Seat cushion retention and monitoring in an aircraft

• US 8,094,041 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2008
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Wentland, Mark E., Lamoree, Bret L., Sohalla, James P., Mitchell, Bradley J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Labbees, Edny
• Application Number:
  US12/059,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20090243868A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,380 Days
• Field of Search: 340/945, 340/652, 340/653, 244/117.R, 244/122.R
• US Class Current: 340/945
• 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 11/0624 Arrangements of electrical connectors, e.g. for earphone, internet or electric supply

Abstract

An aircraft seating system comprises a seat frame having a top side, a seat cushion having a bottom side, a plurality of conductive first sides of a hook-and-loop fastener system attached to the bottom side of the seat cushion in a first pattern, a plurality of conductive second sides of the hook-and-loop fastener system attached to the top side of the seat frame in a second pattern, and a sensor connector connected to the second pattern. The plurality of conductive first sides and the plurality of conductive second sides engage each other and create a closed circuit for the sensor connector when the bottom side of the seat cushion is placed on the top side of the seat frame.

Claims

1. A seating system comprising:

a seat frame having a top side;

a seat cushion having a bottom side;

a plurality of conductive first sides attached to the bottom side of the seat cushion in a first pattern, the first pattern substantially arranged around a periphery of the bottom side;

a plurality of conductive second sides attached to the top side of the seat frame in a second pattern, the second pattern substantially arranged around a periphery of the top side; and

a sensor connector connected to the second pattern, wherein the plurality of conductive first sides and the plurality of conductive second sides engage each other and create a closed circuit for the sensor connector when the bottom side of the seat cushion is placed on the top side of the seat frame.

2. The seating system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of conductive second sides includes a plurality of wires having exposed sections at ends connected to the plurality of second sides in a manner to create the closed circuit with the plurality of conductive first sides when the bottom side of the seat cushion is placed on the top side of the seat frame.

3. The seating system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of conductive first sides is a plurality of conductive strips with loops and wherein the plurality of conductive second sides is a plurality of conductive strips with hooks.

4. The seating system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of conductive first sides is a plurality of strips with hooks and wherein the plurality of conductive second sides is a plurality of strips with loops.

5. The seating system of claim 1, wherein the frame includes a seat pan on the top side.

6. The seating system of claim 1, wherein the sensor connector is in communication with a monitoring system.

7. The seating system of claim 1 further comprising:

a first side of a zipper attached to a back end of the seat cushion;

a second side of the zipper attached to a back of the seat frame;

a securing mechanism attached to a front end of the seat cushion; and

a locking mechanism capable of locking the first side and the second side of the zipper in a joined configuration.

8. The seating system of claim 1, wherein the seat frame includes a front elongate member and further comprising

a set of clips attached to a front end of the seat cushion such that set of clips is capable of being engaged with the front elongate member when the first side and the second side are in a joined configuration to prevent the seat cushion from being removed from the seat frame.

9. A seating system comprising:

a seat frame having a back;

a seat cushion;

a first side of a zipper attached to a back end of the seat cushion;

a second side of the zipper attached to the back of the seat frame;

a securing mechanism attached to a front end of the seat cushion;

a locking mechanism capable of locking the first side and the second side of the zipper in a joined configuration;

a plurality of conductive first sides of a hook-and-loop fastener system attached to a bottom side of the seat cushion in a first pattern, the first pattern substantially arranged around a periphery of the bottom side;

a plurality of conductive second sides of the hook-and-loop fastener system attached to a top side of the seat frame in a second pattern, the second pattern substantially arranged around a periphery of the top side; and

a sensor connector connected to the second pattern, wherein the plurality of conductive first sides and the plurality of conductive second sides engage each other and create a closed circuit for the sensor connector when the bottom side of the seat cushion is placed on the top side of the seat frame.

