Patent Abstract:
A seating system according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a riser including a tiltable deck. Another seating system according to the present disclosure includes, among other things, a drive system for moving a riser. The drive system includes a sprocket configured to engage a belt.

Full Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/901,065, filed Nov. 7, 2013, the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Seating risers are often used in auditoriums, gymnasiums, stadiums, and event halls, as examples, to accommodate spectators on portable seats, such as folding chairs, or on seats that are affixed to the risers. Certain facilities may require seating risers that are capable of being moved between a retracted position for storage and a deployed position for use. 
     SUMMARY 
     A seating system according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a riser including a tiltable deck. 
     Another seating system according to the present disclosure includes, among other things, a drive system for moving a riser. The drive system includes a sprocket configured to engage a belt. 
     The embodiments, examples and alternatives of the preceding paragraphs, the claims, or the following description and drawings, including any of their various aspects or respective individual features, may be taken independently or in any combination. Features described in connection with one embodiment are applicable to all embodiments, unless such features are incompatible. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The drawings can be briefly described as follows: 
         FIG. 1A  is a side view of a seating system in a retracted position. 
         FIG. 1B  is a side view of the seating system of  FIG. 1A  in a deployed position, with the decks of the seating system in a stored position. 
         FIG. 1C  is a side view of the seating system of  FIG. 1A  in a deployed position, with the decks of the seating system between a stored position and a use position. 
         FIG. 1D  is a side view of the seating system of  FIG. 1A  in a deployed position, with the decks of the seating system in use position. 
         FIG. 1E  is a side-perspective view of the seating system of  FIG. 1A  in a deployed position, with the decks of the seating system in a use position. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of a seating riser with a deck in the stored position. 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the seating riser of  FIG. 2  with the deck in the use position. 
         FIG. 4  is an outside perspective view of an example actuator configured to tilt the deck. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates the detail of the example actuator of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 6  is an end view illustrating a trolley for use with the actuator of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 7  is an inside perspective view of the example actuator of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a bellows associated with the example actuator of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 9  is a side view of two adjacent risers, and illustrates a support bracket between the two risers. 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a plurality of support brackets between two adjacent risers. 
         FIG. 11  illustrates an example drive system. 
         FIG. 12  illustrates the detail of the example drive system of  FIG. 11 . 
         FIG. 13  illustrates a clamping block associated with the example drive system of  FIG. 11 . 
         FIG. 14  illustrates the detail of the clamping block of  FIG. 13 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     An example seating system  10  is illustrated across  FIGS. 1A-1E . The example seating system  10  includes a plurality of telescopic seating risers  12 A- 12 F configured to telescope relative to one another when moving in a longitudinal direction L between a rearward, retracted position ( FIG. 1A ) and a forward, deployed position ( FIG. 1B ). In most examples, the longitudinal direction L is substantially parallel to a floor surface and substantially perpendicular to a gravity plane. 
     In one example, the lowest level seating riser  12 A is a powered seating riser including a drive assembly for driving the riser  12 A between the deployed and retracted positions. The drive assembly may optionally laterally steer the risers  12 A- 12 F during deployment and retraction. In another example, such as that discussed relative to  FIGS. 11-14 , the risers  12 A- 12 F deploy and retract along tracks. Movement of the lowest level riser  12 A moves the remaining risers  12 B- 12 F in series. While six seating risers  12 A- 12 F are shown, it should be understood that this disclosure extends the seating systems with any number of risers, including systems with only a single riser. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1C , each of the risers  12 A- 12 F includes a support  14 A- 14 F for supporting a deck  16 A- 16 F. In this example, the decks  16 A- 16 F each include a plurality of vertically stepped levels L 1 -L 5  (see  FIGS. 2-3 ). In one example, each of the levels L 1 -L 5  includes a row of affixed seats. In other examples, however, the levels L 1 -L 5  do not include fixed seats. 
