ARRANGEMENT OF SET-OFF CHAIRS

Description

Field of invention

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of the layout of passenger spaces in passenger transport vehicles.

[0002] The invention relates in particular to a set of seats, convertible into beds, comprising armchairs arranged in offset rows.

[0003] More particularly, the invention relates to an arrangement in which a passage between two successive seats in a row is reduced in width without harming the comfort of movement in the passage. Prior art

[0004] The layout of passenger transport cabins is often confronted with maintaining sufficient passenger comfort to offer attractive conditions, particularly when relatively long journeys, or even journey times covering a period of sleep, have to be endured.

[0005] Such a situation is likely to occur, for example, in coach travel, sea crossings and medium or long-haul flights by plane.

[0006] To improve passenger comfort in these conditions, particularly for passengers travelling in higher classes, business or first class, it is known to offer seats that can be converted into more or less complete beds at the passenger's discretion by relative movements of the seat and its backrest.

[0007] It is also known to seek to increase the passenger density in a cabin by a staggered arrangement of the seats of two adjacent rows so that, when the seats are converted into berths, the narrow foot area is at the level of the wide backrest area of ​​an adjacent row, thereby forming a set of two adjoining rows of seats whose total width is less than twice the maximum width of an seat.

[0008] However, in such an arrangement, it is necessary to maintain, between the rear of a seat and the front of a seat located further back in the same row, when the seats are in berths, a passage for the occupant of the seat offset from the adjoining row when the latter is not against a circulation aisle of the cabin. The width of this passage is added to the length of the seat converted into a berth to determine the seat pitch and penalizes the number of seats that can be arranged for a given cabin length.

[0009] One solution to reduce the seat pitch is to reduce the width of the passage, or even eliminate the passage, when the seats are converted into berths.

[0010] This solution is however not acceptable because a passenger far from an aisle may wish to leave his seat and must in this case step over the seat which separates him from the aisle or climb onto a raised part forming a step, as for example in the solution described in document US 2012 / 0298798 A1. EP 2 289 798 A2 shows an assembly comprising a plurality of seats arranged in a row along a longitudinal axis X according to the preamble of claim 1. Statement of the invention

[0011] The object of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks by providing the passenger, for an equivalent sleeping length, with a passage adapted to his movements between his seat and a distant aisle.

[0012] For this, the invention relates to an assembly comprising a plurality of seats arranged in a row along a longitudinal axis X according to claim 1.

[0013] The width of the passage is thus reduced, and therefore the distance separating two seats in the same row, by limiting the height range over which the passage is of reduced width to allow a passenger to move around in the passage without significant discomfort, and by exploiting the reduction in the minimum width of the passage to reduce the seat pitch without reducing the length allocated to a person for their comfort.

[0014] In one embodiment, the minimum width Lmin of the passage is between 200 mm and 300 mm, and the height hzmin of said minimum width above the floor is between 200 mm and 500 mm. This maintains a sufficient passage width at the level of the lower parts of the lower limbs of a person and the minimum width is close to the height of a sleeping surface in a bed position of an armchair which is the most demanding in terms of length.

[0015] In one embodiment, the maximum width L(hz) of the passage, in the vertical plane containing the minimum width Lmin of said passage, is, for heights hz less than the height hzmin, between 310 mm and 400 mm, and said maximum width is located between the floor and a height hz equal to or less than 150 mm, the width L(hz=0) of the passage at floor level being at least 250 mm. A width suitable for the passage of a person's feet is thus maintained near the floor.

[0016] In one embodiment, a minimum value of the width L(hz) of the passage measured in a horizontal section, is, for heights hz greater than the height hzmin, greater than the minimum width Lmin of said passage and less than or equal to 400 mm, a greater value of said minimum value of the width L(hz) being reached for a height hz between 600 mm and 800 mm. A passage is thus formed which is widened at heights corresponding to equally wider parts of the body of a person moving through the passage.

[0017] In one embodiment, the side box of a front seat comprises a volume open towards the rear forming a footwell for an occupant of a rear seat, whose seat is substantially aligned with said open volume due to the staggered arrangement of the seats and the side boxes.

