WO2019197280A1

WO2019197280A1 - Seat spacing adjustment and method for adjusting a seat spacing in an airplane

Info

Publication number: WO2019197280A1
Application number: PCT/EP2019/058588
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marlon WAGNER; Kai Heineke
Original assignee: Sfs Intec Holding Ag
Priority date: 2018-04-10
Filing date: 2019-04-05
Publication date: 2019-10-17

Abstract

The invention relates to a seat row spacing adjustment for an airplane seat row, comprising a seat assembly with a plurality of securing points (40,... 43) on a holding structure (30), a seat rail system (100, 200), and a locking/unlocking and moving device (800) which is designed to produce a fixed connection to the seat assembly (holding structure 30) and a connection to the seat rail system (100, 200), said connection being temporarily releasable and then movable in the rail direction. A method for assembling a seat rail system for such a seat row spacing adjustment has the following steps: providing an additional rail (200) with a T-shaped cross-section profile, introducing the additional rail (200) into a seat rail (100), for example a standard seat rail, moving the additional rail until an additional rail pocket which is designed to receive a mounting is flush with a pocket of the seat rail (100), inserting a mounting into the pocket, and screwing the X-shaped mounting together with the additional rail.

Description

SEAT DISTANCE ADJUSTMENT AND METHOD FOR ADJUSTING

OF SEAT DISTANCES IN A PLANE

The invention relates to a seat pitch adjustment for aircraft seats or aircraft seat rows and a method with which the distance from aircraft seats or aircraft seat rows can be changed in a simple manner.

STATE OF THE ART

Modern commercial aircraft are often delivered in 3 or 4 class seating and configured individually for each airline. The arrangement of galleys, toilets and washrooms must be flexible in many areas. The arrangement of the rows of seats, their width and seat pitch are essential comfort features.

Apart from the higher booking classes, several seats are often combined into rows of seats from 2 to 4 seats and anchored on so-called seat tracks in the aircraft. These seat rails are attached to cross members in the fuselage and run in the longitudinal direction of the fuselage. They are dimensioned and arranged so that the Sitzrei hen can be attached to it in a grid. This connection is solvable, so that maintenance crews can replace defective rows of seats if necessary or an aircraft can be adapted to new requirements by rebuilding. The seat rails and connecting elements (fittings) are standardized, therefore seat types from different manufacturers can be installed.

However, such changes in the seat geometry are currently only achievable by trained personnel with special tools and thus an aircraft can not be used during the conversion period.

There is a demand for greater flexibility, in particular, to be able to adjust individual rows of seats quickly and easily and without special knowledge and special tools in the seat pitch.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following, the distance between the seats / seat rows in the flight direction relative to each other is referred to as "seat spacing" or "seat row spacing". When it comes to seat row adjustment, this is the most common case, but not as a limitation to a variety common seats. The present invention also works in principle for individual seats which are to be moved or displaced along seat rails in the aircraft longitudinal direction.

Whenever "top" or "bottom" is used in the appendix, they mean standard installation conditions, either opposite or in the direction of gravity.

The present invention is based, on the one hand, on a revised or supplemented seat rail system. An additional rail is anchored in the longitudinal groove of the seat rail system customary in commercial aircraft construction and has a T profile (in cross section) which projects slightly beyond the terminating plane of the seat track system. Various anchoring elements and connectors secure this additional rail (adapter rail). The T-profile is now used by the second element of the inventive seat row pitch adjustment.

This is a seat fitting / caster. It consists in principle of a central cylinder block with a drive and two pivoting devices attached to opposite ends (toggle lever / pivoting part). These are symmetrical to each other. Both pivoting devices are mounted horizontally pivotable about an axis on the cylinder block.

The drive preferably consists of two counteracting pistons (pistons), the piston rods of which act on a respective lever of the two pivoting devices and can pivot them about a bearing axis. The pistons can be operated hydraulically (oil, water) or with compressed gas. The piston rods could also be realized as spindles of a linear drive (ball screw). In an end position (locked, "locked"), the drive is pressure-free or de-energized.

At the cylinder block is at least one attachment point for a seat assembly, eg. A tab or eyelet or screw point.

At the bottom of the Ver / Entriegelungs- and traversing device or at the bottom of the cylinder block are pins or bolts, which are arranged and spaced so that they match the distances and dimensions of the recesses in the standard seat rail. In the remote (locked) state so these recesses in the seat rail would be non-positively, possibly positively engage. Each of the pivoting devices is basically constructed as a lever, on whose one lever arm the piston rod engages. At the other lever arm jaws and a roller are mounted as Verfahrelement. Depending on the diameter of the roller and its storage location on the lever arm, different application profiles result.

