Rotating Seat Panel for Deployable Working Surface
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Solution Overview
Problem
In the transition to fully autonomous vehicles, there is a need for reconfigurable passenger cabins that allow occupants to comfortably engage in activities beyond traditional driving positions, such as using a computer or reading, which requires a deployable working surface that can adapt to unconventional seating configurations.
Innovation Solution
A personal automotive vehicle with a reconfigurable passenger cabin featuring a first seat that rotates inwardly and a panel mounted on a second seat, which moves vertically and rotates to provide a working surface that extends radially from the seat, allowing for flexible positioning and use by occupants in unconventional seating positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional fixed seating configuration is used, then the vehicle structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the passenger cabin lacks adaptability for different activities and seating positions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic seating configurations by allowing seats to rotate between forward-facing and inwardly-rotated positions, and enabling the working surface panel to move between stowed and deployed positions. This dynamic reconfigurability enables the cabin to adapt to different activities (driving, working, socializing) while maintaining a relatively simple mechanical implementation through rotation mechanisms and movable panels.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a deployable working surface is added to support work activities, then the versatility of the cabin is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the working surface panel with the existing seat structure, mounting the panel on the second seat rather than creating a separate fixed structure. The panel utilizes the seat's movement capabilities and integrates with the seat's adjustment mechanisms, thereby adding work capability while minimizing additional complexity by leveraging existing structural elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The second seat is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a seating surface for occupants and as a mounting platform for the deployable working surface panel. This universal design allows the same structural element to support multiple functions (seating and working surface deployment) without requiring separate dedicated structures for each function.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the first seat is rotated inwardly to enable face-to-face interaction, then the social interaction capability is improved, but the traditional driving functionality is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The first seat is designed to be dynamically reconfigurable, allowing rotation between a forward-facing position optimized for traditional driving operations and an inwardly-rotated position that enables face-to-face social interaction. This dynamic positioning capability allows the vehicle to switch between driving mode and social mode, with the seat orientation adapting to the primary activity being performed.
Data Source
AI summary
A deployable working surface is provided for use in a reconfigurable passenger cabin of a personal automotive vehicle. The vehicle includes a first seat that can rotate to an inwardly-rotated position. The working surface is provided by a panel that is mounted on a second seat for movement between a stowed position and a working position. This movement includes vertical movement and rotational movement about a vertical axis. When the panel is in the working position, the working surface extends in a radial direction that is perpendicular to the direction the first seat is facing when in the rotated position and is positioned higher that an occupant seating surface of the first seat and in front of a backrest of the first seat.