Crashworthy aircraft seat
AssigneeSkyline Industries, Inc.
InventorRaymond W. Mort
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A crashworthy aircraft seat for protecting a passenger during a crash of the aircraft includes a support structure coupled to the aircraft, a seat assembly slidingly associated with the support structure, guide means coupled to the support structure for guiding upright members of the seat assembly as the seat assembly slides relative to the support structure, and means for variably attenuating kinetic energy as the seat assembly and the passenger move downward relative to the support structure from an initial static start position to an end position during the crash.
Claims5
A crashworthy aircraft seat for protecting a passenger from injury during a crash of an aircraft during which time the passenger's spine is compressing as a result of a crash pulse, the crashworthy aircraft seat comprising:
- a support structure coupled to the aircraft;
- a seat assembly slidingly associated with the support structure for movement along a generally vertical axis, the seat assembly having a plurality of upright members;
- guide means coupled to the support structure for guiding the upright members as the seat assembly slides relative to the support structure;
- means for variably attenuating kinetic energy as the seat assembly and the passenger move vertically downward relative to the support structure from an initial start position to an end position during the crash;
- wherein the means for variably attenuating kinetic energy is a member associated with a selected one of the seat and support structure which has a selected transverse, cross-sectional geometry that is non-uniform over a length thereof, the means being selected from the group consisting of plastically deformable wires, tube deformers, tube benders and metal shavers;
- and
- wherein the selected transverse, cross-sectional geometry of the means for variably attenuating kinetic energy attenuates more energy at the beginning of the crash pulse as the passenger's spine is compressing, but then attenuates less energy at a later time during the crash pulse after the passenger's spine is fully compressed.
A crashworthy aircraft seat for protecting a passenger from injury during a crash of an aircraft, the crashworthy aircraft seat comprising:
- a support structure coupled to the aircraft;
- a seat assembly slidingly associated with the support structure for movement along a generally vertical axis, the seat assembly having a plurality of upright members;
- guide means coupled to the support structure for guiding the upright members as the seat assembly slides relative to the support structure;
- means for variably attenuating kinetic energy as the seat assembly and the passenger move vertically downward relative to the support structure from an initial start position to an end position during the crash;
- wherein the means for variable attenuating kinetic energy is a member associated with a selected one of the seat and support structure which has a selected transverse, cross-sectional geometry that is non-uniform over a length thereof;
- wherein the means for variably alternating kinetic energy is a wire having a first end, a second end and a length defined therebetween, the wire having cross-sectional geometry that is non-uniform over the length thereof;
- and
- wherein the cross-sectional geometry of the wire defines an initial thickness near an upper end thereof which tapers inwardly to an intermediate thickness and which then tapers outwardly to a final thickness, the cross-sectional geometries being predetermined so that the means for attenuating energy attenuates kinetic energy at a predetermined rate and according to predetermined timing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.