Aircraft Seat Headrest Mechanism for Forward Sleep Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial aircraft economy class seats, when reclined, provide inadequate sleeping positions for passengers with medical conditions like orthopnoea, and cause space reduction and mobility issues for other passengers.
Innovation Solution
A front sleep support system with a moveable headrest portion that can pivot and linearly move between stowed and deployed positions, connected by a moveable arm with a pivot point, allowing multiple rest positions and easy deployment without disturbing adjacent passengers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the seat is reclined to provide a sleeping position, then passenger comfort is improved, but legroom and personal space of other passengers are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The headrest function is segmented from the seat backrest, allowing it to be independently deployed forward without requiring the entire seat to recline. This enables the seat backrest to remain upright, preserving legroom and personal space for passengers behind, while the headrest portion provides the sleeping support function.
Solution Approach 2:
The headrest portion is extracted as a separate movable component from the fixed seat structure. It can be independently deployed forward over the passenger's head to provide sleeping support without affecting the seat backrest position, thereby avoiding reduction of legroom and personal space for other passengers.
2Reliability
If the headrest portion is made fixed to support the back of the head, then head support is provided, but it cannot be deployed forward to support the front of the head
Solution Approach 1:
The headrest portion is designed with movable connections (pivot connections and sliding connections) that allow it to dynamically change position. It can be in a retracted position supporting the back of the head, or deployed forward over the passenger's head to support the front of the head, providing adaptability for different sleeping preferences and medical needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The headrest portion is designed to perform multiple functions: it can support the back of the head when retracted, support the front of the head when deployed forward, and provide orthopnoea support by positioning the head in a forward-leaning posture. This multi-functionality is achieved through the movable arm mechanism that enables both linear and pivot movement.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the headrest portion is deployed forward over the passenger's head, then multiple rest positions are provided, but it requires complex movement mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The movable arm incorporates both pivot connections and sliding connections, allowing the headrest portion to move through a combination of linear motion and rotational motion. This dynamic mechanism enables the headrest to follow a natural arc over the passenger's head, providing multiple rest positions while keeping the mechanism relatively simple through the use of standard mechanical joints.
Data Source
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AI summary
A front sleep support system for an airplane seat, the front sleep support system comprising: a headrest portion moveable between a stowed position in which the headrest portion is configured to support the back of a user's head and a deployed position in which the headrest portion is configured to support the front of a user's head; and a moveable arm configured to connect the headrest portion to a seat having a seat backrest and a seat base, the moveable arm defining a pivot point, wherein the headrest portion is configured to move pivotably about the pivot point between the stowed position and the deployed position, and wherein the moveable arm permits the headrest portion to move linearly relative to the seat base for deployment and/or stowing of the headrest portion between the stowed position and the deployed position.