Vehicle passenger seating

Abstract: A vehicle multiple passenger seating unit is constructed on a support frame comprising two transverse parallel beams (1, 2) carried on legs (3, 4) having feet (5, 6) for engaging mountings on the floor of the vehicle and joined by two or more spaced generally horizontal longitudinal members (8, 9), usually at each side and between each pair of adjacent seats. The beams (1, 2) enter bores (10, 11) in the longitudinal members (8, 9). Side armrests are usually mounted on the longitudinal members at the sides of the support frame and intermediate armrests are mounted on longitudinal members between adjacent seats or on parts of the frame adjacent to those longitudinal members. The invention provides a longitudinal member (8, 9) for such a support frame that is formed integrally with at least a major part (15, 16) of an armrest. A longitudinal member (8) for the side of a support frame which is to be adjacent to an aisle when the support frame is mounted in a vehicle has a recess (17) in its outer side, surrounding and enclosing constructional details, and a separate panel (19) is provided to fit in the mouth of the recess to conceal them. The edges (18) of the recess are undercut so that the panel (19) can be snapped into the recess (17) and will be self-retaining.

Description: Seating for passengers in vehicles is commonly provided on seating units comprising two or more seats abreast. British Patent Specification No. 1,121,123 discloses such a unit in which the seat portion is in the form of a trough. Usually, however, such a seating unit is constructed on a support frame comprising two transverse parallel beams, substantially horizontal in the normal upright position of the seating unit. The transverse parallel beams are usually tubes of circular cross section, carried on legs having feet for engaging mountings on the floor of the vehicle. The transverse parallel beams are joined by two or more spaced longitudinal members, perpendicular to the beams and generally horizontal in the normal upright position of the seating unit. There is usually a longitudinal member at each side of a seating unit and at least one between each pair of adjacent seats. The transverse parallel beams enter or pass through bores in the longitudinal members, in which they are a close fit to provide a rigid structure. The bottom seat cushions are supported by the transverse parallel beams and/or the longitudinal members. The longitudinal members are extended rearwardly and upwardly from their bores through which the rearmost of the transverse parallel beams passes, to provide mountings, usually pivotal, for the backrests for the seats. Examples of such a support frame are described in British Patent Specification No. 2 035 790 and PCT Publication No. WO 82/03366. Side armrests are usually mounted on the longitudinal members at the sides of the support frame and intermediate armrests for defining and separating the seats are mounted on longitudinal members between adjacent seats or on parts of the frame adjacent to those longitudinal members. The side armrest at a side of the seating unit which is to be adjacent to an aisle of a vehicle in which it is fitted must have sufficient strength to resist the leverage forces applied by passengers entering and leaving seats as well as impact forces which may be applied by passengers moving in the aisle or by trollies used to serve passengers occupying the seats. Such a side armrest is usually bolted to the flank of the side longitudinal member. The forces mentioned produce bending and shearing loads on the bolts and to resist these forces the bolts, the side armrest and the side longitudinal member must be of massive construction. To conceal the constructional details and give a neat appearance, it is usual to fit a shaped faring of reinforced plastics material over at least a part of the aisle side armrest and the longitudinal member on which it is mounted. According to this invention, a support frame for a vehicle passenger seating unit comprising two transverse parallel beams carried on legs for attachment to the floor of a vehicle and joined by at least two spaced generally horizontal longitudinal members and an armrest member comprising rear and front armrest support struts and an armrest top support portion is characterized in that said armrest member is formed as a single integral part with one of the said longitudinal members. This arrangement simplifies the construction and assembly of a seating unit and enables increased strength to be provided without unduly massive construction. In the case of a longitudinal member for the side of a support frame which is to be adjacent to an aisle when the support frame is mounted in a vehicle, constructional details enabling it to be secured to the other parts of the frame and for mounting other parts of the seat would be exposed on its side which is to be outermost when it is in position in the support frame. These constructional details include the bores and the ends of the transverse parallel beams received in them and mountings for the backrest parts of the seat. According to a further feature of the invention, when the said armrest member is formed as a single integral part with such a longitudinal member, the said longitudinal member has a recess in its said side, having a wall surrounding and enclosing such constructional details, and a separate panel is provided to fit in the mouth of the recess to conceal them. The recess may be utilised to accommodate other elements of the seating unit, such as mechanical control cables, electric cables and electrical components such as components of an audio system. The edge of the wall of the recess is preferably undercut so that the panel can be snapped into the recess and will be self-retaining once so fitted. The invention includes a vehicle seating unit including a support frame as described above and a vehicle including such a seating unit. The invention not only reduces the number of parts in the seating unit and thereby provides savings in assembly time and labour, but provides, in the case of a side armrest, a structure capable of withstanding the aforementioned forces with a significant saving of weight and width, measured in the lateral direction of the seating unit, so that increased space may be provided for passengers. As there is no bolting of armrest to longitudinal member, a neater appearance results and it is not necessary to use a faring over the longitudinal member, as hitherto. An embodiment of the invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which : Figure 1 is a side elevation of a vehicle seating unit, Figure 2 is a side elevation of a side longitudinal member of the support frame of the seating unit shown in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a section on the line A-A of Figure 2. The seating unit shown in Figure 1 is constructed on a support frame comprising two tubular transverse parallel beams 1, 2, of circular cross section, carried on legs 3, 4 having feet 5, 6 respectively for engaging the floor of a vehicle and braced by a diagonal strut 7. The beams 1, 2 are joined by two or more spaced parallel generally horizontal longitudinal members, perpendicular to the beams, one of which, 8, is shown at the near side of the seating unit. The other longitudinal members are of a more conventional shape in this seating unit, but they could be similar to the member 8. For simplicity, only one other longitudinal member 9 is shown in the concealed detail. There is a longitudinal member at each side and one between each pair of adjacent seats provided by the unit. The parallel beams 1, 2 are closely fitted in bores 10, 11 in the longitudinal member 8 and similar bores in the other longitudinal members, thus providing a rigid structure and they are secured by clamping screws (not shown) in the longitudinal members. Bottom seat cushions 12 are supported by the parallel beams 1, 2. All the longitudinal members are extended rearwardly and upwardly from their bores 10, through which the rearmost parallel beam 1 passes, to provide pivotal mountings 13 for the backrests 14 for the seats. The side longitudinal member 8, however, is formed as a single integral part with an armrest member, being further extended upwardly to provide a rear armrest support 15 and with an integral front armrest supporting strut 16, the upper ends of the rear support 15 and the front strut 16 being joined to an armrest top support portion. The integral armrest member and side longitudinal member 8, which will be adjacent to an aisle when the seating unit is fitted in a vehicle, is shown in more detail in Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 shows the side of the component which will be outermost when it is mounted in the support frame. The open ends of the bores 10, 11 which are to receive the ends of the transverse beams 1, 2 and of the bore 13 in which the backrest 14 is to be mounted are visible on this side and in previous seating constructions they would be covered by a shaped faring in the finished seat. Instead of this, the longitudinal member 8 has a shallow recess 17 enclosing these constructional details, with an undercut peripheral lip 18. When the seating unit is assembled, a separate flat panel 19, shown in chain-dotted lines, is fitted in this recess, being of such dimensions that it may be snapped into place behind the lip 18 and will be self-retaining. This not only gives a neat appearance to the finished seat but is cheaper and more easily fitted than the usual shaped faring. It can also be replaced quite easily. Further advantages may be utilised by vehicle operators, for example to identify different rows of seats by fitting differently coloured panels 19; to give an individual appearance to a vehicle by fitting panels printed with the insignia of a charterer of the vehicle; or to advertise by fitting panels printed with advertising matter. The integral armrest member and longitudinal member 8 itself may also be coloured, for example by anodising if it is of aluminium or an alloy or by self colouring if it is of a plastics/fibre composite material. Six holes 20 are formed in the base of the recess 17 to receive fastenings for mounting a buffer bar 21, as shown in Figure 1, and the panel 19 has aligned holes through which the fastenings can pass, so that impact forces applied by passengers or service trolleys are transmitted directly to the member 8. An upholstered armrest top 22 is mounted on the armrest top support portion, being secured in bores 23 in its top surface. A hole 24 in the top support portion provides for the passage of control cables, for example for the seat recline mechanism and for audio supply, into the armrest top 22. The member 8 also has the usual bores 25 for mounting a table 26, 27 for a seat belt anchorage, 28 for mounting the baggage bar 29, and 30 for anchoring the seat recline mechanism. In the finished seating unit, all these bores and elements fitted in them are concealed by the panel 19 as shown in Figure 1. Although in the embodiment shown in the drawings the armrest top support portion is little more than a flat strut, it could be shaped to provide the whole or substantially the whole of an armrest. In the latter case some padding would be mounted on its upper surface.

