Passenger Seats and Doors for an Autonomous Vehicle

• Main Author: Kanitz, Daniel Adam
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 09.12.2021
• Subjects: FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS; HINGES OR OTHER SUSPENSION DEVICES FOR DOORS, WINDOWS OR WINGS; KEYS; LOCKS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; REMOVABLE EXTERNAL PROTECTIVE COVERINGS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FORVEHICLES; SAFES; TRANSPORTING; VEHICLES IN GENERAL; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; WINDOWS, WINDSCREENS, NON-FIXED ROOFS, DOORS, OR SIMILARDEVICES FOR VEHICLES

An autonomous can include one or more configurable passenger seats to accommodate a plurality of different seating configurations. For instance, the one or more passenger seats can include a passenger seat defining a seating orientation. The passenger seat can be configurable in a first configuration in which the seating orientation is directed towards a forward end of the autonomous vehicle and a second configuration in which the seating orientation is directed towards a rear end of the autonomous vehicle. The passenger seat can include a seatback rotatable about a pivot point on a base of the passenger seat to switch between the first configuration and the second configuration. Alternatively, or additionally, the autonomous vehicle can include a door assembly pivotably fixed to a vehicle body of the autonomous vehicle such that a swept path of the door assembly when moving between an open position and a closed position is reduced.