Retractable Car Seat Dynamics and Nesting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional car seats occupy significant space in vehicles and cannot be easily removed or reconfigured, limiting the interior's versatility, especially in autonomous vehicles where space needs to be utilized for various activities.
Innovation Solution
A retractable car seat with a foldable body and movable frame that can be unfolded for use as a seat and folded for storage, featuring adjustable supports and guides to optimize seating comfort and minimize volume when stowed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed car seat is provided to ensure seating comfort and support, then the seat can provide stable support and comfort, but the seat occupies permanent space and cannot be reconfigured for other uses
Solution Approach 1:
The seat is designed with a movable support that can slide forward and backward along a rail, and a foldable body that can transition between upright and folded positions. This dynamic structure allows the seat to adapt between providing seating support and being stowed to maximize interior space
Solution Approach 2:
The seat body is divided into separable components including the support, back part, and seat part that can move independently. The support slides on a rail while the body folds, enabling the seat to be disassembled into compact segments for storage
2Adaptability or versatility
If the seat is made foldable to reduce space when not in use, then the seat can be stowed away, but the structure becomes more complex with additional moving parts
Solution Approach 1:
When folded, the seat part nests against the back part, and the entire body folds around the support structure. This nesting arrangement minimizes the stowed volume while using simple hinge connections rather than complex mechanisms
3Ease of operation
If the support is made movable to allow seat reconfiguration, then the seat can be folded and stowed, but the support structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
A rail structure serves as an intermediary guide for the support's movement. The rail provides a simple linear path that constrains the support to forward and backward motion, simplifying the overall mechanism while enabling the folding function
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient use of vehicle interior space by allowing the seat to be transformed into a comfortable configuration and minimized volume when not in use, accommodating various activities in autonomous vehicles.
Implementation Method 1
a support (300) having an end connected to a lower portion of the body or the frame and another end movably connected to a floor of the vehicle
Implementation Method 2
a rail (400) disposed on the floor of the vehicle and having the support inserted therein, the rail providing a path in which the support is moved
Implementation Method 3
a body configured to be folded or unfolded; a frame movably connected to the body to support the body such that the body is configured to be folded or unfolded
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a retractable car seat that is folded and stowed in a vehicle. The retractable car seat includes: a body configured to be folded or unfolded; a frame movably connected to the body to support the body such that the body is configured to be folded or unfolded; a support having an end connected to a lower portion of the body or the frame and another end movably connected to a floor of the vehicle, being able to move forward and backward in the vehicle, and having a length that can be vertically adjusted; and a rail disposed on the floor of the vehicle and having the support inserted therein, thereby functioning as a path in which the support is moved.