GB2268876A

GB2268876A - Aircraft passenger seat

Info

Publication number: GB2268876A
Application number: GB9215375A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Godfrey John Shepheard
Original assignee: Flight Equipment and Engineering Ltd
Current assignee: BE Aerospace UK Ltd
Priority date: 1992-07-20
Filing date: 1992-07-20
Publication date: 1994-01-26
Anticipated expiration: 2012-07-20
Also published as: GB9215375D0; GB2268876B

Abstract

An aircraft passenger seat is moved to a reclined position by moving the seat bottom part longitudinally forwardly whilst avoiding backwards movement of the top of the backrest. To provide for such movement, the so that longitudinal movement forwards of the seat bottom part relative to the frame is possible, but movement of the top of the backrest relative to the frame is minimal.

Description

AIRCRAFT - PASSENGER SEATING A seat for an aircraft passenger usually has the backrest pivoted to the seat support frame at or near its lower end so that it may be reclined (inclined rearwardly from its normal more or less upright disposition) relative to the seat bottom part to provide greater comfort for a passenger who wishes to sleep or rest.

Because aircraft passenger seats are usually arranged side by side in rows and one behind the other in columns, all such seats have the disadvantage that reclining the backrest of one seat (except in the rearmost row) causes it to intrude into the space available to a passenger in the seat immediately behind. The intrusion is particularly noticeable to the passenger in the seat immediately behind because the maximum linear movement of the backrest occurs in the region immediately in front of his face and chest, a region of which he is particularly aware because it is immediately in his line of vision, in which he may wish to hold reading matter and which may be used inter alla for eating from the usual table which can be swung down from the seat in front.

The invention aims to provide reclining movement without such significant intrusion.

According to this invention a method of moving an aircraft passenger seat having a connection between the seat bottom part and the backrest from its normal disposition with the backrest more or less upright to a reclined disposition comprises moving the seat bottom part forwardly whilst restricting rearward movement of the top of the backrest.

With this method, the intrusion into the space available to a passenger which inevitably occurs when one seat in a column is moved to a reclined disposition whilst those adjacent to it in the column are maintained upright occurs mainly between the front of the seat which has been moved to the reclined disposition and the back of the seat in front. Thus the intrusion mainly affects the passenger who has moved his seat to a reclined disposition and there is little or no effect on passengers in the adjacent seats in the column.

If seat rows in an aircraft are to be closely spaced, for example with a spacing of about 28 inches (71 cm.), rearward movement of the top of the backrest is preferably restricted to zero, but with wider spacing some rearward movement, say up to 4 cm., may be permitted without causing inconvenient intrusion into the space available to a passenger in a seat immediately behind.

Forward movement of the seat bottom part may be, and preferably is, accompanied by some lowering of its rear end and/or raising of its front end.

Of course, the method may be performed only with a seat having the necessary movement facilities. Thus the invention includes a seat for an aircraft passenger comprising a backrest and a seat bottom part connected together adjacent to the bottom end of the backrest (with respect to its normal upright disposition) and to the rear end of the seat bottom part, the backrest and the seat bottom part being mounted on a frame for securing in an aircraft, the mounting permitting longitudinal movement of the seat bottom part relative to the frame but restricting longitudinal movement of the top of the backrest relative to the frame.

The backrest and the seat bottom may be rigidly connected or hingedly connected. A hinged connection is preferred, enabling the backrest to swing forwardly in relation to the seat bottom, but rearward inclination of the backrest relative to the seat bottom is either prevented or controlled, for example by a hydraulic/pneumatic device of the usual kind.

By "longitudinal" movement we mean movement in a direction predominantly fore-and-aft with respect to the seat.

Forward longitudinal movement of the bottom of the backrest whilst longitudinal movement of its top is restricted has the effect of inclining the backrest towards the rear. If the seat bottom part is hingedly connected to the backrest then the angle between the seating surfaces of the seat bottom and backrest may be increased by such movement. If the seat bottom part is rigidly connected to the backrest then it will be inclined upwardly towards the front as the backrest is inclined towards the rear, either by raising its front or lowering -its rear. In all cases the impression created for a passenger in the seat is that the seat has adopted a reclined disposition.

Because longitudinal movement of the top of the backrest is restricted, the reclined disposition is attained without significant intrusion into the space available to a passenger in a seat immediately behind.

In attaining this reclined disposition, however, the front edge of the seat bottom part has moved closer to the seat immediately in front. Some restriction of available space thus occurs between that front edge and the backrest of the seat in front, in the region of the knees of the passenger in the reclined seat. Such restriction is much less noticeable or offensive than the intrusion caused by the usual rearward movement of the top of the backrest of a conventional seat when it is moved to a reclined disposition.

