Tiltable Seat With Center of Gravity Pivot for Personal Mobility Vehicle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional personal mobility vehicles with tilting seats require significant effort to tilt, can cause a sensation of being tipped over, and disrupt weight distribution between wheels, leading to potential instability.
Innovation Solution
A personal mobility vehicle design featuring a seat that moves along a curve with a fixed focal point, allowing the occupant's center of gravity to align with the curve's center of curvature, minimizing the effort required to tilt and maintaining stability by limiting tilting to pure rotation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional tilting mechanisms are used with pivot axis towards the rear of the seat, then the seat can be tilted to reposition the occupant, but significant effort is required to tilt the occupant due to translation of the center of gravity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the pivot axis at the occupant's center of gravity, creating an equipotential tilting mechanism where the center of gravity remains stationary during tilting. This eliminates the need to lift or lower the occupant's weight, reducing the effort required to tilt while maintaining mechanical simplicity without requiring complex springs or gas cylinders.
2Ease of operation
If conventional tilting mechanisms translate the occupant's center of gravity during tilting, then the seat can be tilted, but large base frames and anti-tip devices are required to maintain stability
Solution Approach 1:
By positioning the pivot axis at the occupant's center of gravity, the invention creates a tilting mechanism where the center of gravity remains stationary in space during tilting. This eliminates the fore-aft displacement that causes instability in conventional designs, allowing for a more compact base frame without requiring large anti-tip devices while maintaining vehicle stability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional tilt seat designs are used, then the seat can be tilted to various angles, but the occupant experiences a sensation of being tipped over and pitched off balance
Solution Approach 1:
The invention positions the pivot axis at the occupant's center of gravity, creating an equipotential tilting mechanism where the center of gravity remains stationary during tilting. This eliminates the sensation of being tipped over or pitched off balance that occurs in conventional designs, providing a comfortable and secure feeling for the occupant while allowing adjustment to various seat angles for different positions and activities.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design reduces the effort needed to tilt the seat, prevents the sensation of being tipped over, maintains weight distribution balance, and enhances vehicle stability and maneuverability.
Implementation Method 1
a seat moveable along a curve having a focal point
Data Source
AI summary
The vehicle comprises a base and a seat moveable along a curve having a focal point. The vehicle is adjustable to position an occupant in the seat to achieve a desired position for the center of gravity of the occupant relative to the focal point of the curve. A method for minimizing effort required to tilt the seat of a personal mobility vehicle comprises the steps of providing a personal mobility vehicle having a seat that is adapted to move along an arc having a center of curvature, positioning the seat substantially horizontally, providing an occupant in the seat, and adjusting the position of the vehicle occupant's center of gravity so that the center of gravity is substantially equal to or below the center of curvature of the arc.