Variable Seat Ottoman with Multi-Axis Adjustment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The integration of seat modules with ottoman units in aircraft cabins is limited by space and weight constraints, necessitating improvements in layout to increase density while maintaining personal comfort and structural integrity.
Innovation Solution
A seat module design featuring an independently movable ottoman unit with an adjustment mechanism that allows repositioning along multiple axes, enabling flexible configuration to optimize space usage and access paths, with the ottoman unit attachable to the cabin floor via an adjustment unit that allows selective displacement in two directions, independent of the passenger seat.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If seat modules are arranged in traditional layouts with ottoman units fixed to passenger seats, then personal space and comfort are maintained, but space efficiency and cabin area utilization deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The ottoman unit is made dynamically reconfigurable through an adjustment mechanism that allows it to move between different positions (retracted, extended, and intermediate positions). This dynamic capability enables the ottoman to adapt to different operational modes: during boarding it can be retracted to facilitate access, while during flight it can be extended to provide leg rest functionality, thus resolving the contradiction between space efficiency and personal comfort
Solution Approach 2:
The ottoman unit is separated from the passenger seat structure into an independent module with its own base and adjustment mechanism. This segmentation allows the ottoman to be repositioned independently of the seat, enabling flexible cabin layouts where multiple ottoman units can be arranged in staggered patterns to optimize both space utilization and accessibility paths
2Ease of operation
If seat modules are arranged in staggered layouts with ottoman units facing aisles, then access paths are improved, but installation space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment mechanism provides movement in multiple dimensions - primarily along the longitudinal axis of the cabin (forward and backward movement) and potentially laterally. This multi-dimensional adjustability allows ottoman units to be positioned in staggered arrangements that create optimized access paths through the cabin while maintaining compact footprint, as each ottoman can be independently positioned to create efficient circulation routes without requiring excessive installation space
3Adaptability or versatility
If ottoman units are fixed to passenger seats, then structural integrity is maintained, but flexibility in configuration and space efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment mechanism provides a dynamically adjustable connection between the ottoman base and the floor, allowing the structure to transition between fixed and movable states. This dynamic capability enables flexible reconfiguration of the cabin layout while maintaining structural integrity during use, as the ottoman can be securely positioned and locked in place when extended, yet easily repositioned when retraction is required
Solution Approach 2:
By separating the ottoman unit from the passenger seat structure and creating an independent module with its own base and adjustment mechanism, the design achieves configuration flexibility without compromising structural integrity. The segmented architecture allows each component to be optimized independently - the ottoman for comfort and adjustability, the base for structural strength and secure mounting to the floor
Data Source
AI summary
A seat module includes a passenger seat attachable to a cabin floor, and a separate ottoman unit associated with the passenger seat. The ottoman unit has at least one resting surface for a passenger and a base, which base is attachable to the cabin floor by an adjustment unit at a position in a first direction of the passenger seat. The adjustment unit is configured to allow a selective displacement of the ottoman unit relative to the cabin floor along the first direction and at least a second direction perpendicular thereto into a seating position and a resting position of the seat module.