Convertible seat for an aircraft passenger

• US 7,318,622 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2003
• Issued: 01/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus
• Original Assignee: Airbus
• Inventors: Saint-Jalmes, Bruno, Rezag, Andre, Zaneboni, Jazon
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn; David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abraham; Tania
• Application Number:
  US10/481,646
• Publication Number:
  US 20050067870A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,510 Days
• Field of Search: 297/118, 297/14, 297/130, 297/120, 297/217.7, 297/217.1, 297/378.1, 297/112, 244/118.6, 511/8
• US Class Current: 297/118
• 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 11/0604 including a bed, e.g. cocoon type passenger seat modules
• 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: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction

Abstract

A convertible seat to accommodate an aircraft passenger. The seat includes a frame, a sitting portion borne by the frame, a back, and a jointed footrest along the transverse edge of the sitting portion. The seat can change from a so-called seated position in which the back forms an angle with the sitting portion and its base is close to the rear transverse edge of the sitting portion to a so-called lying-down position in which it has a more or less level surface intended to accommodate a passenger in the lying down position. The frame is a fixed frame. At most two of the elements of the whole constituted by the sitting portion, the back, and the footrest form the more or less level surface of the seat in lying-down position. At least one additional berth is provided to cooperate with the sitting portion and/or the back and/or the footrest to form the more or less level surface intended to accommodate a passenger in the lying-down position.

Claims

1. A convertible seat configured to accommodate an aircraft passenger, comprising:

a frame;

a sitting portion borne by the frame and including a first end and a second end opposite the first end; and

a back,

wherein the seat is configured to change from a seated position in which the back forms an angle with a horizontal sitting portion to a lying-down position in which the back has a substantially level surface configured to accommodate the passenger in the lying-down position, and when the seat is in the seated position, the back is closer to the first end than to the second end,

wherein the frame is a fixed frame, and the seat further comprises guiding means for changing the back from its seated position to a substantially horizontal position, and at least one additional berth cooperating with the back to form the substantially level surface configured to accommodate the passenger in the lying-down position,

the at least one additional berth is located closer to the second end than to the first end when the seat is in the lying-down position, and

the sitting portion is in a same position relative to the frame when the seat is in the seated position as when the seat is in the lying-down position.

2. A convertible seat according to claim 1, wherein the back has a base and a free end, and the guiding means for the seat comprises translatory guiding means for the base of the back.

3. A convertible seat according to claim 2, further comprising guiding means for making it possible, at a time of changeover of the seat from the seated position to the lying-down position, to guide the back according to a movement that is a combination of a longitudinal translation and a rotation around a substantially transverse horizontal axis such that the back and the sitting portion are a continuation of one another, the base of the back being situated facing a front transverse edge of the sitting portion.

4. Convertible seat according to claim 3, wherein the at least one additional berth is a fixed portion assembled on the frame at the rear of the sitting portion and a continuation thereof.

5. A convertible seat according to claim 1, wherein the back is joined to a fixed part of the seat by two levers located on both sides of the sitting portion, each lever is assembled pivoting around an axis substantially horizontal and transverse in relation to the sitting portion, and the back is assembled pivoting around a substantially horizontal transverse axis between the two levers.

6. A convertible seat according to claim 5, wherein the sitting portion is fastened to the frame, and the levers are assembled on lateral sides of the sitting position.

7. A convertible seat according to claim 5, wherein the levers are joined by a plate.

8. A convertible seat according to claim 5, wherein for each lever a distance between the axis of pivoting of the lever in relation to the sitting portion and the axis of pivoting of the back ranges between one-half and three-quarters of a length of the sitting portion, in a longitudinal direction.

9. A convertible seat according to claim 1, wherein at least one of clamping and locking means holds the back in a turned-up position when the seat is in the seated position.

10. A convertible seat according to claim 1, wherein the additional berth cooperating with the back to form a level surface comprises a shelf configured to move between a substantially horizontal position as a continuation of the back toward a front when the seat is in the lying-down position and a substantially lateral vertical position in the seated position.

11. A convertible seat according to claim 10, wherein the substantially level bedding surface is made up of the back in the substantially horizontal position and the movable shelf.

12. A convertible seat according to claim 10, wherein in the lying-down position, the movable shelf cooperates with the back and a unit arranged facing and at a distance from the frame and a height of which corresponds substantially to that of the sitting portion of the seat.

13. A convertible seat according to claim 1, wherein the sitting portion is assembled pivoting around a transverse axis located close to its front edge to be configured to pivot approximately 180°

and then be substantially a continuation of the back in the lying-down position.

14. A convertible seat according to claim 13, wherein the guiding means cooperating with the back to form the substantially level surface comprises the pivoted sitting portion and a unit arranged facing and at a distance from the frame and a height of which corresponds substantially to that of the sitting portion of the seat.

15. A convertible seat according to claim 1, further comprising a footrest assembled pivoting around a transverse axis located close to its front edge to be configured to pivot approximately 90°

and then be mefe-ef-less substantially a continuation of the back in the lying-down position.