(1) In the "locked" state, the dead weight of the cylinder block and the seat assembly bearing thereon depresses the locking / unlocking and traversing device downwardly onto the adapter rail and seat track combination. The clamping device is constructed in such a way that it engages around the T-profile and can press friction linings from below onto the transverse bar of the T-profile. The bearing point of the pivoting device is now chosen so that a lever arm is permanently loaded by its own weight so that the clamping device remains in the locked state. To unlock the piston is pressed and pushes the jaws away from the bottom of the T-profile. As part of this movement, the role of the top of the road of the T-profile starts. The locking / unlocking and traversing device is thereby lifted and rests on the rotatable rollers - and can be moved. The locking process is exactly the other way round.

(2) A variant of this locking method borrowed on the toggle lever principle. Instead of the permanent lever load due to its own weight, towards the end of the settling process the piston overcomes a pressure point, after which e.g. by a spring or an eccentric the pivoting device reaches an end position. In her, the role relieved and clamped the friction linings of the jaws on the T-profile. The dead weight of cylinder block and seat device rest on the additional rail or on the seat rail. When unlocking the pressure point in the other direction must be overcome again, whereby the clamping is released and the role is raised to the carriageway of the additional rail. In this state, the seat arrangement can be moved to the new position, where it can be lowered and locked again.

The particular effect of this invention is that with only one actuating element - the piston rod acting on the pivoting device - the unlocking and raising or lowering and locking is achieved in mechanically fixed and thus fail-safe manner. The order can not be confused - the system is either locked or free. Thus, the control can be simplified because only monitoring must be done on reaching the endpoints. By design of the levers and the Pressure system can also be achieved that the system slides in the next safety position in case of energy waste.

In summary, a seat row pitch adjustment for an aircraft seat row comprises: a seat assembly having a plurality of attachment points 40,... 43 on a support structure 30 (such as seat legs).

a seat rail system (as described above)

a Ver / unlocking and traversing device 800, which can establish a fixed connection to the seat arrangement (holding structure 30) on the one hand and a temporarily releasable and then movable in the rail direction connection to the seat rail system (100, 200). The release and locking is done in the manner described above.

The Ver / unlocking and traversing device of such a seat height adjustment preferably uses a combination of a roller element and a clamping element designed as a toggle lever or lever system, which brings about the temporarily detachable connection to the seat rail system. The roller element is executable as a roller and the clamping element as a clamping edge. The toggle or lever can be operated electrically, hydraulically or electro-hydraulically, z. For example, by a linear drive, a ball screw drive, a spindle drive, or a hydraulic cylinder operated with oil, water or compressed gas.

Two knee lever / lever systems per locking / unlocking and traversing device are preferably provided per locking / unlocking and traversing device, which are arranged behind one another parallel to the longitudinal direction of the seat rails.

The seat rail system as mentioned here comprises a seat rail system mounted in an aircraft, designed as a lying C profile with an upwardly oriented longitudinal opening and an additional rail anchored in this opening with a T profile cross section.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings by way of illustration and accompanying text. FIG. 1 shows a seating arrangement according to the prior art. The arrangement of three seats (row of seats 10) is installed via a common support structure 30 to seat rails 20, 21 anchored in the aircraft floor or transverse ribs of the aircraft fuselage (not shown). The connection points of the support structure 30 with the seat rails 20, 21 are with 40 to 43. As well as the seat rails themselves, the connection points are standardized and designed so that the forces occurring in flight can be safely initiated via the seat rails 20, 21 in the fuselage structure. The invention described herein includes a device that can lock and unlock a seat (a row of seats) easily and faster than known in the art and, in the unlocked state, allows movement along the seat rails to vary seat spacing. The existing standardized seat rails should be reused here - these are an integral part of existing aircraft designs. The solution proposed here preserves the compatibility, allows retrofitting and also allows a dismantling to the state of the art.

Figure 2 shows a standard seat rail 100 in an oblique view from above. In the cross-section, viewed laterally, reveals a C-shaped profile 110, wherein the (longitudinal) opening of the seat rail 100 in the installed state faces upward and thus forms a channel 130 with a longitudinal alignment. The edges of the channel have opposed rounded bays 120, 120 'which serve to anchor seats / rows of seats 10. Preferably, two opposing bays 120, 120 'or their edges together form a circular shape (cf., pocket 170). This has the advantage that from an extruded longitudinal profile of a seat rail 100 by corresponding identical bore each two bays 120 pairs can be made both precise and easy. The pairs of bays or pockets 170 are evenly spaced, this grid the seat rails is designated 140 (spacing grid). With profile width 160, the narrowest opening width of the longitudinal channel is designated, with 150 the opening width of a pocket 170, which corresponds to the diameter of the pocket 170 in the case of a circular design.

