Aircraft seat with occupant weight sensing mechanism to adjust tilt-recline force

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017043876-A1
Application number	US-201615337912-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 28, 2016
Priority date	Apr 24, 2014
Publication date	Feb 16, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

In a preferred embodiment, a tilt-recline force adjusting apparatus for an aircraft passenger seat configured for a tilt-recline positioning includes a first spring having a first axis to urge a seat back into an upright position, the first spring arranged to compress as the seat is manually reclined, a helper spring having a second axis parallel to the first axis, the helper spring arranged to assist or counteract the first spring, an adjustment mechanism coupled to the helper spring to increase or decrease a force exerted by the helper spring to assist or counteract the first spring, and a weight sensing mechanism coupled to the adjustment mechanism and operable to actuate the adjustment mechanism in direct proportion to a weight of a seated passenger, whereby the force exerted on the aircraft seat to urge the seat back into an upright position is greater for a heavier seated passenger

First claim

1 . A tilt-recline force adjusting apparatus for an aircraft seat configured for manual tilt-recline positioning, the tilt-recline force adjusting apparatus comprising:
a first spring having a first axis to urge a seat back of the aircraft seat into an upright position, the first spring arranged to compress as the aircraft seat is manually reclined; a helper spring having a second axis parallel to the first axis, the helper spring arranged to assist or counteract the first spring; an adjustment mechanism coupled to the helper spring to increase or decrease a force exerted by the helper spring to assist or counteract the first spring; and a weight sensing mechanism coupled to the adjustment mechanism and operable to actuate the adjustment mechanism in direct proportion to a weight of a seated passenger, whereby the force exerted on the aircraft seat to urge the seat back into the upright position is greater for a heavier seated passenger.

2 . The tilt-recline force adjusting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first spring is a strut which includes a damping mechanism and a spring mechanism.

3 . The tilt-recline force adjusting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the weight sensing mechanism comprises a plate coupled to a pivoting member.

4 . The tilt-recline force adjusting apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the weight sensing mechanism comprises a cable attached at one end to the pivoting member and at an opposite end to the adjustment mechanism to trigger adjustment of the force exerted by the helper spring.

5 . The tilt-recline force adjusting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first spring is a gas spring comprising an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder.

6 . The tilt-recline force adjusting apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises a motor and a gear mounted to a shaft of the motor, wherein the gear is configured to rotate the outer cylinder of the gas spring.

7 . The tilt-recline force adjusting apparatus of claim 5 , wherein
the outer cylinder comprises an opening, and the adjustment mechanism comprises a chain having at least one lateral projection; wherein, upon actuation by the weight sensing mechanism, the adjustment mechanism moves the chain to align the lateral projection with the opening such that the lateral projection extends through the opening to limit compression of the gas spring.

8 . The tilt-recline force adjusting apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises:
a rail; and a bracket configured to slide along the rail, wherein the chain is attached to the bracket.

9 . The tilt-recline force adjusting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the weight sensing mechanism includes a strain gauge and the adjustment mechanism includes a motor.

10 . The tilt-recline force adjusting apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the weight sensing mechanism includes circuitry communicatively coupled to the strain gauge, the circuitry being configured to determine passenger weight based upon a plurality of signals supplied by the strain gauge, thereby reducing the effect of movement of the seated passenger.

11 . The tilt-recline force adjusting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first axis and second axis are coincident.

12 . The tilt-recline force adjusting assembly of claim 1 , wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises a leadscrew driven scissors mechanism.

13 . The tilt-recline force adjusting assembly of claim 1 , wherein the force exerted by the helper spring is directly proportional to the weight of the seated passenger within an established range as dictated by a size of the helper spring.

14 . The tilt-recline force adjusting assembly of claim 1 , wherein increasing or decreasing the force exerted by the helper spring comprises adjusting a length of travel of the first spring.

15 . A manually reclinable aircraft passenger seat comprising:
means for urging a seat back of the aircraft passenger seat into an upright position; means for sensing a weight of a seated passenger; and means for adjusting a force exerted by the means for urging on the seat back in response to a weight sensed by the means for sensing, whereby the force exerted on the seat back to urge the seat back into an upright position is greater for a heavier seated passenger.

16 . The aircraft passenger seat of claim 15 , wherein the means for urging includes a locking gas spring and a rod.

17 . The aircraft passenger seat of claim 16 , wherein the means for adjusting includes a helper spring element coaxially aligned with the locking gas spring of the means for urging.

18 . The aircraft passenger seat of claim 15 , wherein the means for sensing the weight of the seated passenger comprises a plate coupled to a pivoting element.

19 . The aircraft passenger seat of claim 15 , wherein the seat back is reclined by the seated passenger by pushing rearwardly on the seat back.

20 . The aircraft passenger seat of claim 15 , wherein the means for adjusting alters the force exerted by the means for urging on the seat back for passenger weights above 50 pounds.

Assignees

• Be Aerospace Inc

Inventors

• Oleson Michael L
• Koustubhan Arjun
• Starikov Anatoly

Classifications

• B60N2002/4425

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60N2/002

  Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon (detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266) · CPC title

• B64D11/064 Primary

  Adjustable inclination or position of seats · CPC title

• B64D11/06

  Arrangements of seats, or adaptations or details specially adapted for aircraft seats (crew seat constructions for emergency purposes B64D25/04) · CPC title

• B60N2002/924

  using electric or hydraulic energy · CPC title