Abstract:
An aircraft seating arrangement including a single-piece seat bottom frame having a plurality of laterally spaced-apart fore and aft legs for being attached to and supporting the seat frame on an aircraft deck and a plurality of seat bottoms supported on the seat frame. A plurality of seat back support frames are carried by the seat bottom frame aft of respective ones of the seat bottoms. A seat pan and seat back are positioned on respective seat bottoms and seat backs for passenger occupancy.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates generally to an aircraft seats and seating arrangement, and more particularly to aircraft passenger seating engineered to have reduced weight, improved load-bearing characteristics, enhanced storage space and improved ergonomics. 
         [0002]    A typical airline passenger seat has a back support carried by a lower seat frame supporting a seat bottom constructed of separately formed metal components. Weight of aircraft components is always an important factor in product selection and use because of the direct correlation between weight and fuel costs—a critical component in operating efficiency and total operating costs. Reduced seat weight and distribution not only achieves improved efficiency in the seat itself but also permits the weight of supporting deck structures to be reduced as well, resulting in substantial operating cost savings during the life of the seats. Single piece composite resin structures formed by various layup techniques permit very lightweight, yet strong, components to be utilized. 
         [0003]    Ergonomic factors are also increasingly important. Many airlines now charge for checked baggage, increasing the tendency for passengers to carry as much luggage and other personal belongings onto the aircraft as possible to avoid these charges. This increases the importance of making as much space as possible beneath the seats available for storage and for placement of the feet of an aft-seated passenger. Most conventional coach-class passenger seats have legs that provide a relatively large central space under the center seat of a three-seat group, with two smaller spaces on either side, sometimes enclosed by curved bumper guards. This may cause aisle and window passengers, for example, to have less space for storage or foot placement than the center-seated passenger. 
         [0004]    The equal leg spacing also permits the seat belt attachment points to placed in the same plane as the legs, thereby permitting the seating load to be carried more directly from the attachment points into the aircraft deck. This can reduce the load on each leg, more evenly distribute passenger loads into the deck during high g-loading caused by sudden deceleration, and reduce stress on the seat belts and attachment points. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    Therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide an aircraft seating arrangement having a one-piece lower seat frame formed of a composite material including vertical supports and horizontal members carried by the vertical supports; and an upper back-support frame carried by the one-piece seat frame. 
         [0006]    It is another object of the present invention to provide an aircraft seating arrangement having evenly spaced-apart legs in order to proved equal storage and/or foot space directly in front of each aft-seated passenger. 
         [0007]    It is another object of the present invention to provide an aircraft seating arrangement wherein the seat legs and the seat belt attachment points are placed in the same plane as the legs, thereby permitting the seating load to be carried more directly from the attachment points into the aircraft deck. 
         [0008]    It is another object of the present invention to provide an aircraft seating arrangement that provides equal storage or foot placement space for each passenger seated aft of the seating arrangement. 
         [0009]    These and other objects and advantages of the invention are achieved by providing an aircraft seating arrangement including a single-piece seat bottom frame having a plurality of laterally spaced-apart fore and aft legs for being attached to and supporting the seat frame on an aircraft deck, and a plurality of seat bottoms supported on the seat frame. A plurality of seat back support frames are carried by the seat bottom frame aft of respective ones of the seat bottoms. A seat pan and seat back positioned on respective seat bottoms and seat backs for passenger occupancy. 
         [0010]    According to one embodiment of the invention, the seat bottom frame is fabricated of a cured fibrous material and resin. 
         [0011]    According to another embodiment of the invention, the seat bottom frame includes a plurality of integrally-formed uprights adapted for carrying seat belt elements for use by seat occupants. 
         [0012]    According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the seat bottom frame includes a plurality of integrally-formed uprights extending in the same plane as the aft legs of the seat bottom frame and adapted for carrying seat belt elements for use by seat occupants. 
         [0013]    According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the plurality of laterally spaced-apart fore and aft legs are equally spaced-apart for providing equal foot well and storage space between the legs for use by aft-seated passengers. 
         [0014]    According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the seat pan and seat back are integrally-formed and define a continuous passenger support surface. 
