CA1330557C - Aircraft safety seat - Google Patents

Aircraft safety seat

Info

Publication number
CA1330557C
CA1330557C CA 583737 CA583737A CA1330557C CA 1330557 C CA1330557 C CA 1330557C CA 583737 CA583737 CA 583737 CA 583737 A CA583737 A CA 583737A CA 1330557 C CA1330557 C CA 1330557C
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
seat
supports
aircraft
floor
pair
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Fee Related
Application number
CA 583737
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Garry Guenter Martens
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to CA 583737 priority Critical patent/CA1330557C/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1330557C publication Critical patent/CA1330557C/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B64AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
    • B64DEQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT
    • B64D25/00Emergency apparatus or devices, not otherwise provided for
    • B64D25/02Supports or holding means for living bodies
    • B64D25/04Seat modifications

Landscapes

  • Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
  • Emergency Management (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
  • Seats For Vehicles (AREA)

Abstract

IMPROVEMENTS TO AIRCRAFT SAFETY SEATS
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
An aircraft seat is supported upon arcuately curved legs of a suitable alloy to remain rigid under normal conditions. When stress occurs due to an aircraft mishap, the seat and occupant tips forwardly with the front legs flexing or partially collapsing while the rear legs extend, both actions restricting and controlling the forward movement of the seat induced by a collision or crash. The seat back which also bends forwardly under stress of collision or crash also incorporates an arcuately curved bar of similar material to alleviate stress upon the body of the passenger held in place by a shoulder and lap harness.

Description

1330~

IMPROVEMENTS TO AIRCRAFT SAFETY SEATS

BAr~KGp~OT,~,Tp~TD OF T~y~ T~'EN~QN
This invention relates to new and usefi~l improvements to aircraft safety seats.The prior art shows a seat supported above the aircraft floor by means of shock absorbers or load limiting devices comprising piston and cylinder assemblies with the cylinder being filled with pellet-like resilient material such as plastic which will crush as the shock absorbers extend or retract under crash conditions.
However they suffer from some disadvantages and the present invention overcomes these disadvantages by substituting supports which are arcuately curved and formed from an allow which will bend but which is not resilient.
In accordance with the invention there is provided an aircraft safety seat mounted upon an aircraft floor and including a shoulder harness comprising in combination a frame, said frame including a seat main poItion and a back supportportion extending upwardly from the rear of said seat portion, said shoulder harness being secured to said back support portion, means for mounting said seat main portions spaced above the floor of the aircraft, said back support portion including at least one upwardly extending non-resilient frame member being bendable forwardlyunder stress associated with an aircraft mishap, said means for mounting said seat spaced above said floor including a pair of arcuately curved, vertically situated front seat supports and a pair of arcuately curved vertically situated rear seat supports spaced at a distance from said front seat supports, all said seat supports being fixedly secured by one end thereof to said seat portion and by the other end thereof to said floor, said front and said rear supports acting independendy from each odler, dhe ends of said front seat support facing forwardly and the ends of said rear seat support facing rearwardly whereby forward rocking motion of said seat increases the curvature of said front supports and decreases the curvature of said rear supports, said supports being non-resilient to prevent return motion from occurring thereby preventing whiplash action.
Another aspect of the invention is to provide an aircraft safety seat mounted upon an aircraft floor and including a shoulder harness, comprising in combination a ~,~,~

13305~7 frame including a seat portion and back support portion extending upwardly from the rear of said seat portion, said shoulder harness being secured to said back support, adjacent the upper end thereof and means for mounting said seat spaced above said floor, said means including a pair of arcuately curved, vertically situated front seat support and a pair of arcuately curved vertically situated rear seat support fixedly secured by one end thereof to said sat portion and by the other end thereof to said floor, said rear seat supports being spaced at a distance from said front seat supports, said front and rear seat supports acting independently from one another, the ends of said front seat support facing forwardly and the ends of said rear seat supports facing rearwardly whereby forward rocking motion of said seat increases the curvature of said front supports and decreases the curvature of said rear supports, said front and rear seat supports being non-resilient to prevent return motion from occurring thereby preventing whiplash action, said back support portion including a frame, said frame including a pair of spaced and parallel upwardly extending reinforcing members being bendable forwardly under stress and being non-resilient to prevent retum motion from occurring.
A further advantage of the invention is that :

..

