Seat provided with at least one seating portion having a composite structure

Abstract

The invention relates to a seat (15) comprising: - a seat structure (16) comprising: - legs (17) having fasteners (18) intended to be fastened to rails, - at least two brackets (20), - at least one backrest (19) fastened to the brackets (20), - at least two seating-portion structural elements (23) made of a composite material, - the seating-portion structural elements (23) being inserted into passage openings (24) made in the brackets (20), such that the seating-portion structural elements (23) have a structural function, - the seating-portion structural elements (23) each having an upper face (25) forming at least part of a seating surface on which a passenger can sit, such that the seating-portion structural elements (23) also have a seating function.

Description

DESCRIPTION TITLE: SEAT WITH AT LEAST ONE COMPOSITE STRUCTURE SEAT

[0001] The present invention relates to a seat equipped with at least one composite structure seat. The invention finds a particularly advantageous, but not exclusive, application in the field of aeronautics, notably with economy class aircraft seats.

[0002] As shown in Figure 1, a standard economy class aircraft seat 1 comprises a seat structure 2 with legs 3 having fasteners 5 for attachment to rails in an aircraft cabin. The seat structure 2 also includes buttresses 6.

[0003] Transverse reinforcing tubes 7 provide a mechanical link between the different mechanical components of the seat 1. For this purpose, the reinforcing tubes 7 pass inside annular portions 8 arranged at the upper end of the legs 3. The reinforcing tubes 7 also pass inside correspondingly shaped through openings 9 made in the butts 6.

[0004] In addition, seats 10 are supported by reinforcing tubes 7. Backrests 11 are mechanically linked to the brackets 6. In this case, seat 1 has three seats 10 and three backrests 11, defining three passenger places. To improve passenger comfort, cushions (not shown) can be placed on the seats 10 and backrests 11.

[0005] Seat 1 may also conventionally include one or more armrests 12, each mounted on a corresponding bracket 6, either fixed or retractable between a lowered and raised position. A luggage bar 13 attached to the legs 3 of seat 1 secures luggage placed under seat 1.

[0006] The current architecture of economy class seats is based on the use of components made of a metallic material, usually aluminum. For a standard seat model, the two front and rear reinforcement tubes (7) have diameters of 47 mm and 50 mm respectively, a thickness of 1.47 mm, and respective masses of 1080 g and 1479 g. The total mass of the two reinforcement tubes (7) is therefore 2559 g. The three seat cushions (10) have a mass of 735 g (approximately 245 g per cushion). The structure composed of the seat cushions and reinforcement tubes thus reaches a considerable mass of 3294 g, not including the upholstery, ancillary components, and the complex assembly elements connecting the tubes (7) to the seat cushions (10).

[0007] The invention aims to effectively remedy the aforementioned drawbacks by proposing a seat comprising: - a headquarters structure comprising: - feet with fasteners designed to be fixed onto rails, - at least two rifle butts, - at least one file attached to the buttstocks, - said seat comprising at least two structural seating elements made of a composite material, - said structural seat elements being inserted inside openings made in the buttresses, so that the structural seat elements have a structural function, - said structural seating elements each having an upper face forming at least a portion of a seating surface on which a passenger can sit, so that the structural seating elements also have a seating function.

[0008] The invention thus makes it possible to significantly reduce the overall mass of the seat due to the reduced mass of the structural seat elements made of composite material, which replace the metal reinforcement tubes, and the elimination of the seat plates. The invention also simplifies the manufacture of the seat by eliminating the complex assembly elements between the reinforcement tubes and the seat plates.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the invention, the structural seating elements consist of seating tubes spaced less than 40mm apart, preferably less than 30mm.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the invention, a joint is provided between an external periphery of a seat tube and an internal periphery of a passage opening of a seat tube made in a corresponding crook.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the invention, said seat comprises at least one fastening element inserted inside a fastening hole made in the stock and a fastening hole made in a corresponding seat tube.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the invention, a hollow section of a base tube is chosen from: a round section, a rectangular section, a U-shaped section, an I-shaped section, an L-shaped section.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the invention, said seat comprises a front group of two seat tubes and a rear group of two seat tubes having a rectangular section.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the invention, one of the seat tubes of each group has a vertical orientation and the other seat tube of each group has a horizontal orientation.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the invention, the structural seating elements consist of at least two hollow seating panels made of a composite material assembled side by side along their width.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the invention, one of the seat panels comprises at least one male coupling element capable of cooperating with a female coupling element of complementary shape made in the other seat panel.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the invention, the male coupling element and the female coupling element are able to cooperate by sliding along a length of the seat panels.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the invention, a cushion covers all the structural elements of the seat.