[0018] In one embodiment, an armchair is convertible into a bed by relative movements of a backrest and a seat of said armchair to form, with a substantially horizontal surface permanently or deployed in the open volume forming a footwell, of the side box of the seat located in front of the seat of the armchair in question, a sleeping surface.

[0019] In one embodiment, the width L(hz) of the passage, in the section formed in a vertical plane in which the minimum width Lmin of said passage is located, is 324+ / -10 mm at a height above the floor (23) hz=130 mm, 251+ / - 10 mm for hz=230 mm, 232+ / -10 mm for hz=330 mm, 235+ / -10 mm for hz=430 mm, 246+ / -10 mm for hz=530 mm, 267+ / -10 mm for hz=630 mm, 308+ / -10 mm for hz= 730 mm.

[0020] A set of seats is thus formed which makes it possible, in particular in a business class type layout of an aircraft having demonstrated its ability to satisfy the desired access comfort, to offer seats convertible into beds while minimizing the impact on the space required in length and benefiting from the advantages on the necessary width, provided by the staggered layout, when a single seat in a set with two rows of seats is bordered by a traffic aisle. Presentation of figures

[0021] The invention is described in detail with reference to the drawings which schematically represent: there figure 1 : in top view, a set of 3 seats according to the invention, the armchairs of which, facing forward substantially in the same direction, are arranged in a staggered pattern in two adjoining rows, the seats being shown in armchair configuration; the figure 2 : section AA of the seating set of the figure 1 , illustrating in a vertical plane the passage formed between a seat and an aisle in its narrowest part; the figure 3 : in profile view, a set of two seats offset longitudinally as illustrated in the figure 1 , and on which view are illustrated section plans at constant heights relative to a reference floor; the figures 4a has 4g : sections in the horizontal planes at different heights shown on the profile view of the figure 3 and showing the contours of the envelope shapes of the seats of the figure 3 ; there figure 5 : on vertical section views of the passage in its narrowest part corresponding to the section of the figure 2 , passengers of different sizes and morphologies engaged in the passage: view (a) for a small passenger corresponding to the 5th percentile of a passenger sample, view (b) for a medium-sized passenger corresponding to the 50th percentile of the sample and view ©< for a large passenger corresponding to the 95th percentile of the sample.

[0022] In the figures, the drawings are not necessarily represented at the same scale.

[0023] In the figures, similar parts or elements, even if represented in different shapes, bear the same reference.

[0024] The figures mainly illustrate the external shapes of the seats in the set and the detail elements, in particular the internal structures of the seats, are not shown or only as an accessory for understanding the drawings. Detailed description of an embodiment

[0025] There figure 1 represents in top view a set 100 of three seats 10a, 10b, 10c according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0026] In the set 100 each seat 10a, 10b, 10c comprises an armchair, respectively 11a, 11b, 11c, and comprises a side box, respectively 12a, 12b and 12c, arranged on one side of the seat.

[0027] As visible on the figure 1 , the armchairs on the one hand and the side boxes on the other hand are arranged in a staggered pattern in two parallel rows oriented along a longitudinal axis X of a system of axes linked to the seat assembly.

[0028] In the set considered, the seats are substantially oriented in the same direction so that passengers occupying the different seats in the set of seats all face substantially in the same direction.

[0029] In the remainder of the description, reference will be made as necessary to a system of axes linked to the set of seats in which a direction of the longitudinal axis X corresponds to a longitudinal direction of the set of seats and therefore to the directions of the longitudinal axes 13d, 13g of the rows of seats of the set 100.

[0030] The longitudinal axis X is oriented positively towards the front of the assembly 100 which corresponds substantially towards the front of the seats, the front being the forward direction as understood by an occupant of an armchair, all the armchairs 11a, 11b, 11c of the assembly considered being oriented substantially in the same direction.

[0031] The axis system also includes a vertical axis Z, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X, following a vertical direction and oriented positively upwards.

[0032] The axis system has a lateral Y axis in a horizontal plane and oriented positively to the left, for an occupant of an armchair, so as to form a direct XYZ trihedron.

