Aircraft seat back with non-tubular perimeter flange

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10730628-B2
Application number	US-201616081052-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 5, 2016
Priority date	Mar 10, 2016
Publication date	Aug 4, 2020
Grant date	Aug 4, 2020

Abstract

Described are seat backs (102) for aircraft passenger seats (100). Such a seat back (102) can include a unitary structural core (112) formed as a single piece that includes a body (138) and a flange (140). The body (138) and the flange (140) can each include carbon fiber composite material. The flange (140) can include portions extending from the rearward-facing side (132) of the body respectively along a left lateral side edge, a top (134) side edge, and a right lateral side edge of the unitary structural core (112). The flange (140) can be non-tubular.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1. A seat back for a passenger seat, the seat back comprising:
a unitary structural core formed as a single piece, the unitary structural core comprising:
a body comprising carbon fiber composite material, the body further comprising a forward-facing side and a rearward-facing side; and
a non-tubular flange comprising carbon fiber composite material, the non-tubular flange integrally formed with the body and comprising portions extending from the rearward-facing side of the body respectively along a left lateral side edge, a top side edge, and a right lateral side edge of the unitary structural core, wherein the non-tubular flange comprises:

a depth extending rearwardly from the rearward-facing side of the body; and
a thickness transverse to the depth and corresponding to a distance between an inward-facing side of the non-tubular flange and an outward-facing side of the non-tubular flange, wherein the thickness of the non-tubular flange varies such that the thickness of the non-tubular flange is greater near a bottom of the unitary structural core than near a top of the unitary structural core.

2. The seat back of claim 1 , further comprising at least one rib positioned along the rearward-facing side of the body along at least part of a distance between a top and a bottom of the unitary structural core, the at least one rib formed of a layered structure comprising a foam core covered by at least one ply.

3. The seat back of claim 1 , further comprising a cross-beam positioned along the rearward-facing side of the body and spanning between portions of the non-tubular flange at opposite lateral side edges of the unitary structural core, the cross-beam formed of a layered structure comprising a foam core covered by at least one ply.

4. The seat back of claim 3 , wherein the cross-beam is located on the unitary structural core at an upper position so as to absorb energy during a passenger head-impact event.

5. The seat back of claim 1 , further comprising a rim integrally formed with the body and comprising portions extending rearwardly from the rearward-facing side of the body along the inward-facing side of the non-tubular flange.

6. The seat back of claim 1 , wherein the seat back is incorporated into a passenger seat further comprising
a seat pan
wherein the flange comprises solid material spanning the entire thickness through the entire depth at least along some portion of the flange.

7. The passenger seat of claim 6 , further comprising:
at least one of cushioning or a headrest mounted to a front of the seat back unitary structural core; and
a monitor mounted to a rear of the seat back unitary structural core.

8. The passenger seat of claim 6 , wherein the flange comprises a bore extending through the thickness and exterior sides of the flange, wherein the seat back unitary structural core is configured for pivoting about a shaft received by the bore, wherein the thickness of the flange is configured to permit the shaft to bear against the bore without a bushing extending to another load-bearing surface.

9. The passenger seat of claim 6 , further comprising a cross-beam spanning between portions of the flange at opposite lateral side edges of the seat back unitary structural core, the cross-beam configured to support a monitor at least partially within a space bounded by the cross-beam and the flange.

10. The passenger seat of claim 9 , wherein the seat back unitary structural core comprises:
a first region extending above the cross-beam;
a third region including a bore and a portion of the flange extending below the bore; and
a second region located between the first region and the third region;
wherein at least one of the thickness of the flange or the depth of the flange varies so as to be less in the first region than in the second region and less in the second region than in the third region.

11. The passenger seat of claim 6 , wherein the seat back unitary structural core comprises at least two ribs extending rearwardly and located along at least part of a distance between a top and a bottom of the seat back unitary structural core, each of the at least two ribs formed as a layered structure comprising a foam core covered by at least one ply.

12. The passenger seat of claim 6 , wherein the seat back unitary structural core comprises a rim integrally formed along at least some of the perimeter of the core and comprising portions extending rearwardly from a rearward-facing side of the core and along a side of the flange facing inward away from the perimeter of the core.

13. A method of making a seat back for a passenger seat, the method comprising:
assembling a first layered assembly comprising carbon fiber material to form a body of the seat back;
assembling a second layered assembly comprising carbon fiber material to form a non-tubular flange that extends rearwardly from the body along top and lateral portions of a perimeter of the body via a process that comprises at least:
forming the non-tubular flange in regions that comprise:
a top region at or near a top of the body;
a bottom region at or near a bottom of the body; and
a middle region located between the top region and the bottom region; and

adding layers among the regions so that:
a thickness of the flange in the top region is less than the thickness of the flange in the middle region;
the thickness of the flange in the middle region is less than the thickness of the flange in the bottom region;
a depth of the flange in the top region is less than the depth of the flange in the bottom region; and
the depth of the flange in the middle region curves between the depth of the flange in the top region and the depth of the flange in the bottom region; and

curing the first layered assembly and the second layered assembly so that the body and the non-tubular flange form an integral piece.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein assembling the first layered assembly comprising carbon fiber material to form a body of the seat back comprises:
forming a rib of a layered structure comprising a foam core covered by at least one ply; and
placing the rib so as to be positioned along a rearward-facing side of the body along at least part of a distance between a top and a bottom of the body when the body and the non-tubular flange have been formed into an integral piece.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein assembling the first layered assembly comprising carbon fiber material to form a body of the seat back comprises:
forming a cross-beam of a layered structure comprising a foam core covered by at least one ply; and
placing the cross-beam so as to be positioned along a rearward-facing side of the body and spanning between portions of the non-tubular flange at opposite lateral side edges of the body when the body and the non-tubular flange have been formed into an integral piece.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising attaching the cross-beam to the non-tubular flange by:
positioning a first layer on the cross-beam so that a main portion of the first layer is wrapped about the cross-beam;
positioning flaps extending from the main portion of the first layer so as to abut the non-tubular flange;
positioning a second layer so that a base portion of the second layer lays against the non-tubular flange and the overlays the flaps of the first layer;
positioning a tab extending from the base portion of the second layer so as to overlay at least a portion of the main portion of the first layer on the cross-beam; and
positioning a third layer against the cross-beam so as to cover

Assignees

• Safran Seats Usa Llc

Inventors

• Lasell Donald M
• Murnan Justin K
• Asli Ali Mohiti
• Sikorski Jeffrey L

Classifications

• B29K2063/00

  Use of {EP, i.e.} epoxy resins {or derivatives thereof}, as moulding material · CPC title

• Y02T50/40

  Weight reduction · CPC title

• B64D11/0649 Primary

  Seats characterised by special features for reducing weight · CPC title

• B29C70/086

  and with one or more layers of pure plastics material, e.g. foam layers (applying a non-preformed coating, e.g. a gel-coat, B29C37/0025; with foam blocks B29C70/86) · CPC title

• B64D11/0619

  with energy absorbing means specially adapted for mitigating impact loads for passenger seats, e.g. at a crash · CPC title