US 2017/0283079 A1 · Pretensioner for Retractable Shoulder Belt and Seat Belt

Abstract

In an illustrative embodiment, a seat is oriented at an oblique angle with respect to a centerline of an aircraft fuselage, the seat having an Aircraft Passenger Restraint System (APRS) with a pre-tensioner and integral retractable shoulder and seat belt webbing. In an illustrative example, the ARPS may be a three-point restraint to control a seat occupant's upper body, head and torso area. In some embodiments, the ARPS may further control the forces on the lower spine and torso. In some applications, the ARPS may operate to control the Head Injury Criteria (HIC) levels for the seat occupant's head, as well as the neck twist and upper spinal forces, to meet aircraft certification requirements imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and/or European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). In response to a deceleration event, the ARPS may rapidly retract the belt webbing to substantially remove slack.

Claims19

Dependent claims

An aircraft passenger seat system comprising:

a seat frame comprising a base adapted for attachment to a floor of a passenger cabin of an aircraft at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, a seat bottom supported by the base, wherein the angle is between 10 degrees and 80 degrees;
a lap belt attached to the seat frame and adapted to extend from one side of the seat bottom to the other side for providing restraint to the abdominal region of a seat occupant;
a shoulder belt mounted on the seat frame and adapted to extend diagonally across the upper torso of the seat occupant, the shoulder belt configured for releasable attachment to the lap belt by the occupant;
and
a belt retractor mounted rigidly relative to the seat frame, wherein the retractor is connected to at least one of the lap belt or the shoulder belt for applying a retracting force to the lap belt or the shoulder belt, and wherein the retractor includes a pretensioner configured to retract the lap belt or the shoulder belt in response to the receipt of a signal associated with an emergency deceleration condition.

2 more elements

An aircraft passenger seat system comprising:

a three-point harness for installation on a passenger seat of a passenger cabin of an aircraft, comprising
a lap belt configured for attachment to a seat frame of the passenger seat and adapted to extend from one side of a seat bottom of the passenger seat to the other side,
a shoulder belt configured for mounting to a seat back of the passenger seat and adapted to extend diagonally across the upper torso of the seat occupant for releasable attachment to the lap belt, and
a retractor pretensioner module operatively connected to the shoulder belt for applying a retracting force to the shoulder belt;
and
processing circuitry configured to
identify a rapid deceleration event, and
issue a command signal to the retractor pretensioner module responsive to the rapid deceleration event,
wherein, responsive to the command signal, the retractor pretensioner module activates retraction of the shoulder belt.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Pretensioner for Retractable Shoulder Belt and Seat Belt

Life of this patent

Pretensioner for Retractable Shoulder Belt and Seat Belt

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19