Spherical-Carriage Seating Device for Compact Motion Simulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motion simulation devices are bulky, complex, and expensive, making them impractical for home use, particularly when used with virtual reality headsets, where a need exists for smaller, simpler, and less expensive solutions to simulate motion effectively.
Innovation Solution
A dynamically orientable seating device that includes a seat mounted on a carriage within a pedestal, with a drive wheel that rotates on a sphere-shaped surface to achieve pitch and roll, and a rotatable platform for yaw control, along with an orientation sensor to detect and adjust the seat's orientation, allowing for simulated motion in various environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional motion simulation devices are used, then motion simulation capability is achieved, but device size and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The motion simulation device is divided into separate functional modules: a base unit with drive mechanisms and a separate carriage with spherical support surface. This segmentation allows each module to be optimized independently and reduces overall system complexity while maintaining full motion simulation capability through coordinated operation of the segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The carriage assembly with the spherical support surface is extracted as a separate, removable component from the base unit. This extraction simplifies the main base structure, reduces manufacturing complexity, and allows the carriage to be easily adjusted or replaced without affecting the core drive mechanisms.
2Reliability
If traditional motion simulation devices are used, then motion simulation capability is achieved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the device into a base unit and a separate carriage, each component can be manufactured using simpler, more cost-effective processes. The base unit contains the expensive drive mechanisms that need precise manufacturing, while the carriage with its spherical surface can be manufactured separately using more economical methods such as spherical segment fabrication or precision molding.
Solution Approach 2:
The spherical support surface on the carriage serves multiple functions: it enables pitch rotation, roll rotation, and supports various seat configurations. This multi-functionality reduces the need for multiple separate components, thereby lowering overall manufacturing costs while maintaining full motion simulation capability.
3Volume of moving object
If device size is reduced for home use, then accessibility improves, but motion simulation effectiveness may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The carriage assembly nests within the base unit when not in use, and the spherical support surface allows the carriage to be compactly stored. This nesting arrangement minimizes the device's footprint for home environments while maintaining the full range of motion capabilities when operational, as the carriage can extend freely during simulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The spherical support surface enables the carriage to achieve pitch and roll rotations through a compact curved geometry rather than requiring large linear travel distances. This spherical mechanism provides effective motion simulation within a limited space, making the device suitable for home use without compromising simulation effectiveness.
Data Source
AI summary
An orientable seating device includes a seat, the orientation of which can be controlled to dynamically affect a desired of yaw, pitch and roll. The seating device can be used to reorient and/or to simulate motion for a seated person for use with video games, virtual reality headsets or goggles, land, water, air or space vehicle simulation, or wireless airborne drones, for example. The device includes a seat mounted on a carriage, which is received in a carriage pedestal. Within the pedestal, a drive wheel positioned under the carriage supports and rotates the carriage by driving an outer sphere-shaped surface of the carriage. The drive wheel can be reoriented around a vertical axis such that any combination of pitch and roll can be achieved by rotating the wheel against the sphere-shaped surface. Yaw can be controlled by a rotatable platform upon which the carriage pedestal can be mounted.