         [0015]    According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the plurality of seat back support frames each carry at least one passenger arm rest. 
         [0016]    According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the plurality of seat back support frames each carry a meal tray movable between a stowed position proximate the seat back support frame and a deployed, substantially horizontal position for use by an aft-seated passenger. 
         [0017]    According to yet another embodiment of the invention, an aircraft seat is provided, that includes a single-piece U-shaped seat bottom frame having a plurality of laterally spaced-apart legs for being attached to and supporting the seat frame on an aircraft deck and a seat bottom defined by a web of the seat bottom. A seat back support frame is carried by the seat bottom frame aft of the seat bottom; and a seat pan and seat back is positioned on the seat bottom and seat back for passenger occupancy. 
         [0018]    According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the seat pan carries an arm rest. 
         [0019]    According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the laterally spaced-apart legs each include a single planar panel defining a fore and aft extending bottom edge for supporting the seating arrangement. 
         [0020]    According to yet another embodiment of the invention, an aircraft seating arrangement is provided and includes a plurality of single-piece U-shaped seat bottom frames, each having a plurality of laterally spaced-apart legs and a plurality of seat bottoms defined by a web of respective ones of the plurality of seat bottom frames. A plurality of seat back support frames are carried on respective ones of the seat bottom frames aft of the seat bottoms, and a plurality of seat pans and seat backs are positioned on respective ones of the seat bottoms and seat backs for passenger occupancy. 
         [0021]    According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the laterally spaced-apart legs each have a single planar panel defining a fore and aft extending bottom edge for supporting the seating arrangement. 
         [0022]    According to yet another embodiment of the invention, at least one intermediate leg is positioned between the plurality of laterally spaced-apart legs for defining equally spaced-apart foot wells and storage spaces between the legs for use by aft-seated passengers. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0023]    The subject matter that is regarded as the invention may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures in which: 
           [0024]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a seating arrangement according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0025]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the one-piece lower seat frame and upper back-support frames of the seating arrangement of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0026]      FIG. 3  is a plan view of the arrangement of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0027]      FIG. 4  is a plan view of the one-piece lower seat frame and upper back-support frames of the seating arrangement of  FIG. 1  taken from the perspective of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0028]      FIG. 5  is a front elevation view of the seating arrangement of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0029]      FIG. 6  is a front elevation view of the one-piece lower seat frame and upper back-support frames of the seating arrangement of  FIG. 1  taken from the perspective of  FIG. 5 ; 
           [0030]      FIG. 7  is a left-side elevation view of the seating arrangement of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0031]      FIG. 8  is a left-side elevation view of the one-piece lower seat frame and upper back-support frames of the seating arrangement of  FIG. 1  taken from the perspective of  FIG. 7 ; 
           [0032]      FIG. 9  is a right-side elevation view of the seating arrangement of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0033]      FIG. 10  is a right-side elevation view of the one-piece lower seat frame and upper back-support frames of the seating arrangement of  FIG. 1  taken from the perspective of  FIG. 9 ; 
           [0034]      FIG. 11  is another perspective view of the seating arrangement of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0035]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the one-piece lower seat frame and upper back-support frames of the seating arrangement of  FIG. 1  taken from the perspective of  FIG. 11 ; 
           [0036]      FIG. 13  is a perspective view of a seat according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0037]      FIG. 14  is a left-side elevation view of the seat of  FIG. 13 ; 
           [0038]      FIG. 15  is a right-side elevation view of the seat of  FIG. 13 ; 
           [0039]      FIG. 16  is a back elevation view of the seat of  FIG. 13 ; 
           [0040]      FIG. 17  is a front elevation view of the seat of  FIG. 13 ; 
           [0041]      FIG. 18  is another perspective view of the seat of  FIG. 13 . 
