Public Transport Seat Assembly with Selective Fixing and Rollers

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Solution Overview

Problem

Public transport vehicles, such as buses, face challenges in easily reconfiguring their seating arrangements to accommodate varying numbers and types of passengers, as fixed seats cannot be easily moved or removed.

Innovation Solution

A vehicular seat assembly with a structural portion fixed to the ground, featuring a hinge connection allowing the sitting portion to rotate and adjust positions, combined with selective fixing and coupling mechanisms that enable easy attachment and detachment from the ground, and rollers for movement when disengaged.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If seats are fixed to the ground, then stability and safety are improved, but reconfigurability and ease of movement deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestability and safetyVSAvoidreconfigurability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The seat assembly is divided into separable components: a structural portion that attaches to the ground and a seat portion that can be detached. This segmentation allows the seat to maintain stability when fixed while enabling easy reconfiguration by separating and relocating the seat portion to different positions or removing it entirely.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If seats are fixed to the ground, then stability is improved, but ease of operation and reconfiguration deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovestabilityVSAvoidease of reconfiguration
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The seat assembly transitions from a static fixed state to a dynamic reconfigurable state through a coupling mechanism. The coupling portion allows the seat to be easily attached and detached from the ground, enabling quick reconfiguration of seating arrangements without complex tools or procedures, while maintaining stable fixation when attached.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Adaptability or versatility

If seats are made movable, then reconfigurability is improved, but stability and reliability deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovereconfigurabilityVSAvoidstability
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The coupling mechanism is pre-designed with coupling portions on both the structural portion and the ground that align and engage automatically. This preliminary preparation ensures that when the seat is attached, it achieves immediate stable fixation without requiring complex assembly steps, thus maintaining reliability while enabling movability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4043276A1Seat assembly for a public transport vehicle
Publication Date: 2022.08.17 IVECO FRANCE SAS
  • EP4043276A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4043276A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4043276A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Seat assembly (6) for a public transport vehicle (1), comprising a support portion (7) provided with a lower portion (7b) configured to be fixed to a ground (2) and an upper portion (7a), the seat assembly (6) further comprises at least a seat (8) carried by said upper portion (7a), wherein it further comprises selective fixing means (20) configured to assume a first configuration to fix the support portion (7) to a coupling portion (15) fixedly carried by the ground (2) or a second configuration to release the support portion (7) with respect to the coupling portion (15), the seat assembly (6) comprising support means (30) configured to rotatably support the seat assembly (6) on said ground (2) when support portion (7) is not fixed to the coupling portion (15).