US 12,643,663 B2Granted

Passenger seat with decoupling motion mechanism for reduced mobility seating

AssigneeB/E Aerospace, Inc.

InventorsMichael Warwick, Twinkle Jacob, Charles Cline

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Abstract

A passenger seat for facilitating seating passengers with reduced mobilities (PRM) in a conveyance such as an aircraft. The passenger seat includes a motion subassembly and a decoupling mechanism configured to couple the motion assembly to the seat back, and decouple the motion assembly from the seat back to lock the seat back in an upright position such that the passenger seat can be translated forward to a position nearer, for example, an aisle. In use, decoupling and seat back locking occur in a synchronous manner, as does coupling and seat back unlocking action thereby allowing seat back recline motion. In embodiments, the passenger seat includes a manual release lever for actuating the decoupling mechanism to decouple the seat back motion subassembly.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A passenger seat assembly, comprising:

a floor track;
a passenger seat mounted for linear translation along the floor track between a fore position and an aft position, the passenger seat comprising:
a frame subassembly;
a seat pan subassembly mounted to the frame subassembly;
a seat back subassembly pivotably mounted to the frame subassembly;
a motion subassembly mounted to the frame subassembly;
and
a decoupling mechanism comprising:
a latch mounted to the seat back subassembly;
a catch mounted to the motion subassembly, the catch configured to retain the latch;
a release handle mounted to the seat back subassembly;
and
a cable operatively connecting the release handle to the catch such that, in use, pulling the release handle causes the catch to release the retained latch;
wherein:
when the motion subassembly is coupled to the seat back subassembly, by the decoupling mechanism being in a coupled state, the motion subassembly is configured to move the seat back subassembly between a first upright position and a reclined position;
and
when the motion subassembly is decoupled from the seat back subassembly, by the decoupling mechanism being in a decoupled state, the seat back subassembly is configured to be locked in a second upright position and the passenger seat is configured to be translated to the fore position to facilitate seating a passenger with reduced mobility (PRM).

14 more elements

A seat configuration for an aircraft cabin, comprising:

an aisle;
and
a passenger seat assembly positioned facing and at an angle to the aisle, the passenger seat assembly comprising:
a floor track;
a passenger seat mounted for linear translation along the floor track between a fore position proximal to the aisle and an aft position distal from the aisle, the passenger seat comprising:
a frame subassembly;
a seat pan subassembly mounted to the frame subassembly;
a seat back subassembly pivotably mounted to the frame subassembly;
a motion subassembly mounted to the frame subassembly, the motion subassembly comprising:
a sector gear mounted to a rotatable sector wheel;
an adjustable pin mounted to the rotatable sector wheel;
a depressible button configured to interact with the adjustable pin;
a lockable gas strut coupled between the seat back subassembly and the frame subassembly;
and
a cable operatively connecting the depressible button to the lockable gas strut;
and
a decoupling mechanism;
wherein:
when the motion subassembly is coupled to the seat back subassembly, by the decoupling mechanism being in a coupled state, the motion subassembly is configured to move the seat back subassembly between a first upright position and a reclined position;
and
when the motion subassembly is decoupled from the seat back subassembly, by the decoupling mechanism being in a decoupled state, the seat back subassembly is configured to be locked in a second upright position and the passenger seat is configured to be translated to the fore position to facilitate seating a passenger with reduced mobility (PRM).

18 more elements

An aircraft passenger seat assembly for facilitating seating a passenger with reduced mobility (PRM), the aircraft passenger seat assembly comprising:

a floor track;
a passenger seat mounted for linear translation along the floor track between a fore position and an aft position, the passenger seat comprising:
a seat pan subassembly;
a seat back subassembly;
a motion subassembly for driving motion of the seat back subassembly between an upright position and a reclined position;
and
a decoupling mechanism releasably coupling the motion subassembly to the seat back subassembly;
wherein:
when the motion subassembly is coupled to the seat back subassembly, by the decoupling mechanism being in a coupled state, the motion subassembly is configured to drive the motion of the seat back subassembly;
when the motion subassembly is decoupled from the seat back subassembly, by the decoupling mechanism being in a decoupled state, the seat back subassembly is configured to be locked in a second upright position and the passenger seat is configured to be translated from the aft position to the fore position;
the decoupling mechanism is actuated via a release lever mounted to the seat back subassembly;
and
movement of the motion subassembly out of contact with the seat back subassembly automatically locks the seat back subassembly in the second upright position by locking linear translation of a lockable gas strut coupled to the seat back subassembly.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.