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.:.. ~ - . .

~. e~i., 1330~7 other types of shock absorbers may be incorporated with the present supports if desired, to further control the bending action of the seat during a crash or collision.
A still further advantage of the invention is to provide a device of the chalacter herewithin described which is simple in construction, economical in manufacture and 5 otherwise well suited to the purpose of which it is designed.
With the foregoing in view, and other advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the ar~ to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, the invention is herein described by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, which includes a description of the best mode known to the applicant 10 and of the preferred typical embodiment of the principles of the present invention, in which: .
.:. .. ..
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWlNGS . . ~ .
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the seat in the normal position. ~ ~.
Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the position of the seat after .
a crash or collision.
Figure 3 is a vertical cross-section through ... ~ - ~

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~

'~`'..... . ''~' .'' : ' " ' ', ' ' ' ' .

1330~7 one of the shock absorbers.
Figure 4 is a cross-section of Figure 3. ^
In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION :
Proceeding therefore to describe the invention in detail, reference to the accompanying drawings shows a seat main frame collectively designated 10 and including a seat portion 11 and a backrest portion 12 together with arm rests 13 and a seat cushion 14.
A rear back cushion 15 is secured to the seat back frame 12 and a shoulder harness 16 is secured to the frame and is similar to an airforce type shoulder harness in conjunction with a conventional seatbelt (not illustrated).
Reference character 17 shows the floor of the aircraft with the seat supported above the floor my means of a pair of arcuately curved front brackets 18 (only one of which is illustrated) and a pair of arcuately curved ~ ~;
rear brackets 19 (only one of which is illustrated), it being understood that the pairs of front and rear brackets are spaced apart and in transverse alignment one with the other.
These brackets are secured to the floor 17 by ,. ".,.. . , ~. , j ., .,.,,~ .. : : :.. .

/ -133~57 means of bolts 20 and also to the base portion 21 of the seat frame with the ends 22 of the front brackets facing forwardly and the ends 23 of the rear brackets facir.g rearwardly as clearly shown in Figure 1.
These brackets are formed from a metal alloy which is non-resilient but which can flex under stress, remaining in the flexed position after the stress has been removed.
As an example, Figure 2 shows the seat assembly tipped forwardly due to an aircraft mlshap such as a crash or collision in which circumstances the front brackets 18 have increased in curvature and the rear brackets, decreased in curvature thus absorbing the stress induced by the mishap, within limits.
If desired, a shock absorber assembly 24 may extend between the junction of the seat frame 21 and the backrest frame 12, and the floor 17 of the aircraft as shown in Figure 2 and Figures 3 and 4 show the preferred design of such a shock absorber. It consists of a closed cylinder 25 having a piston rod 26 therein with a form of piston head 27 on the inner end thereof. The cylinder is filled with pellet-like resilient material 28 such as plastic which, of course, would have to be replaced once the shock absorber has been actuated.

, .... . . ... , .. . , .. , , . . . .. , ~ . . , ~, . . ....

1330~57 The stress to the occupant during an aircraft mishap is further alleviated by providing the back frame 12 which will bend forwardly as shown in Figure 2 due to the forward pressure of the occupant via the shoulder harness. The back frame 12 is formed from a material similar to that used for the brackets 18 and 19. The backrest includes a pair of spaced apart and parallel members 29 (only one of which is shown) and each of these members 29 includes a lower vertical portion 29A and an upper vertical portion 29B. ;~
As the seat back bends, these members 29 resist the bending effort and are designed to alleviate the stress on the body of the seated passenger.
It will be seen in Figure 2 that the anchorage of the shoulder harness 16 is adjacent the upper portion 29B of the ~ ;
back frame which curves forwardly under stress as shown in Figure 2.
As mentioned, the members 29 are non-resilient and remain in the stressed position occurred when the stress factor has been removed. Both the actions of the members 29 and the support brackets 18 and 19 restrain and control the forward motion of the seat induced by collision or crash partially assigned by the telescopic tube type shock absorber hereinbefore described (if incorporated).
If desired an additional vertical reinforcing member (not illustrated) may extend from the rear of the seat frame upwardly to the upper side of the back frame and intermediate 13~0~7 the members 29 and spaced and parallel thereto and form from ::
a similar non-resilient but bendable material as that of the ~ ~ :
side members of the back frame.
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as hereinabove described, and many apparently`~ : .
widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

