Vehicle Seating Reconfiguration via Programmable Actuators
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle passenger compartment designs are limited in their ability to dynamically adjust seating arrangements, primarily focusing on adding or removing seating assemblies to change capacity, without offering flexible configurations to suit different needs such as child care, cargo transport, or social interaction.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle system with a controller that manages a plurality of seating assemblies, each equipped with actuators and sensors, allowing for programmable adjustments to seat positions, orientations, and configurations via a user interface, enabling transitions between various arrangements like child care, cargo, ingress/egress, and social configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If seating assemblies are removed or stowed to adjust seating capacity, then the passenger compartment can accommodate different numbers of passengers, but the system lacks flexible configuration options for different usage scenarios
Solution Approach 1:
The seating assemblies are designed with multiple degrees of freedom, allowing each seat to dynamically adjust its position along longitudinal rails, rotate about vertical axes, and change orientation angles. This dynamic capability enables the system to transition between various configurations (child care, cargo, ingress/egress, social arrangements) without requiring physical removal or stowage of seating assemblies, thereby improving adaptability while maintaining manageable complexity through standardized actuator mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
Each seating assembly is designed as a multi-functional unit capable of performing multiple functions: providing passenger seating, accommodating cargo when positioned in forward regions, facilitating passenger ingress/egress when seats are stowed, and enabling social interaction when oriented toward each other. The universal design allows a single seating assembly to serve different purposes based on its position and orientation, eliminating the need for separate systems for each function
2Ease of operation
If multiple actuators and sensors are integrated into each seating assembly for programmable adjustments, then flexible configuration transitions are enabled, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The seating assemblies are equipped with integrated actuators and sensors that enable automatic position detection and adjustment. The system can autonomously transition between pre-programmed configurations (child care, cargo, ingress/egress, social arrangements) by having each seating assembly self-adjust its position along the rails, its rotation angle, and its orientation based on controller commands, reducing the need for manual intervention and simplifying operation despite the presence of multiple actuators and sensors
Solution Approach 2:
Position sensors are integrated into each seating assembly to provide real-time feedback on the current position, orientation, and configuration state to the controller. This feedback mechanism enables the controller to monitor the system state and make precise adjustments to achieve the desired configuration, ensuring accurate and reliable positioning while maintaining ease of operation through automated control
3Volume of moving object
If seating assemblies can be freely repositioned and reoriented, then space utilization is optimized, but the structural complexity of the seating system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The seating assembly is divided into separable components: the seat portion, the seatback, the base structure, and the actuator mechanisms. Each component can be independently positioned and adjusted. The base structure includes integrated rails that allow longitudinal movement, while separate actuator systems handle rotation and orientation adjustments. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function, enabling flexible repositioning and reorientation while managing structural complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The seating assembly is designed with three-dimensional mobility capabilities: longitudinal movement along the vehicle length (along rails), lateral rotation about vertical axes, and angular adjustment of the seat and seatback orientations. This multi-dimensional freedom of movement allows the seating assembly to access various positions and configurations within the passenger compartment, optimizing space utilization by utilizing all available spatial dimensions rather than being constrained to a single plane or position
Data Source
AI summary
A transportation system is disclosed. The transportation system includes a vehicle, a plurality of seating assemblies positioned within a passenger compartment of the vehicle and defining an arrangement, a plurality of actuators that effect movement of various components of the plurality of seating assemblies, a plurality of sensors, and a controller. Specific examples of pre-set or pre-programmed arrangements are disclosed, as well as the ability to customize the arrangement. Additionally, exemplary methods are disclosed that illustrate transitions between a variety of the pre-set or pre-programmed arrangements.