Variable-Thickness Metal Seat Back for More Passenger Living Space
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing passenger seat back designs, primarily made of metal, restrict living space due to their constant cross-sections necessary for stiffness and strength, limiting the usable area for passengers.
Innovation Solution
A tubular seat back frame with a central cavity and varying thickness, featuring a reinforcing member and a back sheet that defines a housing area, allows for increased living space and structural reinforcement while reducing material usage and weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a constant cross-section metal seat back is used, then stiffness and strength are provided, but passenger living space is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The seat back frame transitions from a constant cross-section design to a variable cross-section design where the thickness of the frame members varies along their length. Thicker sections are positioned at critical load-bearing areas while thinner sections are used in non-critical areas, thereby maintaining necessary strength and stiffness while reducing overall material usage and increasing passenger living space.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameter of the frame cross-section from constant to variable. By adjusting the thickness parameter of the frame members at different locations, the design optimizes the balance between structural performance and space utilization, allowing thinner sections where full strength is not required从而增加乘客空间.
2Strength
If a constant cross-section metal seat back is used, then structural strength is maintained, but material usage and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The seat back frame uses non-uniform thickness distribution where critical structural areas have thicker sections for strength while non-critical areas have thinner sections, reducing overall material consumption and weight while maintaining necessary structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts unnecessary material from non-critical areas of the seat back frame, removing excess weight while preserving strength in areas where it is structurally required. This selective material removal achieves weight reduction without compromising overall structural performance.
3Area of stationary object
If frame thickness is reduced to increase living space, then passenger living space increases, but structural strength decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The variable cross-section design strategically places thicker frame sections at critical load-bearing locations and thinner sections in non-critical areas, ensuring that strength is maintained where needed while maximizing living space in areas where full thickness is not required.
Solution Approach 2:
The seat back frame is divided into multiple segments with different thickness characteristics. By segmenting the frame into zones of varying thickness, the design achieves optimal balance between strength requirements and space utilization, with each segment optimized for its specific functional requirements.
Data Source
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AI summary
Described are seat backs for passenger seats. The seat back includes a frame, and the frame includes an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portion includes a top end of the seat back, and the lower portion is adjacent to the upper portion. A thickness of the upper portion of the frame may be less than a thickness of the lower portion of the frame.