' ~ "

': "

Claims (6)

1. An aircraft safety seat mounted upon an aircraft floor and including a shoulder harness comprising in combination a frame, said frame including a seat main portion and a back support portion extending upwardly from the rear of said seatportion, said shoulder harness being secured to said back support portion, means for mounting said seat main portion spaced above the floor of the aircraft, said back support portion including at least one upwardly extending non-resilient frame member being bendable forwardly under stress associated with an aircraft mishap, said means for mounting said seat spaced above said floor including a pair of arcuately curved, vertically situated front seat supports and a pair of arcuately curved vertically situated rear seat supports spaced at a distance from said front seat supports, all said seat supports being fixedly secured by one end thereof to said seat portion and by the other end thereof to said floor, said front and said rear supports acting independently from each other, the ends of said front seat support facing forwardly and the ends of said rear seat support facing rearwardly whereby forward rocking motion of said seat increases the curvature of said front supports and decreases the curvature of said rear supports, said supports being non-resilient to prevent return motion from occurring thereby preventing whiplash action.
2. The aircraft seat according to claim 1 wherein said back support portion includes at least a pair of upwardly extending spaced apart non resilient parallel frame members.
3. The seat according to claim 1 which includes a shock absorber mechanism operatively connected between the rear of said seat main portion and the floor of said aircraft for further controlling the forward tilting action of said seat during an aircraft mishap.
4. The seat according to claim 2 which includes a shock absorber mechanism operatively connected between the rear of said seat main portion and said seat back and the floor of said aircraft for further controlling the forward tilting action of said seat during an aircraft mishap.
5. An aircraft safety seat mounted upon an aircraft floor and including a shoulder harness, comprising in combination a frame including a seat portion and back support portion extending upwardly from the rear of said seat portion, said shoulder harness being secured to said back support, adjacent the upper end thereof and means for mounting said seat spaced above said floor, said means including a pair of arcuately curved, vertically situated front seat support and a pair of arcuately curved vertically situated rear seat support fixedly secured by one end thereof to said seat portion and by the other end thereof to said floor, said rear seat supports being spaced at a distance from said front seat supports, said front and rear seat supports acting independently from one another, the ends of said front seat support facing forwardly and the ends of said rear seat supports facing rearwardly whereby forward rocking motion of said seat increases the curvature of said front supports and decreases the curvature of said rear supports, said front and rear seat supports being non-resilient to prevent return motion from occurring thereby preventing whiplash action, said back support portion including a frame, said frame including a pair of spaced and parallel upwardly extending reinforcing members being bendable forwardly under stress andbeing non-resilient to prevent return motion from occurring.
6. The seat according to claim 5 which includes at least one other reinforcing member to control the forward bending of said seat back said one other reinforcing member being situated intermediate said pair of spaced apart and parallel upwardly extending reinforcing members.
CA 583737 1988-11-22 1988-11-22 Aircraft safety seat Expired - Fee Related CA1330557C (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 583737 CA1330557C (en) 1988-11-22 1988-11-22 Aircraft safety seat

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 583737 CA1330557C (en) 1988-11-22 1988-11-22 Aircraft safety seat

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1330557C true CA1330557C (en) 1994-07-05

Family

ID=4139142

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA 583737 Expired - Fee Related CA1330557C (en) 1988-11-22 1988-11-22 Aircraft safety seat

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA1330557C (en)

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