10. The seating system of claim 9, wherein the seat frame includes a front elongate member substantially parallel and wherein the securing mechanism comprises:

a set of clips attached to the front end of the seat cushion such that set of clips is capable of being engaged with the front elongate member when the first side and the second side are in the joined configuration to prevent the seat cushion from being removed from the seat frame.

11. The seating system of claim 9, when the first side and the second side are in the joined configuration, a barrier is present against allowing objects to be placed between the back end of the seat cushion and the back of the seat frame.

12. The seating system of claim 9, wherein the seat frame includes a first hollow front elongate member and wherein the securing mechanism comprises:

a second hollow elongate member substantially parallel to the first hollow front elongate member and attached to a front end of the seat cushion;

a cable capable of being placed through a first channel in the first hollow front elongate member and a second channel in the second hollow elongate member; and

a lock capable of securing the cable in place in the first channel in the first hollow front elongate member and the second channel in the second hollow elongate member and capable of preventing the seat cushion from being removed when the first side and the second side are in the joined configuration.

13. The seating system of claim 9, wherein the locking mechanism is selected from one of a cable tie and a lock.

14. The seating system of claim 9, wherein the zipper is a first zipper and further comprising:

one side of a second zipper attached to a first side of the seat cushion; and

one side of a third zipper attached to a second side of the seat cushion, wherein the one side of the second zipper and the one side of the third zipper are capable of being secured to other sides of other zippers attached to sides of other seat cushions.

15. The seating system of claim 9 further comprising:

a set of first sides of a hook-and-loop fastener system attached to a bottom of the seat cushion; and

a set of second sides of the hook-and-loop fastener system attached to a top of a seat pan for the seat frame.

16. The seating system of claim 9, wherein a conductive feature in the plurality of conductive second sides is a plurality of wires having exposed sections at the ends connected to the plurality of second sides in a manner to create the closed circuit with the plurality of conductive first sides when the bottom side of the seat cushion is placed on the top side of the seat frame.

17. The seating system of claim 9, wherein the sensor connector is in communication with a monitoring system.

18. An aircraft seating system for detecting unauthorized movement of seat cushions in an aircraft, the aircraft seating system comprising:

a seat frame having a top side;

a seat cushion having a bottom side;

a plurality of conductive first sides of a hook and loop fastener system attached to the bottom side of the seat cushion in a first pattern, the first pattern comprising a substantially rectangular shape arranged around a periphery of the bottom side, wherein the first plurality of conductive sides is a plurality of strips with hooks;

a plurality of conductive second sides of a hook and loop fastener system attached to a seat pan on the top side of the seat frame in a second pattern, the second pattern comprising a substantially rectangular shape arranged around a periphery of the top side, wherein the second plurality of conductive sides is a plurality of strips with loops;

a first side of a zipper attached to a back end of the seat cushion;

a second side of the zipper attached to the back of the seat frame;

a securing mechanism attached to a front end of the seat cushion; and

a locking mechanism capable of locking the first side and the second side of the zipper in a joined configuration; and

a sensor connector connected to the second pattern, wherein the plurality of conductive first sides and the plurality of conductive second sides engage each other and create a closed circuit for the sensor connector when the bottom side of the seat cushion is placed on the top side of the seat frame, wherein movement sufficient to disturb the closed circuit generates an indication that an unauthorized movement of the seat cushion has occurred.

19. A method for monitoring a seat cushion for an aircraft seat, the method comprising:

placing a seat cushion having a first plurality of conductive sides arranged in a first pattern on a bottom side of the seat cushion onto a seat frame for the aircraft seat having a second plurality of conductive side arranged in a second pattern to form a closed circuit for a sensor, the first pattern substantially arranged around a periphery of the bottom side, and the second pattern substantially arranged around a periphery of a top side;

monitoring the sensor for a change from the closed circuit to an open circuit; and

responsive to detecting the change, generating an alert.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the alert indicates that the seat cushion has been disturbed.

21. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

securing a back end of the seat cushion to the seat frame with a barrier cover; and

securing a front end of the seat cushion to the seat frame.