Passenger Seat Armrest and Grab Bar Modular Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing passenger transport vehicle seats with integrated grab bars and armrests face issues such as complex and costly manufacturing, inability to separate components, and difficulties in cleaning due to fixed floor attachments.
Innovation Solution
A seat design where the armrest and support bar can be independently attached to the seat below its level, using a common connecting fastener that allows for reversible fixing, enabling modular installation and easy removal without specific fixing means on the seat.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the grab bar is fixed to the floor, then passengers can maintain balance, but floor sealing is compromised and cleaning becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The grab bar is extracted from the floor and relocated to the seat structure. The support bar is now attached to the seat frame below the seat level, separating the grab bar function from the floor, thereby preserving floor sealing and facilitating cleaning while maintaining passenger balance support.
Solution Approach 2:
The grab bar attachment is moved from the horizontal floor plane to the vertical seat structure. By attaching the support bar to the seat frame below seat level, the solution transitions the attachment dimension from floor-level horizontal mounting to seat-level vertical mounting, resolving the conflict between grab bar functionality and floor accessibility.
2Device complexity
If the grab bar and armrest are integrated, then structure is simplified, but flexibility to use them independently is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The grab bar and armrest are segmented into separate components that attach to the same seat structure. The support bar connects to the seat frame at a location below the seat level, while the armrest attaches at the front end below seat level, allowing either component to be installed independently based on passenger needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The seat structure provides a universal attachment point below seat level that can accommodate either a support bar or an armrest. This multi-functional attachment location allows the seat to be configured with grab bar only, armrest only, or both components, providing versatility while maintaining structural simplicity.
3Reliability
If specific mounting hardware is added to the seat for the grab bar, then attachment is secure, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment mechanism for the support bar is merged with the existing seat structure. The support bar connects to the seat frame at a location below the seat level, utilizing the seat's existing structural elements rather than requiring separate mounting hardware, thereby ensuring secure attachment while minimizing manufacturing complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
This seat (21) for a passenger vehicle (10) comprises a seat (30), a backrest (40) positioned above the seat, at least one armrest (42), and at least one grab bar (50). The armrest (42) is attached to the seat (30) from a front end below the seat level, and the grab bar (50) is attached to the seat (30) from a connecting end (58) below the seat level. The seat includes a common connecting fastener (70) that independently attaches to the seat, on the one hand, the front end of the armrest and, on the other hand, the connecting end of the grab bar to the seat.