[0019] The present invention will be better understood and other features and advantages will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description, which includes embodiments given by way of illustration with reference to the accompanying figures, presented by way of non-limiting examples, which may serve to complete the understanding of the present invention and the explanation of its implementation and, where appropriate, contribute to its definition, on which:

[0020] [Fig. 1] Figure 1, already described, is a perspective view of an economy class airplane seat according to the state of the art;

[0021] [Fig. 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view of an economy class airplane seat equipped with at least one composite structure seat according to the invention;

[0022] [Fig. 3] Figure 3 is a side view of an economy class airplane seat according to the invention;

[0023] [Fig. 4] Figure 4 is a top view of a plurality of crossbars and structural seat elements forming several seats of the seat according to the invention;

[0024] [Fig. 5] Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the attachment between a butt and structural seat elements according to the invention;

[0025] [Fig. 6] Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a crosier and a set of rectangular section structural seat elements having different orientations;

[0026] [Fig. 7] Figure 7 illustrates different possible configurations of a section of a structural element of a seat according to the invention;

[0027] [Fig. 8] Figure 8 is a top view of a second embodiment of seat cushions according to the invention made from seat panels;

[0028] [Fig. 9a] [Fig. 9b] Figures 9a and 9b are cross-sectional views illustrating different assembly methods between two seat panels according to the invention;

[0029] [Fig. 10a] [Fig. 10b] [Fig. 10c] Figures 10a, 10b and 10c are top views of variant embodiments of a single seat panel according to the invention;

[0030] It should be noted that, in Figures 2 to 9b, structural and / or functional elements common to the different embodiments may have the same reference numerals. Thus, unless otherwise stated, such elements have identical structural, dimensional, and material properties.

[0031] Figure 2 shows an economy class 15 airplane seat intended to be installed inside an airplane cabin.

[0032] The seat 15 includes a seat structure 16 having feet 17 having fasteners 18 intended to be fixed to rails (not shown) of the aircraft cabin.

[0033] The seat structure 16 also includes four brackets 20. One bracket 20 is located at each end of the seat 15. The other brackets 20 are each located between two adjacent seats of the seat 15. Alternatively, the seat structure 16 may include two brackets for a seat defining a single seating area or more generally N+1 brackets for a seat comprising N seats.

[0034] The crooks 20 have an upper portion 21 and a lower portion 22 forming a non-zero angle with the upper portion 21. Both the upper portion 21 and the lower portion 22 are elongated. The upper portion 21 is substantially vertical. The lower portion 22 is substantially horizontal. A crook 20 has a small thickness compared to the longitudinal dimensions of portions 21, 22 of the stock 20. A stock 20 thus has an overall L-shape. Stocks 20 are preferably made of a metallic material, especially aluminum.

[0035] The seat 15 also includes three backrests 19 attached to the brackets 20. Each backrest 19 is mechanically linked to two consecutive brackets 20. Each backrest 19 can be fixed or tilted backward by rotating around a horizontal axis. Naturally, the number of backrests 19 is adjusted according to the number of seats in the seat 15.

[0036] At least two structural seat elements 23 are made of a composite material. The composite material comprises, for example, a matrix made of a thermosetting material, in particular epoxy, or of a thermoplastic material, and fibers preferably made of a carbon-based material. Alternatively, the fibers may be made of a glass-based material.

[0037] The structural seat elements 23 are inserted into through-through openings 24 formed in the buttocks 20, such that the structural seat elements 23 have a structural function. The structural seat elements 23 provide a mechanical connection between the buttocks 20. The through-through openings 24 are formed in the lower portion 22 of a buttock 20. In some embodiments, at least one of the through-through openings 24 formed in the buttocks 20 located at the ends of the seat 15 is not through-through. All the through-through openings 24 of one or both of the extreme buttocks 20 may be non-through. The through-through openings 24 of the intermediate buttock(s) 20 have a through-through configuration.

[0038] The structural seating elements 23 each have an upper face 25 forming at least a portion of a seating surface on which a passenger can sit, so that the structural seating elements 23 also have a seating function. The seat 15 is thus devoid of a seat plate.

[0039] In this case, seat 15 defines three passenger seats. The structural seating elements 23 each have an upper face 25 forming at least one portion of three adjacent seating surfaces. Of course, seat 15 can define more or fewer than three seats. Armrests 26 can be positioned between two adjacent seats and at the ends of seat 15. The armrests 26 can be fixed or rotate between a raised and a lowered position. A luggage bar 27 is designed to secure luggage placed under seat 15.

[0040] In the embodiment shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4, the structural seat elements 23 consist of seat tubes 30 spaced less than 40 mm apart, preferably less than 30 mm. The distance E is measured between the outer edges of two adjacent seat tubes 30. In the example shown, four structural seat elements 23 are provided, spaced less than 30 mm apart. Alternatively, the seat 15 may have more or fewer than four structural seat elements 23. The number of structural seat elements 23 is determined by the width of these structural elements 23 and the desired width of the seating surface.

