Variable-Inclination Passenger Seat for Spaceflight Load Factors
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Passenger transport systems propelled by space launchers face challenges in making non-rectilinear trajectories bearable due to high speeds, requiring specific training and causing discomfort.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle with movable seats that rotate about an axis perpendicular to the direction of movement, equipped with acceleration sensors and a control unit to maintain the seat's position relative to the load factor, along with a passenger interface to display fixed images, ensuring the passenger's frame of reference remains stable.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the transport system performs non-rectilinear trajectories at high speed, then productivity and speed are improved, but passenger comfort deteriorates due to unbearable load factors
Solution Approach 1:
The seat is made rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the direction of movement, allowing its orientation to dynamically adjust during flight. The control unit continuously monitors acceleration and calculates load factors to determine the optimal seat angle, transforming the static seat into a dynamic element that adapts to changing flight conditions, thereby maintaining passenger comfort during high-speed non-rectilinear trajectories
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the orientation parameter of the seat based on calculated load factors. By continuously adjusting the seat angle according to real-time acceleration data and load factor calculations, the system optimizes the passenger's experience during maneuvers, allowing high-speed travel while maintaining comfort through parameter adaptation
2Ease of operation
If the seat rotates to follow load factor, then passenger comfort is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional sensors and control mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback loop where the acceleration sensor continuously monitors the vehicle's acceleration, the control unit calculates the load factor based on this data, and the seat rotation mechanism adjusts the seat orientation accordingly. This closed-loop feedback system automates the comfort optimization process, managing the complexity through systematic control rather than mechanical complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical linkages with an electronic control system. Instead of using purely mechanical means to adjust seat orientation, the invention uses an acceleration sensor, a control unit that calculates load factors, and an actuator system, substituting sophisticated mechanics with a more manageable electro-mechanical control architecture
Data Source
AI summary
A transport system intended to be installed on a space launcher comprises: an aircraft which comprises propulsion means configured to propel the aircraft in a direction of flight, and at least one seat intended to receive a passenger which is movable in rotation about an axis perpendicular to the direction of flight of the aircraft, an acceleration sensor being installed on each at least one seat to measure the acceleration of each at least one seat; a passenger interface for each at least one seat which comprises a screen intended to display images to the passenger installed on said at least one seat, the screen being coupled to said at least one seat so to remain fixed relative to said at least one seat; a control unit which is connected to the acceleration sensor and to said at least one seat.