Aircraft cabin equipped with means for controlling the power consumed by seat actuators

• US 7,365,449 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2005
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zodiac Actuation Systems
• Original Assignee: Precilec Co.
• Inventors: Robert, Jean-Claude, Marin-Martinod, Thierry
• Primary Examiner(s): Sherry; Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): CAVALLARI, DANIEL J
• Application Number:
  US11/094,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20050231038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• Field of Search: 307/9.1, 307/10.1, 307/32, 701/99, 318/565
• US Class Current: 307/9.1
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 31/126 for chairs
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/06395 characterised by the arrangement of electric motors for adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/064 Adjustable inclination or position of seats
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0643 Adjustable foot or leg rests
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/14 Balancing the load in a network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/44 for aircrafts
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/60 Limiting power consumption in the network or in one section of the network, e.g. load shedding or peak shaving

Abstract

An aircraft cabin including at least two seats, which seat each include at least two elements which can be moved relative to each other and at least one actuator for the relative displacement of these movable elements, and at least one central power control unit in the cabin in order to allocate a total available power level to each seat, where each seat includes parts for reading at least one item of morphological information of the passenger sitting in the seat, and a part for transmitting information to the central power control unit in accordance with each item of morphological information, and the central power control unit is capable of allocating to each seat a total available power level in accordance with each item of morphological information.

Claims

1. Aircraft cabin comprising:

at least two seats, each seat comprising at least two elements which can be moved relative to each other and at least one actuator for the relative displacement of these movable elements,

at least one central power control unit in the cabin in order to allocate a total available power level to each seat, wherein,

each seat further comprises means for reading at least one item of morphological information of the passenger sitting in the seat, and means for transmitting information to the central power control unit in accordance with each item of the read morphological information, and

the central power control unit is capable of allocating to each seat a total available power level in accordance with each item of the read morphological information.

2. Cabin according to claim 1, wherein the reading means comprise a sensor for measuring the weight of the passenger.

3. Cabin according to claim 1, wherein the reading means comprise a sensor for measuring the size of at least a portion of the passenger.

4. Cabin according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for calculating, for each seat, a maximum nominal power level that can be consumed by each actuator of the seat based on each item of the read morphological information and features of each actuator, and the central power control unit is capable of allocating to each seat a total available power level whose value depends on the maximum nominal power levels calculated for each seat.

5. Cabin according to claim 4, wherein the total available power level allocated to a specific seat becomes higher as the maximum nominal power level calculated for the specific seat becomes higher.

6. Cabin according to claim 4, wherein each seat comprises a local power control unit to which means for reading at least one item of morphological information are connected, and in that each local power control unit comprises suitable means for calculating the maximum nominal power level that can be consumed by each actuator of the seat based on each item of morphological information and the features of each actuator.

7. Cabin according to claim 6, wherein each local power control unit comprises means for transmitting information to the central power control unit in accordance with each maximum nominal power level that can be consumed by an actuator.

8. Cabin according to claim 6, wherein the central power control unit comprises means for transmitting an allocated total available power level to each local power control unit and each local power control unit is capable of controlling each actuator so that the total power consumed is less than the total available power allocated.

10. Cabin according to claim 1, wherein the sensor measures the weight of the passenger.

11. Cabin according to claim 10, wherein the sensor further measures the size of at least a portion of the passenger.

17. Cabin according to claim 10, wherein the sensor further measures a torso height of the passenger.

9. An aircraft cabin, comprising:

two seats, each seat comprising i) at least two elements with each element movable relative to each other element and ii) at least one actuator for the relative displacement of the movable elements; and

at least one central power control unit in the cabin in order to allocate a total available power level to each seat, wherein,

each seat further comprises i) a sensor configured to read at least one item of morphological information of a passenger sitting in the seat, and ii) a transmitter for transmitting information to the central power control unit in accordance with each item of the read morphological information, and

the central power control unit is configured to allocate to each seat a total available power level in accordance with each item of the read morphological information.

12. Cabin according to claim 9, further comprising:

means for calculating, for each seat, a maximum nominal power level that can be consumed by each actuator of the seat based on each item of the read morphological information and features of each actuator, and the central power control unit configured to allocate to each seat a total available power level whose value depends on the maximum nominal power levels calculated for each seat.

13. Cabin according to claim 12, wherein the total available power level allocated to a specific seat becomes higher as the maximum nominal power level calculated for the specific seat becomes higher.

14. Cabin according to claim 12, wherein each seat comprises a local power control unit to which the sensor is connected, and each local power control unit comprises means for calculating the maximum nominal power level that can be consumed by each actuator of the seat based on each item of the read morphological information and the features of each actuator.

15. Cabin according to claim 14, wherein each local power control unit comprises means for transmitting information to the central power control unit in accordance with each maximum nominal power level that can be consumed by an actuator.

16. Cabin according to claim 14, wherein the central power control unit comprises means for transmitting an allocated total available power level to each local power control unit and each local power control unit is capable of controlling each actuator so that the total power consumed is less than the total available power allocated.

18. Cabin according to claim 9, wherein the sensor measures a torso height of the passenger.