WO2004026688A1

WO2004026688A1 - Support for passenger entertainment and personal electronic devices mounted in aircraft seat tracks

Info

Publication number: WO2004026688A1
Application number: PCT/CA2003/001455
Authority: WO
Inventors: George R. Smallhorn
Original assignee: Inflight Canada Inc.
Priority date: 2002-09-20
Filing date: 2003-09-18
Publication date: 2004-04-01
Also published as: AU2003269648A1

Abstract

A support for equipment associated with a passenger seat assembly mounted to a floor in a passenger cabin. The support having a base adapted to anchor to seat tracks in the cabin floor with a post extending upwardly from the base. Individual support arms each have a proximal end mounted to the base and a distal end with an equipment mount. Each arm has independent deployment transferring the associated arm from a stowed position under an associated passenger seat or within the post to a deployed position extending upwardly from the post.

Description

SUPPORT FOR PASSENGER ENTERTAINMENT AND PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES MOUNTED IN AIRCRAFT SEAT TRACKS

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The invention relates to an easily installed and removed support for personal electronic devices for passenger use in an aircraft cabin mounted to the cabin floor, mounted within the seat tracks in the cabin floor and stowed away under the passenger seat or in a free standing pedestal.

BACKGROUND OF THE ART

[0002] Aircraft passenger cabins are currently constructed or are being retrofit with a wide assortment of personal electronic devices with entertainment options accessible from the passenger seat. To improve service and make the flight more enjoyable or productive, airlines may provide audio and video entertainment, telephone, intercom, television, video games, internet, email and electrical power supply for laptop computers, especially in business class and first class cabins thus permitting passengers to work during the flight, to communicate or to be entertained without leaving their seat or disturbing other passengers.

[0003] Passenger entertainment systems such as seat mounted flat screen video monitors, and credit card activated cellular telephones are now commonly mounted in the seat backs and seat arm rests of passenger aircraft. Some airlines also distribute compact personal DVD players with a choice of movies, or personal audio CD players in first class and business class cabins. Passengers may carry their own laptop computers or CD players and seek power outlets to preserve batteries and extend use during long flights .

[0004] Within the confines of a passenger seat fitted with a conventional food service tray table, use of such entertainment and personal electronic equipment creates conflicts with the food and beverage service in an aircraft cabin. The available space is often inadequate, the electrical equipment is exposed to spillage of beverages, and equipment may be damaged after sliding off the tray table on to the cabin floor.

[0005] Given existing aircraft cabins and seating arrangements, conventionally it has been considered necessary to fit all such equipment within the passenger seat itself. Armrests and seat backs are built with compartments for such purposes adding to the cost of the seats and requiring regulatory approval since the weight, centre of gravity and performance during a crash could be effected by adding the weight of equipment or modifying the seat frame structure. Airlines desiring to upgrade service by providing electric power, entertainment and personal electronic device capacity are faced with the problem of replacing expensive passenger seats before their service life has ended and submitting new designs for regulatory approval, both of which consume significant time and money.

[0006] Conventionally, passenger seat units are often fitted with power sources, entertainment and personal electronic system units that are mounted in armrests, in consoles, in the seat back or under the seat as an interim measure.

[0007] It is an object of the present invention to separate the provision of personal electronic devices entirely from the passenger seats.

[0008] It is a further object of the invention to provide a compact stow-able support that stows personal electronic devices on an arm that mounts to the seat tracks independently of the seats thereby avoiding any redesign or retrofit of the passenger seats to accommodate various entertainment or personal electronic functions.

[0009] Further objects of the invention will be apparent from review of the disclosure, drawings and description of the invention below.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The invention provides a support for equipment associated with a passenger seat assembly mounted to a floor in a passenger cabin. The support having a base adapted to anchor to two seat tracks in the cabin floor with a post extending upwardly from the base. Individual support arms each have a proximal end mounted to the base and a distal end with an equipment mount. Each arm has independent deployment transferring the associated arm from a stowed position to a deployed position extending upwardly from the post. The arm can be stowed under an associated passenger seat or in a free-standing pedestal for example. [0011] A significant benefit of the invention is that existing seats or existing seat designs need not be changed in order to accommodate newly added services, such as personal video entertainment, laptop computer power, virtual reality video games, email, internet capacity or other such entertainment and personal electronic services complete with keyboards, control pads, display screens and media drives within the very restricted confines of the immediate passenger airline seat area. The invention provides a completely independent stand alone support that is independently supported within the seat tracks of the cabin floor to support various devices such as flat screen video monitors or DVD players as well as accommodating power source cables and receptacles in a compact stow-able unit that stows under the seat or in a pedestal.