[0033] Each seat, 10a, 10b, 10c comprises a covering structure, comprising an envelope shell, which determines the volumes occupied by the seat in question and which covers, both for mechanical reasons and for aesthetic reasons, the various functional parts of the armchair, respectively 11a, 11b, 11c and of the side box, respectively 12a, 12b, 12c.

[0034] In the following description, for the sake of clarity, reference will be made to any of the seats of the figure 1 when the description refers to an isolated seat, and reference will be made to seat 10a as the front seat and to seat 10b as the rear seat when the description refers to two seats following one another in the longitudinal direction in the set 100. It must be understood that this choice is arbitrary, the different seats of a set being similar, to within a mirror symmetry with respect to a vertical plane XZ between two successive seats following the direction of the longitudinal axis X.

[0035] The side box 12a of the front seat 10a comprises a hollow volume, open towards the rear, in which a horizontal surface forming a footrest 113 can be deployed, or comprising such a horizontal surface, on which the occupant of the armchair 11b of the rear seat 10b can place his feet.

[0036] This possibility is offered to the passenger of the rear seat 11b which is located behind and substantially aligned with said side box due to the staggered arrangement of the seats of the set 100, in particular when said rear seat is converted into a bed.

[0037] In the bed configuration, a seat 112 of the armchair, a backrest 111 of the armchair and the footrest 113 formed in the side box located in front of the armchair determine surfaces which are substantially horizontal and at the same height, relative to a horizontal reference plane 20, to form a sleeping surface.

[0038] Thus, although associated in the illustrated embodiment with a front seat 10a for which the side box 12a integrates functions of said seat, such as support or side table functions, storage and integration of services such as for example electrical power supplies, lighting, control panels or air distribution, not shown, the covering structure, for its part concerning the side box 12a, also determines a maximum extension towards the front of a rear seat 10b, maximum extension associated with the front end of the bed formed for said rear chair in bed position.

[0039] The covering structure of the rear seat 10b, in the part corresponding to the side box 12b, thus determines a front surface 142 of the covering structure 14b of said rear seat.

[0040] The covering structure of the front seat 10a, in the part corresponding to the armchair 11a, determines a rear surface 141 of the covering structure 14a of said front seat, extension associated with the rear end of the bed formed by said armchair in bed position.

[0041] Considering the staggered arrangement of the armchairs, and taking into account the mirror symmetry between the two seats 10a, 10b following each other in the set 100, the rear surface 141 of the covering structure 14a of the front seat 10a at the level of the armchair 11a, more particularly of the back of said armchair, is located opposite the front surface 142 of the covering structure 14b of the rear seat 10b at the level of the side box 12b.

[0042] Taking into account a pitch Px of the seats in the set 100, corresponding to a separation distance along the longitudinal direction X between reference points SRP of two successive armchairs aligned in a row of seats of the set, and the length Lo of the sleeping area of ​​a seat in bed position, an intermediate space 21 is determined between the rear surface 141 at the level of the armchair 11a of the front seat and the front surface 142 at the level of the side box 12b of the rear seat.

[0043] As shown in the illustrations, the intermediate space 21 forms a passage between the seat 11b of the rear seat 10b and a circulation aisle 22 located relative to said seat on an outer edge of the seat on the side of the side box 12b of said seat.

[0044] There figure 1 illustrates how a width Lp of the passage 21 depends on the pitch Px of the seats and the length Lo of the bed.

[0045] To the first order, the width Lp of the passage is equal to the pitch Px of the seats reduced by the length Lo of the bed and reduced by a thickness Dcl corresponding to the cumulative local thicknesses of the walls of the covering structures 14a, 14b.

[0046] It is generally accepted that to provide sufficient comfort to a seat occupant, the width Lp must be approximately 355 mm (14"), a value of 305 mm (12") of this width sometimes being considered as an acceptable minimum to allow a person to travel the short distance separating seat 11b from aisle 22. In practice, the width Lp is chosen, according to acceptable comfort criteria in the seat category considered, generally different for first class, "business" class or "tourist" class.