[0041] As illustrated in Figure 5, a seal 31 is provided between the outer periphery of a seat tube 30 and the inner periphery of a passage 24 in a corresponding bracket 20 of the seat tube 30. The seal 31 has a shape complementary to the outer periphery of the seat tube 30. The seal 31 prevents galvanic corrosion at the interface between the seat tube 30 and the passage 24 in the bracket 20. The seal 31 can be made of a material such as an elastomer, silicone, or any other material suitable for the application.

[0042] To ensure a mechanical connection between the structural elements of the seat 23, at least one fastener 34 is inserted into a fixing hole 35 made in the butt 20 and a fixing hole 36 made in a corresponding seat tube 30. The fastener(s) 34 take on Preferably, the form of fixing screws or rivets. A fixing hole 35 for the stock 20 is made in the lower portion 22 of the stock 20.

[0043] In the example shown, each seat tube 30 is mechanically linked to a corresponding bracket 20 by means of two fasteners 34 inserted into mounting holes 35 in two opposite faces of the lower portion 22 of the bracket 20. The mounting holes 35 of the same seat tube 30 are coaxial with each other. The fasteners 34 are arranged along a thickness of the bracket 20 extending between the two opposite lower and upper faces of the lower portion 22 of the bracket 20. The axes of the mounting holes 35 and the fasteners 34 are vertically oriented to facilitate assembly.

[0044] In this case, two fastening elements 34 are provided for each of the four seat tubes 30 inserted inside the openings 24 made in a given bracket 20. Preferably, the fastening between the seat tubes 30 and the brackets 20 by means of fastening elements 34 is provided only at the end brackets 20 of the seat 15. No fastening elements 34 are used at the intermediate brackets 20 located between the two end brackets 20. Alternatively, fastening elements 34 are used to provide a mechanical connection between the seat tubes 30 and the brackets 20 for all the brackets 20.

[0045] In the embodiment shown in Figure 6, the seat 15 comprises a front group 39 of two rectangular seat tubes 30 and a rear group 40 of two rectangular seat tubes 30. One of the seat tubes 30 in each group 39, 40 is vertically oriented, and the other seat tube in each group 39, 40 is horizontally oriented. The orientation of a rectangular seat tube 30 is defined by the orientation of its longer side. This configuration provides an inertia equivalent to that of round tubes along the Z direction (corresponding to a vertical direction).

[0046] Furthermore, it is observed that in the case where two round section seat tubes 30 of the front group 39 with a diameter of 47mm are used, and With a thickness of 1.5mm and two 30mm diameter, 50mm diameter, and 1.5mm thick rear seat tubes (40mm), the total weight of the assembly is 2120g, compared to 3294g for a standard seat structure (see above). This represents a weight reduction of 35%.

[0047] More generally, as illustrated in Figure 7, a hollow section of a 30 mm seat tube is chosen from: a round section, a rectangular section, a U-shaped section, an I-shaped section, or an L-shaped section. A rectangular 30 mm seat tube may have a vertical reinforcing wall or a V-shaped reinforcement to improve resistance to shear forces. A round 30 mm seat tube may have a vertical reinforcing wall or two horizontal walls to improve mechanical resistance to segmentation.

[0048] In the embodiment shown in Figure 8, the structural seat elements 23 consist of at least two hollow seat panels 41 made of a composite material. The two composite panels 41 are joined side by side along their width 42.

[0049] One of the seat panels 41 includes at least one male coupling element 43 suitable for cooperating with a female coupling element 44 of complementary shape made in the other seat panel 41. The male coupling element 43 and the female coupling element 44 may be made up of profiles extending along a longitudinal side of a seat panel 41. The male coupling profile 43 and the female coupling profile 44 may have round sections of complementary shapes, as shown in Figure 9a, or square or rectangular sections of complementary shapes, as shown in Figure 9b.

[0050] The male coupling element 43 and the female coupling element 44 are able to cooperate by sliding along a length of the seat panels 41. A female coupling element 44 has an opening inside which the male coupling element 43 is able to slide along a longitudinal extension direction of the seat panels 41.

[0051] In cases where more than two seat panels 41 are joined together, at least the intermediate seat panels 41 located between the end seat panels 41 have both a male coupling element 43 extending along a first longitudinal side and a female coupling element 44 extending along a second longitudinal side opposite the first longitudinal side. The end seat panels 41 may have only one coupling element. Alternatively, to facilitate the production of identical panels, all seat panels 41 have a male coupling element 43 and a female coupling element 44.

