Energy absorbing assembly for aircraft seat

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9963234-B2
Application number	US-201615210393-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 14, 2016
Priority date	Jul 14, 2016
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

An energy absorbing assembly includes an attachment component configured to be coupled to a mounting structure. The energy absorbing assembly also includes an anchor that has a tip portion, a shaft, and a head. The anchor is configured to extend through the attachment component such that the head is disposed on a first side of the attachment component and the tip portion is disposed on a second side of the attachment component and is configured to be coupled to the mounting structure. The energy absorbing assembly also includes a deformable member configured to be positioned concentrically around the shaft of the anchor. The deformable member is configured to be retained between the first side of the attachment component and the head of the anchor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An energy absorbing arrangement for a seat, comprising:
a seat foot attached to the seat;
a mounting structure;
an anchor comprising a tip portion, a shaft, and a head, wherein the anchor extends through the seat foot such that the head is disposed on a first side of the seat foot and the tip portion is disposed on a second side of the seat foot, wherein the tip portion of the anchor is coupled to the mounting structure and the anchor is non-directly fastened to the seat foot; and
a deformable member positioned concentrically around the shaft of the anchor and retained between the first side of the seat foot and the head of the anchor, wherein the deformable member is a metallic material;
wherein the deformable member is configured to undergo plastic deformation in response to a load between the seat foot and the mounting structure exceeding a threshold value, wherein deformation of the deformable member is contained so that the seat continues to be supported by the mounting structure after the deformable member has been deformed.

2. The energy absorbing arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the seat foot comprises a rear portion and a front portion, wherein the rear portion has the anchor and the deformable member, wherein the anchor is a first anchor and the deformable member is a first deformable member, wherein the rear portion has a second anchor and a second deformable member.

3. The energy absorbing arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the first side of the seat foot faces upward towards the seat and the second side of the seat foot faces downward towards a floor of the aircraft.

4. The energy absorbing arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the anchor is non-directly fastened to the seat foot.

5. The energy absorbing arrangement of claim 1 , further comprising the mounting structure, wherein the mounting structure comprises a seat trunnion affixed to the airframe of the aircraft.

6. The energy absorbing arrangement of claim 1 , further comprising the mounting structure, wherein the mounting structure comprises a track affixed to the airframe of the aircraft.

7. The energy absorbing arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the threshold value is less than a yield point of the mounting structure.

8. The energy absorbing arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the threshold value is less than a yield point of the mounting structure and less than a yield point of at least a portion of the seat foot adjacent the anchor.

9. The energy absorbing arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the threshold value is between about 4,000 pound-force and about 8,500 pound-force.

10. The energy absorbing arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the deformable member comprises at least one of steel, aluminum, aluminum alloy, titanium, or titanium alloy.

11. The energy absorbing arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the deformable member comprises a martensitic precipitation-hardening stainless steel.

Assignees

• Ami Ind Inc

Inventors

• Pacheco Chad R
• Marutzky Kyler J

Classifications

• B64D11/0619 Primary

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

• B64D11/0696

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

• B64D11/0691

  specially adapted for cabin crew · CPC title

• B60N2/01558

  with key and slot · CPC title

• B64D25/04

  Seat modifications · CPC title