[0047] This first approach to calculating the width Lp of the passage does not, however, take into account the morphology of the seat occupant and the dynamics of their movement when passing in one direction or the other between seat 11b and aisle 22.

[0048] To reduce the pitch Px of the seats of the set 100, without reducing the length Lo of the bed, the shapes of the seat covering structure are adapted, as in the example illustrated, in order to reduce the width Lp of the passage 21 while maintaining for a user of the seat a comfortable passage 21 for his movements to or from the aisle 22, the width of a passage not necessarily being a constant, either over a height of said passage or over a length of said passage between the chair and the aisle.

[0049] Figure 2b shows the external shapes of the cladding structures 14a, 14b determining the geometry of the passage along a vertical section, marked AA on the figure 1 , in an area of ​​the passage 21 in which the width is narrowest, and shows in particular the rear surface 141 of the covering structure 14a of the front seat in the area of ​​the armchair and the front surface 142 of the covering structure 14b of the rear seat in the area of ​​the side box.

[0050] As shown in the vertical section of the figure 2 , each of the two rear surfaces 141 and front 142 is convex in the considered area of ​​the passage, apart from connection shapes near the floor, so as to determine a width L(hz) of the passage 21 as a function of a height hz above a cabin floor 23 on which the users of the seats move, floor which can correspond to the horizontal reference plane 20 as in the rest of the description, or be offset by a constant relative to said horizontal reference plane.

[0051] The convex shapes of the rear 141 and front 142 surfaces facing each other determine in the vertical plane of the narrowest passage zone a minimum width Lmin of the passage 21 located at a height hzmin above the floor 23, which corresponds substantially, seen on the section corresponding to said vertical plane, to the height of a most forward point of said front surface and to the height of a most rearward point of said rear surface.

[0052] To allow the comfortable passage of the lower part of the lower limbs advantageously the minimum width Lmin is between 200 mm and 300 mm, the latter value being limited mainly to the step unnecessarily increase the step of the seats and lose the benefit of the arrangement of the invention on the reduction of the step of the seats, and said minimum width Lmin is located at a height hzmin between 200 mm and 500 mm above the floor.

[0053] Due to the convexity of said front and rear surfaces facing each other, the width L(hz) of the passage 21 increases continuously in the direction of decreasing heights hz from the minimum width height hzmin, up to near the floor, and also increases continuously in the direction of increasing heights hz from said height hzmin.

[0054] The widening of the passage below the minimum width height hzmin allows a person to have in the passage 21 an enlarged volume of increased width compared to the minimum width in the area of ​​the passage of his feet. This widened area prevents a foot from catching and the person from tripping.

[0055] To allow passengers to move laterally sideways within the aisle, the maximum width of the aisle near the floor is between 310 mm and 400 mm. This maximum width, which allows for foot passage, is located between the floor and a height of 150 mm above the floor. This allows passengers to lift their feet, at least slightly, while moving within the aisle. Furthermore, a minimum width of 250 mm (Linf) will be defined in the floor surface to allow passengers to place their feet on the floor even in the narrowest section of the aisle, or to move without snagging on any structures.

[0056] The widening of the passage above the minimum width height hzmin allows to have at the level of the upper part of the lower limbs and the pelvis of a person (with average morphological characteristics) an equally enlarged volume, and an increased width of the passage compared to the minimum width in the minimum width section of the passage.

[0057] In particular at the level of the upper part of the lower limbs, a width Lsup of the passage will advantageously be between 310 mm and 410 mm, said width Lsup being obtained for a height above the floor of between 600 mm and 800 mm, advantageously substantially a height of the lateral box 12b above the floor 23 of the order of 730 mm as in the example illustrated in the figures.

[0058] It should be noted that in the case where the rear surface 141 extends over a height greater than the extension of the front surface 142, as in the exemplary embodiment illustrated in the figures, in particular visible in the figures 2 , 3 And 5 , the convexity of said front surface extends to the highest point of said rear surface so that a person, even of large size, can maintain a substantially vertical posture in the passage without being hindered as illustrated in figure 5 (c) .

