Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47C—CHAIRS; SOFAS; BEDS
  • A47C1/00—Chairs adapted for special purposes
  • A47C1/02—Reclining or easy chairs
  • A47C1/022—Reclining or easy chairs having independently-adjustable supporting parts
  • A47C1/024—Reclining or easy chairs having independently-adjustable supporting parts the parts, being the back-rest, or the back-rest and seat unit, having adjustable and lockable inclination
  • A47C1/0242—Reclining or easy chairs having independently-adjustable supporting parts the parts, being the back-rest, or the back-rest and seat unit, having adjustable and lockable inclination by electric motors
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47C—CHAIRS; SOFAS; BEDS
  • A47C1/00—Chairs adapted for special purposes
  • A47C1/02—Reclining or easy chairs
  • A47C1/031—Reclining or easy chairs having coupled concurrently adjustable supporting parts
  • A47C1/032—Reclining or easy chairs having coupled concurrently adjustable supporting parts the parts being movably-coupled seat and back-rest
  • A47C1/03205—Reclining or easy chairs having coupled concurrently adjustable supporting parts the parts being movably-coupled seat and back-rest having adjustable and lockable inclination
  • A47C1/03211—Reclining or easy chairs having coupled concurrently adjustable supporting parts the parts being movably-coupled seat and back-rest having adjustable and lockable inclination by electric motors
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47C—CHAIRS; SOFAS; BEDS
  • A47C1/00—Chairs adapted for special purposes
  • A47C1/02—Reclining or easy chairs
  • A47C1/031—Reclining or easy chairs having coupled concurrently adjustable supporting parts
  • A47C1/034—Reclining or easy chairs having coupled concurrently adjustable supporting parts the parts including a leg-rest or foot-rest
  • A47C1/035—Reclining or easy chairs having coupled concurrently adjustable supporting parts the parts including a leg-rest or foot-rest in combination with movably coupled seat and back-rest, i.e. the seat and back-rest being movably coupled in such a way that the extension mechanism of the foot-rest is actuated at least by the relative movements of seat and backrest

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method for managing the kinematics of a seat comprising at least three movable seat elements with respect to each other and at least two actuators for moving the three elements with respect to each other, the method comprises - both a step of joint control of the two actuators to modify the configuration of the seat.
• Such a seat is used in particular in passenger transport aircraft.
• each seat prefferably has a reclining backrest hinged at one end of a seat, as well as a legrest hinged at the other end of the seat.
• the backrest and the legrest are both movable, under the control of a clean electric actuator, between a substantially vertical position and substantially horizontal position thus allowing the seat to take several configurations.
• the seat advantageously comprises devices making it possible, by a single command, to cause the movement of the legrest, the footrest and possibly the backrest, in order to bring the seat, by this single command, into a predetermined configuration in which each seat element has a predetermined position specific to the configuration considered.
• each of the actuators associated with the different moving parts of the seat can be controlled independently of the others, so that the seat can be brought by the passenger in multiple configurations different from the predetermined configurations.
• the actuators are started in succession in order to move the elements of the seat one after the other towards their target position.
• the start-up of one of the actuators is determined by the end of the operating phase of another actuator.
• the object of the invention is to propose a vehicle seat, and a method for managing its kinematics allowing the seat to be brought into predetermined configurations as quickly as possible, without, however, undesirable intermediate configurations being taken up by the seat during from its passage to the predetermined configuration.