Claims: A support frame for a vehicle passenger seating unit comprising two transverse parallel beams (1,2) carried on legs (3,4) for attachment to the floor of a vehicle and joined by at least two spaced generally horizontal longitudinal members (8,9) and an armrest member comprising rear and front armrest support struts (15,16) and an armrest top support portion, characterized in that said armrest member is formed as a single integral part with one of the said longitudinal members. A support frame as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the said armrest member is formed as a single integral part with the longitudinal member (8) which is to be adjacent to an aisle when the seating unit is fitted in a vehicle, characterized by a recess (17) in the side of the longitudinal member (8) which is to be outermost with respect to the seating unit, surrounding and enclosing constructional details of its attachment to other parts of the support frame and of the seating unit, and in that a separate panel (19) is provided to fit in the mouth of the recess to conceal those details. A support frame as claimed in Claim 2, characterized in that the edges (18) of the recess (17) are undercut and in that the panel (19) is so dimensioned that it can be snapped into the recess (17) and will be self-retaining once fitted in the recess. A vehicle seating unit, characterized in that it includes a support frame as claimed in Claim 3. A vehicle, characterized in that it includes a seating unit as claimed in Claim 4.

Inventors: BRANHAM JOHN FREDERICK, TCHENG JOHN, BRANHAM, JOHN FREDERICK, TCHENG, JOHN
Applicants: FLIGHT EQUIP & ENG, FLIGHT EQUIPMENT & ENGINEERING LIMITED
Application year: 1989
Main classification: B60N2
IPC codes: A47C7, B60N2