[0059] This enlarged area allows the person to have more ease in the upper part of the lower limbs and the pelvis, which are larger than those of the lower parts of the lower limbs, and which are subject to swinging when the person moves.

[0060] It should be noted that between the height hzmin and the floor level 23, corresponding to a zero value of the height hz, the width of the passage can be increased quickly and with an adapted amplitude provided that no interference is created with equipment or structures of the chair towards the front and of the side box towards the rear.

[0061] These different conditions on the shapes and dimensions of passage 21 in its narrowest part are illustrated in the drawings of the figure 5 under conditions of use by people of different sizes and shapes. View (a) of the figure 5 shows a small person corresponding to the 5th percentile of a passenger population, view (b) a medium-sized person corresponding to the 50th percentile and view (c) a tall person corresponding to the 95th percentile. In these three cases covering 90% of the population considered, it can be noted that the person is not hindered when moving in passage 21 despite the narrowness of said passage, only 232 millimeters in its narrowest part of the illustrated example.

[0062] It also results, from the correspondence of the height of the most forward point of the front surface with the height of the most rearward point of the rear surface, an axis of the passage 21, in profile view, substantially vertical, which allows the passenger to maintain an upright posture in the passage and avoids a tendency to lean which would be induced by a significant height shift of the convexities facing each other.

[0063] Furthermore, the minimum width of passage 21 only affects a vertical section of the passage.

[0064] As it is visible on the top view of the figure 1 , the rear surface 141 of the covering structure 14a of the front seat is also curved in a horizontal plane XY and has a convexity which combined with the convexity in the vertical plane gives said structure in the area considered a pseudo-ellipsoidal shape, more particularly the rear surface 141 approaches a domed surface of an ellipsoidal cap.

[0065] The convexity in a horizontal plane XZ is accentuated until it approaches a substantially semicircular outline, that is to say a curve with rounded shapes whose tangents at the open ends are substantially parallel, as illustrated by the sections of the figures 4a à 4g giving the upholstery structure an enveloping shape around the seat.

[0066] The curved shape of the rear surface 141 of the covering structure in the area of ​​the armchair corresponds to a concave enveloping shape in the area of ​​the head of an occupant of the seat, when the armchair 11a is converted into a bed, which corresponds to a natural shape of the body in the area of ​​the head which is not subject, as may be the case for the feet, to large and / or more or less intense movements. This enveloping shape at the head also provides in the bed configuration a better isolation of the person by attenuating the brightness and ambient noise.

[0067] Furthermore, as illustrated by the sections of figures 4a à 4f , the front surface 142 of the trim structure in the area of ​​the side box 12b of the rear seat is substantially rectilinear in top view, which corresponds to a substantially regulated front surface 142, of a cylindrical surface element with a substantially horizontal axis, resting on the curve described above in the section comprising the minimum width Lmin of the passage 21.

[0068] This shape of the side box 12b makes it possible to form a foot housing of relatively large dimensions, in particular for a width of said foot housing, in which it is possible for a person lying down to move their feet and turn around in the bed position without difficulty.

[0069] In one embodiment, corresponding to the case of the example illustrated in the figures, generatrices of the cylindrical surface element of the front surface 142 form in the horizontal plane XY a deviation angle relative to the lateral direction Y. This deviation angle, where appropriate associated with an asymmetry in top view of the rounded shape of the rear surface 141, makes it possible to orient an axis of the passage 21 not perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X of the aisle 22 for better ergonomics of said passage, and makes it possible to laterally offset the narrowest part of the passage, advantageously on the side of the aisle, relative to an axis of the seats 11a, 11c of the assembly located on the side of said aisle.

[0070] Advantageously, the height of the sleeping surface in bed position is close to the height hzmin so as to benefit from the maximum forward extension of the foot rest area and the maximum rearward extension at the level of the passenger's head.

[0071] Thus passage 21 widens rapidly in top view on each side of its narrowest part, presenting a convergent-divergent shape, with a neck of width Lmin in a section made at height hzmin as on the figure 4c .