[0012] Therefore, it is no longer necessary for airlines to consider replacing existing seats in the passenger cabin or purchasing newer more expensive seat designs nor for modifications to the existing design of seats that would require testing and regulatory approval in order to provide personal electronic services to the passengers. The invention provides an independent stand-alone support unit for electrical components, which can be modified to support any such entertainment or personal electronic device.

[0013] A further advantage of the invention is the flexibility of design that aircraft operators can achieve through complete separation of the seating function and the entertainment or personal electronic function within the cabin. More particularly, the seats can be designed for maximum safety, service life and passenger comfort without premature replacement. Seats can be used throughout their entire functional operating life without considering upgrades or modification to accommodate changes to the entertainment or personal electronic systems. The seat function of comfort and safety may be segregated from the entertainment and personal electronic systems provided by the independent support according to the invention. Audio and video signals can be conveyed to the independent support that houses video displays for example and includes receptacles or jacks for headphones completely independently of the seat. The airline operator can quickly reconfigure the cabin (for charters, long haul or short commuter flights) , adding or removing entertainment or personal electronic services by simply installing or removing the independent support unit. Seats need not be modified at all since the support for entertainment and personal electronic systems is independently installed and removed from the cabin floor seat tracks.

[0014] In contrast, seat designs that require modification to include fold up video display monitors or additional audio equipment for example often suffer from a change in the seat's centre of gravity or from other structural modifications to the seats to accommodate the added equipment. Any such change requires significant regulatory approval or testing since the seat and lap belt are safety features of the aircraft in any crash scenario. The primary functions of the seats are to provide comfort and safety and therefore any modification requires approval to ensure that there has been no compromise of structural integrity or safety features .

[0015] Further, airlines often acquire aircraft from other airlines through mergers or purchases and require that all of their aircraft provide a consistent level of passenger service throughout the fleet. In such circumstances, retrofitting of passenger seats to accommodate entertainment and personal electronic devices may be a costly exercise. The invention provides a simple solution enabling retrofitting of existing aircraft or reconfiguring of aircraft with a rapid turn around. For example, entertainment and personal electronic devices are usually more desirable on long haul flights while use of the same aircraft for commuter flights places a premium on cabin space and number of passengers per aircraft.

Reconfiguration to provide such services is relatively simple when the invention is used since the independent supports may be installed and removed very quickly to reconfigure the aircraft, whereas conventional reconfiguration involves removing and replacing the entire seat assembly.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order that the invention may be readily understood, embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings.

[0017] Figure 1 shows a front perspective view of a three passenger seat assembly with a first "economy class" embodiment of the invention provided spanning between the two seat tracks with an equipment supporting arm extending upwardly on three arms that can be individually folded and rotated downwardly in a stowed position under the seats..

[0018] Figure 2 is a side elevation view of two passenger seats with supports as shown in Fig. 1, showing in the right side seat the under seat stowed position, the deployed position and the upwardly telescoped deployed position.

[0019] Figure 3 is a detail sectional view along line 3-3 of Figure 2.

[0020] Figure 4 is a detail sectional view along line 4-4 of Figure 2.

[0021] Figure 5 shows an elevation view of a second "first class or business class" embodiment of the invention with a two passenger seat assembly with conventional tray table located at lap height and provided between the two seats an equipment supporting table extending upwardly and laterally on two articulated arms that can be individually folded downwardly in a stowed position within pockets in the support post.

[0022] Figure 6 is a side elevation view of the arrangement shown in Figure 5.

[0023] Figure 7 is a top plan view thereof.

