Stowable Seat Arrangement With Automatic Floor Panel Transition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current stowable seat assemblies in vehicles are complex and require seats to be turned or flipped upside down for storage, making deployment and stowage cumbersome.
Innovation Solution
A stowable seat arrangement with a pivotably coupled seat back and bottom, paired with a stowage recess cover assembly that automatically articulates from a deployed to a stowed position, allowing the seat to be compactly stored without flipping, using L-shaped front and rear legs and a floor panel that transitions to a flat load floor configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If current stowable seat assemblies are used, then storage capacity is improved, but device complexity increases and ease of operation deteriorates due to requiring seats to be turned or flipped upside down
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional stowage approach by having the seat bottom pivot forward to a horizontal position rather than flipping upside down. The seat back pivots rearward to rest against the vehicle floor, creating an inverted stowage configuration that eliminates complex flipping mechanisms while achieving compact storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic pivoting mechanisms allowing the seat bottom and seat back to move through controlled rotation arcs. The seat bottom pivots forward about a pivot axis, and the seat back pivots rearward, enabling continuous motion from deployed to stowed position without discrete flipping actions, thereby reducing mechanical complexity.
2Volume of moving object
If current stowable seat assemblies are used, then storage capacity is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to cumbersome flipping motion required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional stowage approach by having the seat bottom pivot forward to a horizontal position rather than flipping upside down. The seat back pivots rearward to rest against the vehicle floor, creating an inverted stowage configuration that eliminates complex flipping mechanisms while achieving compact storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The seat back is configured to pivot rearward first, clearing the path for the seat bottom to pivot forward into its stowed position. This preliminary action of the seat back facilitates the subsequent forward pivoting of the seat bottom, making the overall stowage operation smoother and more intuitive.
3Ease of operation
If floor panel is positioned in spaced relation to vehicle floor in deployed position, then ease of operation is improved, but area of stationary object deteriorates when seat is deployed
Solution Approach 1:
The floor panel is configured to dynamically transition between two positions: spaced from the vehicle floor when the seat is deployed, and moving forward to engage with the vehicle floor when the seat is stowed. This dynamic adjustment optimizes both operational ease and floor area utilization based on the seat's state.
Data Source
AI summary
A stowable seat arrangement can include a seat having a seat back coupled to a seat bottom. A pair of front and rear legs can be pivotably coupled to the seat bottom. A floor panel can be fixed to the seat back. A stowage recess cover can be pivotably coupled to the vehicle and the front legs. The seat can be configured to selectively articulate from a deployed position to a stowed position where the seat can be received in a vehicle stowage recess. Pivotably raising the cover can automatically begin articulation of the seat from the deployed position to the stowed position. The floor panel can be in spaced relation to the floor when the seat is in the deployed position and can automatically move to a position in engagement with the floor to provide a flat load floor configuration when the seat is in the stowed position.