Abstract:
A equipment support for aircraft and the like comprises a base to which a lower link, an intermediate link, and a equipment platform are attached. The lower link rotates horizontally about the base. The intermediate link rotates horizontally about the end of the lower link and the equipment platform rotates horizontally about the end of the intermediate link. This arrangement gives the equipment platform the ability to assume an infinite number of lateral positions and 360 degrees of rotation. The equipment support is locked in position by means of locking pins that engage corresponding metering plates adjacent the support bearings. The locking pins are released by a common linkage that sequentially releases the equipment platform rotation lock then simultaneously releases the rotation locks of the intermediate and lower links.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The application claims priority of provisional application No. 60/837,671 filed Aug. 14, 2006. 
     
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to adjustable supports for aircraft interior equipment, in particular supports for aircraft seating, tables and the like. 
         [0003]    A need exists in many aircraft interiors for seats and tables to translate and/or rotate for passenger comfort. Many aircraft floor space plans require several degrees of motion to allow a bulky seat or coffee table to be moved in the tight confines of smaller business aircraft. Seats must often be movable toward or away from tables, desks and other seats, all without using up valuable floor space. Military aircraft often have a need to access multiple stations from a single seat. In each of these cases, however, a chosen locked position must securely support and protect the seat occupant for normal use, turbulence loads and hard landing loads. 
         [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,572 (hereinafter “the &#39;572 patent”) discloses an adjustable chair having a chair post that is movable within a large aperture in the mounting frame. This arrangement allows the chair to be rotated and translated across the top of the chair mounting frame. The chair is fixed in a desired position by a friction brake that engages the underside of the chair mounting frame. A disadvantage of the chair disclosed in the &#39;572 patent is the substantial volume and floor space occupied by the relatively bulky chair mounting frame. Additionally, the friction lock does not provide a positive locking feature to endure heavy side loads. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention comprises a support for securing interior equipment such as seats and tables to a frame such as for securing an aircraft seat to the floor of an aircraft. According to an illustrative embodiment, the support comprises a base that is attached to the aircraft floor. The base supports a lower support thrust bearing. A lower link is attached at one end to the support bearing so that the link is capable of rotating about the base. The other end of the link has a bearing that supports a second, intermediate link so that the intermediate link rotates about the end of the lower link. The opposite end of the intermediate link has a bearing that supports the seat platform, which enables the seat platform to rotate about the end of the intermediate link. This arrangement of links allows the seat frame to be moved laterally in any direction and the seat frame to be rotated 360 degrees. 
         [0006]    In the illustrative embodiment, the support is locked in position by means of locking pins that engage corresponding metering plates adjacent the support bearings. The locking pins are released by a common linkage that sequentially releases the seat rotation lock then simultaneously releases the rotation locks of the intermediate and lower links. The simultaneous release of the intermediate and lower locks is effected by a movable yoke that is attached to the intermediate link. Although the yoke is attached to the intermediate link, the mechanism does not bind the lower and intermediate links or the seat platform from rotating in the released position because each locking pin engages its corresponding metering plate at a contact point located substantially on the same axis as the support bearing immediately above. Thus the lower link rotation lock engages its metering plate substantially along the rotational axis defined by the bearing that supports the intermediate link and the intermediate link rotation lock engages its metering plate substantially along the rotational axis of the bearing that supports the seat platform. The locking and release mechanism thus permits full translation and rotation of the seat platform while providing for a solid, positive lock of the seat platform once the locks are engaged. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         [0007]    The present invention will be better understood from a reading of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures in which like references designate like elements and, in which: 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of a seat platform incorporating features of the present invention; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of the illustrative seat platform in its forwardmost extended position; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a front perspective view of the illustrative seat platform in a partially extended position; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of the illustrative seat platform in a partially extended and rotated position; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of portions of the links and seat platform of the illustrative seat support; 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the illustrative seat support with the rotation locks in their fully engaged position; 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the illustrative seat support with the seat rotation lock disengaged; 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of the illustrative seat support with the seat rotation and link rotation locks disengaged and the seat platform moved to its forwardmost extended position; and 
           [0016]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the rotation lock actuator linkage. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0017]    The drawing figures are intended to illustrate to the general manner of construction and are not necessarily to scale. In the detailed description and in the drawing figures, specific illustrative examples are shown and herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawing figures and detailed description are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but are merely illustrative and intended to teach one of ordinary skill how to make and/or use the invention claimed herein and for setting forth the best mode for carrying out the invention. 
