Seating system and a passenger accommodation unit for a vehicle

A passenger seat assembly for a passenger vehicle, which assembly is adapted to provide seating and sleeping accommodation for a passenger, said seat assembly comprising:

• supporting structure adapted for supporting the assembly off the floor of the vehicle;
• a plurality of seat elements including a seat-pan element and a back-rest element, said back-rest element comprising first and second opposite sides, one of said sides defining a first seat surface and the other side defining a substantially flat second bed surface;
• a seat movement mechanism adapted for connecting the seat elements to the supporting structure, said seat movement mechanism including a seat conversion submechanism adapted to allow and control movement of the seat elements such that the seat elements can be selectively moved between a seat configuration and a bed configuration;
• and
• one or more auxiliary accommodation elements connected to or forming part of said supporting structure and being positioned or being deployable to be positioned juxtaposed said seat, the or each auxiliary accommodation element having an auxiliary, substantially flat, passenger-bearing surface that is separate from said flat second bed surface of said back-rest element;
• said seat conversion sub-mechanism being adapted for controlling movement of the back-rest element such that said back-rest element is pivotable from a first upright position in the seat configuration, in which said first seat surface of the back-rest element cooperates with said seat-pan element to form a seat for the passenger, to a second prone position in the bed configuration, in which the second bed surface of the back-rest element cooperates with one or more of said auxiliary passenger-bearing surfaces to form a substantially coplanar, continuous extended bed surface for the passenger, one or more of said auxiliary accommodation elements forming the extended bed surface being positioned or being deployable to be positioned rearwardly of the seat,
• wherein one or more forward auxiliary accommodation elements are positioned or deployable to be positioned forwardly of the seat.

A passenger accommodation unit for a vehicle including a seat assembly adapted to provide self-contained, individual seating and sleeping accommodation for a passenger, said seat assembly comprising:

• one or more movable passenger-bearing, structural components selectively movable between a seat configuration, in which a plurality of passenger-bearing surfaces on said one or more structural, movable components form a seat for the passenger, and a bed configuration, in which a plurality of said bearing surfaces are disposed substantially coplanarly and substantially contiguously to form a bed for the passenger,
• wherein at least one of said movable components is double-sided, one of said sides defining a seat surface that forms part of the seat in said seat configuration, and the other side defining a bed surface that forms part of said bed in said bed configuration, said at least one double-sided movable component being a back-rest component such that it can be selectively pivoted between a generally upright position, in which said seat surface is arranged to form part of said seat, and a second prone position in which said bed surface is arranged to form part of said bed, and wherein one or more of said passenger-bearing surfaces comprise a bed extension surface, which bed extension surface is positioned or deployable to be positioned rearwardly of the seat to form part of said bed in said bed configuration;
• and
• a movable infill component movable between a stowed position and a deployed position, which infill component comprises a passenger-bearing infill surface that extends between said back-rest component and said bed extension surface when said infill component is deployed, such that said bed surface of said back-rest component, bed extension surface, and infill surface form a substantially continuous surface.

A passenger accommodation unit for a vehicle including a seat assembly adapted to provide self-contained, individual seating and sleeping accommodation for a passenger, said seat assembly comprising:

• one or more movable passenger-bearing, structural components selectively movable between a seat configuration, in which a plurality of passenger-bearing surfaces on said one or more structural, movable components form a seat for the passenger, and a bed configuration, in which a plurality of said bearing surfaces are disposed substantially coplanarly and substantially contiguously to form a bed for the passenger;
• wherein at least one of said movable components is double-sided, one of said sides defining a seat surface that forms part of the seat in said seat configuration, and the other side defining a bed surface that forms part of said bed in said bed configuration, said at least one double-sided movable component being a back-rest component such that it can be selectively pivoted between a generally upright position, in which said seat surface is arranged to form part of said seat, and a second prone position in which said bed surface is arranged to form part of said bed, and wherein one or more of said passenger-bearing surfaces comprise a bed extension surface, which bed extension surface is positioned or deployable to be positioned rearwardly of the seat to form part of said bed in said bed configuration;
• wherein one or more of said passenger-bearing surfaces comprise a seat-pan, said seat-pan being moveable between an upper deployed position and a lower stowed position when the back-rest component is moved from the upright position to the prone position.

A passenger accommodation unit for a vehicle including a seat assembly adapted to provide self-contained, individual seating and sleeping accommodation for a passenger, said seat assembly comprising:

• one or more movable passenger-bearing, structural components selectively movable between a seat configuration, in which a plurality of passenger-bearing surfaces on said one or more structural, movable components form a seat for the passenger, and a bed configuration, in which a plurality of said bearing surfaces are disposed substantially coplanarly and substantially contiguously to form a bed for the passenger;
• wherein at least one of said movable components is double-sided, one of said sides defining a seat surface that forms part of the seat in said seat configuration, and the other side defining a bed surface that forms part of said bed in said bed configuration, said at least one double-sided movable component being a back-rest component such that it can be selectively pivoted between a generally upright position, in which said seat surface is arranged to form part of said seat, and a second prone position in which said bed surface is arranged to form part of said bed;
• wherein said back-rest component is selectively moveable between an upright position and a fully reclined position in which the back-rest component is pivoted rearwardly relative to the upright position;
• wherein one or more of said movable components comprise a seat pan which is pivotable relative to the back-rest component between a first position and a second position as the back-rest component is pivoted rearwardly from the upright position to the fully reclined position.

A passenger seat assembly for a passenger vehicle adapted to provide seating and sleeping accommodation for a passenger, said seat assembly comprising:

• supporting structure adapted for supporting the assembly off the floor of the vehicle;
• a plurality of seat elements including a seat-pan element and a back-rest element, said back-rest element comprising opposite sides, one of said sides defining a seat surface and the other side defining a bed surface,
• said back-rest element being pivotable from an upright position, in which said seat surface of the back-rest element cooperates with said seat-pan element to form a seat for the passenger, to a prone position, in which the bed surface of the back-rest forms a substantially coplanar, continuous extended bed surface for the passenger;
• and
• a seat holding device that is pivotably connected to said supporting structure for rocking movement between a seat position and a bed position, said back-rest element being mounted on said seat holding device such that said back-rest element can be pivoted from said upright position to said prone position by rocking said holding device from said seat position to said bed position, and releasable locking means adapted for selectively locking said holding device in said seat position and said bed position.