Pivot arm mounted energy attenuating seat

• US 9,969,307 B1
• Filed: 09/26/2016
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Armorworks Enterprises Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ArmorWorks Holdings, Inc.
• Inventors: Bosen, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gabler, Philip F
• Application Number:
  US15/276,413
• Time in Patent Office: 596 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/24 for particular purposes or particular vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4242 vertical
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/42709 involving residual deformation or fracture of the structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/42736 of the whole seat
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2029/043 Seats; Arrangements thereof on vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0619 with energy absorbing means specially adapted for mitigating impact loads for passenger seats, e.g. at a crash
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0689 specially adapted for pilots

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for a pivot arm mounted energy attenuating vehicle seating system. In one exemplary embodiment the vehicle seating system includes a seat with a pair of left upper and lower seat pivots, and a pair of right upper and lower seat pivots; and apart from the seat a pair of left upper and lower stationary pivots, and a pair of right upper and lower stationary pivots. A pair of left and right upper pivot arms are connected at one end to a respective upper seat pivot, and at the other end to a respective upper stationary pivot; and a pair of left and right lower pivot arms are similarly connected at one end to a respective lower seat pivot, and at the other end to a respective lower stationary pivot. The seating system may further include an energy attenuating member with a first end attached to the seat and a second end configured for attachment to a vehicle compartment.

Claims

1. An energy attenuating vehicle seating system configured to attenuate shock loads imparted through a vehicle compartment to a seat occupant during a high energy impact event, the seating system comprising:

left and right mirrored pairs of generally horizontally extending pivot arms, each pair of pivot arms comprising an upper pivot arm and a lower pivot arm, with the lower pivot arm disposed below and parallel to the upper pivot arm, wherein the left and right pairs of pivot arms are each pivotally connected at first ends thereof to a seat by left and right pairs of upper and lower seat pivots respectively, and at second ends thereof to left and right pairs of upper and lower stationary pivots respectively, and wherein a spacing between upper and lower seat pivots and upper and lower stationary pivots are the same, and a pivot-to-pivot length of each pivot arm is the same, the pivot arms thereby constraining the seat to translate without rotation along an arcuate path in a substantially vertical direction from a beginning position to an ending position; and

an energy attenuating member disposed between the seat and vehicle compartment, comprising an elongated metal bar between an upper flange and a lower flange, the upper flange rigidly connected to the seat, and the lower flange configured for rigid attachment to the vehicle compartment, wherein the energy attenuating member is configured to remain rigid while shock loads imparted to the seat through the energy attenuating member are less than a predetermined threshold value, and to deform in a predictable manner in response to a shock load exceeding the threshold value, allowing the pivot arms to rotate about the stationary pivots, and the seat along with the upper flange of the energy attenuating member to translate without rotation along the arcuate path between the beginning and ending positions.

2. The vehicle seating system of claim 1, wherein the energy attenuating member comprises identical left and right energy attenuating members, and wherein the upper and lower flanges of the energy attenuating member are substantially vertically aligned at the beginning and ending positions.

3. The vehicle seating system of claim 2, wherein the elongated metal bars of the left and right energy attenuating members are formed in a sideways letter V shape with straight sections between bends at each end and in the middle of the bars.

4. The vehicle seating system of claim 2, wherein the left and right pairs of upper and lower stationary pivots are built into a stationary bracket configured for attachment to the vehicle compartment.

5. The vehicle seating system of claim 4, wherein the left and right pairs of upper and lower seat pivots are built into left and right seat frame elements, and wherein the upper flanges of the energy attenuating members are connected to the left and right seat frame elements.

6. The vehicle seating system of claim 5, wherein the lower flanges of the energy attenuating members are connected to the stationary bracket.

7. The vehicle seating system of claim 6, wherein the stationary bracket is connected to a seat height adjustment mechanism.

8. The vehicle seating system of claim 1, wherein the pivot arms extend in a rearward direction from a back of the seat.

9. The vehicle seating system of claim 1, wherein the left and right pairs of upper and lower seat pivots are part of a seat mounting bracket configured for attachment to a vehicle seat.