         [0018]    With reference to the figures and in particular  FIGS. 1-5 , seat support  10  comprises a base  12  a lower link  14  an intermediate link  16  and a seat platform  18 . Lower link  14  is supported at its fixed end  20  by a lower thrust collar assembly  22  consisting of a spigot flange  24  and a roller thrust bearing  26 . The flanged portion  28  of spigot flange  24  has a plurality of holes  30  formed therein to form a metering plate  32 , the function of which will be explained in greater detailed hereafter. A retainer assembly  34  consisting of a second roller thrust bearing  36  and a collar  38  retains lower link  14  to the spigot portion  40  of spigot flange  24 . 
         [0019]    The free end  44  of lower link  14  supports the fixed end  42  of intermediate link  16  by means of an intermediate thrust collar assembly  46  attached to free end  44  of lower link  14 . Intermediate thrust collar assembly  46  includes a metering plate  32   a  with a plurality of holes  30   a  and is identical in construction to thrust collar assembly  22  and therefore will not be explained further herein. Intermediate link  16  is retained on intermediate thrust collar assembly  46  by a retainer assembly  48 , which is identical in construction and operation to retainer assembly  34  and therefore will not be explained in detail herein. 
         [0020]    Seat platform  18  is secured to the free end  50  of intermediate link  16  by an upper thrust collar assembly  52 , which is attached to the free end  50  of intermediate link  16 . Upper thrust collar assembly  52  includes a metering plate  32   b  having a plurality of holes  30   b  and is identical in construction and operation as thrust collar assembly  22  and therefore will not be explained further herein. Seat platform  18  is retained to thrust collar assembly  52  by a retainer assembly  54 , which is identical in construction and operation to retainer assembly  34 . 
         [0021]    As can be determined from the foregoing, the arrangement of bearings and links enable seat platform  18  to be located anywhere from directly over the centerline of the rotating joint defined by thrust collar assembly  22  as shown in  FIG. 1  to a fully forward extended position as shown in  FIG. 2 , to a partially forward position as shown in  FIG. 3 , to a partially forward and rotated position as shown in  FIG. 4 , or any number of intermediate, rotated and unrotated positions enabled by the two degrees of freedom inherent in the arrangement of links and rotating joints. 
         [0022]    With further reference to  FIGS. 6-9 , lower link  14 , intermediate link  16  and seat platform  18  are locked in position by seat locking pin  78 , intermediate locking pin  86  and lower locking pin  88 , each of which is spring-loaded to engage a corresponding hole  30 ,  30   a ,  30   b  in metering plates  32 ,  32   a ,  32   b . Lower link  14 , intermediate link  16  and seat platform  18  are released for rotation/translation then locked into position by means of a locking and release mechanism  60  which consists of a handle  62 , an arm  64  an upper walking beam  66 , a push rod  68 , a lower walking beam  70  and a yoke  72 . Upper walking beam  66  is supported by upper axle  74  which rotates in corresponding recesses formed in control lever mount  76  ( FIGS. 1-4 ). As handle  62  is pulled upward, upper walking beam  66  simultaneously lifts seat locking pin  78  against its spring so that it disengages corresponding hole  30   b  of metering plate  32   b . Simultaneously, upper walking beam  66  presses push rod  68  into socket  80  of lower walking beam  70 . As can be seen most clearly in  FIGS. 6-7 , there is positive engagement between upper walking beam  66  and seat locking pin  78  so that lifting handle  62  causes seat locking pin  78  to immediately disengage metering plate  32   b  to allow the seat to rotate. However, there is clearance between push rod  68  and the bottom of socket  80  of lower walking beam  70 . Therefore, lower walking beam  70  does not move immediately. As handle  62  is pulled further upward, however, push rod  68  engages the lower surface of socket  80  causing lower walking beam  70  to pivot about its lower axle  82 , which in turn lifts yoke  72  via link  84 . 