• the subject of the invention is a method for managing the kinematics of a seat of the aforementioned type, characterized in that said joint control step comprises the following successive steps: - the actuation of a first actuator at a first instant; and
• the method includes one or more of the following characteristics:
• It includes a step of detecting the stop of the first actuator during said predetermined time interval and a step of activating the second actuator as soon as the stop of the first actuator is detected;
• step of jointly controlling the two actuators is a step of bringing the seat into a predetermined configuration, in which two of the mobile elements are in predetermined positions specific to said predetermined configuration;
• step of detecting the stopping of the first actuator includes a step of detecting that the seat element controlled by the first actuator has reached its predetermined position;
• the seat comprises a seat, a leg rest articulated relative to the seat between a folded position and an extended position, a footrest movable relative to the leg rest between a retracted position and an extended position, and two actuators arranged, for one, between the seat and the legrest and, for the other, between the legrest and the footrest, the joint control phase of the two actuators being adapted to move the legs to its extended position and the footrest to its extended position, and the first actuator triggered at said first instant is the actuator disposed between the seat and the legrest and the second actuator triggered at said second instant after the first instant is the actuator arranged between the legrest and the footrest;
• the seat comprises a seat, a leg rest articulated relative to the seat between a folded position and an extended position, a footrest movable relative to the leg rest between a retracted position and an extended position, and two actuators arranged, for one, between the seat and the legrest and, for the other, between the legrest and the footrest, the joint control phase of the two actuators being adapted to move the legrest towards its folded position and the footrest towards its retracted position, and that the first actuator triggered at said first instant is the actuator disposed between the legrest and the footrest and the second actuator triggered at said second instant after first instant is the actuator arranged between the seat and the legrest; and
• the invention also relates to a vehicle seat comprising at least three movable seat elements with respect to each other, at least two actuators for the displacement of the three elements with respect to each other, and means for jointly controlling the two actuators for modifying the configuration of the seat, characterized in that said joint control means comprise:
• said joint control means comprise means for detecting the stopping of the first actuator during said interval of predetermined time and means for actuating the second actuator as soon as the stopping of the first actuator is detected.
• FIG. 1 is a flowchart explaining the operation of the seat by implementing a method of managing its kinematics according to the invention
• FIG. 3 and 4 are curves illustrating the movement of two seat actuators as a function of time during the implementation of the process for managing the kinematics of the seat according to the invention.
• the seat 10 shown in Figure 1 is a passenger seat of an aircraft. This seat is fixed to the ground 12 of the aircraft.
• the seat 10 has a base 14 secured to the ground.12 on which rests a substantially horizontal seat 16. At one end of the seat is articulated a backrest 18 movable between a substantially vertical raised position and a substantially horizontal folded position.
• a leg rest 20 movable between a substantially vertical folded position below the seat 16 and a substantially horizontal extended position in the extension of the seat 16.
• the seat 10 further comprises a footrest 22 mounted movable to slide relative to the legrest 20 in the extension thereof.
• the footrest 22 is movable between a retracted position inside the legrest 20 and an extended position in which it extends the latter and is almost completely extended.
• a first electric actuator 24 is mounted between the seat 16 and the leg rest 20 in order to ensure movement of the latter between its folded position and its extended position.
• a second actuator 26 is provided between the legrest 20 and the footrest 22 in order to ensure the movement of the footrest between its retracted position and its extended position.
• a third actuator 27 is mounted between the seat 16 and the backrest 18 in order to ensure the movement of the backrest between its raised position and its folded position.
• the three actuators operate at constant speeds which may be different from one actuator to another.
• Each of the three actuators 24, 26 and 27 is supplied with electric current from a central control unit 28.
• This control unit is connected separately to each of the actuators 24, 26 and 27 in order to ensure their independent control.
• the seat includes an armrest 30, on which is fixed a control keyboard 32 allowing independent control of the actuators 24, 26 and 27 in order to cause their displacement.
• the keyboard 32 also includes keys allowing the passenger to reach, by a single command acting on several actuators, one of two predetermined configurations.
• the number of predetermined seat configurations can be reduced to one or more than two.
• the keyboard 32 has two buttons each associated with a predetermined configuration. These configurations are a seating configuration and a sleeping configuration.
• the legrest 20 and the backrest 18 are both in predetermined positions in which they are substantially vertical and define an angle of 90 ° with the plane of the seat.
• the footrest 22 is retracted inside the legrest 20.
