Passenger seat track fitting systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12252042-B2
Application number	US-202418585442-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2024
Priority date	Sep 26, 2018
Publication date	Mar 18, 2025
Grant date	Mar 18, 2025

Abstract

A system for securing a passenger seat to a track can include a fitting coupled with or forming a portion of the passenger seat; a shear plunger coupled with the fitting including a shear plunger body defining a shear plunger locking surface; a guide pin assembly that may include a guide pin movable along a lift axis between a retracted state and an extended state and a locking member extending laterally from the guide pin that may travel in response to a movement of the guide pin from the retracted state to the extended state and may engage the shear plunger locking surface in response to a rotation of the guide pin in the extended state; and a quick install tool operable to raise and twist the guide pin assembly such that the locking member is held in tension against the shear plunger locking surface.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1. A system for securing a passenger seat to a track, the system comprising:
a fitting coupled with or forming a portion of the passenger seat, the fitting comprising a fitting body defining a fitting opening;
a shear plunger coupled with the fitting, the shear plunger comprising a shear plunger body defining a shear plunger opening and a shear plunger locking surface adjacent at least a portion of the shear plunger opening; and
a guide pin assembly comprising:
a guide pin received at least partially in the fitting opening and movable along a lift axis between a retracted state and an extended state; and
a locking member extending laterally from the guide pin and sized for traveling through at least the portion of the shear plunger opening in response to a movement of the guide pin from the retracted state to the extended state, wherein the locking member engages the shear plunger locking surface in response to a rotation of the guide pin in the extended state; and

a quick install tool operable to raise and twist the guide pin assembly such that the locking member is held in tension against the shear plunger locking surface; wherein the quick install tool comprises:
a handle;
a cam profile;
a cross bar sized to engage the guide pin; and
a holding member spaced apart from the cross bar to define a space for receiving the guide pin.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cross bar is attached away from a geometric center of the cam profile such that an axis of rotation of the cam profile extending through the cross bar is non-concentric to the cam profile to facilitate a lifting of the guide pin.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the quick install tool is configured to secure the fitting and the shear plunger to the track by the quick install tool raising and twisting the guide pin to clamp the shear plunger and the fitting to the track.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the quick install tool is configured to operate relative to the guide pin assembly, wherein:
a notch is located on the guide pin;
the quick install tool is configured to engage the guide pin by inserting the guide pin through the holding member and inserting the cross bar into the notch on the guide pin; and
the quick install tool so engaged with the guide pin is operable to (a) perform the raising of the guide pin to lift the guide pin against a force exerted by a biasing member of the guide pin assembly and (b) perform the twisting of the guide pin to cause engagement of the locking member.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the quick install tool is removably engageable with the guide pin.

Assignees

• Safran Seats Usa Llc

Inventors

• Parker Charles Michael
• Tranier Romain
• Mansouri Reza

Classifications

• B64D11/0696 Primary

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

• B60N2/0806 Primary

  with pin alignment systems, e.g. with at least one of a plurality of locking pins always aligned w.r.t. at least one of a plurality of pin-receiving elements · CPC title