[0052] Preferably, a cushion 45, shown in hatching in Figure 3, covers all the structural elements of the seat 23. The cushion 45 comprises a comfort element, generally made of foam, particularly fire-resistant foam, and a cover over the comfort element. This configuration simplifies the upholstery of the seat 15 by eliminating the need for a separate cushion for each seat.

[0053] In the embodiments of figures 10a, 10b and 10c, the seat 15 comprises a single seat panel 41 intended to be inserted inside a single through passage opening 24 made in the intermediate bracket(s) 20, i.e. the bracket(s) 20 arranged between the two end bracket(s) 20 of the seat 15.

[0054] In the embodiment of Figure 10a, the end brackets 20 of the seat 15 may each have a single opening 24 intended to receive a corresponding end of the seat panel 41 of Figure 10a. The opening 24 of an end bracket 20 may be through or non-through.

[0055] As illustrated in Figures 10b and 10c, the single seat panel 41 may have at each end one or more connecting portions 47 with a reduced cross-section compared to the seat panel 41. In the embodiment of Figure 10b, the single seat panel 41 has a single connecting portion 47 at each end. In the embodiment of Figure 10c, the single seat panel 41 has two connecting portions 47. at each of its ends. More generally, the single seat panel 41 can have N connecting portion(s) 47 at each of its ends, N being greater than or equal to 1.

[0056] The connecting portions 47 are designed to cooperate with a correspondingly shaped opening 24 in an end bracket 20. The openings 24 in the end brackets 20 may be through or non-through. The connecting portions 47 may have cross-sections of various shapes, such as those shown in Figure 7 for the base tubes. The openings 24 in the end brackets 20 will then have a complementary shape.

[0057] As in the embodiment of Figure 10a, the intermediate butt(s) 20 of the embodiments of Figures 10b and 10c each have a unique passage opening 24 having a through configuration receiving an intermediate part of the seat panel 41.

[0058] Of course, the different features, variants and / or embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other in various ways as long as they are not incompatible or mutually exclusive.

[0059] Furthermore, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and provided solely by way of example. It encompasses various modifications, alternative forms, and other variations that a person skilled in the art may envision within the scope of the present invention, and in particular all combinations of the different modes of operation described above, which may be considered separately or in combination.

Claims

DEMANDS 1. Seat (15) comprising: - a seat structure (16) comprising: - feet (17) having fasteners (18) intended to be fixed onto rails, - at least two crooks (20), each crook (20) comprising an upper portion (21) and a lower portion (22) forming a non-zero angle with respect to the upper portion (21), the upper portion (21) having a substantially vertical orientation, the lower portion (22) having a substantially horizontal orientation, so that the crook (20) has an overall L-shape, - at least one backrest (19) fixed to the crossbars (20), characterized in that said seat (15) comprises at least two structural seating elements (23) made of a composite material, - said structural seat elements (23) being inserted inside passage openings (24) made in the buttresses (20), so that the structural seat elements (23) have a structural function, - said structural seating elements (23) each having an upper face (25) forming at least a portion of a seating surface on which a passenger can sit, so that the structural seating elements (23) also have a seating function.

2. Seat according to claim 1, characterized in that the structural seating elements (23) are made up of seating tubes (30) spaced apart from each other by a gap of less than 40mm, preferably less than 30mm.

3. Seat according to claim 2, characterized in that a joint (31) is provided between an external periphery of a seat tube (30) and an internal periphery of a passage opening (24) of a seat tube (30) made in a corresponding crook (20).

4. Seat according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that it comprises at least one fastening member (34) inserted inside a fastening hole (35) made in the stock (20) and a fixing hole (36) made in a corresponding seat tube (30).

5. Seat according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that a hollow section of a seat tube (30) is selected from: a round section, a rectangular section, a U-shaped section, an I-shaped section, an L-shaped section.

6. Seat according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that it comprises a front group (39) of two seat tubes (30) and a rear group (40) of two seat tubes (30) having a rectangular section.

7. Seat according to claim 6, characterized in that one of the seat tubes (30) of each group (39, 40) has a vertical orientation and the other seat tube of each group (39, 40) has a horizontal orientation.

8. Seat according to claim 1, characterized in that the structural seating elements (23) are made up of at least two hollow seating panels (41) made of a composite material assembled side by side with each other in the direction of their width.

9. Seat according to claim 8, characterized in that one of the seat panels (41) comprises at least one male coupling element (43) capable of cooperating with a female coupling element (44) of complementary shape made in the other seat panel (41).

10. Seat according to claim 9, characterized in that the male coupling element (43) and the female coupling element (44) are able to cooperate by sliding along a length of the seat panels (41).

11. Seat according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that a cushion covers all of the structural elements of the seat (23).

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