     As will be explained below, the decks  16 A- 16 F are tiltable between a “stored” position ( FIGS. 1A-1B  and  FIG. 2 ) and a “use” position ( FIGS. 1D-E  and  FIG. 3 ).  FIG. 1C  illustrates the decks  16 A- 16 F between the “use” position and “stored” positions. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an example seating riser  12 A with a deck  16 A in a “stored” position. It should be understood that the riser  12 A is representative of the remainder of the risers in the seating system  10 . Further, many of the views (such as  FIGS. 2-3 ) of the seating riser  12 A are side views, and therefore it should be understood that the structure in these view may be essentially mirrored on the opposite side of the seating riser  12 A. 
     The riser  12 A includes a support  14 A configured to support a deck  16 A. In this example, the support  14 A includes lower and upper longitudinal supports  18 ,  20  extending in the longitudinal direction L. The lower longitudinal support  18  is spaced apart from the upper longitudinal support  20  in a vertical direction V, which is normal to the longitudinal direction L. The upper longitudinal support  20  is supported in this example by a first vertical support  22  and first and second cross supports  24 ,  26 . The lower longitudinal support  18  may include a plurality of rollers  28  (such as wheels), which are configured to allow the riser  12 A to deploy and retract relative to a ground surface or a track, as examples. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates the riser  12 A with the deck  16 A in the “use” position. When in the “use” position, the deck  16 A is aligned with a deck from an adjacent riser (that is also in the “use” position). In this example, a first support arm  30  extends between a first pivot J 1  provided relative to the first cross support  24  and a second pivot J 2  on a trolley  34  mounted to adjacent a rear of the deck  16 A. A third pivot J 3  is provided adjacent a forward end of the riser  12 A, between the upper longitudinal support  20  and the deck  16 A at a location forward of the first and second pivots J 1 , J 2 . 
     The deck  16 A includes a deck stringer  36 , which defines a deck plane P. In the stored position ( FIG. 2 ), the deck plane P lies in substantially a true horizontal plane. The deck  16 A is configured to be tilted relative to this horizontal position, about the joint J 3 , in response to an actuator  38 . 
     The detail of the actuator  38  is illustrated in  FIG. 4 . The actuator  38 , in this example, is a linear actuator. The actuator  38  includes a motor  40  and a ball screw assembly  42 . The ball screw assembly  42  includes a ball screw  44  and a ball nut  46  (as seen in  FIGS. 5-6 ). The ball screw  44  is mounted relative to the deck stringer  36  along an axis A. The axis A is substantially parallel to the plane P in this example. Upon actuation of the motor  40 , the ball screw  44  is configured to rotate in a direction R about the rotation axis A. 
     The motor  40  is configured to lock the ball screw  44  in place, and prevent rotation thereof to lock the deck  16 A in position. In other examples, the deck  16 A may cooperate with a separate lock to maintain the deck  16 A in the “use” and “stored” positions. 
     As perhaps best seen in  FIGS. 6-7 , the ball nut  46  is mounted relative to the trolley  34  such that the ball nut  46  is prevented from rotating about the axis A. Thus, rotation of the ball screw  44  relative to the ball nut  46  translates into linear movement of the ball nut  46  and, in turn, the trolley  34  along the axis A. 
     The ball nut  46  is mounted relative to the trolley  34  such that the trolley  34  is guided along the deck stringer  36  by way of side rollers  48  and vertical rollers  50 . As the trolley  34  travels rearward along the axis A, the deck  16 A tilts about the joint J 3  and moves into the “use” position. While not illustrated, a control unit may be in communication (e.g., wirelessly or otherwise) with the actuator  38  to selectively control tilting of the deck  16 A. 
     In order to protect the ball screw assembly  42 , a bellows  52  (shown in  FIG. 8 ), which is compressible along the axis A, may be placed around the ball screw  44  to prevent debris from interfering with the ball screw assembly  42 . 
     Further, as shown in  FIG. 8 , the deck stringer  36  may include stoppers  54 ,  56  configured to abut axial limiters  58 ,  60  provided adjacent the axial ends of the trolley  34  to prevent movement of the deck  16 A beyond either the used position or the stored position. 