FIG. 3a schematically shows a seat rail 100 with its C-profile 1 10. In its longitudinally running channel 130, an additional rail or adapter rail 200 is inserted lengthwise. This additional rail has a mainly T-shaped profile 210 and is installed so that the top of the T projects a maximum of 9mm above the top edge of the seat rail 100. FIG. 3b) shows this installed state, the figures are not to scale.

As shown in FIG. 4, the additional rail 200 has at the longitudinal outer edges 260, 265 of the head semi-circular recesses or bays 220, 220 ', whose center spacing (grid) 240 is preferably selected to be the same as the spacing grid 140 of the seat rail 100 Furthermore, the longitudinal end is provided with a stage (output stage) 270, which supports the connection of a plurality of additional rails 200 and their backup. For this purpose points they have a threaded hole 230. The cross-sectional profile of the final stage is preferably carried out as a longitudinally profiled roof profile 290, which is helpful during assembly on site. The additional rail 200 can be manufactured in different lengths (up to 5m), and is preferably made of aviation-approved aluminum, eg EN AW-7175.

The above-described goal to represent the adapter rail 200 as a supplements zusüstbares, requires mounting without the attachment of additional holes in the seat rail 100. At the same time, the adapter rail 200 is part of the load transfer from the passenger seats to the aircraft structure and must be designed accordingly. Various elements are used for this purpose, which are presented below:

Figure 4 shows an adapter rail 200 in an oblique side view and a so-called Z-bolt 300. It serves to anchor the adapter rail 200 in the seat rail 100. The Z-bolt 300 has an upper part and a foot area with 2 rounded consoles 320, 325. The foot diameter 310 of the Z-bolt 300, measured from the edge of the console 220 to the edge of the console 325 is slightly smaller than the opening width 150, but larger than the profile width 160 of the seat rail 100. The rounding of the console (s) 320, 325 is selected in that the radius is less than the rounding of the bay (s) 120.

As indicated by the dashed line, a Z-bolt 300 is mounted on the auxiliary rail 200 so that the upper part is held against rotation in the receiving gap 250. A screw 330 connects the Z-bolt 300 with the additional rail 200, so that the fastening screw 330 is accessible from above (in the installed state). The Z-bolt is also preferably made from aviation-approved aluminum EN AW-7175. Z-bolt and adapter rail can be pre-assembled, which reduces the installation effort on site. As fastening screws can preferably be used round head screws.

FIG. 5 shows a seat rail 100 with an adapter rail 200 installed by means of a Z-bolt 300. The output stage 270 is recessed recessed arranged in the longitudinal channel.

FIG. 6 shows how an additional rail 200 with preassembled Z-bolts 300 is mounted in a seat rail 100. An already mounted additional rail 200 'is located on the left-hand side, and 300' denotes the installed Z-bolt of this rail section (see Fig. 5). Another rail element 200 (right) is inserted from above so that the foot area of the Z-bolt slides into a pocket 170 of the seat rail. Thereafter, the additional rail 200 is displaced in the longitudinal direction by at least half a spacing grid 140 of the seat rail 100. As a result, the brackets 320, 325 of the Z-bolt come to rest under the projecting edge of the C-profile of the seat rail 100. Then, when the fastening screw 330 of the Z-bolt 300 is tightened, the brackets 320, 325 move to the underside of the projecting edge of the C-profile (in the picture: upward) and press the additional rail against the bottom of the longitudinal channel 130 achieved a clamping and on the other hand, by the appropriate design of the foot diameter 310 of the Z-bolt 300, a centering in the longitudinal channel 130 in the transverse direction.

A clamping alone is not sufficient for the attachment of the additional rail 200 in the seat rail, because the Z-bolts do not prevent tolerance in the longitudinal direction.

In Figure 7, therefore, an X-holder 400 is shown, which helps to precisely define the position of the additional rail 200 in the seat rail 100 in the longitudinal direction. For this purpose, a pocket 280 is provided in the additional rail 200, preferably as a circular recess, wherein the radius of the recess corresponds to the radius of a pocket 170 in the seat rail. The additional rail 200 is thus weakened at the point except for a continuous web 285. The X-holder 400 has a substantially cylindrical basic construction. In the foot region, the cylinder has a diametrical channel 440, which corresponds to the dimensions of the web 285, to the effect that the channel 440 can be placed on the web 285 in a form-fitting manner. Two remaining foot segments 430, 435 thus center the X-holder in the pocket 280.

