Height Adjustable Seat Pan With Pivot Guide Tracks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cabin attendant seats in aircraft have a fixed seat pan height, which can cause discomfort for occupants of varying statures, as they do not accommodate individuals who are either very tall or very short, failing to provide an ergonomic seating posture.
Innovation Solution
A cabin attendant seat with a stowable and repositionable seat pan that translates along guide tracks with successive pivot positions, allowing the seat pan to adjust to different heights, pivot between stowed and deployed conditions, and lock into place, ensuring ergonomic seating for occupants of diverse physiques.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a fixed seat pan height is used in conventional cabin attendant seats, then the structure is simple and manufacturing is easier, but comfort and ergonomics deteriorate for occupants of varying statures
Solution Approach 1:
The seat pan is transformed from a fixed structure to a dynamic, adjustable structure that can pivot between multiple discrete height positions. The guide tracks with successive pivot positions enable the seat pan to adapt to different occupant statures while maintaining structural simplicity through a controlled mechanical adjustment mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The seat pan height parameter is made variable through the pivot mechanism. By providing successive pivot positions at different heights along the guide tracks, the system allows change of the vertical position parameter to accommodate different occupant sizes, resolving the contradiction between fixed structure simplicity and adaptability requirement.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a hinged seat pan is used to allow movement, then adaptability improves, but the risk of inadvertent deployment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary positioning by aligning the seat pan with specific pivot positions before final deployment. The guide tracks pre-defined successive pivot positions serve as intermediate stopping points, ensuring the seat pan is correctly positioned and locked before full deployment, thereby preventing inadvertent deployment while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide tracks act as an intermediary mechanism between the seat pan and the deployed position. The successive pivot positions on the guide tracks serve as intermediate engagement points that control and guide the seat pan movement, preventing uncontrolled deployment while enabling adaptable height adjustment.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the seat pan is made repositionable with multiple pivot positions, then comfort for diverse occupants improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous adjustment range is segmented into discrete successive pivot positions along the guide tracks. This segmentation allows the system to provide multiple height options for adaptability while keeping each individual position simple and well-defined, reducing the overall device complexity compared to continuous adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide track structure serves multiple functions: it guides the seat pan movement, defines successive pivot positions, and provides the mechanical framework for the pivot mechanism. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while achieving adaptability.
4Ease of operation
If the seat pan is allowed to pivot freely, then ease of operation improves, but stability and precise positioning deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The seat pan adjustment mechanism is designed to be self-positioning through the guide tracks with successive pivot positions. As the user operates the seat pan, it naturally aligns with and locks into the predetermined pivot positions without requiring precise manual positioning, providing both ease of operation and stable, repeatable positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The complex mechanical positioning system is replaced with a simplified guide track and pivot mechanism. The guide tracks provide the mechanical constraints and guidance, while the pivot positions provide automatic stopping and locking, replacing the need for complex mechanical positioning systems while maintaining stability and ease of operation.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1D
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
Disclosed is a height adjustable seat pan assembly such as for use in an aircraft cabin attendant seat. The assembly includes a seat pan (106) supported between spaced frame members defining guide tracks including successive pivot positions each corresponding to a different seat pan height. The seat pan (106) is movable between a deployed condition and a stowed condition in which the seat pan (106) stows generally vertically below a backrest (104) to provide a low profile seat in the stowed condition. Features provided on opposing sides of the seat pan (106) interact with the successive pivot positions in the guide tracks, and the seat can be repositioned to a different pivot position to change the seat pan height. Pivoting motion of the seat pan (106) between the stowed and deployed conditions locks or unlocks the seat pan (106) relative to its aligned successive pivot position.