• the legrest 20 and the backrest 18 are in predetermined positions in which they extend the seat 16 and thus extend substantially in the plane thereof.
• the footrest 22 is in its extended position.
• the unit 28 includes a source 34 for supplying the actuators.
• the latter is formed for example of a transformer connected to the general power supply network of the aircraft by suitable connection means.
• a power interface 36 is provided for each actuator,
• the power interfaces 36, 38 and 39 are controlled by an information processing unit 40.
• This unit 40 is connected to the control keyboard 32, in order to collect the passenger's control orders. 01 01341
• the information processing unit 40 comprises for example a microprocessor making it possible to implement a suitable program described in the following description.
• the unit 40 further includes a clock allowing the microprocessor to manage one or more timers allowing a time offset in the triggering of the movement of the different actuators.
• each actuator 24, 26 and 27 is equipped with one or more position sensors making it possible to detect that the actuator is in a position such that the seat element which it controls reaches a position proper to a predetermined configuration of the seat.
• These sensors are connected to the information processing unit 40.
• the unit 40 is informed when one of the actuators is in a position such that the element which it controls is in the position which it must occupy in the desired predetermined configuration.
• These sensors are formed for example by potentiometers or micro-contacts installed between the fixed and mobile parts of the actuators.
• the information processing unit 40 implements a program known per se adapted to control the supply interfaces 36, 38 and 39 so that these supply the actuators 24, 26 and 27 in one direction or the other by reversing the current direction, as a function of the information received from the unit 40.
• FIG. 2 is shown the algorithm of the routine implemented by the information processing unit 40 in order to bring the seat into its sleeping configuration.
• a first test step is implemented in step 101 to finish if a problem is detected on the legrest or more precisely on the actuator 24 controlling the legrest.
• This " problem can be, for example, a malfunction of the actuator potentiometer providing an outlier or any other type of problem that can be detected by the information processing unit 40. If no problem is detected, the actuator 24 controlling the legrest is immediately turned on in step 102. If a problem is detected, step 102 is omitted.
• a test is then performed in step 104 to verify that the button controlling the sleeping position is still depressed by the passenger. It is also verified in step 105 that no problem on the legrest is detected. If one or other of these conditions is not satisfied, the actuator 24 of the legrest is stopped in step 106. As long as the control for bringing the seat to its sleeping configuration is maintained by the passenger, the information processing unit 40 scans the sensor installed on the actuator 24 of the legrest in step 108 to determine whether or not the legrest is in the target position it occupies relative to to the seat when the seat is in its sleeping configuration. As long as this position is not reached, the tests of steps 104, 105 and 108 are carried out. When the legrest is brought into its target position, the stopping of the legrest is controlled in step 106.
• a time delay is triggered in step 110.
• This time delay has a predetermined duration denoted T1. This duration is fixed experimentally depending on the nature and structure of the seat. It is for example equal to one second. It is then verified in step 112 that the control of the sleeping position is always maintained on the keyboard 32. If this is not the case, the actuator 24 controlling the legrest is stopped in step 114 if it was already in motion.
• step 16 if the control of the sleeping configuration is still maintained by the passenger, it is checked in step 16 that the timer initiated in step 110 has not expired. If it has not expired, the information processing unit 40 determines in step 118 if the actuator 24 is stopped, either that the legrest 24 has reached its sleeping target position, or that a problem was detected in either of steps 101 and 105. If this is not the case, the tests in steps 112 and 116 are again implemented.
• step 116 the unit 40 finds that the time-out has expired or if in step 118, it is noted that the actuator 24 is stopped, the starting of the actuator 26 controlling the footrest is triggered in step 120. In this second case, the actuator 26 is started before the expiration of the time delay T1.
