Passenger seat

• US 5,628,547 A
• Filed: 08/11/1994
• Issued: 05/13/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Zodiac Seats UK Ltd. (Safran SA)
• Original Assignee: Britax Rumbold Limited (Safran SA)
• Inventors: Matsumiya, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BARFIELD, ANTHONY DERRELL
• Application Number:
  US08/289,308
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 297/316, 297/340, 297/354.11, 297/341, 297/342, 297/320, 297/180.1, 297/452.41
• US Class Current: 297/354.11
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/242 Bus seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/643 shape of the back-rests B60N2/66 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/646 shape of the cushion
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/995 Lower-leg-rests, e.g. calf-rests
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/064 Adjustable inclination or position of seats
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0641 Seats convertible into beds
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0643 Adjustable foot or leg rests

Abstract

The seat pan of an aircraft passenger sleeper seat is mounted on a pivot axle for movement between a normal substantially horizontal position and a tilted position in which its front edge is lower than its rear edge. The seat back comprises a first portion which is mounted for angular movement between a substantially upright position and a reclined position, and a second portion mounted on a pivot axle for movement between an erect position in which it is substantially parallel to the first portion and a reclined position in which its upper edge is lower than when in its erect position. When the seat pan is tilted and the second portion of the seat back is reclined, their upper surfaces form a substantially plane support surface for a sleeping passenger.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat comprising:

a base frame;

a seat pan having an upper surface with a front edge and a rear edge;

seat pan mounting means for supporting the seat pan on the base frame and for permitting change of the orientation of the upper surface of the seat pan between a normal substantially horizontal position and a tilted position in which the front edge of the seat pan is lower than the rear edge of the seat pan;

a seat back having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being mounted on the base frame for angular movement between a substantially upright position and a reclined position without changing the orientation of the seat pan, the second portion having an outer surface supported on the first portion by second portion mounting means which permits change of the orientation of the outer surface between;

i) an erect position, in which the outer surface of the second portion is substantially parallel to the first portion, and

ii) a reclined position, in which the outer surface of the second portion is substantially coplanar with the upper surface of the seat pan, when the first portion is in the reclined position and the seat pan is in the tilted position.

2. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the seat pan is mounted for angular movement about a horizontal axis between said normal substantially horizontal position and said tilted position.

3. A vehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein said horizontal axis is at an intermediate position between the front and rear edges of the seat pan.

4. A vehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein said horizontal axis is adjacent to the rear edge of the seat pan.

5. A vehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein said horizontal axis is adjacent to the front edge of the seat pan.

6. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the second portion of the seat back is pivotally mounted for angular movement about a transverse axis between said erect position and said reclined position.

7. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the first portion of the seat back comprises an outer portion, and the second portion comprises a central portion which is coplanar with the outer portion when the central portion is in the erect position, and has an upper edge located behind and below an adjacent part of the outer portion when the central portion is in the reclined position.

8. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the first portion of the seat back comprises an upper portion, and the second portion of the seat back comprises a lower portion which is coplanar with the upper portion when the lower portion is in the erect position, and has an upper edge located behind and below a lower edge of the upper portion when the lower portion is in the reclined position.

9. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the first portion of the seat back comprises a substructure located behind the second portion of the seat back which is mounted on said substructure for pivotal movement about an axis above a bottom of the second portion.

10. A vehicle seat according to claim 9, wherein said axis is at substantially equal distances from a top and the bottom of the second portion.

11. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the second portion of the seat back comprises a back chamber having means for displacing fluid into and out of said back chamber, said back chamber being defined by:

i) an inner wall,

ii) flexible side walls of non-uniform height connected to said inner wall, and

iii) an outer wall connected to said side walls.

12. A vehicle seat according to claim 11 wherein the second portion of the seat back comprises two back chambers, one at each end of the seat back, and means for displacing fluid between said back chambers.

13. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the seat pan mounting means comprises

a seat chamber defined by a bottom wall, flexible side walls of non-uniform height connected to the bottom wall, and an outer wall connected to the side walls;

and

means for displacing fluid into and out of said chamber.

14. A vehicle seat according to claim 15, wherein the seat pan mounting means comprises two seat chambers, one at each end of the seat pan, and means for displacing fluid between said seat chambers.