           [0042]      FIG. 19  is a perspective view of a seat according to yet another embodiment of the present invention 
           [0043]      FIG. 20  is a left-side elevation view of the seating arrangement of  FIG. 19 ; 
           [0044]      FIG. 21  is a right-side elevation view of the seating arrangement of  FIG. 19 ; 
           [0045]      FIG. 22  is a back elevation view of the seating arrangement of  FIG. 19 ; 
           [0046]      FIG. 23  is a front elevation view of the seating arrangement of  FIG. 19 ; and 
           [0047]      FIG. 24  is another perspective view of the seating arrangement of  FIG. 19 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0048]    Referring now specifically to the drawings,  FIG. 1  illustrates a passenger seating arrangement  10  for use on aircraft having a coach-class passenger cabin. The seating arrangement  10  is mounted in tracks extending along the length of a deck and secured to the tracks with conventional track fittings, not shown.  FIGS. 1 ,  3 ,  5 ,  7 ,  9  and  11  show the seating arrangement  10  with its composite panels  60 , each having a seat pan  70  and a back support  80 .  FIGS. 2 ,  4 ,  6 ,  8 ,  10  and  12  show the lower seat bottom frame  20  and multiple upper back-support frames  40  without the composite panels  60  to better show the constructions of the frames  20  and  40 . 
         [0049]    With particular reference now to  FIGS. 2 ,  4 ,  6 ,  8 ,  10  and  12 , the seat bottom frame  20  in the illustrated example is a one-piece, i.e., integrally-formed, structure formed of a composite material such as a carbon fiber textile material filled and coated with a hardened resin. Preferred fabrication techniques include “wet” layup and pre-impregnated fiber layup techniques. The “wet” layup process has been used since the advent of composites to create molded shapes from glass or carbon fiber and resin. Dry carbon fiber cloth is laid into a mold and resin is poured and brushed over the cloth. Layer upon layer are added and “squeegeed” into the cloth in this manner until the desired thickness is met. 
         [0050]    The pre-impregnated (pre-preg) fiber method has been more recently developed to create stiffer, stronger laminates with controllable, predictable results. In this process the cloth is pre-impregnated with resin at a production facility, rolled on spools, and frozen to prevent the resin from curing prematurely. This material is cut and hand laid into a mold to the proper thickness and cured by one of two methods described below. The resulting laminate has a precisely controlled resin volume (+/−2%) and will be 20-30% stiffer and stronger than an equivalent-thickness wet laminate. 
         [0051]    The first method of curing a pre-preg laminate is to put it under vacuum bag compaction and place it in an oven for the prescribed amount of time until the resin “glasses”, flows and hardens in the shape of the parent mold. The second method for curing the pre-preg laminate employs the same vacuum bag compaction as the first, but adds the extra force of the autoclave to heat the laminate under controlled pressure to cure the laminate. In both instances, the cure temperature will also be the maximum allowable temperature of the cured laminate with a continuous service temperature slightly lower. This temperature generally resides between 120 and 175 degrees Celsius. 
         [0052]    The one-piece bottom frame  20  has front and back lower vertical supports  22  and  24 , front and back seat-level horizontal members  26  and  28 , and front lower horizontal members  30 . As illustrated, the one-piece bottom frame  20  includes laterally adjacent multiple seating positions  32 . Though the bottom frame  20  is illustrated to show 3 seating positions  32 , more or less seating positions may be formed in the same manner as described above. 
         [0053]    The bottom frame  20  also includes uprights  34  extending upwardly from the back lower vertical supports  24  that carry the upper back-support frames  40 . Each upper back-support frame  40  is downward U-shaped, having laterally spaced riser portions  42  connected together by a horizontal portion  44 . The lower ends  46  of the riser portions  42  are connected to the uprights  34  of the one-piece lower seat frame  20 . 
         [0054]    Armrests  50  are carried by the riser portions  42  of the upper back-support frames  40 . The armrests  50  may be attached to the riser portions  42  in fixed positions or may be movable to raised positions to make passenger entry and exit from the seating arrangement  10  more convenient. 
         [0055]    With particular reference now to  FIGS. 1 ,  3 ,  5 ,  7 ,  9  and  11 , the non-planar composite panels  60 , each having a seat pan  70  and a back support  80 , are carried by the bottom frame  20  and upper back-support frames  40 . Each composite panel  60  is a one-piece structure formed of a composite material such as a carbon fiber textile material filled and coated with a hardened resin. Each composite panel  60  is contoured to fit a seated passenger. The seat pan  70  is contoured to support the buttocks of a seated passenger and the back support  80  is contoured to support the back of a seated passenger. 