• step 120 of setting the footrest 22 in motion it is checked in step 122 that the command of the sleeping configuration is still valid. If this is not the case, the actuator 26 controlling the footrest is stopped in step 114. If this is the case, the information processing unit 40 checks in step 124 the state of the actuator position sensor 26 controlling the footrest in order to check whether the footrest 22 occupies or not its target position specific to the sleeping configuration of the seat. If this is the case, the stopping of the actuator 26 controlling the footrest is controlled in step 114. As long as the sleeping configuration command is still validated, and the footrest is not in its target position, steps 122 and 124 are implemented.
• FIG. 3 is shown schematically the combined movement of the legrest 20 and the footrest 22 during the implementation of the algorithm of FIG. 2.
• the time t is given on the abscissa while the amplitude A of displacement of the actuators is given on the ordinate.
• the legrest displacement curve is designated by C 20 and the legrest displacement curve is designated by C 2 2. It can be seen that the implementation of the algorithm causes the legrest to start immediately at 'instant 0. If the legrest 20 is initially very far from its target position defined for the predetermined configuration chosen, the movement of the legrest takes place for a duration greater than the time period T1 defined by the time delay. Thus, the legrest 20 does not reach its target position until an instant T2 subsequent to T1, so that the condition of step 108 authorizes the stopping of the actuator 24 of the legrest in step 106 is only checked after the time delay initiated in step 110 has expired. Thus, the test carried out in step 116 is checked at time T1, so that the actuator 26 for setting in motion of the footrest is triggered only at time T1, the latter being kept stationary during the initial phase of operation of the legrest.
• the duration T1 of the time delay is determined, so that when the legrest is initially in its extreme position, that is to say its folded position, and the movement of the seat towards its sleeping configuration is controlled, then the delay T1 is sufficient to ensure that the footrest does not touch the ground during the simultaneous movement of the legrest. and of the footrest, even if the speed of movement of the footrest is much higher than the speed of movement of the legrest.
• Figure 4 is illustrated, on a graph identical to that of Figure 3, the movement of the footrest and the legrest when the seat is brought into its sleeping configuration while the legrest is initially in a position very close to its extended position.
• the implementation of the algorithm of FIG. 2 first causes the legrest to start, which moves to its extended position which it reaches at an instant T3 prior to the expiration time T1 of the timer triggered in step 110.
• the condition of step 118 is satisfied before the expiration of the timer checked in step 116.
• the actuator 24 controlling the legrest stops the actuator 26 controlling the footrest is triggered to bring the footrest to its extended position.
• the movements of the actuators 24 and 26 are also synchronized by implementing a predetermined delay between their starting instants in order to prevent the footrest from striking floor.
• the actuator 26 controlling the footrest is first triggered to retract the " footrest, then only after the expiration of a time delay, the actuator 24 controlling the legrest is triggered to fold down If the footrest reaches its retracted position and therefore the actuator controlling it stops working before the expiration of the timer, then the actuator 24 is triggered immediately before the expiration of the timer.
• the kinematics management method described here can also be implemented for the joint control of only two seat elements, without this control being intended to bring the seat elements to a predetermined configuration.
• one of the buttons on the keyboard may be intended to move the legrest and the footrest, at least partially simultaneously, this button, when pressed, causing the movement of both the legrest and from the footrest to their extreme position with, in accordance with the invention, an offset in the instants of starting of the actuators. In this case, the movement of the actuators does not stop until they reach their extreme position, or when the control button is released by the user.

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• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Dentistry (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Chairs For Special Purposes, Such As Reclining Chairs (AREA)
• Seats For Vehicles (AREA)
• Passenger Equipment (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=8849910

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Families Citing this family (18)

Family Cites Families (14)

• 2000
  • 2000-05-04 FR FR0005734A patent/FR2808433B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2001
  • 2001-05-02 AU AU58477/01A patent/AU5847701A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2001-05-02 EP EP01931774A patent/EP1191862B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2001-05-02 DE DE60132862T patent/DE60132862T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2001-05-02 US US10/019,628 patent/US6874855B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2001-05-02 WO PCT/FR2001/001341 patent/WO2001082751A1/fr active IP Right Grant

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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