10. An energy attenuating vehicle seating system configured to attenuate shock loads imparted through a vehicle compartment to a seat occupant during a high energy impact event, the seat mounting system comprising:

a first pair of generally horizontally extending pivot arms comprising a first upper pivot arm, and a first lower pivot arm disposed below and parallel to the first upper pivot arm, the first upper and lower pivot arms each pivotally connected at one end thereof to a seat by first upper and lower seat pivots respectively, and at an opposite end thereof to first upper and lower stationary pivots respectively, wherein a spacing between the first upper and lower seat pivots and the first upper and lower stationary pivots are the same, and a pivot-to-pivot length of the first upper and first lower pivot arms are the same, the pivot arms thereby constraining the seat to translate without rotation along an arcuate path in a substantially vertical direction from a beginning position to an ending position; and

a first energy attenuating member disposed between the seat and vehicle compartment, comprising an elongated metal bar between an upper flange and a lower flange, the upper flange rigidly connected to the seat, and the lower flange configured for rigid attachment to the vehicle compartment, wherein the first energy attenuating member is configured to remain rigid while shock loads imparted to the seat through the first energy attenuating member are less than a predetermined threshold value, and to deform in a predictable manner in response to a shock load exceeding the threshold value, allowing the pivot arms to rotate about the stationary pivots, and the seat along with the upper flange of the first energy attenuating member to translate without rotation along the arcuate path between the beginning and ending positions.

11. The energy attenuating vehicle seating system of claim 10, further comprising:

a second, mirrored pair of pivot arms comprising a second upper and a second lower pivot arm adjacent to and spaced apart from the first pair of pivot arms, the second pair of pivot arms each connected at one end to the seat by a second pair of upper and lower seat pivots with the same orientation and spacing as the first pair of upper and lower seat pivots, and at the other end to a second pair of upper and lower stationary pivots with the same orientation and spacing as the first pair of upper and lower stationary pivots; and

a substantially identical second energy attenuating member disposed between the seat and vehicle compartment, the second energy attenuating member adjacent to and spaced apart from the first energy attenuating member.

12. The energy attenuating vehicle seating system of claim 11, wherein the first pair of seat pivots are proximate a left side of the seat, and the second pair of seat pivots are proximate a right side of the seat.

13. The energy attenuating vehicle seating system of claim 12, wherein the first and second pairs of pivot arms extend in a rearward direction from a back of the seat.

14. The energy attenuating vehicle seating system of claim 13, wherein the first and second pairs of stationary pivots are built into a stationary bracket configured for attachment to the vehicle compartment.

15. The energy attenuating vehicle seating system of claim 10, wherein the upper and lower flanges of the energy attenuating member are substantially vertically aligned at the beginning and ending positions.

16. An energy attenuating vehicle seating system comprising:

a seat with a pair of left upper and lower seat pivots, and a pair of right upper and lower seat pivots;

a pair of left upper and lower stationary pivots, and a pair of right upper and lower stationary pivots;

a pair of left and right upper pivot arms, each connected at one end to a respective upper seat pivot, and at the other end to a respective upper stationary pivot;

a pair of left and right lower pivot arms, each connected at one end to a respective lower seat pivot, and at the other end to a respective lower stationary pivot, the pairs of pivot arms thereby constraining the seat to translate without rotation along an arcuate path in a substantially vertical direction from a beginning position to an ending position; and

an energy attenuating member disposed between the seat and vehicle compartment, comprising an elongated metal bar between an upper flange and a lower flange, the upper flange rigidly connected to the seat, and the lower flange configured for rigid attachment to the vehicle compartment, wherein the energy attenuating member is configured to remain rigid while shock loads imparted to the seat through the energy attenuating member are less than a predetermined threshold value, and to deform in a predictable manner in response to a shock load exceeding the threshold value, allowing the pivot arms to rotate about the stationary pivots as the seat along with the upper flange of the energy attenuating member translate without rotation along the arcuate path between the beginning and ending positions.

17. The energy attenuating vehicle seating system of claim 16, wherein the upper and lower pivot arms are all the same length.

18. The energy attenuating vehicle seating system of claim 17, wherein the left seat pivots and left stationary pivots define a parallelogram, and the right seat pivots and right stationary pivots define an identical parallelogram.

19. The energy attenuating vehicle seating system of claim 18, wherein the upper and lower seat pivots all lie in a first plane, and the upper and lower stationary pivots all lie in a second plane parallel to the first plane.

20. The energy attenuating vehicle seating system of claim 16, wherein the upper and lower flanges of the energy attenuating member are substantially vertically aligned at the beginning and ending positions.