Foldable seat bench

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10336456-B2
Application number	US-201715465949-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 22, 2017
Priority date	Mar 23, 2016
Publication date	Jul 2, 2019
Grant date	Jul 2, 2019

Abstract

A foldable seat bench comprises a seat, a seat area and a backrest, and a carrier arrangement comprising a carrier element carrying the seat and at least one leg. The backrest is movable between a deployed position extending at an angle of approximately 70° to 110° relative to the seat area and a stowed position extending at an angle of approximately 0° to 20° relative to the seat area. The leg is foldable relative to the carrier element between a unfolded position and a folded position. The foldable seat bench comprises a first locking mechanism which, in a locking state, is adapted to lock the backrest of the seat in both its deployed position and its stowed position, and a second locking mechanism which, in a locking state, is adapted to lock the leg of the carrier arrangement in both its unfolded position and its folded position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft foldable seat bench comprising:
a seat comprising a seat area and a backrest;
a carrier arrangement comprising:
a carrier element carrying the seat;
a front leg formed in one piece and pivotably connected to the carrier element at a first end and is pivotably mounted on an aircraft floor at an opposite end; and
a foldable rear leg comprising a first leg portion that is pivotably connected to the carrier element at a first end of the first leg portion, and a second leg portion that is pivotably connected at a first end of the second leg portion to a second end of the first leg portion,
wherein the rear leg is pivotably mounted on the aircraft floor by a second end of the second leg portion;

a first locking mechanism which, in a locking state, is adapted to lock the backrest of the seat in both a deployed position and a stowed position of the backrest; and
a second locking mechanism which, in a locking state, is adapted to lock the rear leg of the carrier arrangement in both an unfolded position and a folded position,
wherein the backrest is movable relative to the carrier element between the deployed position in which the backrest extends at an angle of approximately 70° to 110° relative to the seat area and the stowed position in which the backrest extends at an angle of approximately 0° to 20° relative to the seat area,
wherein the rear leg is moved from the unfolded position to the folded position by pivoting the second leg portion and the front leg in opposite directions, and
wherein the carrier element is at a first distance from the aircraft floor in the unfolded position, and the carrier element is at a second distance from the aircraft floor in the folded position, the second distance from the aircraft floor being smaller than the first distance from the aircraft floor.

2. The aircraft foldable seat bench according to claim 1 , wherein the seat further comprises:
an armrest which is movable relative to the carrier element between a deployed position, in which the armrest is arranged at a first distance from the carrier element, and a stowed position, in which the armrest is arranged at a second distance from the carrier element, wherein the second distance from the carrier element is smaller than the first distance from the carrier element; and
a third locking mechanism which, in a locking state, is adapted to lock the armrest in both the deployed position and the stowed position of the armrest.

3. The aircraft foldable seat bench according to claim 2 , wherein:
the first locking mechanism comprises a first actuator which, upon actuation, is adapted to unlock the first locking mechanism and which is arranged in a region of a face of the foldable seat bench which faces an aisle of an aircraft cabin, when the foldable seat bench is installed in the cabin;
the second locking mechanism comprises a second actuator which, upon actuation, is adapted to unlock the second locking mechanism and which is arranged in a region of a face of the foldable seat bench which faces an aisle of an aircraft cabin, when the foldable seat bench is installed in the cabin; and
the third locking mechanism comprises a third actuator which, upon actuation, is adapted to unlock the third locking mechanism and which is arranged in a region of a face of the foldable seat bench which faces an aisle of an aircraft cabin, when the foldable seat bench is installed in the cabin.

4. The aircraft foldable seat bench according to claim 2 , wherein:
the first locking mechanism is designed in a form of a mechanical locking mechanism or an electric locking mechanism;
the second locking mechanism is designed in a form of a mechanical locking mechanism or an electric locking mechanism; and
the third locking mechanism is designed in a form of a mechanical locking mechanism or an electric locking mechanism.

5. The aircraft foldable seat bench according to claim 2 , wherein:
the first locking mechanism comprises a first latching element which is attached to the carrier element and which, when being arranged in a latching position, is adapted to latch with a complementary first holding element provided on the backrest in order to lock the backrest in both the deployed position and the stowed position of the backrest, the first latching element being biased into the latching position of the first locking mechanism;
the second locking mechanism comprises a second latching element which is attached to the rear leg and which, when being arranged in a latching position, is adapted to latch with a complementary second holding element provided on the carrier element in order to lock the rear leg in both the unfolded position and the folded position, the second latching element being biased into the latching position of the second locking mechanism; and
the third locking mechanism comprises a third latching element which is connected to the carrier element and which, when being arranged in a latching position, is adapted to latch with a complementary third holding element provided on the armrest in order to lock the armrest in both the deployed position and the stowed position of the armrest, the third latching element being biased into the latching position of the third locking mechanism.

6. The aircraft foldable seat bench according to claim 5 ,
wherein the first locking mechanism comprises a rotatable actuator handle:
which, in the locking state of the first locking mechanism, is adapted to act on a first locking element in order to maintain the first locking element in engagement with the first latching element and to thus lock the first latching element in a position in which the first latching element latches with the complementary first holding element; and
which, in an unlocking state of the first locking mechanism, is adapted to move the first locking element from a locking position in which the first locking element locks the first latching element into an unlocking position in which the first locking element is disengaged from the first latching element and thus releases the first latching element.

7. The aircraft foldable seat bench according to claim 5 ,
wherein, in the locking state of the second locking mechanism, the first leg portion is locked in position relative to the carrier element due to the interaction of the second latching element with the second holding element, and wherein the second locking mechanism comprises a further second latching element which is connected to the first leg portion and which, when being arranged in a latching position, is adapted to latch with a complementary further second holding element provided on the second leg portion in order to lock the second leg portion in both the unfolded position and the folded position relative to the first leg portion, the further second latching element being biased into the latching position of the further second latching element.

8. The aircraft foldable seat bench according to claim 5 ,
wherein the second locking mechanism comprises an actuator handle which is connected to the second latching element via a first connecting element such that, upon actuation of the actuator handle, the second latching element is unlatched from the second holding element so as to unlock the rear leg and to thus allow a movement of the rear leg relative to the carrier element between the unfolded position and the folded position, and wherein the actuator handle of the second locking mechanism is connected to a further second latching element via a second connecting element such that, upon actuation of the actuator handle, the further second latching element is unlatched from the further second holding element so as to unlock the second leg portion and to thus allow a movemen

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Gmbh

Inventors

• Ehlers Bernd
• Behrens Stefan

Classifications

• B64D11/0696

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

• B64D11/0639 Primary

  with features for adjustment or converting of seats · CPC title