         [0023]    Yoke  72  is constrained to move vertically under the urging of link  84  by means of rollers  90 ,  92  mounted to saddles  94 ,  96  each of which engage a corresponding track  98  and  100  formed in yoke  72 . As yoke  72  is lifted upward, it simultaneously lifts intermediate locking pin  86  and lower locking pin  88  to disengage pins  86  and  88  from corresponding holes  30  and  30   a  of metering plates  32  and  32   a . With locking pins  86  sand  88  released, lower link  14  and intermediate link  16  are free to rotate about their respective thrust collar assemblies  22  and  46 , thereby enabling horizontal translation of seat platform  18 . 
         [0024]    As noted hereinbefore, yoke  72  lifts intermediate locking pin  86  and lower locking pin  88  simultaneously so that each disengages its respective metering plate at the same time, however, in an alternative embodiment, yoke  72  disengages intermediate locking pin  86  and lower locking pin  88  sequentially. As can be seen most clearly in  FIG. 8 , lower locking pin  88  engages metering plate  32  at a point that is located substantially on the axis of rotation  102  that is defined by intermediate thrust collar assembly  46 . Thus even with lower locking pin  88  engaged to metering plate  32 , intermediate link  16  can still rotate about intermediate thrust collar assembly  46  as long as intermediate locking pin  86  is disengaged. Intermediate link  16  simply pivots about lower locking pin  88  in its engaged position. Similarly, intermediate locking pin  86  engages metering plate  32   a  at a point that lies substantially on the axis of rotation  104  defined by upper thrust collar assembly  52 . This enables seat platform  18  to rotate about upper thrust collar assembly  52  as long as seat locking pin  78  is disengaged from metering plate  32   b.    
         [0025]    In the illustrative embodiment, lower locking pin  88  has a head portion  108  that rotates in a seat (not shown) in yoke  72  to enable yoke  72 , which is mounted to intermediate link  16  to freely rotate about engaged lower locking pin  88 . Alternatively, since lower locking pin is cylindrical in shape, it would be possible simply to allow lower locking pin  88  to rotate in hole  30  formed in metering plate  32 . Similarly, intermediate locking pin  86  has a head portion  110  that rotates in a seat formed in yoke  72  to enable seat platform  18  to rotate about engaged intermediate locking pin  86 . Because the illustrative seat support  10  has only two main links in addition to the seat platform, the longitudinal axis  106  of seat locking pin  78  is merely offset from axis  104  of upper thrust collar assembly  52 , there being no additional thrust collar assemblies mounted above. 
         [0026]    As can be determined from the foregoing, the unique arrangement of links and the alignment of the locking pins with the axis of rotation of the thrust collar assemblies immediately above enables a common rigid linkage such as yoke  72  to positively disengage and engage the locking pins without impeding free rotation of lower link  14 , intermediate link  16  and seat platform  18  and without the use of flexible joints, cables or other cumbersome mechanisms. 
         [0027]    Although certain illustrative embodiments and methods have been disclosed herein, it will be apparent from the foregoing disclosure to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications of such embodiments and methods may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, although in the illustrative embodiment the support is for securing a seat to an aircraft floor, the invention is equally capable of securing other interior equipment, such as a coffee table, to a vehicle frame. Additionally, although the illustrative embodiment has only two main links, a seat supported by three or more links is considered within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention shall be limited only to the extent required by the appended claims and the rules and principles of applicable law.