Passenger seat for aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10822091-B2
Application number	US-201916293740-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2019
Priority date	Mar 6, 2018
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

A passenger seat for an aircraft has a fixed seat portion with a front facing toward a first direction of the aircraft. The fixed seat portion has a centerline spaced equally from opposed lateral sides of the fixed seat portion. A first engagement member extends upwardly from the front at the centerline to a first engagement end. A moveable seat portion is mounted onto the fixed seat portion and is displaceable relative thereto. The moveable seat portion has a second engagement member extending downwardly from a front of the moveable seat portion to a second engagement end. The second engagement member is displaceable with the moveable seat portion to position the second engagement end under the first engagement end in an engagement position such that the overlapping first and second engagement ends prevent the moveable seat portion from pitching in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A passenger seat for an aircraft, the seat comprising:
a fixed seat portion configured to be connected to a floor of the aircraft to position a front of the fixed seat portion facing toward a first direction of the aircraft, the fixed seat portion having a centerline spaced equally from opposed lateral sides of the fixed seat portion, and a first engagement member extending upwardly from the front of the fixed seat portion at the centerline to a first engagement end; and
a moveable seat portion mounted onto the fixed seat portion and being displaceable relative thereto in the first direction of the aircraft, in a second direction of the aircraft opposite to the first direction, and in a yaw direction about an upright axis of the seat, the moveable seat portion having a second engagement member extending downwardly from a front of the moveable seat portion to a second engagement end, the second engagement member being displaceable with the moveable seat portion to position the second engagement end under the first engagement end of the first engagement member in an engagement position such that the overlapping first and second engagement ends prevent the moveable seat portion from pitching in the second direction of the aircraft.

2. The passenger seat as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first engagement member is spaced apart from the second engagement member in the engagement position to define a gap between the first and second engagement members.

3. The passenger seat as defined in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second engagement ends has a distal edge and at least one of the first and second engagement members has an upright segment with an engagement surface facing the distal edge and spaced apart therefrom in the engagement position, the distal edge defining a distal edge shape and the engagement surface having an engagement surface shape being complementary to the distal edge shape.

4. The passenger seat as defined in claim 3 , wherein the distal edge shape and the engagement surface shape are curved.

5. The passenger seat as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first engagement end has a first horizontal segment and the second engagement end has a second horizontal segment, the second horizontal segment being positioned under the first horizontal segment in the engagement position.

6. The passenger seat as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first and second engagement ends of the first and second engagement members have complementary female and male components.

7. The passenger seat as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first and second engagement ends of the first and second engagement members have complementary mushroom shapes.

8. The passenger seat as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first engagement member is fixedly attached to the fixed seat portion, and the second engagement member is fixedly attached to the moveable seat portion.

9. The passenger seat as defined in claim 1 , wherein the second engagement end is positioned under the first engagement end in the engagement position upon the moveable seat portion being in a forwardmost position relative to the aircraft.

10. The passenger seat as defined in claim 1 , wherein the moveable seat portion includes a seat pan frame supporting a seat pan, and a support structure and moveable connection assembly interconnecting the seat pan frame to the fixed seat portion.

11. A method of positioning a passenger seat of an aircraft, the method comprising: displacing a moveable seat portion above and with respect to a fixed seat portion to engage a first engagement member of the fixed seat portion with a second engagement member of the moveable seat portion along a front of the fixed seat portion and a centre of the fixed seat portion, the front of the fixed seat portion facing toward a first direction of the aircraft, the first engagement member at least partially overlying the second engagement member to prevent the moveable seat portion from pitching in a second direction of the aircraft opposite to the first direction, and rotating the moveable seat portion about an upright axis of the seat to disengage the first engagement member from the second engagement member.

12. The method as defined in claim 11 , wherein displacing the moveable seat portion includes translating the moveable seat portion with respect to the fixed seat portion in the second direction of the aircraft to a forwardmost position of the moveable seat portion relative to the aircraft to at least partially overlie the second engagement member with the first engagement member.

13. The method as defined in claim 12 , wherein displacing the moveable seat portion includes translating the moveable seat portion in the first direction of the aircraft to disengage the first engagement member from the second engagement member.

14. The method as defined in claim 12 , wherein rotating the moveable seat portion includes rotating the moveable seat portion when in the forwardmost position to disengage the first engagement member from the second engagement member.

15. The method as defined in claim 11 , further comprising arresting displacement of the moveable seat portion in a pitch direction with the first and second engagement members.

16. The method as defined in claim 15 , wherein arresting displacement of the moveable seat portion in the pitch direction includes permitting displacement of the moveable seat portion in the first direction of the aircraft, and a yaw direction about the upright axis of the seat.

17. The method as defined in claim 11 , comprising arresting displacement of the moveable seat portion in the second direction of the aircraft.

18. The method as defined in claim 11 , wherein displacing and rotating the moveable seat portion is done without manual manipulation of the first and second engagement members.

19. The passenger seat as defined in claim 1 , wherein the second engagement member is displaceable in the yaw direction about the upright axis of the seat to position the second engagement end spaced apart from the first engagement end of the first engagement member in a disengaged position such that the moveable seat portion is free to pitch in the second direction of the aircraft.

20. The passenger seat as defined in claim 1 , wherein the second engagement member is displaceable in the first direction of the aircraft with the moveable seat portion to position the second engagement end spaced apart from the first engagement end of the first engagement member in a disengaged position such that the moveable seat portion is free to pitch in the second direction of the aircraft.

Assignees

• Bombardier Inc

Inventors

• Erhel Philippe
• Vigeant Jerome

Classifications

• B60N2/1878

  Hydraulic or pneumatic actuation · CPC title

• B60N2/0717

  Rounded, e.g. circular · CPC title

• B60N2/231

  by hydraulic actuators · CPC title

• B60N2/181

  Rods · CPC title

• B64D11/0619

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