Chairs and seats – With table – desk – or easel – Table behind seat
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-29
2001-07-17
Barfield, Anthony D. (Department: 3624)
Chairs and seats
With table, desk, or easel
Table behind seat
C297S169000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06260917
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to an articulation device for a vehicle seat as well as a seat structure, a seat and a vehicle, notably an aircraft, equipped with such an articulation device.
Therefore the general technical field of the invention is the fitting-out of the passenger vehicles, and more especially that of the seats with adjustable backs in public transportation air vehicles.
The articulation device mentioned here is integrated with the seat structure and intended to allow:
tipping a seat back backward/forward with respect to its base;
assembling/disassembling of the back with respect to the remaining seat structure
swivelling when operating/retracting a tray, also called pull-out flat, at the back of the seat as the case may be
easy assembling/disassembling of this tray; and
not having any uncomfortable situation linked to the back tipping over when the tray is in operating position.
Various techniques are known in this field.
Document US-A-2 016 133 describes a seat of land vehicle, whose back inclination is adjustable according to various angles. A control is mounted in the arm rest to adjust the back angle.
Document US-A63 588 172 describes an adjustable seat with a tray mounted on the seat back upper part by two fixed pivots. This part is inclined forward when the back is lifted up or aligned with the back lower part when it is inclined.
Document NL-A-74 100 25 describes an articulation for swivelling a pull-out flat with a plastic bearing fastened on the rear part of a seat back. One rectangular piece of articulation is fitted with blocks to cooperate with the edge and tongue of the tray. The swivelling edge has two protuberant parts and a chamfer coaxial to an horizontal hub. One protuberant part is used as a stop and the other, which is hollow omega-shaped, is used for elastic hooking.
Document US-A-4 364 604 describes an aircraft seat with a pair of pivots, a pair of mounting legs with openings, and a pair of side frames. Each of the latter comprises a boss with a hooking surface and an opening to house a block. A dismountable tray, independent of the back and conversely, is fitted with fork-shaped hooking lugs and swings round the back axis.
Document US-A-4 431 231 also describes a reclining aircraft seat, with a retractable tray or flat. Blocking means are provided for preventing the back from swivelling to an inclined position, when the tray is in operating position.
Document EP-A-0 112 170 describes a vehicle seat, with a tray which can be quickly disassembled without any tools. Swivelling pins are located in openings of the plate lugs, which can be bent towards each other for disassembling purposes. A torsion tube to be installed on a lug, comprises a block stressed by a spring ad a connection slit. Connection means are used to immobilize the back when the tray is in operating position.
Document EP-A-0 385 861 describes a convertible seat with a retractable tray.
Document EP-A-0 628 447 describes an articulation device for aircraft seat, intended to enable its back to be tilted up. A bearing neck rigidly associated with the back is projected outside along the tilting-up axis. Means associate the bearing neck in a movable and secured way on a substantial part of the axis segment to allow rotation. The illustrated bearing neck, its support and the means for associating the two form a one-piece part.
The known techniques have some disadvantages.
In the case of articulation devices with multiple parts, the times required for assembling and often mounting and dismounting the device are long.
Notably, the devices currently used require an inconvenient step assembling in the transverse direction of a guiding axis of the back which is in a fixed housing with respect to the underframe, on both sides of the rotation axis.
This has a negative influence in that it lengthens the idle time of aircrafts and therefore reduces their cost effectiveness.
In the case of an articulation device with a one-piece bearing neck, the production cost of such a part with multiple functions is high due to its complicated structure.
In addition, the seats are intensively used. Therefore, repeated handling of the back and tray articulations, cause wear which can result in loosening, or malfunctioning. Finally, it is known that the seats of the aircraft's must meet drastic conditions of safety, lightness, space required and resistance.
Thus, the blocking means of the back when the tray is in operating position are relatively heavy and voluminous which is undesirable.
The objective of the invention is notably to remedy these disadvantages. It proposes an articulation device for seats:
comprising a limited number of constitutive parts, each having the simplest structure possible;
with a limited space required, notably transversally, and weight, with respect to the known devices
allowing the rapid assembling/disassembling of the back and tray without tools, as the case may be;
able to at least limit, or cancel the negative effects of the wear of parts; and
substantially bringing closer the control connecting rod and control unit of the base plate so that no additional stiffener is required.
To do so, the invention relates to an articulation device intended for the seat structure of a vehicle transporting passengers by air.
This device is intended to allow a back seat structure to tip with respect to the corresponding fixed structure of the seat, and also, optionally the tray to be swivelled around a transverse axis of rotation.
In combination, this device comprises at least
a transverse bush, essentially extended substantially along the axis of rotation, with, transversally:
on the one hand means to hold the back seat structure; and
on the other hand, a protuberant head intended to be housed in a complementary element of the fixed structure substantially along an elevation direction, with, following this direction, at least one guiding and backlash elimination lower zone and sensibly opposite, in elevation, to the guiding zone, an upper stress zone for backlash elimination, able to be pushed against the complementary element of the fixed structure by elastic or similar clamping means.
In addition, the complementary element comprises a housing and elastic or similar clamping means with backlash elimination, provided to push the guiding and stressing zones of the bush head against at least two supporting lower zones of the housing, these opposed support zones sensibly defining a <<V >> shape perpendicular to the transverse direction, flared from bottom to top, respectively forward and backward.
According to another characteristic, the device comprises an element for transmitting the tipping control of the back seat structure mounted on the bush substantially coaxial to the axis of rotation; and
coupling means, intended to make the back seat structure and transmission element solid in rotation.
These means comprise a rotating lever mounted on the bush substantially coaxial to the axis of rotation, with a first upper arm intended to be rigidly fastened to the back seat structure, radially distant from the axis of rotation, while the other arm called second lower arm is intended to be rigidly fastened, radially distant from the axis of rotation, to the element of transmission.
While in many cases, means for assembling a service tray are mounted to be rotated around the bush, and arranged between the head and holding means of the back seat structure, for instance between an element of transmission and a connecting rod of coupling means.
For example, means for assembling the tray are mounted on a grooved wheel, made of synthetic material and installed idle on an external surface of the bush and/or coupling means are guided on a metal tube rigidly fastened to the bush, by riveting or similar means, for example intended to link with another articulation device.
In an embodiment, at least one friction liner which guides the coupling means essentially comprises a transverse metal tube intended to be part of the back seat structure and /or comprises a shoulder, such as a free end, transver
Barfield Anthony D.
Nawrocki, Rooney & Sivertson P.A.
Societ Industrielle et Commerciale de Materiel Aeronautique
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