Passenger Seat Release Pedal for Hands-Free Lock Operation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Passenger seats in vehicles, especially aircraft, pose a risk of germ and pathogen transmission due to high-contact areas that require hand contact for operation, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Innovation Solution
A hands-free release system integrated into passenger seats, featuring an actuator coupled to a seat member and a mechanism, such as a pedal, that allows the seat member to change its lock state without direct hand contact, enabling movement between stowed and deployed positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional manual release mechanisms are used for seat members, then the structure remains simple and reliable, but hand contact with high-touch areas increases the risk of germ transmission
Solution Approach 1:
A foot pedal serves as an intermediary mechanism between the passenger and the seat member release system. The pedal is coupled to an actuator that, when depressed by the passenger's foot, activates the release mechanism for the seat member. This intermediary allows the passenger to operate the seat member without direct hand contact with high-touch areas, thereby reducing germ transmission risk while maintaining ease of operation through foot actuation.
2Reliability
If hand contact is required to deploy seat members, then the mechanism remains simple and direct, but passenger safety is compromised due to increased exposure to pathogens
Solution Approach 1:
The release system is segmented into distinct functional components: a foot pedal for input, an actuator for force transmission, a release mechanism for lock engagement/disengagement, and the seat member itself. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function while isolating the passenger's hand from high-touch areas. The foot pedal and actuator form a separate control system that mechanically links to the release mechanism, reducing overall system complexity while improving passenger safety.
3Ease of operation
If a foot pedal mechanism is introduced for hands-free operation, then hand contact with high-touch areas is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The foot pedal mechanism is designed to be self-actuating through the passenger's natural foot motion. When the passenger depresses the pedal with their foot, the mechanical linkage directly activates the actuator, which in turn triggers the release mechanism. This self-service design eliminates the need for additional control systems, electronic components, or complex actuation sequences, thereby achieving hands-free operation capability while minimizing the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Described is a passenger seat having a seat member moveable between a stowed position and a deployed position and at least one actuator coupled to at least one portion of the seat member, wherein the at least one actuator is activable without direct contact with a passenger's hand to change a lock state of the seat member, and wherein an unlocked state of the seat member permits movement of the seat member between the stowed position and the deployed position.