Aircraft passenger cabin with rotatable passenger seats

• US 6,669,141 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2001
• Issued: 12/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Deutschland GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Schmidt-Schaeffer, Tobias
• Primary Examiner(s): Swiatek, Robert P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Piascik, Susan
• Application Number:
  US09/999,075
• Publication Number:
  US 20020070314A1
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 244/118.6, 244/118.5, 244/122.R, 297/240, 297/344.23, 297/344.24, 297/354.13
• US Class Current: 244/118.6
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/01 Arrangement of seats relative to one another
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/14 rotatable, e.g. to permit easy access B60N2/10 , B60N2/2869 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/34 into a bed
• 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 11/0601 Arrangement of seats for non-standard seating layouts, e.g. seats staggered horizontally or vertically, arranged in an angled or fishbone layout, or facing in other directions than the direction of flight
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0606 with privacy shells, screens, separators or the like class dividers B64D11/0023
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0644 Adjustable arm rests

Abstract

A passenger cabin of a passenger transport vehicle such as an aircraft includes single passenger seats arranged between an aisle and an outside cabin wall. Each seat is tiltably adjustable between an upright seating configuration and a reclined lying configuration, and is rotatable between a forward-facing orientation facing 0 to 18° relative to the cabin longitudinal axis, and an inwardly-turned orientation facing 50 to 60° relative to the longitudinal axis. The forward-facing orientation is for upright seating during take-off and landing. The inwardly-turned orientation provides additional leg room and sufficient space for the reclined lying configuration. The pitch spacing between seats can be minimized, and total seating capacity is high, while providing substantial space and comfort for each passenger. Screening partitions adjacent to the cabin wall and the aisle provide privacy screening and define a personal space allocated to each seat.

Claims

1. In a passenger cabin of a passenger transport aircraft that extends longitudinally along a longitudinal axis, is bounded by an outside cabin wall, and has passenger seats and at least a first aisle therein,

an improvement wherein:

said passenger seats comprise a single column of single-place individual seats arranged between said first aisle and said outside cabin wall closest to said first aisle;

each one of said individual seats includes a seat bottom and a backrest arranged selectively tiltably reclinable relative to said seat bottom;

each one of said individual seats is selectively adjustable between an upright seating configuration with said backrest relatively upright, and a reclined lying configuration with said backrest relatively downwardly reclined;

each respective one of said individual seats is selectively rotatable about an individual rotation axis of said respective individual seat, independently of a directly neighboring other one of said individual seats, to be rotationally positioned in a relatively forward-facing orientation in which said individual seat faces relatively forward in said passenger cabin during take-off and landing phases of operation of said aircraft, and a relatively inwardly-turned orientation in which said individual seat faces relatively inwardly toward a centerline of said passenger cabin along said longitudinal axis during a cruise flight phase of operation of said aircraft;

a sufficient space for a respective one of said individual seats to be adjusted to said reclined lying configuration is available only when said respective individual seat is respectively rotationally positioned in said relatively inwardly-turned orientation; and

each one of said individual seats is directly adjacent to and directly accessible by a passenger from said first aisle, in both said relatively forward-facing orientation and said relatively inwardly-turned orientation.

2. The improvement in the passenger cabin according to claim 1, wherein said relatively inwardly-turned orientation is an orientation of said individual seats turned toward said centerline and facing in a direction extending at an angle of 50°

to 60°

relative to said longitudinal axis.

3. The improvement in the passenger cabin according to claim 1, wherein said relatively forward-facing orientation is an orientation of said individual seats facing generally forwardly in said passenger cabin at an angle of 0°

to 18°

relative to said longitudinal axis.

4. The improvement in the passenger cabin according to claim 3, wherein said angle is at least 8°

.

5. The improvement in the passenger cabin according to claim 1, wherein each one of said individual seats further comprises adjustable armrests that are raised in said upright seating configuration and are lowered in said reclined lying configuration.