The head region 450 of the X-holder 400 is contoured like the T-profile of the additional rail 200, in other words, when properly installed state, the X-holder 400 fills the pocket 280 and complements the profile of the additional rail 200 except for the column of Transitions to the additional rail 200. Likewise, the X-holder repeats the grid 240 of the bays 220, 220 ', ... of the additional rail by also having a geometrically identical recess 420. The effect of the X-holder is based on the fact that the foot segments 430, 435 engage in a form-fitting manner laterally in the bays 120, 120 'and thus are no longer displaceable in the longitudinal direction. The attachment is made from above (in installation position) by a screw 460, which engages in a thread in the web 290.

The precise localization and attachment of the additional rail 200 in the seat rail 100 thus takes place once by Z-bolt 300 and the second by X-holder 400. The number of necessary components X-holder and Z-bolts per linear meter Seat rail can be specified as required.

How two sections of additional rails 200, 200 'are connected is shown again in FIG. 6. The left half of the picture shows an already mounted additional rail 200'. Then, as described above, a further auxiliary rail 200 is threaded into the seat rail 100 and pushed into position so that the two output stages 270 ', 270 face one another at a distance from one another. After that, the so-called X-connector 500 is used. He shares essential design elements with the X-holder 400.

The X-connector 500 has, viewed in cross-section of the upper part 550, a T-part profile 520, which follows the dimensions of the T-profile 210 of the additional rail 200. The central foot part 510 is preferably designed to be round on the outer longitudinal sides or so that the foot part 510 can be inserted into the pocket 170, analogously as described for the X-holder 400. The length of the two stems 560, 565 corresponds to the length of the output stages 270, 270 '. The final stage is shown in the present drawings with a bent roof profile 290, a corresponding counter-profile 540 is found at the lower end of the upper part 550. Furthermore, the final stage preferably has a threaded bore 230, which allows it by means of screw (s) 530 , 535 connect the X-connector 500 to the auxiliary rail.

The order of assembly is ideally such that the first additional rail 200 'is used, the second additional rail 200 is inserted and pre-positioned. The X-connector 500 is used, so that the stems 560, 565 fit positively on the end stages 270 ', 270. Thereafter, the additional rails are screwed by means of screws 530, 535 with the X-connector. Finally, the Z-Studs 300, 300 'are put on. An X-connector can thus determine the position in the X-direction, analogous to an X-holder.

Finally, FIG. 8 shows a so-called X-end 600. It is used as a backup at the end of an additional rail 200. An X-end essentially consists of a central body 620 and a stem 660. This stem 660 is designed on its underside like a Stem 560 of an X-connector 500. So that he can also be positively placed on the output stage 270 of the additional rail 200. The central body 620 is substantially cylindrically shaped in its lower part 640, so that it can be used in a pocket 170 of the seat rail 100. An attachment screw 630 connects the X-end 600 to the auxiliary rail 200. FIGS. 9 and 10 show the sequence of the seat adjustment via the locking / unlocking and traversing device 800 (briefly seat fastening 800) once in the unlocked (FIG. 9) and locked (FIG. 10) position. For each attachment point 40, 41, 42,..., Such a seat attachment 800 is required. It consists of a central body 850 with the drives and two attached via levers or toggle tilting fronts 860, 865 at the longitudinal ends. An attached top or tab 890 is the attachment point for a support structure 30.

The central body 850 has on its underside (the seat rail 100 or additional rail 200 facing) a series of bars 805, 805 ', .. which are designed to engage the bays 120 of the seat rail 100 in a form-fitting manner. (Alternatively, the latches 805, 805 'can also engage in the lateral bays / recesses of the additional rail 200, depending on the design). For this purpose, they are arranged in two rows on the outer edge of the two lower longitudinal edges on the central body 850. In the state "unlocked", the central body is lifted by tilting the front segments 860, 865 (from the central body 850 in the longitudinal direction to the outside). As a result, the bars 805, 805 ', .. dug out of the bays 120. In the front segments 860, 865, castors are installed which rest on the upper side of the additional rail 200 by the pivotal movement of the front segments 860, 865 and, after the bars have lost their blocking effect, allow the seat attachment to be displaced along the seat rail. Due to the fact that the bolt follow the usual grid 140 of the seat rail, the rows of seats are also displaced as usual. That the seat attachment builds higher than a conventional seat attachment 40,41, ... can be easily compensated by adjusting the support structure 30. If the central body 850 is lowered and the seat attachment 800 is engaged by means of the latches 805, 805 ',..., Clamping edges 810 with friction linings are simultaneously pressed against the transverse part (flange) of the T-profile by the pivoting movement. This ensures that not only by the pins, bolts or bars 805 a row of seats in the longitudinal direction is held immovable, but also can not be unintentionally lifted vertically. The assembly takes place in which such a seat adjustment unit 800 in the state "unlocked" according to FIG. 9 is pushed onto a mounted additional rail 200. For this purpose, any existing X-end 600 is removed beforehand and screwed on after all seat adjustment units 800 have been rerouted.