16. A convertible seat according to claim 15, wherein the guiding means cooperating with the back to form a level surface comprises the pivoted footrest and a unit arranged facing and at a distance from the frame and a height of which corresponds substantially to that of the sitting portion of the seat.

17. A convertible seat according to claim 14, wherein the unit comprises a movable flap configured to pivot approximately 180°

around a substantially transverse horizontal axis to form the at least one berth.

18. A convertible seat according to claim 1, wherein the back incorporates the at least one additional berth.

19. A convertible seat according to claim 18, wherein the at least one additional berth incorporated into the back is assembled sliding in relation to the back.

20. A convertible seat according to claim 18, wherein the at least one additional berth incorporated into the back is assembled pivoting in relation to the back.

21. Convertible seat according to claim 1, further comprising a lateral wall surrounding a rear area, behind the convertible seat.

22. Convertible seat according to claim 21, wherein a luggage compartment is provided between the lateral wall and the frame of the seat.

23. Convertible seat according to claim 22, wherein the luggage compartment comprises a lateral door.

24. Convertible seat according to claim 23, wherein the lateral door is a sliding door in a substantially vertical plane with aid of a substantially horizontal guiding rail borne by the lateral wall.

25. Module comprising a seat and a wall surrounding the seat at least partially, wherein the seat is a seat according to claim 1.

26. Aircraft for transport of passengers, comprising at least one convertible seat according to claim 1.

27. A convertible seat according to claim 1, wherein the back is configured to rotate in a first direction when changing from the seated position to the lying-down position, and the at least one additional berth is configured to rotate in a second direction transverse to the first direction when changing from the seated position to the lying-down position.

28. A convertible seat configured to accommodate an aircraft passenger, comprising:

a frame;

a sitting portion borne by the frame and including a first end and a second end opposite the first end;

a back including a base and a free end; and

a jointed footrest along a transverse edge of the sitting portion between a position substantially perpendicular to the sitting portion and a position in which a plane of the sitting portion and a plane of the footrest form an obtuse or straight angle,

wherein the seat is configured to change from a seated position in which the back forms an angle with the sitting portion and its base is close to a rear transverse edge of the sitting portion, to a lying-down position in which the back has a substantially level surface configured to accommodate the passenger in the lying-down position, and when the seat is in the seated position, the back is closer to the first end than to the second end,

wherein the frame is a fixed frame, the back and at most one of the sitting portion and the footrest form the substantially level surface of the seat in the lying-down position, and

at least one additional berth is provided to cooperate with at least one of the sitting portion, the back, and the footrest to form the substantially level surface configured to accommodate the passenger in the lying-down position,

the at least one additional berth is located closer to the second end than to the first end when the seat is in the lying-down position, and

the sitting portion is in a same position relative to the frame when the seat is in the seated position as when the seat is in the lying-down position.

29. A convertible seat according to claim 28, further comprising guiding means for guiding, at a time of changeover of the seat from the seated position to the lying-down position, the back such that the back in the lying-down position comes to cover most of a position of the sitting portion in the seated position.

30. A convertible seat according to claim 29, wherein the back in the lying-down position covers the sitting portion, and a selected edge of the back in the lying-down position comprising the base of the back and its free end is substantially superposed on one edge of the sitting portion.

31. A convertible seat according to claim 29, wherein the guiding means makes it possible, at the time of changeover of the seat from the seated position to the lying-down position, to guide the back according to a movement that is a combination of a longitudinal translation and a rotation around a substantially transverse horizontal axis.

32. A convertible seat according to claim 29, wherein the guiding means comprises on both sides of the frame at least one guiding rail to guide the base of the back, at the time of changeover from the seated position to the lying-down position, from a position corresponding to a rear of the sitting portion in the seated position to a position corresponding to a front of the sitting portion in the seated position.

33. A convertible seat according to claim 29, wherein the guiding means comprises on both sides of the frame at least one guiding rail to guide the base of the back, at the time of changeover from the seated position to the lying-down position, from a position corresponding to a rear of the sitting portion in the seated position to a drawn-back position such that when the base of the back is in the drawn-back position, a free end of the back is in a position corresponding to a front of the sitting portion in the seated position.

34. Convertible seat according to claim 28, wherein the guiding means makes it possible, at a time of changeover of the seat from the seated position to the lying-down position, to guide the back according to a movement that is a combination of a longitudinal translation toward a rear and a rotation around a substantially transverse horizontal axis such that the back in the lying-down position of the seat is substantially perpendicular to a plane of the sitting portion of the seat.

35. Convertible seat according to claim 34, wherein the level surface configured to accommodate a passenger in lying-down position comprises the sitting portion of the seat, a fixed portion assembled on the frame at the rear of the sitting portion and as a continuation of the frame, and a shelf configured to move between a substantially horizontal position as a continuation toward the front of the sitting portion in the lying-down position and a substantially lateral vertical position in the seated position.

36. A convertible seat according to claim 28, wherein the back is configured to rotate in a first direction when changing from the seated position to the lying-down position, and the at least one additional berth is configured to rotate in a second direction transverse to the first direction when changing from the seated position to the lying-down position.