PASSENGER SEAT FOR A SYSTEM OF PASSENGER SEATS OF AN AIRCRAFT CABIN AND SYSTEM OF PASSENGER SEATS ATTACHABLE TO A CONSTRUCTION NEAR THE FLOOR OF AN AIRCRAFT CABIN

• US 20130020845A1
• Filed: 07/11/2012
• Published: 01/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Safran Aerosystems
• Original Assignee: Intertechnique SA (Safran SA)
• Inventors: NIEDOSTATEK, MARK, RITTNER, WOLFGANG, BOOMGARDEN, GUNTER
• Granted Patent: US 8,979,194 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/217.3
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0015 Arrangements for entertainment or communications, e.g. radio, television
• 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 11/0619 with energy absorbing means specially adapted for mitigating impact loads for passenger seats, e.g. at a crash
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0624 Arrangements of electrical connectors, e.g. for earphone, internet or electric supply
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0647 Seats characterised by special upholstery or cushioning features
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/18 producing electrical output from mechanical input, e.g. generators for measurement devices G01
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 10/13 characterised by the heat-exchanging means at the junction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/50 On board measures aiming to increase energy efficiency

Abstract

Passenger seat for a system of passenger seats of an aircraft cabin, comprising:

• • a seat body,
  • an energy harvesting system for providing electrical energy, in particular for use in the passenger seat electrical net and/or aircraft electrical net, wherein an energy harvesting device of the energy harvesting system is provided to the seat body, wherein
  • the energy harvesting device is adapted for capturing from the seat body ambient energy.

Claims

1. Passenger seat for a system of passenger seats of an aircraft cabin, comprising:

a seat body,

an energy harvesting system for providing electrical energy, in particular for use in the passenger seat electrical net and/or aircraft electrical net, wherein an energy harvesting device of the energy harvesting system is provided to the seat body, wherein

the energy harvesting device is adapted for capturing from the seat body ambient energy.

2. Passenger seat of claim 1 wherein the ambient energy is provided by a passenger to the seat body, in particular to a seat'"'"'s coverage, when placed in the seat.

3. Passenger seat of claim 1 wherein the ambient energy is provided to the seat body by an aircrafts cabin construction the seat body is attached to and/or to the seat body by an aircrafts cabin surrounding the seat body is placed in.

4. Passenger seat of claim 1 wherein the energy harvesting device provides electrical energy based on the piezoelectric effect and/or the thermoelectric effect and/or the solarelectric effect.

5. Passenger seat of claim 1 wherein the seat body has

a stable seat construction inside the seat body

a seat coverage, in particular an inside seat cushion and an outside seat cover, and wherein

the energy harvesting device is adapted for capturing from the seat coverage ambient energy provided by a passenger to the seat coverage when placed in the seat , and/or

the energy harvesting device is adapted for capturing from the seat construction ambient energy when the seat construction is attached to a construction near the floor and/or sidewall of an aircraft cabin, and/or

the energy harvesting device is adapted for capturing from the cabins surrounding residual light when the seat body is placed in the cabin.

6. Passenger seat of claim 1 wherein the seat coverage is a flexible seat coverage movable and/or deformable by a passenger when moving in the seat, wherein

the energy harvesting device has a flexible energy harvesting structure incorporated in the flexible seat coverage for capturing kinetic energy when the passenger moves in the seat,

and wherein the energy harvesting structure is adapted to provide electric energy based on the piezoelectric effect.

7. Passenger seat of claim 1 wherein an energy harvesting structure comprises a fabric having a multitude of or consisting of piezoelectric fibres.

8. Passenger seat of claim 1 wherein a piezoelectric fibre is incorporated, in particular woven, into a seat cover or is incorporated in a seat cushion.

9. Passenger seat of claim 1 wherein a piezoelectric fibre is provided in a flexible sleeve and the sleeve is layered in and/or inbetween a seat cushion and a seat cover.

10. Passenger seat of claim 1 wherein the seat coverage is a warmable seat coverage capable of being warmed up by a passenger when providing body heat in the seat, wherein

the energy harvesting device has an energy harvesting structure incorporated in the warmable seat coverage for capturing heat energy when the passenger warms up the seat coverage, and wherein

the energy harvesting structure is adapted to provide electric energy based on the thermo-electric effect.

11. Passenger seat of claim 1 wherein the energy harvesting structure comprises a, in particular stable or flexible, plate of Peltier-elements.

12. Passenger seat of claim 1 wherein the energy harvesting structure comprises a solar cell.

13. Passenger seat of claim 1 wherein the energy harvesting system further has an energy storing device electrically connected to the energy harvesting device and the energy storing device is assigned individually to the passenger seat and is adapted to provide energy for load consumers electrically connected to the passenger seat electrical net and integrated in the passenger seat.

14. Passenger seat of claim 1 wherein the energy harvesting system further has an energy storing device electrically connected to the energy harvesting device and the energy storing device is assigned to a number of passenger seats and is adapted to store energy from a number of energy harvesting devices to provide energy for load consumers in the aircraft cabin.

15. Passenger seat of claim 1 wherein the energy storing device of the energy harvesting system is a capacitor, in particular a super capacitor, or rechargeable battery.

16. Passenger seat of claim 1 wherein the energy is provided for a load consumer in form of a WLAN- or other wireless-system, in particular communication and/or signalling system, in the aircraft cabin.

17. System of passenger seats attachable to a construction near the floor of an aircraft cabin, comprising a number of passenger seats as claimed in claim 1.