Configurable vehicle seat and method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10481588-B2
Application number	US-201715599752-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 19, 2017
Priority date	Jan 24, 2017
Publication date	Nov 19, 2019
Grant date	Nov 19, 2019

Abstract

A conformal seat insert for an adjustable vehicle seat, the conformal seat insert comprising an insert frame, the insert frame having one or more insert reference features for locating the insert frame on a seat frame of the vehicle seat in a predetermined position relative to the seat frame, and a contoured support surface formed in the insert frame, the contoured support surface having a crew reference point corresponding to an acromial point of a shoulder of a seat occupant of the adjustable vehicle seat, the crew reference point being a datum from which an eye position of the seat occupant is established relative to instrumentation of an aerospace vehicle in which the adjustable vehicle seat is located.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a conformal seat insert for an adjustable vehicle seat, the method comprising:
positioning a seat occupant in a recumbent position on a seat replicator;
scanning an upper torso of the seat occupant and generating a solid body model of the upper torso based on the scanning of the upper torso; and
generating the conformal seat insert based on the solid body model of the upper torso so that the conformal seat insert includes a contoured support surface having a crew reference point corresponding to an acromial point of a shoulder of a seat occupant of the adjustable vehicle seat, the crew reference point being a datum from which an eye position of the seat occupant is established relative to instrumentation of an aerospace vehicle in which the adjustable vehicle seat is located.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the conformal seat insert comprises additively manufacturing the conformal seat insert.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating a virtual solid model contoured negative impression of the upper torso so that the virtual solid model contoured negative impression includes the crew reference point.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising generating a virtual solid model of the conformal seat insert based on the virtual solid model contoured negative impression.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein scanning the upper torso of the seat occupant comprises optically scanning the upper torso of the seat occupant.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the seat replicator comprises a transparent material and scanning the upper torso of the seat occupant comprises optically scanning the upper torso of the seat occupant.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the conformal seat insert comprises locating the crew reference point relative to one or more reference features of the conformal seat insert for locating the conformal seat insert on a seat frame of the vehicle seat in a predetermined position relative to the seat frame.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the contoured support surface is formed to restrain lateral movement of the seat occupant relative to the seat frame.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming at least one aperture in the conformal seat insert that is configured for passage of a portion of a seat occupant restraint system.

10. A method of making an adjustable vehicle seat, the method comprising:
providing a seat frame;
positioning a seat occupant in a recumbent position on a seat replicator;
scanning an upper torso of the seat occupant and generating a solid body model of the upper torso based on the scanning of the upper torso;
generating a conformal seat insert based on the solid body model of the upper torso so that the conformal seat insert includes a contoured support surface having a crew reference point corresponding to an acromial point of a shoulder of a seat occupant of the adjustable vehicle seat; and
coupling the conformal seat insert to the seat frame in a predetermined position relative to the seat frame so that the crew reference point of the conformal seat insert forms a datum from which an eye position of the seat occupant is established relative to instrumentation of an aerospace vehicle in which the adjustable vehicle seat is located.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein generating the conformal seat insert comprises additively manufacturing the conformal seat insert.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising generating a virtual solid model contoured negative impression of the upper torso so that the virtual solid model contoured negative impression includes the crew reference point.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising generating a virtual solid model of the conformal seat insert based on the virtual solid model contoured negative impression.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein scanning the upper torso of the seat occupant comprises optically scanning the upper torso of the seat occupant.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein scanning the upper torso of the seat occupant comprises magnetically scanning the upper torso of the seat occupant.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the seat replicator comprises a transparent material and scanning the upper torso of the seat occupant comprises optically scanning the upper torso of the seat occupant through the seat replicator.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein generating the conformal seat insert comprises locating the crew reference point relative to one or more reference features of the conformal seat insert where the reference features of the conformal seat insert locate the conformal seat insert on a seat frame of the vehicle seat in a predetermined position relative to the seat frame.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the contoured support surface is formed to restrain lateral movement of the seat occupant relative to the seat frame.

19. The method of claim 10 , further comprising forming at least one aperture in the conformal seat insert where the at least one aperture is configured for passage of a portion of a seat occupant restraint system.

20. The method of claim 10 , wherein generating a solid body model of the upper torso includes importing a point cloud obtained during scanning the upper torso of the seat occupant into a computer modeling application.

21. The method of claim 10 , wherein the solid body model of the upper torso is a three dimensional model.

22. The method of claim 10 , wherein generating a conformal seat insert includes printing the conformal seat insert with a three dimensional printer.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Mccarley Michael C
• Ferguson Christopher

Classifications

• B29L2031/771

  Seats · CPC title

• B64D11/0689 Primary

  specially adapted for pilots · CPC title

• G05B2219/49007

  Making, forming 3-D object, model, surface · CPC title

• B64D11/0642

  Adjustable headrests · CPC title

• B29C64/386

  Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing · CPC title