6. The improvement in the passenger cabin according to claim 1, wherein each one of said individual seats further comprises an adjustable foot and leg rest that is lowered or retracted in said upright seating configuration and is raised or extended in said reclined lying configuration.

7. The improvement in the passenger cabin according to claim 1, further comprising a respective wall partition arranged at a side of each respective one of said individual seats oriented generally toward said outside cabin wall and between said respective one of said individual seats and an adjacent one of said individual seats to provide privacy screening therebetween.

8. The improvement in the passenger cabin according to claim 7, wherein said wall partition extends adjacently along said backrest of said respective one of said individual seats, and from there to said outside cabin wall at an area of a bottom edge of cabin windows provided in said outside cabin wall.

9. The improvement in the passenger cabin according to claim 7, further comprising a flexible partition extension that is selectively extendable from said wall partition.

10. The improvement in the passenger cabin according to claim 1, further comprising a respective aisle partition arranged at a side of each respective one of said individual seats oriented generally toward said aisle and between said respective one of said individual seats and an adjacent one of said individual seats to provide privacy screening therebetween.

11. The improvement in the passenger cabin according to claim 10, wherein said aisle partition extends adjacently along said seat bottom of said respective one of said individual seats, and from there toward said first aisle to an end point corresponding to the maximum extension of said respective one of said individual seats toward said first aisle when said respective individual seat is in said inwardly-turned orientation and said reclined lying configuration.

12. The improvement in the passenger cabin according to claim 10, further comprising a flexible partition extension that is selectively extendable from said aisle partition.

13. The improvement in the passenger cabin according to claim 10, further comprising a respective wall partition arranged at a side of each respective one of said individual seats oriented generally toward said outside cabin wall and between said respective one of said individual seats and an adjacent one of said individual seats to provide privacy screening therebetween.

14. The improvement in the passenger cabin according to claim 1, further comprising a privacy partition that extends along a side of at least one of said seat bottom and said backrest of each respective one of said individual seats, and passenger service elements selected from the group consisting of video monitors, loudspeakers, audio output jacks, power supply jacks, lights, light controls, flight attendant call buttons, audio and video controls, air vents, communication devices, storage and waste disposal containers, and foldable tables, arranged on said privacy partition.

15. The improvement in the passenger cabin according to claim 1, further comprising respective multiple-seat groups arranged on a side of said first aisle opposite said individual seats, wherein each one of said multiple seat groups respectively comprises plural seats that are not rotatable and are fixedly oriented in a forward-facing orientation facing forward parallel to said longitudinal axis.

16. The improvement in the passenger cabin according to claim 15, wherein a first seat pitch spacing of successive ones of said individual seats is less than a second seat pitch spacing of successive ones of said multiple-seat groups.

17. The improvement in the passenger cabin according to claim 16, wherein said first seat pitch spacing is from 60 to 70 % of said second seat pitch spacing.

18. The improvement in the passenger cabin according to claim 15, wherein said passenger cabin further has a second aisle therein parallel to said first aisle on a side of said multiple-seat groups opposite said first aisle, and a second outside cabin wall closest to said second aisle, and wherein said improvement further comprises additional ones of said individual seats arranged linearly along another single column of said individual seats between said second aisle and said second outside cabin wall.

19. The improvement in the passenger cabin according to claim 1, wherein every one of said passenger seats in said passenger cabin is directly adjacent to an aisle on at least one side thereof.

20. The improvement in the passenger cabin according to claim 1, wherein each one of said individual seats, in said reclined lying configuration, is configured as a chaise lounge providing an overall substantially flat lying support surface for a passenger to lie thereon.

21. The improvement in the passenger cabin according to claim 1, wherein a rotation range of each one of said individual seats is positively limited to allow rotation of each one of said individual seats only between said relatively forward-facing orientation and said relatively inwardly-turned orientation.

22. The improvement in the passenger cabin according to claim 1, further comprising a respective privacy partition extending along a side of and fixedly connected to each respective one of said individual seats.