Rotating Seat Console for Terminal Tractor Cab Ergonomics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicles like terminal tractors face challenges in maintaining ergonomic seating while allowing the driver to lean out of the side window for better visibility, requiring a compact cab and adjustable seat console that can move between forward and reverse positions without compromising maneuverability or height constraints.
Innovation Solution
A seat console system with a rotatable upper plate and eccentric main bearing, allowing the driver's seat and steering wheel to maintain a fixed ergonomic position while rotating about a central axis, enabling the seat console to move closer to the side wall and reverse direction without obstructing the cab's compact design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If the seat console is positioned close to the side wall of the driver's cab, then the driver can lean out of the side window for better visibility, but the driver cannot maintain an ergonomic sitting position with proper distance to steering wheel and controls
Solution Approach 1:
The seat console is made dynamically reconfigurable through a rotation mechanism that allows it to switch between a first position (close to side wall) and a second position (central position). This dynamic adjustment enables the driver to optimize visibility by positioning the seat close to the side window when needed, while maintaining ergonomic operation by returning to the central position when steering and control operation are required.
2Ease of operation
If the seat console is positioned in the middle of the driver's cab, then the driver can maintain ergonomic distance to steering wheel and controls, but the driver cannot lean out of the side window for better view
Solution Approach 1:
The rotation mechanism enables the seat console to dynamically reposition between central and side-wall positions, allowing the driver to alternate between ergonomic operation mode (central position) and enhanced visibility mode (side position), thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining proper distance to controls and accessing side window visibility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the seat console is made movable between forward and reverse positions, then the driver can adapt to different travel directions, but the cab requires significant space for movement which compromises compactness
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of moving the seat console linearly along the longitudinal axis of the cab (which would require significant space), the invention rotates the seat console about a vertical axis (introducing rotational motion in a different dimension). This allows the seat to sweep through a circular arc between forward and reverse positions, achieving directional adaptability while minimizing the linear space required within the cab.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotation mechanism provides dynamic repositioning of the seat console, enabling the driver to adapt to different travel directions by rotating the seat to appropriate orientations, thus achieving versatility without requiring excessive cab volume for linear movement.
4Length of stationary object
If the cab is designed to be compact for maneuverability in ship's hold, then the overall vehicle height is reduced, but the seat console cannot move sufficiently between positions to maintain ergonomic standards
Solution Approach 1:
The rotation mechanism allows the seat console to achieve positional adjustment through rotational motion rather than linear displacement. This enables the seat to access multiple operational positions (forward, reverse, intermediate) within a compact longitudinal footprint, maintaining ergonomic capabilities while preserving the reduced cab length needed for compact vehicle design.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 6
AI summary
The present invention relates to a vehicle, comprising: a driver's cab (6) with a cab floor (8), a seat console (16) which is arranged movably relative to the cab floor and with which a driver's seat arranged thereon is movable between a first position directed substantially in forward travel direction of the vehicle, and a second position directed substantially in reverse travel direction of the vehicle, wherein the seat console comprises an upper plate arranged rotatably using a main bearing (26) relative to the cab floor, wherein using a seat console bearing (50) the driver's seat is arranged eccentrically relative to the rotation axis of the upper plate (24) and rotatably relative to the upper plate, wherein the main bearing is arranged eccentrically and close to a side wall (5) of the driver's cab, and wherein the steering wheel is arranged on the seat console at a fixed position relative to the driver's seat so that steering wheel and driver's seat are together rotatable about the rotation axis of the seat console bearing, and their relative orientation is maintained here while the seat console bearing is rotatable about the rotation axis of the main bearing relative to the cab floor.