FIG. 11 shows a combined view of a seat adjustment 800 in the lowered and unlocked position. The elements shown are the same as in Figures 9 and 10. Detailed shown in the left half as the roller 815 by the tilting of the front segment 865 touches the upper side of the T-profile 210 of the additional rail 200 and is raised by the lever effect or toggle action of the drive 875 of the central body 850. By arranging the clamping edge 810 in the front segment 875 in front of the roller, it is achieved that this clamping element automatically loses its effect as soon as the straps 805 are lifted. On the right half of the picture one can see how the front segment 860 was attracted by the drive 870 to the central body 850 and thereby lift the roller 815 or at least relieved. The clamping edge 810 is pressed against the underside of the cross member / transverse flange of the T-profile 810.

FIG. 12 shows a front view of a seat attachment 800, with parts of the cover being omitted. Shown is the position "locked". The latches 805, 805 'engage in the pocket 170 or bays 120 of the seat rail 100, the clamping edge 810, 810' abuts against the underside of the transverse flange 215. The roller 815 is loosely on the top of the additional rail 200. It can easily be seen that the roller here has two truncated cone sections as flanges, which pick up the T-profile 210 of the additional rail 200. As a result, the lateral guidance of the seat attachment 800 is improved.

The system described above is particularly suitable for use in rows of seats in aircraft, but not limited thereto. The system would also be applicable to the flexible anchoring of loading systems (containers, pallets) in aircraft, partitions or entire room modules (toilets). An application in other means of transport is also conceivable.

The features of the invention disclosed in the foregoing description, in the drawings and in the claims may be essential for the realization of the invention both individually and in any desired combination. A non-explicit representation of a combination of features does not mean that such a combination is not useful or not possible.

Claims

A seat row pitch adjustment for an aircraft seat row (10) comprising:

A seat arrangement with a plurality of fastening points (40,... 43) on a holding structure (30)

A seat rail system (100, 200)

A Ver / Entriegelungs- and traversing device (800), which is a fixed connection to the seat assembly (support structure 30) on the one hand and a temporarily releasable and then movable in the rail direction connection to the seat rail system (100, 200) is designed.

2. Ver / unlocking and traversing device (800) a seat row distance adjustment according to claim 1, characterized in that the temporarily releasable connection to the seat rail system (100, 200) has a knee lever or lever system designed as a combination of a roller element and a clamping element.

3. Ver / unlocking and traversing a seat row distance adjustment according to claim 1-2, characterized in that the toggle lever or lever can be operated electrically, hydraulically or electro-hydraulically.

4. Ver / unlocking and traversing device according to claim 1-3, characterized in that two knee lever / lever systems per Ver / unlocking and traversing device are provided, which are arranged one behind the other parallel to the longitudinal direction of the seat rails.

5. Seat rail system of a seat row spacing adjustment according to claim 1, comprising a seat rail system (20, 21, 100) mounted in an aircraft, designed as a lying C-profile (110) with an upwardly oriented longitudinal opening and an additional rail anchored in this opening (FIG. 200) with a T-profile cross-section (210).

6. ver / unlocking and traversing device (800) according to claim 2, characterized in that the roller element is designed as a roller (815) and the clamping element as a clamping edge (810).

7. Ver / unlocking and traversing a seat row distance adjustment according to claim 3, characterized in that the toggle lever or lever is actuated by a linear drive, ball screw drive, spindle drive, or one with oil,

Water or compressed gas operated hydraulic cylinder.

8. A method for mounting a seat rail system of a seat row pitch adjustment according to claim 1-7, comprising the following steps:

Provision of an additional rail (200) with a T-section profile, with preinstalled Z-bolts (300)

Inserting the additional rail (200) into a seat rail (100), which is designed as a longitudinally extended, cross-sectionally C-shaped rail with an upwardly pointing longitudinal channel 130,

- Moving the additional rail (200) until an adapted to receive an X-holder (400) pocket (280) of the additional rail with a pocket (170) of the seat rail (100) is aligned;

- Inserting an X-holder (400) into the pocket (280)

- Screwing the X-holder (400) with the additional rail (200)