[0024] Figure 8 is a detail view of the table showing the ability to pivot in a horizontal plane and showing four table leaves slidably disposed in the side edges of the table to extend the support surface.

[0025] Figure 9 is a plan view of a passenger cabin of an aircraft showing six parallel seat supporting tracks that extend longitudinally for connecting seat legs and showing an adapter plate mounted to the seat tracks which is also bolted to the base of the equipment support between the two seats of each two seat assembly.

[0026] Figure 10 is a front elevation view of the arrangement shown in Figure 9 indicating the location of seat tracks that anchor three pairs of passenger seats to the cabin floor structure.

[0027] Figure 11 is a detailed frontal view of a support according to the invention showing the base with a life vest storage compartment and two articulated arms with equipment support tables in the stowed position.

[0028] Figure 12 is a side elevation view of the stowed position shown in Figure 11.

[0029] Figure 13 is a detailed view of the articulated arms in a stowed position.

[0030] Figure 14 is a plan view of the equipment support table with extension leaves shown in the extended position.

[0031] Figure 15 is an exploded elevation view of the equipment support table of Figure 14. [0032] Figure 16 is a partial sectional elevation view showing housing of an electrical power source within the base of the support and showing the cable raceway extending cable from the power source to a receptacle in the top portion of the post.

[0033] Figure 17 is a frontal elevation view of the support with front compartment door removed to show mounting for the power source and storage compartment for the life vests as well showing a spring loaded latch to retain the articulated arms in the stowed position.

[0034] Figure 18 is a side view of the detail shown in Figure 17.

[0035] Figure 19 is a sectional view along lines 19-19 of Figure 17.

[0036] Figure 20 is a top plan view of the spring loaded latch that detains the articulated arms in the stowed position.

[0037] Figure 21 is a detailed elevation view of the latch.

[0038] Further details of the invention and its advantages will be apparent from the detailed description included below.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0039] Referring to the first embodiment shown in Figures 1- 4, a support 1 for personal electronic devices 2 is shown mounted to seat tracks 3 independently of the associated seat assembly 4. In the first "economy class" embodiment shown, the seat assembly 4 has three passenger seats 5 on a common base with seat legs 6 mounted to the seat tracks 3 in a conventional manner. Two to five or more seats 5 can be accommodated in a like manner.

[0040] Completely independently of the seat assembly 4 and mounting of the seat legs 6 in the seat track 3 is the support 1 which includes a base 7 adapted to anchor to the two seat tracks 3 in the cabin flour of the aircraft cabin. The base 7 includes two mounting brackets 8 each adapted to engage the associated parallel seat track 3. Extending upwardly from the mounting bracket 8 of the base 7 is a post 9. A beam 10 expands between the upward end of each post 9 and rotatably supports three arms 11.

[0041] Each arm 11 can be independently deployed from the stowed position shown on the left of Figure 1 (under the associated passenger seat 5 and to a deployed position extending upwardly from the post 9. In the embodiment shown, the base 7 is adapted for disposition between the seat legs 6, however depending on the orientation of seat legs 6, the base 7 may be positioned anywhere along the seat track 3.

[0042] The arm 11 may include a telescoping portion to raise and lower the equipment mount 12 and attached personal electronic device 2 as indicated in arrows on the right side of Figure 1. Further, the equipment mount 12 is rotatably connected at pivot joint 13 to a distal end of the arm 11 so that the personal electronic device 2 can be flipped downwardly as indicated in the left portion of Figure 1 and then rotated about the lower end of the arm 11 on beam 10 to an under seat stowed position.

[0043] In order to power the personal electronic device 2 and avoid unsightly cables, preferably the arm 11 is hollow or includes a cable raceway enclosing cables extending between the base 7 and a top portion of the arm 11. The beam 10 may also be hollow and include a cable raceway. Any wires and cables can extend under the cabin floor or under the carpet in cable raceways within the floor through mounting bracket and up post 9 through the beam 10 and into arms 11. Also preferably, the arms 11 can include a receptacle in communication with cables for providing auxiliary power, headphones jacks or other types of receptacles and consoles.

