Seat assembly, seat arrangement and passenger cabin for an aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9796476-B2
Application number	US-201514799059-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 14, 2015
Priority date	Jul 15, 2014
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

Abstract

A passenger cabin of an aircraft includes a seat arrangement that includes a number of seat assemblies. The seat assemblies include a seat structure having a seat backrest forming a backrest surface the and a seat cushion element forming a seat surface, and a passenger space partition, which spatially partitions a passenger space of the seat and which at least partially surrounds the seat structure and leaves open an access to the seat structure. The seat cushion element is moveable between a comfort position, in which the seat cushion element projects further into the access in order to provide a larger seat surface, and an access position in which the seat cushion element does not project as far or does not project at all into the access in order to make possible a wider access.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A seat assembly for forming at least one seat of a seat arrangement for a passenger cabin of an aircraft, the seat assembly comprising:
at least one seat structure, which has
a seat backrest forming a backrest surface,
a seat cushion element for forming a seat surface, and
a passenger space partition, which is arranged to spatially partition a passenger space of the seat and which at least partially surrounds the seat structure and leaves open an access to the seat structure,

wherein the seat cushion element is moveable between
a comfort position in which the seat cushion element projects further into the access to provide a larger seat surface, and
an access position in which the seat cushion element does not project as far or does not project at all into the access to provide a wider access,
wherein the seat cushion element is configured to be moveable relative to the seat backrest in such a way that in the access position at least a portion of the seat surface extends horizontally under and beyond the backrest so that the seat surface has a variable depth between the access and comfort positions,
wherein the seat cushion element is moveable, when seen or projected in the horizontal direction, between the comfort position and the access position by 7 cm to 26 cm to provide a seat surface that is 7 cm to 26 cm lower in the comfort position than in the access position.

2. The seat assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the seat structure has a foot or leg support element, which has a foot or leg rest surface and which is moveable between a position of use and an access position;
the foot or leg support element is foldable relative to the seat cushion element in such a way that the foot or leg rest surface forms an elongation of the seat surface in the position of use or the reclining position;
the seat backrest is moveable between an upright position and the reclining position;
in the reclining position the backrest surface and the seat surface together form at least one portion of an essentially horizontal sleeping surface, when the seat structure is in the reclining position;
in the reclining position the seat backrest extends into a space occupied by the seat cushion element in the access position;
the seat structure is moveable into the reclining position, in which the backrest surface, the seat surface, and a foot or leg rest surface, which is formed at a foot or leg support element, form a flat or planar sleeping surface;
in the reclining position the foot or leg support element rests on a storage space delimitation;
the passenger space partition has a storage space with the storage space delimitation, which in the reclining position supports a foot or leg support surface;
in the reclining position the seat assembly provides a sleeping surface having a length of at least 180 cm to 200 cm in at least one direction;
in the reclining position the seat assembly provides a sleeping surface having a length of 195 cm in at least one direction; or
the passenger space partition has a cutout or a bulge that allows movement of the seat cushion element into the reclining position.

3. The seat assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
in a plan view the seat assembly has a tear-shaped outer contour with a narrower foot end region and a wider rear end region, which surrounds the seat structure in the access or comfort position;
the seat assembly has an asymmetrical outer contour relative to a longitudinal center plane;
in the plan view the passenger space partition has a front projection at the foot end region, the front projection forming the front end of the passenger space partition and is arranged so as to be offset towards one side relative to a longitudinal center plane;
the front projection is arranged so as to be offset towards a side, having no access, relative to the longitudinal center plane;
between the front end and the access the passenger space partition has, when seen in the plan view, a bevel or an arch-shaped shoulder;
on the rear end region the passenger space partition has, when viewed in the plan view, a projection forming the rearward end of the passenger space partition and is arranged so as to be offset towards one side relative to a longitudinal center plane;
the rearward end is arranged so as to be offset towards a side having an access;
the passenger space partition has a forwards extending bevel or a forwards extending arch-like shoulder from the rearward end to the center and to a side having no access; or
a storage compartment or storage container for providing a storage space, which can be used personally by the passenger using the seat assembly, is housed in the foot end region.

4. A seat arrangement for a passenger cabin of an aircraft, the seat arrangement comprising:
a plurality of seat assemblies, each of which comprises
at least one seat structure, which has
a seat backrest forming a backrest surface,
a seat cushion element for forming a seat surface, and
a passenger space partition, which is arranged to spatially partition a passenger space of the seat and which at least partially surrounds the seat structure and leaves open an access to the seat structure,

wherein the seat cushion element is moveable between
a comfort position in which the seat cushion element projects further into the access to provide a larger seat surface, and
an access position in which the seat cushion element does not project as far or does not project at all into the access to provide a wider access,
wherein the seat cushion element is configured to be moveable relative to the seat backrest in such a way that in the access position at least a portion of the seat surface extends horizontally under and beyond the backrest so that the seat surface has a variable depth between the access and comfort positions,
wherein the seat cushion element is moveable, when seen or projected in the horizontal direction, between the comfort position and the access position by 7 cm to 26 cm to provide a seat surface that is 7 cm to 26 cm lower in the comfort position than in the access position.

5. The seat arrangement of claim 4 , wherein at least some of the plurality of seat assemblies have an access path to the access leading past a front end or a rearward end of a respective adjacent seat assembly or is defined by the front end or rearward end.

6. The seat arrangement of claim 4 , wherein rows of laterally adjacent seat assemblies are arranged so as to be offset from each other in such a way that an access spacing distance, which opens out into the access of a laterally adjacent seat assembly, is formed between a front end of a seat assembly, following in a row, and a rearward end of a seat assembly, located in the row in front of the former row, to provide an access path from a longitudinal aisle to the seat of the laterally adjacent seat assembly.

7. The seat arrangement of claim 4 , wherein a space is formed between at least two seat assemblies as the storage space.

8. The seat arrangement of claim 4 , wherein:
the seat assemblies of lateral outer rows are arranged so as to be tilted with the foot end regions of the seat assemblies towards outside;
the seat assemblies of a first and a second adjacent center row are tilted in each case towards the other of the first and the second center row;
the foot end regions of the adjacent seat assemblies overlap, when seen in the plan view; or
at least one rear end region of a first seat assembly projects, when seen in the plan view, into an access of a passenger space partition of an adjacent second seat assembly so as to overlap the outer contour of the adjacent second seat assembly.

9. A passenger cabin of an aircraft, comprising:
a seat

Assignees

• Airbus Defence & Space Gmbh

Inventors

• Schmidt-Schaffer Tobias

Classifications

• B64D11/0643

  Adjustable foot or leg rests · CPC title

• B64D11/0641 Primary

  Seats convertible into beds · CPC title

• B64D11/0627

  Seats combined with storage means · CPC title

• B64D11/0606

  with privacy shells, screens, separators or the like (class dividers B64D11/0023) · CPC title

• B64D11/0601

  Arrangement of seats for non-standard seating layouts, e.g. seats staggered horizontally or vertically, arranged in an angled or fishbone layout, or facing in other directions than the direction of flight · CPC title