[0072] This convergent-divergent shape also has the effect of naturally guiding the user of the seat when he enters the passage 21 and of providing him with increased movement capacity as soon as the minimum width of said passage is crossed, in particular when the person accesses his seat from the open space of an aisle.

[0073] This characteristic is observed on the figure 4c which schematically represents the envelope contours of the front seat 10a and the rear seat 10b in a section formed in a horizontal plane XY at the height hzmin.

[0074] This characteristic is also found on the different sections, formed in horizontal planes offset from the plane of the section of the figure 4c , of the figures 4a à 4g , the width of the minimum passage in the section considered evolving, as previously described, to increase below and above the plane corresponding to the minimum value of the width Lmin of the passage 21, and always being greater than said width Lmin.

[0075] In the illustrated example, the minimum passage width as a function of the height above the floor changes as indicated in the following table: Fig n° Section n° hz - hzmin en mm Passage min en mm Passage min en inches 4a 1 -200 324 12,8 4b 2 -100 251 9,9 4c 3 0 / hzmin 232 9,2 4d 4 +100 235 9,3 4e 5 +200 246 9,7 4f 6 +300 267 10,5 4g 7 +400 308 12,1

[0076] In this example, the height hzmin (section plan 4c) of the minimum width is 330 mm above the floor.

[0077] The above values ​​are given only as an illustration by a concrete example of an embodiment which provides comfort suitable for a "business" class in an aircraft, and they can be modified by plus or minus 10 mm while maintaining an acceptable level of comfort if the minimum width Lmin is reduced, and slightly increased at the cost of lengthening the seat pitch if the minimum width Lmin is increased.

[0078] The table does not specify a minimum passage width above the +400 mm mark relative to the minimum height (hzmin), as the front surface 142 of the passage is considered limited to this height in the detailed example. However, the rear surface 141, which is always convex above this mark, leads to a further widening of the passage, which would be virtually determined by extending the convex profile of the front surface 142.

[0079] These values ​​can, however, be modified by a person skilled in the art, either increasing or decreasing them depending on the level of comfort they wish to achieve or, conversely, on constraints they are willing to introduce.

[0080] Obviously the value of the minimum width Lmin of the passage 21 at the height hzmin must respect a minimum acceptable passage value not only for reasons of comfort with regard to the seat user, but also to allow emergency evacuation when standards are applicable as in most public transport vehicles, for example transport aircraft.

[0081] There is no theoretical limit to choosing a larger value for the minimum width Lmin of passage 21, but it should be noted that choosing an increased minimum passage width goes against the reduction in seat pitch sought by the invention and, beyond a standard passage value, user comfort is not necessarily improved.

[0082] Advantageously the minimum width Lmin of passage 21 is between 200 mm and 300 mm, the values ​​of the passage widths for the other heights than the height hzmin being adapted to facilitate circulation in passage 21 as described previously.

[0083] At floor level, the Linf width is advantageously equal to or greater than 310 mm for foot passage and is widened compared to the minimum width, at least in the minimum width vertical section, preferably towards the front, i.e. by the shape of the rear surface 141 of the front seat covering structure 10a.

[0084] As shown in the example of realization illustrated on the figure 2, the shapes of the front 141 and rear 142 surfaces can be adapted locally, for example at the level of a connection of the covering structure to the floor. Such adaptations, without calling into question the principles of the invention, make it possible, for example, to adapt to constraints of connections of the seat structures to the floor structures or to facilitate the maintenance of areas subject to materials which can be transported by shoe soles.

[0085] However, a minimum Linf width will be sought at floor level, for hz=0 if the floor is taken as a height reference, so that the passenger using the passage can pass his feet without risking being trapped or hindered.

[0086] The invention thus makes it possible to optimize the space used in a cabin by a staggered arrangement of the seats which makes it possible to reduce the width necessary to arrange two rows of seats and by reducing the distance necessary between two seats in the same row when a practicable passage with acceptable comfort for a population of users must be ensured towards a circulation aisle.