[0044] Figure 2 shows a side view- illustrating clearly the independent mounting of the support 1 in the seat tracks 3 separate from the mounting of the seats 4 in the same seat tracks 3. Figures 3 and 4 show details of the base 7 for mounting in the seat track 3, where the base 7 includes two gusset plates 14 and four mounting struts 15.

[0045] Referring to Figures 5 through 8, the second "first class or business class" embodiment of the invention provides a pedestal support 16 for equipment such as entertainment and personal electronic devices that are associated with a passenger seat 17 mounted to the floor 18 in the passenger cabin. With reference to Figure 7, conventional passenger seats 17 include arm rests 19 that may conventionally have hinged compartment doors in their top surface to house foldable articulated arms with flat screen video displays. Most armrests also conventionally include jacks for head phones to access the aircraft audio system as well as other personal electronic devices to page a cabin attendant, light switches etc. built in to conventional passenger seats 17.

[0046] The invention however provides a stand alone support 16 that has upwardly extending articulated arms 19 that fold downwardly into a stowed position within the post 21 of the support 16 and optionally include an equipment mount table 22. The embodiment shown includes a flat table 22 as a means to mount entertainment and personal electronic equipment with extension leaves 23 slidably disposed on lateral edges of the table to accommodate a personal DVD player or CD player for example. However, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to provision of a table 22, but also includes other means to mount various types of equipment such as a flat screen video monitor, LED display or even a 3-D virtual reality helmet for playing video games for example. The base 24 of the support 16 is large enough to house a life vest storage compartment and to house electrical components such as power supply units 37 or other electronic components.

[0047] With reference to Figures 9 and 10, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that drilling holes in the existing cabin floor 18 not only involves significantly expense and disruption to the cabin interior but also may involve weakening of the cabin floor 18 structure in some aircraft. Therefore, it is much preferable to utilize an adapter plate 26 which can be disposed under the cabin carpet and between the metal legs supporting the passenger seats 17 and anchored in existing 5 seat tracks 27. The seat tracks 27 are recessed in the cabin floor 18 surface and enable the passenger seats 17 to be positioned longitudinally at any point along the track 27 in a rapi manner. The invention therefore preferably utilizes the adapter plate 26 that is also bolted to the

10 track 27 beneath the metal legs of the seats 17. The embodiment in Figure 9 shows that the adapter plates 26 include large circular cut outs in order to reduce their weight, which is a critical concern in aircraft applications. Figure 16, shows the adapter plate 26

15 resting on the cabin floor 18 and bolted to the base 24 of the support 16. The metal legs 28 of the passenger seats 17 clamp the plate 26 in position.

[0048] With reference to Figures 11, 12, 17, 18 and 19, the basic sheet metal structure of the support 16 can be seen. 20 The support 16 includes a base 24 anchored to the tracks 27 in the cabin floor 18 with an adapter plate 26. The base 24 is disposed laterally adjacent and forward to the passenger seats 17 that are served by the support 16.

[0049] Extending upwardly from the base 24 is a post 21, ^•25 which includes two elongate pockets 29 within which the articulated support arms 20 are shown (in Figures 11 and 12) in the stowed position. A proximal end of each support arm 20 is pivotally mounted to a top portion of the post 21 with a T-bracket 30. The distal end of the arm 20 includes the equipment support table 22, which is also shown in the stowed position.

[0050] Figure 13 shows an improved detailed view of the articulated arms 20-. It can be appreciated that each arm 20 is independently deployable and pivotally mounted to an associated T-bracket 30 to rotate about the shoulder bolt 31. A gas spring 32 resiliently biases the articulated arm 20 to the deployed position (shown in Figure 5) . A lower end 33 of the gas spring 32 is pivotally mounted to the post 21 on a small bracket while the upper end 34 is pivotally connected to the arm 20 at a short distance from the shoulder bolt 31. The gas spring 32 exerts a rotary force to resiliently bias the arm 20 toward the deployed position.

[0051] Therefore, each arm 20 has independent deployment means for transferring the associated arm 20 from the stowed position (shown in Figures 11, 12 and 13) housed ^• within the associated pocket 29 of the post 21 to the deployed position (shown in Figures 1 , 2 and 3) extending upwardly and laterally from the post 21 toward a central portion of the associated seat 17.

