Vehicle seat particularly for aircraft

• US 20030209929A1
• Filed: 03/28/2003
• Published: 11/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Deutschland GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Schoenenberg, Frank-Heinrich, Schoenenberg, Beate, Schumacher, Markus, Muin, Andrew, Majunke, Christian
• Granted Patent: US 6,776,457 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/331
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3009 about transversal axis
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/305 the cushion being hinged on the vehicle frame
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/06 Arrangements of seats, or adaptations or details specially adapted for aircraft seats crew seat constructions for emergency purposes B64D25/04
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/064 Adjustable inclination or position of seats
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0649 Seats characterised by special features for reducing weight
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction

Abstract

A vehicle seat, more particularly aircraft seat, includes a seat bottom and a seat back disposed in a seat frame. The seat bottom can be folded down from a first near vertical position I into a second near horizontal position II. This results in a comparatively simple, lightweight construction featuring good accessibility to several vehicle seats configured abreast and/or in rows.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat, comprising:

a seat bottom being pivotable from a first near vertical position I into a second near horizontal position II;

a seat back having a mounting clip;

a seat frame holding said seat bottom and said seat back and including legs, a cantilevered supporting beam supported by said legs, and two seat dividers framing said seat back, being secured to said supporting beam, and having a respective mounting bush;

said seat bottom further having supporting arms hingedly pivoting on said seat dividers in order to pivot said seat bottom, said support arm having a hole formed therein;

a pintle having a first and second end section with a middle section therebetween, said first end section being rotatably mounted on said mounting bush, said second end section being mounted in said mounting clip of said seat back, and said middle section being disposed in said opening of said supporting arm.

2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein said vehicle seat is an aircraft seat.

3. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein said second end section is rotatably mounted in said mounting clip of said seat back.

4. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein said second end section is non-rotatably mounted in said mounting clip of said seat back.

5. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein said middle section is rotatable in said opening of said supporting arm.

6. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein said middle section is non-rotatable in said opening of said supporting arm.

7. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, further comprising a spring with a loading connected to said seat back, said seat back being adjustable on said seat dividers by overcoming the loading of said spring.

8. The vehicle seat according to claim 7, wherein said spring is a gas spring.

9. The vehicle seat according to claim 7, further comprising:

a bracket secured to said supporting beam and connected to said spring; and

an adjusting lever connected to said bracket and coupled non-rotatably to said first end section of said pintle.

10. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, further comprising an armrest hinged to said seat dividers.

11. The vehicle seat according to claim 10, wherein:

said seat dividers have an upper end; and

said armrest includes a lower shell and an upper shell surrounding said upper end of said seat dividers.

12. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, further comprising a spring with a loading connected to said seat bottom;

said seat bottom being pivotable from the first position I into the second position II by overcoming the loading of said spring.

13. The vehicle seat according to claim 12, wherein said spring is a gas spring.

14. The vehicle seat according to claim 12, further comprising a pivot lever connected to said seat divider by said spring and being non-rotatably coupled to said first end section of said pintle.

15. The vehicle seat according to claim 14, wherein:

said armrest has a slider formed therein;

a guide pin is disposed in said slider; and

a coupling rod is connected to and guided by said guide pin in said slider and hinged to said pivot lever.

16. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein said supporting beam has a round cross-section.

17. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein said supporting beam has an oval cross-section.

18. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein said supporting beam is made of carbon-fiber reinforced plastics.

19. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, further comprising a clamp fastener fastening said legs of said frame to said supporting beam, said legs being made of aluminum.

20. The vehicle seat according to claim 19, wherein said legs are milled from aluminum.

21. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, further comprising a clamp fastener fastening seat dividers to said supporting beam, said seat dividers being made of aluminum.

22. The vehicle seat according to claim 21, wherein said dividers are milled from aluminum.

23. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, further comprising a clamp fastener fastening said brackets to said supporting beam, said brackets being made of aluminum.

24. The vehicle seat according to claim 23, wherein said brackets are milled from aluminum.

25. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein said seat bottom includes a seat pan.

26. The vehicle seat according to claim 25, wherein said seat pan is made of carbon-fiber reinforced plastics.

27. The vehicle seat according to claim 25, wherein said pan has a cushion of elastomeric material.

28. The vehicle seat according to claim 25, wherein said seat pan has an upper surface with a ramped depression.

29. The vehicle seat according to claim 25, wherein said seat pan has a stow-away.

30. The vehicle seat according to claim 25, wherein:

said supporting beam has a contour; and

said seat pan has a recess formed therein matching said contour of said supporting beam and holds said supporting beam in said recess when said seat bottom is in the second position II.

31. The vehicle seat according to claim 25, wherein said seat pan has a recess formed therein for receiving said brackets.

32. A row of vehicle seats, comprising a plurality of vehicle seats according to claim 1, wherein said vehicle seats are disposed abreast along a common supporting beam.

33. The row of vehicle seats according to claim 32, wherein said plurality includes exactly three of said vehicle seats.