Seat cushion for a vehicle seat, in particular an aircraft seat
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle seat cushions, particularly in aircraft, face challenges in achieving a balance between low overall weight, high mechanical stability, and ease of attachment to support frames while meeting stringent mechanical and safety criteria such as tensile and pressure loads.
Innovation Solution
A seat cushion design incorporating a first layer of plastic material with a stabilizing agent that has higher bending stiffness and dimensional stability, featuring spaced-apart elements like bars or support rails made of metal or carbon fibers embedded in a resin system, allowing for interchangeability and inspection, and connected via adhesive layers or recesses for secure embedding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If plastic foam is used for seat cushions to reduce weight, then the overall weight decreases, but the mechanical stability and strength are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines plastic foam material with glass fiber reinforcement to create a composite cushion structure. The glass fiber mat is embedded within the foam layers, providing structural strength and stability while the foam maintains lightweight properties. This composite approach resolves the contradiction by integrating materials with complementary properties.
2Strength
If stabilizing agents are embedded in the cushion to improve mechanical stability, then the strength increases, but the complexity of inspection and replacement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stabilizing agent is designed as a separate, removable component (such as a stabilizing rod or bar) that can be independently accessed and replaced. The cushion is constructed in layers with the stabilizing agent positioned between the foam and cover, allowing it to be removed through the bottom layer without destroying the entire cushion structure. This segmentation enables easy inspection and replacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilizing agent is extracted as a distinct element from the cushion mass, positioned in a way that allows it to be removed and replaced independently. The patent describes the stabilizing agent as a separate component that can be taken out through the bottom layer of the cushion, enabling maintenance without replacing the entire cushion assembly.
3Strength
If multiple layers of plastic materials are used to meet safety criteria, then the mechanical strength increases, but the overall weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure with plastic foam layers combined with glass fiber reinforcement. This allows meeting mechanical strength requirements through the reinforcing fibers rather than increasing foam density or adding excessive foam layers, thereby controlling the overall weight while achieving necessary strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The glass fiber reinforcement is applied locally within specific regions of the cushion where structural strength is most needed, rather than uniformly throughout the entire cushion. This targeted reinforcement provides necessary strength while minimizing additional weight compared to uniform thickening of the cushion.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a seat cushion (1) for at least one vehicle seat, in particular an aircraft seat, comprising at least one cushion (10) having at least one layer (11) made of a plastic material, wherein at least one stabilizing agent (30) is embedded in the at least one plastic material layer (11), and wherein the at least one stabilizing agent (30) has a bending stiffness which is higher with respect to the plastic material layer (11).