Rotatable Vehicle Seat With Height-Adjustable Support Column
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous driving vehicles and ride-sharing scenarios require flexible seating arrangements to enhance passenger comfort and privacy, as passengers may need to face forward for external views or inward for conversation, while also considering varying statures and the need for stable operation of personal devices.
Innovation Solution
The vehicle features rotatable seats with adjustable height and a support system including a footrest, arm, and support member with a soft surface and hand grips, allowing passengers to customize their seating and device usage, while maximizing space and comfort for multiple passengers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If seats are made rotatable to allow passengers to choose facing direction, then passenger comfort and privacy are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The seat is designed with rotatability to dynamically change its orientation according to passenger needs. The seat can rotate between facing forward, backward, and at intermediate angles, transforming a static seating arrangement into a dynamic one that adapts to different social and viewing requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The seat is divided into separable components: a support column and a seat cushion. This segmentation allows the seat cushion to rotate independently around the vertical axis while the support column remains anchored to the floor, simplifying the rotational mechanism compared to rotating the entire seat assembly.
2Adaptability or versatility
If support column is made extendable to adjust seat height, then adaptability to different passenger statures is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support column is designed to be extendable and retractable, allowing dynamic adjustment of seat height to match different passenger statures. This transforms a fixed-height seat into one that can adapt vertically, accommodating a wider range of user needs.
3Ease of operation
If foot rest is provided to raise seat cushion height, then passenger viewing comfort is improved, but floor space occupancy increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing seat height by extending the support column (vertical dimension), the foot rest provides elevation in a different configuration. The foot rest creates a stepped structure where the passenger's feet are elevated, effectively raising the seat cushion height without proportionally increasing the overall footprint on the floor.
4Productivity
If multiple seats are arranged in two rows to accommodate more passengers, then productivity is improved, but available luggage space decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable seat arrangement allows dynamic reconfiguration of passenger seating. When luggage space is needed, seats can be rotated to face the same direction in a more space-efficient arrangement, or empty seats can be rotated to minimize their footprint, thereby optimizing the balance between passenger capacity and luggage space.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle provides a comfortable space for a wide range of passengers. The vehicle (1) includes a plurality of seats (31) arranged in a fore and aft direction in a cabin (5) of the vehicle, each seat being supported in the cabin so as to be rotatable around a vertically extending rotational axis. Preferably, at least one of the seats includes a support column (32) extending vertically from a floor (6) of the cabin, and a seat cushion (33) supported at an upper end of the support column so as to be rotatable around the vertically extending rotational axis.