Firstly this is because the restriction affects the passenger who causes his seat to adopt the reclined disposition and there is no significant intrusion into the space available to any other passenger. Secondly, the restriction is in the region occupied by the passenger's legs instead of in front of the face or chest as in conventional seats.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example by the accompanying drawing, which is a diagrammatic fragmentary side elevation of a seat installed in an aircraft, with the backrest and seat bottom part shown in full lines in the normal upright disposition of the seat and in chain dotted lines in a reclined disposition.

The seat comprises a seat bottom part 1 and a backrest 2 rigidly connected together at the rear end of the former and the bottom end of the latter and mounted on a supporting frame 3 which is secured to the floor 4 of an aircraft. The frame comprises the usual legs 5 carrying two transverse beams 6 on which are mounted a plurality of frame longitudinal members 7, one of which is shown. Each seat bottom part 1 and backrest 2 are mounted between two adjacent frame longitudinal members. The mounting for a seat bottom part 1 and backrest 2 comprises follower elements 8, 9 projecting laterally from the seat bottom part 1 near its front and rear and engaging respectively cam slots 10, 11 in the sides of the frame longitudinal members 7.The forward cam slots 10 are more or less parallel to a surface to which the legs 5 are secured, such as the aircraft floor 4, permitting the seat bottom part 1 to move longitudinally with respect to the frame. The rearward cam slots 11 are curved so as to cause the rear edge of the seat bottom part 1 to be lowered as it is moved longitudinally forwardly.

When the follower elements 8, 9 are at the rearward ends of the respective cam slots 10, 11, the backrest 2 is held in a normal upright disposition. If the seat bottom part is moved forwardly, the follower elements move along the cam slots and the rear edge of the seat bottom part is lowered. That causes the backrest to be inclined rearwardly, so that cthe seat adopts a reclined disposition, as shown in chain dotted lines. The shape of the rearward cam slots 11 in the drawing is such that the combined effect of the forward movement of the seat bottom part 1 and the lowering of its rear edge is to move the upper end 12 of the backrest 2 solely perpendicular to the longitudinal movement direction. Thus moving the seat to a reclined disposition causes no intrusion into the space available to a passenger in a seat immediately behind.

If the shape of the rearward cam slots 11 was such as to cause a greater lowering of the rear of the seat bottom part but the forward slots were unchanged, the effect would be to increase the reclining movement of the backrest, with some rearward movement of its top, but not sufficient to cause significant intrusion into the space available to a passenger in a seat immediately behind. For example the shape of the slots 11 could be such that the permitted forward movement of the seat bottom part 1 would cause 1* ins.

(3.81 mm.) rearward movement of the top of the backrest 2. A similar result could likewise be produced if the forward cam slots were curved so as to raise the front of the seat bottom part as it was moved forwardly. Thus it will be understood that by careful choice of the shape of the cam slots a desired movement of the backrest can be provided.

If greater reclining movement of the backrest is required than can be provided by the shaping of the cam slots 10, 11, the backrest may be hinged to the rear ' of the seat bottom part and be connected to it by a hydraulic/pneumatic device of the kind commonly used for such purposes.

Claims

1. A method of moving an aircraft passenger seat having a connection between the seat bottom part and the backrest from its normal disposition with the backrest more or less upright to a reclined disposition comprises moving the seat bottom part forwardly whilst restricting rearward movement of the top of the backrest.

2. A seat for an aircraft passenger comprising a backrest and a seat bottom part connected together adjacent to the bottom end of the backrest (with respect to its normal upright disposition) and to the rear end of the seat bottom part, the backrest and the seat bottom part being mounted on a frame for securing in an aircraft, the mounting permitting longitudinal movement of the seat bottom part relative to the frame but restricting longitudinal movement of the top of the backrest relative to the frame.

3. A seat as claimed in Claim 2 wherein the backrest and the seat bottom are rigidly connected together.

4. A seat as claimed in Claim 2 wherein the backrest and the seat bottom are hingedly connected, whereby the backrest may swing forwardly in relation to the seat bottom about an axis transverse to the seat, but rearward inclination of the backrest relative to the seat bottom is prevented.

5. A seat as claimed in Claim 2 wherein the backrest and the seat bottom are hingedly connected whereby the backrest may swing in relation to the seat bottom about an axis transverse to the seat including means for controlling rearward inclination of the backrest in relation to the seat bottom.

6. A seat substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the accompanying drawing.

7. An aircraft having a seat as claimed in any of claims 2 to 6.