         [0056]    As clear from  FIGS. 1 and 8 , seat belts  36  are supplied for each seat in the seating arrangement  10 . Seat belts  36  are attached by suitable attachment fittings to attachment holes  37  in the uprights  34  of the bottom frame  20 . As shown, these attachment holes are by definition in the same vertical plane as the uprights  34  of the bottom frame  20 . This permits the load on the seat belts  36  and the seating load to be carried more directly from the seat belt attachment fittings into the aircraft deck, while reducing the bending moment on the attachment fittings by locating g-loading force vectors in the same vertical plane as the uprights  34  of the bottom frame  20 . This can reduce the load on each leg and more evenly distribute passenger loads into the deck during high g-loading on the seat belts  36  during sudden deceleration along the longitudinal axis of the passenger cabin. Because of the evenly-spaced leg arrangement, foot well and storage space is shared equally among aft-seated passengers. 
         [0057]      FIGS. 13-18  show views of a passenger seat  110  according to another embodiment of the invention. The passenger seat  110  includes a bottom seat frame  120  and a composite panel  160  having a seat pan  170  and a back support  180 . The bottom seat frame  120  is a one-piece structure formed of a composite material such as a carbon fiber textile filled and coated with a hardened resin. The one-piece bottom seat frame  120  has laterally spaced vertical support panels  122  and  124 , and a seat-level horizontal panel  126  extending between and carried by top margins of the vertical support panels  122  and  124 . A strengthening panel  128 , as shown particularly in  FIG. 18 , is attached to the diagonal back edges  130  and  132  of the vertical support panels  122  and  124  to improve the rigidity of the bottom seat frame  120 . 
         [0058]    The non-planar composite panel  160 , having a seat pan  170  and a back support  180 , is carried by the bottom seat frame  120 . The composite panel  160  is a one-piece structure formed of a composite material such as a carbon fiber textile filled and coated with a hardened resin. The composite panel  160  is contoured to fit a seated passenger. The seat pan  170  is contoured to support the buttocks of a seated passenger and the back support  180  is contoured to support the back of a seated passenger. 
         [0059]    An armrest  150  is supported by a bar  152  shown rising from a lateral side of the lower seat frame  120 . A tray  154  is carried by the back of the back support  180  of the composite panel  160 . The tray  154  is shown in its upright position against the back support  180 , but is movable to a horizontal position for use by a passenger seated behind an particular passenger seat  110 . 
         [0060]      FIGS. 19-24  shows several rows of seats  210 , each for seating three passengers. Each row of seats  210  includes a bottom seat frame  220  and a number of composite panels  260  having a seat pan  270  and a back support  280 . The bottom seat frame  220  is a one-piece structure formed of a composite material such as a carbon fiber textile filled and coated with a hardened resin. The one-piece lower seat frame  220  has laterally spaced vertical support panels  222 , and a seat-level horizontal panel  226  extending between and carried by top margins of the vertical support panels  222 . A strengthening panel  228 , as shown particularly in  FIG. 24 , is attached to the diagonal back edges  230  of the vertical support panels  222  to improve the rigidity of the lower seat frame  220 . 
         [0061]    As illustrated, the one-piece bottom seat frame  220  includes laterally adjacent multiple seating positions where non-planar composite panels  260  are carried by the seat frame  220 . Each non-planar composite panel  260  has a seat pan  270  and a back support  280 . Each composite panel  260  is a one-piece structure formed of a composite material such as a carbon fiber textile material filled and coated with a hardened resin, and each is contoured to accommodate a seated passenger. The seat pan  270  is contoured to support the buttocks of a seated passenger and the back support  280  is contoured to support the back of a seated passenger. 
         [0062]    Along a lateral side of each seating position, an armrest  250  is supported by a riser bar  252  carried by the bottom seat frame  220 . A tray  254  is carried by the back of each back support  280 . The trays  254  are shown in their upright positions against the back supports  280 , each being movable to a horizontal position for use by a passenger seated aft of any particular seating position. 
         [0063]    While specific embodiments of the present invention have been described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications thereto can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and the best mode for practicing the invention are provided for the purpose of illustration only and not for the purpose of limitation.