Moveable seat mounting device

• US 5,161,765 A
• Filed: 03/04/1991
• Issued: 11/10/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: B/E Aerospace, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aero Tech United Corporation
• Inventors: Wilson, Joe E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramirez, Ramon O.
• Application Number:
  US07/664,537
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 248/416, 248/419, 248/424, 248/425, 297/344, 297/349, 296/65.1
• US Class Current: 248/425
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/062 transversally slidable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0717 Rounded, e.g. circular
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0825 outside the rail
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0862 sliding
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0881 Activation of the latches by the control mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/146 characterised by the locking device

Abstract

A seat mounting that allows omnidirectional movement of the seat in a single plane by means of two pairs of sliding rods, one pair perpendicular to the other, and a rotatable disc. Rods are locked and released by a series of skewed locker-like pieces that may be moved by a cam mechanism. The rotational disc is locked and released by a pin that extends through the disc into an underlying hole. Locking and release mechanisms are controlled by a single cable.

Claims

1. An uniplanar omnidirectional adjustable device for supporting a seat with a base, comprising:

a first pair of parallel support rods fixed to the base of said seat;

a second pair of parallel support rods aligned perpendicular to said first pair of parallel support rods and slidably attached thereto;

a rotatable disc on which said second pair of parallel support rods is slidably mounted; and

means for selectively locking and releasing said first and second pairs of parallel support rods and said rotatable disc to selectively prevent and permit movement of said seat base thereon.

2. The device, as recited in claim 1, wherein said slidable mounting of said second pair of parallel support rods is a housing attached to said rotatable disc containing sleeves which fit around said second pair of support rods allowing them to move in a plane spaced from and parallel to said rotatable disc, and in a direction parallel to said second pair of support rods.

3. The device, as recited in claim 1, wherein said rotatable disc, said first pair of parallel support rods, and said second pair of parallel support rods are all in planes parallel to and spaced from each other.

4. The device, as recited in claim 1, wherein said means for locking said first and second pairs of parallel support rods is a series of spring skewed locker-like members supported in a housing and circumjacently mounted on said rods and which frictionally engage said rods when in the skewed (locked) position.

5. The device, as recited in claim 4, wherein said means for releasing said first and second pairs of parallel support rods is a cam mechanism supported in said housing and which is cable activated and which forces said locker-like members into a non-skewed position, thus releasing said rods.

6. The device, as recited in claim 1, including a member underlying said disc and supported from said base in a non-movable relationship and wherein said means for locking said rotatable disc is a spring activated pin which extends through a hole in said rotatable disc, into one of a plurality of holes in said underlying non-moveable member.

7. The device, as recited in claim 1, wherein said means for releasing said first and second pairs of parallel support rods and said rotatable disc locking means to a single cable release mechanism.

8. A multidirectional adjusting support device for a seat comprising:

a first pair of parallel support rods fixed to the base of a seat;

a second pair of parallel support rods aligned perpendicular to said first pair of parallel support rods and slidably attached thereto;

a pair of brackets attached across the ends of said second pair of parallel support rods and with said brackets containing at least one sleeve in each to provide said slidable attachment to said first pair of parallel support rods;

a pedestal base;

a disc that is rotatable from said pedestal base and on which said second pair of parallel support rods are slidably mounted;

two housing members mounted on said rotatable disc each of which contains at least one sleeve for slidably mounting said second pair of parallel support rods thereon;

a least one washer-like member circumjacently mounted on each of said first and second pairs of rods, and spring activated so as to assume a skewed position frictionally engaging said rods and thus locking them;

a cam member rotatably mounted on each said housing members adjacent to each of said washer-like members such that rotation thereof will force said washer-like members into a non-skewed position thus freeing said rods for movement;

a non-movable support plate mounted below said rotatable disc, and supporting said disc by a plurality of bearings contained in a circumferential race around the periphery of said support plate;

at least one pin mounted on said rotatable disc and extending through said disc to enter a hole in said underlying support plate, thus preventing rotation of said disc, and such pin further being forced into said hole engaging position by a spring; and

a plurality of cable connection means on said rotatable disc, that when pulled cause said cams and said pin to release said rods and disc thus allowing movement.

9. The multidirectional seat adjusting support device of claim 8 wherein said plurality of cable connection means on said rotatable disc comprise:

a release cable with two ends, the first end attached to the periphery of said rotatable disc and the second end of said release cable attached to the arm of said seat such that when said second end of the release cable is pulled said first end causes said rotatable disc to rotate in a clockwise direction;

a first pair of sub-discs fixed to said rotatable disc and an Y-axis cable having two ends and a central portion with one end attached to one said cam-member and the other end attached to the other cam-member in the housings of said first pair of parallel support rods in the Y-axis, and with the central portion of said Y-axis cable looped in a Z-configuration around said first pair of sub-discs such that when said rotatable disc is turned, said first pair of sub-discs also move and shorten said Y-axis cable; and

a second pair of sub-discs fixed to said rotatable disc and a pair of X-axis cables, each cable having two ends with one end of each attached peripherally to one of said second pair of sub-discs and the other end of each X-axis cable attached to one of said cam member on said second pair of parallel support rods in the X-axis such that turning said rotatable disc also turns said second pair of sub-discs thus pulling on said X-axis cables.