System for adjusting the position of at least one seat component of a passenger seat and associated common control unit

• US 20060103193A1
• Filed: 07/29/2005
• Published: 05/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Recaro Aircraft Seating GmbH & Company KG (Martin Putsch,)
• Original Assignee: Recaro Aircraft Seating GmbH & Company KG (Martin Putsch,)
• Inventors: Kramer, Marco
• Granted Patent: US 8,141,946 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/217.300
• 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 11/06395 characterised by the arrangement of electric motors for adjustment

Abstract

1. A system for adjusting the position of at least one seat component of an aircraft passenger seat and an associated control unit.

2. A system (1) for adjusting the position of at least one seat component such as head rest (4), back rest (6), seat component (8), leg rest (10), or foot rest (12) of a passenger seat (2) of a vehicle, an aircraft passenger seat in particular, by means of actuators, a seat control (14, 18) being mounted locally on the aircraft passenger seat (2) and being provided with at least one operating element (15) and data being transmissible between the seat controls (14, 18) of a plurality of passenger seats (2), preferably of all passenger seats (2) of the vehicle, including data relating to the position of the seat components and/or data relating to operation of the actuators, and a common control unit (24; 124), characterized in that the seat control (14, 18) and the common control unit (24; 124) each has a data transmission unit (20, 21, 32, 34, 36) for wireless data transmission and an associated common control unit (24; 124).

Claims

1. A system (1) for adjusting the position of at least one seat component such as head rest (4), back rest (6), seat component (8), leg rest (10), or foot rest (12) of a passenger seat (2) of a vehicle, an aircraft passenger seat in particular, by means of actuators, a seat control (14, 18) being mounted locally on the aircraft passenger seat (2) and being provided with at least one operating element (15) and data being transmissible between the seat controls (14, 18) of a plurality of passenger seats (2), preferably of all passenger seats (2) of the vehicle, including data relating to the position of the seat components and/or data relating to operation of the actuators, and being provided with a common control unit (24;

124), characterized in that the seat control (14, 18) and the common control unit (24;

124) each has a data transmission unit (20, 21, 32, 34, 36) for wireless data transmission.

2. A system (1) as specified in claim 1, wherein the data transmission unit (20, 21) of the seat control (14, 18) has both a receiving element (22, 23) for wireless reception of data from the common control unit (24;

124) and a sending element (22, 23) for wireless sending of data to the common control unit (4, 6, 8, 10, 12).

3. A system (1) as specified in claim 1 or 2, wherein the data transmission unit (32, 34, 36) of the common control unit (24;

124) has a plurality of receiving elements (26, 28, 30) mounted so as to be spatially separated in the vehicle for wireless reception of data from the seat controls (14, 18) of the passenger seats.

4. A system (1) as specified in claim 3, wherein the receiving elements (26, 28, 30) mounted so as to be spatially separated are connected to relay stations which amplify the data received by wireless means from the seat controls (14, 18) and transmit them farther to the common control unit (24;

12).

5. A system (1) as specified in claim 3 or 4, wherein the receiving elements (26, 28, 30) mounted so as to be spatially separated are connected to the common control unit (24;

124) by way of a wire-bound data line (38).

6. A system (1) as specified in one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the wireless data transmission is effected by way of radio waves.

7. A system (1) as specified in claim 6, wherein the transmission frequency is separated an adequate distance from the frequencies employed for traffic, aircraft traffic in particular, and for control of the vehicle, an aircraft in particular.

8. A system (1) as specified in one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the wireless transmission is effected by means of optical signal transmission, in the infrared wavelength range in particular.

9. A system (1) as specified in one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the common control unit (24;

124) has a display device (40;

140) on which the data received from the seat controls (14, 18) and/or data to be sent to the seat controls (14, 18) may be displayed.

10. A system (1) as specified in one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the common control unit (24;

124) has a touch screen (40;

140) by touching of which one or more passenger seats (2) may be selected.

11. A common control unit (24;

124) for a system (1) for adjusting the position of at least one seat component such as head rest (4), back rest (6), seat component (8), leg rest (10), or foot rest (12) of a passenger seat (2) of a vehicle, an aircraft passenger seat in particular, by means of actuators, a seat control (14, 18) being mounted locally on the passenger seat (2) and being provided with at least one operating element (15) to be actuated by the passenger, and data being transmissible between the seat controls (14, 18) of a plurality of passenger seats (2), preferably of all passenger seats (2) of the vehicle, including data relating to the position of the seat components and/or data relating to operation of the actuators, and a common control unit (24;

124), characterized in that the seat control (14, 18) and the common control unit (24;

124) each has a data transmission unit (20, 21, 32, 34, 36) for wireless data transmission.

12. A common control unit (24;

124) as specified in claim 11, wherein the common control unit (24;

124) is portable.