     While a particular actuator  38  has been illustrated and described herein, it should be understood that other types of actuators (e.g., linear actuators that do not include ballscrews, and non-linear actuators) come within the scope of this disclosure. Further, while only one actuator  38  has been described, each riser may include additional actuators (e.g., in  FIG. 4 , the riser  12 A is shown with two actuators  38 ,  38 ′). 
     Providing a tiltable deck such as that described above increases the availability of seating, while reducing the vertical storage space required to store the seating system. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 9-10 , the lowest level L 1  of the higher level deck  16 B may be supported on a support bracket  62  extending upwardly, in the vertical direction V, relative to the highest level L 5  of a lower level deck  16 A for increased stability. Each riser may include more than one support bracket, as illustrated in the example of  FIG. 10 , which includes five support brackets  62 A- 62 E. 
       FIG. 11  illustrates a drive system  64  for use with the seating system  10 . The illustrated drive system  64  may be used with other seating systems, however. In this example, the lowest level riser  12 A includes a motor and gearbox  66  connected, by way of a shaft  68 , to two drive sprockets  70 ,  72  on opposed lateral sides of the riser  12 A. The drive sprockets  70 ,  72  each engage a respective belt  74 ,  76  to drive the seating riser in the forward and rearward directions. 
     With reference to  FIG. 12 , the arrangement between the drive sprocket  70  and the belt  74  is illustrated. In this example, the shaft  68  is configured to rotate the drive sprocket  70  about an axis X. Further, two idler pulleys  78 ,  80  are positioned vertically below the axis X, and provide tension relative to the belt  74  so that the belt sufficiently engages the sprocket  70 . In this example, the belt  74  is fixed in place by way of clamping blocks  82  ( FIG. 13 ) provided at each end of the belt  74 . Thus, rotation of the sprocket  70  moves the lower level riser  12 A in the forward and rearward directions along the belt  74 . While  FIGS. 12-13  illustrate one side of the riser  12 A, the opposite side of the riser  12 A may include a similar drive-sprocket/belt/idler-pulley arrangement to that shown in  FIGS. 12-13 . 
     The clamping blocks  82  may be positioned at each end of each of the belts  74 ,  76  to maintain tension in the belt  74 .  FIG. 14  illustrates the detail of one of the clamping blocks  82 . As illustrated, the belt  74  is clamped between plates  84 ,  86 , and may be longitudinally adjusted by way of an adjuster  88 . 
     In this example, the adjuster  88  includes a bolt having a threaded shaft  90  and a head  92 . Opposite the head  92 , the threaded shaft  90  is attached to a slotted plate  94  supporting the plates  84 ,  86 . The slotted plate  94  includes longitudinal slots  96  receiving fasteners  98 . The length of the slots  96  is longer than the diameter of the shafts of the fasteners  98 , which allows longitudinal movement of the adjuster  88 . This movement in turn adjusts the tension in the belt  74 . 
     While not illustrated herein, the belts  74  may include teeth on one side thereof, to engage the drive sprocket  70 . The drive sprocket  70  may include notches corresponding to the teeth in the belt. This relationship may increase force transfer between the drive sprocket  70  and the belt  74 . 
     While a particular drive system  64  is illustrated across  FIGS. 11-14 , other drive systems may be included herein. For instance, seating system  10  may include a rack and pinion drive, a cogged wheel/slotted track drive, a continuous cable and rigid chain drive, to name a few. 
     Although the different examples have the specific components shown in the illustrations, embodiments of this disclosure are not limited to those particular combinations. It is possible to use some of the components or features from one of the examples in combination with features or components from another one of the examples. 
     One of ordinary skill in this art would understand that the above-described embodiments are exemplary and non-limiting. That is, modifications of this disclosure would come within the scope of the claims. Accordingly, the following claims should be studied to determine their true scope and content.

Technology Classification (CPC): 4