Aircraft seat that is tolerant to floor deformation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10315774-B2
Application number	US-201715441328-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 24, 2017
Priority date	Mar 1, 2016
Publication date	Jun 11, 2019
Grant date	Jun 11, 2019

Abstract

A vehicle seat comprising a stand and a bucket having a seat pan and a seat back. Said stand serves to fasten said bucket to a floor of said vehicle and to absorb deformation of said floor while limiting the mechanical stresses that are transmitted to said bucket. Said pan is connected to said bucket via a revolute joint for pivoting about a transverse direction and by energy absorber devices. The stand has two first legs forming a fork and connecting the front of said bucket to said floor via ball joint connections. The bucket is connected to said floor at the rear of the seat via two ball joint connections. The stand is thus connected to said bucket via three points and to said floor via four points making it possible to avoid twisting said bucket as a result of deformation of said floor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle seat comprising a bucket and a stand, the bucket having a seat pan and a seat back, the stand being designed to fasten the bucket to a floor of the vehicle, wherein the stand has two first legs and mechanical connections, each first leg being provided with two ends and being mechanically connected firstly via one of the two ends to the bucket via a first mechanical connection having no degree of freedom to move in translation, and secondly being designed to be mechanically connected via another one of the two ends to the floor via a second mechanical connection having at least two degrees of freedom in movement and only degrees of freedom to move in rotation, two first directions respectively interconnecting the two ends of each of the first legs not being mutually parallel, two third mechanical connections respectively having at least two degrees of freedom to move in rotation being designed for mechanically connecting the bucket to the floor in order to enable the stand to absorb deformation of the floor, while limiting the mechanical stresses that are transmitted to the bucket, and avoiding twisting of the bucket.

2. A seat according to claim 1 , wherein the two first legs are mechanically connected together at one of the two ends at the first mechanical connection so that the stand has a first interface comprising three connection points with the bucket and a second interface comprising four connection points with the floor, the two first legs having at least one degree of freedom to move in rotation relative to each other, each first mechanical connection being provided with at least one degree of freedom to move in rotation.

3. A seat according to claim 1 , wherein the two first legs are mechanically connected together at a first one of the two ends at the second mechanical connection so that the stand has a first interface comprising four connection points with the bucket and a second interface comprising three connection points with the floor.

4. A seat according to claim 3 , wherein each first mechanical connection has no degree of freedom to move and is formed by a permanent connection, the two first legs having no degree of freedom to move relative to each other.

5. A seat according to claim 1 , wherein each first mechanical connection and each second mechanical connection is provided with three degrees of freedom to move in rotation and is formed by a respective ball joint connection.

6. A seat according to claim 1 , wherein each first mechanical connection is provided with one degree of freedom to move in rotation about a first axis, and each second mechanical connection is provided with two degrees of freedom to move in rotation about third and fourth axes that are not mutually parallel, the first axis being parallel to one of the third and fourth axes.

7. A seat according to claim 6 , wherein each first mechanical connection is provided with a second degree of freedom to move in rotation about a second axis that is not parallel to the first axis.

8. A seat according to claim 6 , wherein each first mechanical connection, or indeed each second mechanical connection, is provided with a third degree of freedom to move in rotation.

9. A seat according to claim 6 , wherein for longitudinal, transverse, and vertical directions X, Y, and Z forming a rectangular reference frame attached to the seat, the longitudinal direction X extending from the rear of the seat towards the front of the seat, the transverse direction Y extending from one flank of the pan towards another flank of the pan, and the vertical direction Z extending from the floor towards the pan, the first and third axes are parallel to the longitudinal direction X, the fourth axis is parallel to the transverse direction Y, and when each first mechanical connection is provided with a second degree of freedom to move in rotation about a second axis, the second axis is parallel to the vertical direction Z.

10. A seat according to claim 6 , wherein for longitudinal, transverse, and vertical directions X, Y, and Z forming a rectangular reference frame attached to the seat, the longitudinal direction X extending from the rear of the seat towards the front of the seat, the transverse direction Y extending from one flank of the pan towards another flank of the pan, and the vertical direction Z extending from the floor towards the pan, the first and third axes are parallel to the longitudinal direction X, the fourth axis is parallel to the transverse direction Y, and when each first mechanical connection is provided with a second degree of freedom to move in rotation about a second axis, the second axis is parallel to the transverse direction Y.

11. A seat according to claim 1 , wherein each third mechanical connection is provided with two degrees of freedom to move in rotation about fifth and sixth axes that are not parallel to each other.

12. A seat according to claim 11 , wherein each third mechanical connection is provided with a third degree of freedom to move in rotation.

13. A seat according to claim 11 , wherein each second mechanical connection is provided with two degrees of freedom to move in rotation about third and fourth axes that are not parallel to each other, the fifth axis is parallel to the third axis, and the sixth axis is parallel to the fourth axis.

14. A seat according to claim 11 , wherein each third mechanical connection is provided with a degree of freedom to move in translation along the fifth axis.

15. A seat according to claim 11 , wherein the stand has second legs and fourth mechanical connections, each provided with at least one degree of freedom to move in rotation, each second leg connecting the bucket to a third mechanical connection, each fourth mechanical connection connecting a second leg to the bucket.

16. A seat according to claim 15 , wherein each fourth mechanical connection is provided with one degree of freedom to move in rotation about a seventh axis and is formed by a revolute joint.

17. A seat according to claim 16 , wherein each fourth mechanical connection is provided with two degrees of freedom to move in rotation about seventh and eighth axes that are not parallel to each other and that are formed by two revolute joints.

18. A seat according to claim 16 , wherein each third mechanical connection is provided with two degrees of freedom to move in rotation about fifth and sixth axes, the seventh axis is parallel to the sixth axis, and when each fourth mechanical connection is provided with two degrees of freedom to move in rotation about seventh and eighth axes, the eighth axis is parallel to the fifth axis.

19. A seat according to claim 16 , wherein each fourth mechanical connection includes at least one blocking element constituting an abutment limiting the movement in rotation of a second leg.

20. A seat according to claim 16 , wherein each fourth mechanical connection includes at least one blocking element constituting a friction element generating friction within the fourth mechanical connection.

21. A seat according to claim 1 , wherein two first legs are arranged at the front of the seat.

22. A seat according to claim 1 , wherein two first legs are arranged at the rear of the seat.

23. A seat according to claim 1 , wherein the seat includes at least one energy absorber device and a fifth mechanical connection about a ninth axis, the pan being connected to the bucket firstly by each energy absorber device and secondly by the fifth mecha

Assignees

• Airbus Helicopters

Inventors

• Crozat Pierre
• Joffre Jean-Francois
• Stawiak Marcin

Classifications

• B60N2/42736

  of the whole seat · CPC title

• B64D11/0696

  Means for fastening seats to floors, e.g. to floor rails · CPC title

• B64D11/0648 Primary

  Lower frame constructions · CPC title

• B60N2/42709

  involving residual deformation or fracture of the structure · CPC title

• B60N2/4242

  vertical · CPC title