Static Aircraft Privacy Panel Floor Mounting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Aircraft cabin privacy panels integrated with aircraft seats often require over-engineering to meet stringent aviation standards, leading to increased weight, cost, and complexity.

Innovation Solution

Designing static aircraft seat privacy panels that are not coupled to aircraft seats, instead being directly coupled to the aircraft cabin floor and overhead structures, allowing them to meet a 9G certification standard rather than the more stringent 16G standard.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If privacy panels are coupled to or integrated into aircraft seat structures, then they provide effective privacy separation, but they require over-engineering to meet aviation standards, increasing weight and complexity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprivacy separation effectivenessVSAvoidstructural complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The privacy panel system is segmented into independent components: the panel itself, the floor-mounted components, and the overhead structure components. This segmentation allows each component to be designed and certified independently, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining privacy separation effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The privacy panel is extracted from the aircraft seat structure and repositioned to be mounted independently between the floor and overhead structures. This extraction eliminates the need for the panel to be integrated into the seat, thereby reducing the structural complexity and certification burden on both the seat and panel systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Adaptability or versatility

If privacy panels are integrated with aircraft seats, then they move with the seat, but they require meeting stringent 16G certification standards, increasing weight

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemovement with seatVSAvoidprivacy panel weight
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of mounting the privacy panel to the aircraft seat and having it move with the seat, the panel is inverted to be mounted independently to the floor and overhead structures. This inversion allows the panel to remain stationary relative to the cabin while the seat moves independently, reducing the weight requirements from 16G to 9G certification standards.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Stability of the object's composition

If privacy panels are coupled to aircraft seats, then they maintain relative position, but they require similar testing and aviation guideline compliance as seats, increasing cost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverelative position stabilityVSAvoidcertification cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The system is divided into independent components (privacy panel, floor-mounted components, overhead components) that can be manufactured and certified separately. This segmentation reduces certification costs by allowing the privacy panel to be certified to 9G standards independently rather than requiring 16G seat integration certification.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The floor-mounted components and overhead structure components serve as intermediaries between the privacy panel and the aircraft structure. These intermediaries provide the necessary mounting and support functions without requiring direct integration with the aircraft seat, thereby reducing certification complexity and cost.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3978368B1Static aircraft seat privacy panels
Publication Date: 2025.05.14 BE AEROSPACE INC
  • EP3978368B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP3978368B1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP3978368B1 patent drawingFigure 1C

AI summary

A static aircraft seat privacy panel (102) may include a body (106). At least a portion of a surface of the body (106) may be shaped to at least partially conform with at least a portion of an aircraft seat. A lower edge (108) of the body may be configured to couple to a floor via a set of floor-mounted components (300). The set of floor-mounted components (300) may be within the floor separate from a set of seat tracks of an aircraft seat compliant with 16G force requirements for aviation transport. An upper edge (120) of the body may be configured to be offset a selected distance from a surface of one or more overhead structures (116) of the aircraft cabin when the body (106) is coupled to one or more structures positioned proximate to a ceiling of the aircraft cabin. The static aircraft seat privacy panel (102) may be compliant with 9G force requirements for aviation transport.