Vehicle Seating Assembly with Deployable Storage Member Between Seats
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicles often lack sufficient storage space, especially when a removable seat is present or a walkway exists between seats, as conventional storage solutions like the vehicle floor or trunk compartment are insufficient, and additional storage within seats is not readily available unless the seat back is folded flat over the seat base.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle seating assembly with a storage member that can pivot between an undeployed position beneath the seat base and a deployed position between the seating assemblies via a linkage, allowing for additional storage space to be created within the vehicle, particularly between the first and second seating assemblies, while maintaining the functionality of the seat base and seat back.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a removable seat or walkway is present between seats, then passenger accessibility and comfort are improved, but storage space becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The storage member is designed to be movable between a stowed position within the member space and a deployed position between the seating assemblies. The linkage mechanism allows the storage member to dynamically change position, providing storage space only when needed while maintaining passenger accessibility when the storage member is stowed.
2Volume of stationary object
If additional storage space is created within seats, then storage capacity is improved, but the seat structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The storage member is designed to perform multiple functions: it provides storage capacity when deployed between the seating assemblies, and when stowed within the member space, it maintains the structural integrity of the seat base. The same component serves both as a structural element and a storage container.
3Volume of stationary object
If the seat back is folded flat over the seat base to create storage space, then storage availability is improved, but seating functionality is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of modifying the seat base structure itself to create storage space, the invention extracts the storage function into a separate, movable storage member. This allows the seat base to maintain its original seating functionality while the storage member provides additional storage capacity independently.
4Ease of operation
If storage space is provided between seating assemblies, then storage accessibility is improved, but the space may interfere with seat movement
Solution Approach 1:
The storage member is designed with dynamic positioning capability through the linkage mechanism, allowing it to move between deployed and stowed positions. When the seat base needs to move or adjust, the storage member can be repositioned or removed, preventing interference while maintaining accessibility when in the deployed position.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle including first and seating assemblies positioned within a single seating row defining a space positioned therebetween. A storage member is operable between an undeployed position within a member space defined below a seat base of the first seating assembly and a deployed position within the space between the first and second seating assemblies via a linkage.