Aircraft passenger seat swivel assembly

• US 5,568,960 A
• Filed: 09/15/1995
• Issued: 10/29/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: B/E Aerospace, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aircraft Modular Products, Inc.
• Inventors: Soderman, Daryl, Oleson, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Peter R.
• Application Number:
  US08/529,084
• Time in Patent Office: 410 Days
• Field of Search: 297/344.21, 297/344.22, 297/344.26, 297/256.12, 297/240, 248/418, 248/425
• US Class Current: 297/344.22
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/143 taking a position opposite to the original one
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/146 characterised by the locking device

Abstract

An aircraft passenger seat swivel assembly to be connected between an aircraft seat frame upon which an individual sits and an aircraft seat base which is secured to an underlying support surface, the assembly including a bottom swivel plate with a generally annular recess formed therein and structured to receive a bearing track with a plurality of slots disposed about a perimeter thereof and structured to receive a plurality of bearing members therein. The swivel assembly further including a swivel plate with an exterior segment structured to ride on the bearing members disposed in the bearing track and an interior mount segment upon which the aircraft frame is mounted, the exterior segment of the swivel plate being rotatably retained in place by a lock ring which is secured to the bottom swivel plate and has an annular lock recess to retain the exterior segment of the swivel plate, the bearing track, and the plurality of bearing members in the annular recess of the bottom swivel plate. Additionally, the lock ring includes a plurality of axially oriented notches along an interior perimeter thereof, the notches being structured to receive a lock pin which is secured to the swivel plate and is structured to extend axially outward into the axial notch of the lock ring to prevent relative rotation between the seat frame and the seat base.

Claims

1. An aircraft passenger seat swivel assembly to be connected between an aircraft seat frame upon which an individual sits and an aircraft seat base which is secured to an underlying support surface, the seat base including a pair of transverse spar segments spanning a pair of base rails;

said swivel assembly comprising;

a bottom swivel plate,

said bottom swivel plate including a generally annular recess formed therein and an exterior lock flange,

said bottom swivel plate being structured to be secured to the seat base,

a bearing track,

said bearing track including a generally annular configuration and being structured to be disposed in said annular recess of said bottom swivel plate,

said bearing track further including a plurality of slots disposed about a perimeter thereof,

a plurality of bearing members, said bearing members being rotatably disposed in said plurality of slots of said bearing track,

a swivel plate,

said swivel plate including a generally annular configuration and having an exterior segment about an exterior perimeter thereof and an interior mount segment in an interior thereof,

said exterior segment of said swivel plate being structured to ride on said bearing members disposed in said slots of said bearing track,

said interior mount segment of said swivel plate being structured to supportingly receive the aircraft seat frame thereon,

a lock ring, said lock ring including an annular lock recess and an exterior lock flange,

said lock ring being structured for secured engagement of said exterior lock flange of said lock ring with said exterior lock flange of said bottom swivel plate such that said bearing track, said plurality of bearing members and said exterior segment of said swivel plate are rotatably retained between said annular recess of said bottom swivel plate and said annular lock recess of said lock ring,

said lock ring further including a plurality of axially oriented notches disposed in spaced apart relation from one another along an interior perimeter of said lock ring, and

lock means disposed on said interior segment of said swivel plate, said lock means being structured and disposed to selectively and axially extend a lock pin into a select one of said notches in said interior perimeter of said lock ring so as to retain said swivel plate non-rotatably disposed relative to said lock ring, said bottom swivel and accordingly the seat base.

2. A swivel assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein said lock means includes a spring structured and disposed to normally bias said lock pin into an engaged position within one of said notches in said lock ring.

3. A swivel assembly as recited in claim 2 further including control means structured and disposed to retract said lock pin from said engaged position so as to permit relative rotation of said swivel plate.

4. A swivel assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein said notches are generally U-shaped and a width thereof corresponds a width of said lock pin.

5. A swivel assembly as recited in claim 1 further includes at least one upper bearing member disposed between said exterior segment of said swivel plate and said annular lock recess of said lock ring.