Spacecraft Seat with Double Rotation Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Space vehicles, particularly space planes, face challenges in reducing the effects of acceleration on passengers during take-off and return phases, which is exacerbated by the need to accommodate ordinary passengers and tourists, as existing seat designs from atmospheric airplanes are not applicable and rotating seat systems for automobiles are not suitable for high acceleration environments.
Innovation Solution
The design features a rigid seat shell with an axle piece aligned perpendicular to the spacecraft's longitudinal direction, allowing for double rotation and sliding mechanisms that orient the passenger to minimize acceleration forces, ensuring comfort and safety by placing the body in a favorable orientation perpendicular to accelerations, while maintaining a compact and balanced layout.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If seats are designed for atmospheric airplanes with fixed orientations, then manufacturing is simple, but acceleration effects on passengers during spaceflight cannot be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The seat is designed with double rotation capability around two perpendicular axes, allowing it to dynamically adjust its orientation in response to acceleration forces during spaceflight. This dynamic positioning system enables the seat to optimize passenger orientation relative to acceleration vectors, reducing harmful effects while maintaining structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The seat structure is divided into multiple rotatable segments that can independently adjust orientation. The seat shell, support structure, and positioning mechanisms are segmented to allow flexible reconfiguration, enabling complex rotational movements while keeping each individual component relatively simple in design
2Object-affected harmful factors
If rotating seat systems from automobiles are used, then driver orientation can be optimized for accidents, but the systems are not suitable for high acceleration environments in space vehicles
Solution Approach 1:
The seat incorporates double rotation mechanisms around two perpendicular axes, allowing it to dynamically adapt to the multi-directional acceleration forces characteristic of spaceflight. This differs from automobile seats that typically rotate around a single transverse axis, providing enhanced versatility for spaceflight conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The seat design serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, enables dynamic orientation adjustment, and adapts to various acceleration scenarios during spaceflight. The double rotation system allows the seat to handle both longitudinal and lateral acceleration forces, making it universally applicable to different spaceflight maneuvers
3Volume of moving object
If seats are arranged in a compact layout, then space utilization is improved, but accessibility and safety of passengers may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable seat design allows passengers to be positioned optimally during flight while maintaining compact cabin layout. The ability of seats to rotate and adjust orientation enables safe passenger positioning without requiring excessive space between seats, thus achieving both compact utilization and safety
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2D
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AI summary
The invention relates to a seat specially designed for spacecraft and in particular for space planes, that comprises a rigid shell and two axis parts (9, 10) having an alignment direction (12) in front of and along the seat passenger; the seat can pivot freely about the axis parts along the acceleration direction so that the passenger is always in an orientation perpendicular to the acceleration forces where he can best withstand them.