[0087] This configuration proves advantageous in the case of a set arranged against a partition, for example 2+2 passengers abreast in an aircraft, or when two sets are juxtaposed, for example to form an arrangement of 2+4+2 passengers abreast in an aircraft.

Claims

1. An assembly including a plurality of seats (10a, 10b, 10c) arranged in a row along a longitudinal axis X, each seat including an armchair (11a, 11b, 11c) and a lateral box (12a, 12b, 12c) arranged laterally to said armchair, in which assembly: each armchair has a front side oriented substantially in the same direction; the armchairs, on the one hand, and the lateral boxes, on the other hand, are arranged in a staggered manner in two rows parallel to the longitudinal axis X, each seat including a covering shell (14) determining a rear surface (141) in a rear zone of the armchair and determining a front surface (142) in a front zone of the lateral box, a space between a rear surface (141) of a front seat and a front surface (142) of a rear seat, located immediately behind said front seat in the assembly, forming a passage (21) for an occupant of said rear seat, characterized in that: - in a section formed in a vertical plane in which there is a minimum width Lmin of the passage (21), the rear surface (141) and the front surface (142) have convex profiles facing each other, a width L(hz) of said passage in said vertical plane increasing continuously in the direction of the heights hz, above a reference cabin floor (23), decreasing from a height hzmin of the minimum width Lmin, at least up to the vicinity of the floor (23), and said width L(hz) increasing continuously in the direction of the increasing heights hz from said height hzmin of the minimum width Lmin, such that the width L(hz) has a single point of change in the direction of variation (hzmin, Lmin); - the rear surface (141) has a convex shape in sections along horizontal planes, giving, combined with the convex profiles in a section along a vertical plane, to said rear surface a pseudo-ellipsoidal cap shape; - the front surface (142) in a front zone of the lateral box (12a, 12b, 12c) has a substantially straight shape in sections along horizontal planes, giving to said front surface a partial cylinder shape with substantially horizontal axis and generators; - the rear surface of the front seat and the front surface of the rear seat giving the passage (21) a convergent-divergent shape with a neck of width Lmin guiding a user of the seat.

2. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the minimum width Lmin of the passage (21) is comprised between 200 mm and 300 mm and wherein the height hzmin of said minimum width above the floor (23) is comprised between 200 mm and 500 mm.

3. The assembly according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a maximum value of the width L(hz) of the passage (21), in the vertical plane in which the minimum width Lmin of said passage is located, is, for heights hz less than the height hzmin, comprised between 310 mm and 400 mm, said maximum value being located between the floor and a height hz equal to or less than 150 mm, the width L(hz=0) of the passage at the floor level being at least equal to 250 mm.

4. The assembly according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a minimum value of the width L(hz) of the passage (21) measured in a horizontal section is, for heights hz which are greater than the height hzmin, greater than the minimum width Lmin of said passage and less than or equal to 400 mm, a greater value of said minimum value of the width L(hz) being reached for a height hz comprised between 600 mm and 800 mm.

5. The assembly according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the lateral box (12a, 12b) of a front seat (10a, 10b) includes a volume open to the rear forming a footwell for an occupant of a rear seat (10b, 10c), whose armchair (11b, 11c) is substantially aligned with said open volume due to the staggered arrangement of the armchairs and the lateral boxes.

6. The assembly according to claim 5, wherein an armchair (11a, 11b, 11c) is convertible into a bed by relative movements of a backrest and a seating of said armchair to form, with a surface of a footrest (113), which is substantially horizontal permanently or deployed in the open volume forming the footwell, of the lateral box of the seat located in front of the seat of the considered armchair, a lying surface.

7. The assembly according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the width L(hz) of the passage (21), in the section formed in a vertical plane in which the minimum width Lmin of said passage is located, is 324+ / -10 mm at a height above the floor (23) hz=130 mm, 251+ / -10 mm for hz=230 mm, 232+ / -10 mm for hz=330 mm, 235+ / -10 mm for hz=430 mm, 246+ / -10 mm for hz=530 mm, 267+ / -10 mm for hz=630 mm, 308+ / -10 mm for hz=730mm.