Stowable Seat Assembly with Pivotable Legs and Linking Members
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current stowable seat assemblies for motor vehicles are complex and require seats to be turned or flipped upside down for stowage, making deployment and stowage cumbersome.
Innovation Solution
A stowable seat assembly design featuring pivotable legs and linking members that allow the seat to be moved from a deployed position to a stowed position while maintaining the lower side facing the vehicle floor, eliminating the need to flip or turn the seat upside down, with releasable locking mechanisms for easy adjustment and stowage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If current stowable seat assemblies are used, then storage capacity is provided, but the complexity of the arrangement increases and seats must be turned or flipped upside down for stowage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional stowage approach by keeping the seat in its normal orientation (lower side facing the vehicle floor) during stowage, rather than flipping it upside down. This is achieved through a pivotable leg mechanism that allows the seat to be tilted forward while maintaining its proper orientation, thereby reducing complexity and eliminating the need for seat inversion.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic, pivotable legs that can rotate between a deployed position (supporting the seat) and a retracted position (allowing stowage). This dynamic mechanism enables the seat to be moved forward and stored without flipping, simplifying the overall arrangement while maintaining storage functionality.
2Volume of moving object
If current stowable seat assemblies are used, then storage capacity is provided, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to the need to turn or flip seats
Solution Approach 1:
By inverting the stowage method to avoid flipping the seat, the patent significantly improves ease of operation. The seat remains in its normal orientation throughout the stowage process, making the operation simpler and more intuitive for users.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the stowage operation into independent rotational movements of the front and rear legs, allowing the seat to be moved forward in a controlled manner without requiring complex flipping or turning actions, thereby enhancing operational ease.
3Ease of operation
If pivotable legs and linking members are used, then complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but the device structure becomes more intricate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of support and stowage into a single integrated leg mechanism. The pivotable legs and linking members work together as a unified system that provides both structural support during deployment and enables stowage through rotation, thereby reducing overall structural complexity despite the added pivotable components.
Data Source
AI summary
A seat assembly for a vehicle having a floor can include a seat bottom, a seat back, a pair of front legs and a pair of rear legs. The seat bottom can have a seating side and an opposite lower side facing the floor. The front legs can be pivotably coupled to the vehicle and to the seat bottom via releasable locking mechanisms. The rear legs can be pivotably coupled to the seat bottom and releasably coupled to the vehicle. A pair of linking members can pivotably couple the front and rear legs to each other. The seat assembly can be movable from a deployed to a stowed position whereby the seat bottom can be pivoted forward about the front and rear legs while maintaining the seat bottom lower side facing the floor and the front and rear legs pivotably coupled to the vehicle and the seat bottom.