Rotatable Seat Back Display for Aesthetic Packaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle manufacturers face challenges in designing entertainment systems for vehicles that balance packaging constraints and aesthetic quality while providing functional audio and visual components.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle seat assembly with a rotatable display screen arrangement that moves between a stowed position within the seat back cavity and a use position outside, covering a speaker arrangement to maintain an aesthetically pleasing appearance when not in use, utilizing hinges and a spring mechanism for smooth operation and secure latching.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If the display screen arrangement is permanently mounted in the seat back, then the aesthetic quality is improved, but the accessibility and usability of the entertainment system is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The display screen arrangement is made dynamically movable between a retracted position (within the cavity) and an extended position (outside the cavity) via a hinge mechanism. This allows the system to transition between aesthetic mode (retracted) and usable mode (extended), resolving the contradiction between appearance and accessibility.
2Reliability
If the speaker arrangement is exposed, then the audio functionality is improved, but the aesthetic quality is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The speaker arrangement is nested within the seat back cavity, positioned behind the display screen arrangement. When the display is retracted into the cavity, it covers the speakers, concealing them aesthetically while maintaining their audio functionality. This nesting arrangement resolves the contradiction between exposed functionality and aesthetic appearance.
3Ease of operation
If the display screen arrangement is always extended outside the seat back, then the usability is improved, but the packaging constraints are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The display screen arrangement is designed to be dynamically reconfigurable, extending outside the cavity only when needed for use and retracting into the cavity when not in use. This dynamic positioning allows the system to maximize usability during operation while minimizing packaging space requirements during storage or non-use conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle seat assembly has an entertainment system, and includes a seat back having a cavity disposed therein. A display screen arrangement is rotatably attached to the seat back and is movable between a first position wherein the display screen arrangement is disposed within the cavity in the seat back and a second position wherein the display screen arrangement is disposed outside of the cavity in the seat back. A speaker arrangement is in electrical communication with the display screen arrangement and disposed behind the cavity in the seat back such that the speaker arrangement is covered by the display screen arrangement when the display screen arrangement is in the first position.