Clockable Seat Pan Articulation Insert for Adjustable Tilt and Rake
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional seat articulation profiles in commercial aircraft seats are inflexible, requiring entire seat or articulation insert swaps to accommodate different passenger preferences, leading to high costs and labor, and do not efficiently adjust to varying passenger needs.
Innovation Solution
A system with clockable articulation inserts that fit into a seat frame cavity, allowing adjustment of seat pan tilt, extension, and rake through a guide slot, enabling multiple profiles without replacing parts, using interchangeable inserts with differently configured guide slots.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If fixed articulation inserts are used in seat design, then the seat structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the seat cannot be customized to accommodate different passenger preferences for articulation profiles
Solution Approach 1:
The articulation insert is divided into modular components including a base portion with gear teeth and a separate seat pan assembly with a crosspiece. This segmentation allows the articulation mechanism to be adjusted by reconfiguring individual components rather than replacing entire seats, enabling customization while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The seat articulation mechanism transitions from a fixed configuration to a dynamic, adjustable system. The clockable base portion with gear teeth enables the seat pan to be repositioned to different articulation angles, allowing the structure to adapt to various passenger preferences while maintaining ease of manufacture through standardized components.
2Adaptability or versatility
If entire seats or articulation inserts are swapped to adjust articulation profiles, then the correct articulation profile can be achieved, but high costs for parts and labor are incurred
Solution Approach 1:
The articulation mechanism is segmented into a reusable base portion with gear teeth and an adjustable seat pan assembly. This allows the expensive seat structure to be retained while only adjusting the modular articulation components, significantly reducing parts and labor costs compared to replacing entire seats.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding and replacing entire articulation inserts or seats, the invention allows the base portion with gear teeth to be retained and reused. The articulation profile is adjusted by reconfiguring the clockable mechanism, recovering the value of the existing seat structure while achieving the desired articulation profile.
3Adaptability or versatility
If different tilt settings of the seat pan are implemented, then passenger comfort can be optimized, but the overall dimensions of the seat change affecting total seating capacity in the aircraft cabin
Solution Approach 1:
The seat pan tilt is made dynamically adjustable through the clockable base portion mechanism. This allows the seat to adapt to different passenger comfort preferences while maintaining a compact footprint when in the retracted position, optimizing both comfort and seating capacity utilization in the aircraft cabin.
Data Source
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AI summary
A clockable articulation insert (128) for a seat (104) is disclosed. The clockable articulation insert (128) includes a base portion (216) that inserts into a cavity (204) within the frame or spreader bar (120a, 120b) of the seat. The clockable articulation insert (128) further includes a face that comprises a guide slot (232) that couples to a cross piece (124) of the seat (104) that is itself coupled to a seat pan (112). Movement of the cross piece (124) within the guide slot (232) changes the tilt, extension, and/or rake of the seat pan (112). Clocking the clockable articulation insert (128) to a different position alters the articulation profile of the clockable articulation insert (128), resulting in a different set of ranges of tilt, extension, and/or rake that can be accomplished by sliding the cross piece (124) within the guide slot (232). The set of articulation profiles may be further changed by replacing the clockable articulation insert (128) with another clockable articulation insert (128) configured with a differently designed guide slot (232).