicle frame and one or more occupant supports coupled to the vehicle frame. The occupant support includes a seat bottom arranged to overlie a floor of the vehicle and a seat back coupled to the seat bottom and arranged to extend upwardly away from the floor. The vehicle includes a restraint system configured to mount the seat bottom and the seat back to at least one of the floor and the rear wall of the vehicle frame and secure a seat occupant to the rear occupant support.