[0052] As shown in Figure 16 and 18, the post 21 preferably includes a cable raceway 35 housing at least one cable 36 extending between the base 24 and the top portion of the post 21. In the embodiment shown, the base 24 houses an electrical power supply unit 37 held in place with a bracket 38 that is provided with a power receptacle 39 in communication with the cable 36 to provide power for laptop computers for example. Cables from the base 24 to the aircraft services can be hidden beneath the carpet, under the floor or in floor mounted raceways .

[0053] As best seen in Figures 17, 18, 20 and 21, the pocket 29 also preferably includes a latch 40 for releasably detaining the arm 20 in the stowed position (shown in Figure 11 and 12) . As seen in the detailed views of Figures 20 and 21, the latch 40 includes a manual button 41 which is spring loaded to the catch position shown in Figure 20 to resiliently detain the arm 20. Depressing the button 41 against the force of spring 42 releases the arm 20 from dog 43. The arm 20 is resiliently biased by the gas spring 32 to the deployed position and when free of the latch 40 rotates upwardly.

[0054] With reference to Figures 8, 14 and 15, an equipment support table 22 is constructed of an upper plate 44 and a lower plate 45 which sandwich together the sliding table leaves 23. As well, the table 22 can rotate about a bolt 46 (shown in Figure 8) that rotatably connects the table 22 to the distal end of the articulated arm 20.

[0055] Turning to the detailed view of the articulated arms 20 in Figure 13, the arm 20 can telescope longitudinally by means of a carriage 47 with pins 48 and 49 sliding in tracks 50 of a first arm segment 51. Carriage release dog 52 holds the carriage 47 in the stowed position until sufficient rotation occurs about bolt 31 when the latch 10 is released to release the carriage release dog 52. Under the biased force of the gas spring 32, rotation occurs and the arm 20 rotates upwardly about the shoulder bolt 31. At a predetermined position above a level plane, the carriage release dog 52 releases the carriage 47 and the carriage 47 can manually slide on pins 48 and 49 in the tracks 50. When the trailing pin 49 reaches the closed end of its track 50-, the leading pin 48 is released from the track 50 and permits table 22 and the second arm segment 38 (which is pivotally mounted to the carriage 47 with bolt 54) can rotate about the trailing pin 49 to the deployed position of Figures 5 and 6.

[0056] Of course, to move from the deployed position shown in Figures 5 and 6 to the stowed position shown to Figures 11 and 12 for example, the passenger manually rotates the table 22, second arm segment 23 and carriage 47 about trailing pin 49, then re-engages leading pin 48 into its track 50 to slide the carriage 47 relative to the first arm segment 51 and to engage the carriage 47 on the carriage release dog 52 simultaneously rotating the arm 20 about the shoulder bolt 31 against the resilient biasing force exerted by the gas spring 32. Once sufficiently rotated, the arm 20 engages the spring loaded dog 43 of the latch 40 and is held in the stowed position until the button 41 of the latch 40 is released again. Gas spring 32 are preferred for this application of course because they provide a slow controlled motion.

[0057] Although the above description relates to a specific preferred embodiment as presently contemplated by the inventor, it will be understood that the invention in its broad aspect includes mechanical and functional equivalents of the elements described herein.

Claims

I CLAIM;

1. A support for equipment associated with a seat assembly comprising a plurality of passenger seats mounted to a floor in a passenger cabin, the support comprising: a base adapted to anchor to the cabin floor, the base including a post extending upwardly from the base; and

a plurality of support arms, each with a proximal end mounted to said post and a distal end including an equipment mount, each arm having independent deployment means for transferring the associated arm between a stowed position and a deployed position extending upwardly from said post.

2. A support according to claim 1 wherein the stowed position is under an associated passenger seat.

3. A support according to claim 1 wherein the base includes two mounting brackets each adapted to engage an associated seat track, two posts each extending upwardly from an associated mounting bracket, and a beam spanning between said posts, wherein each support arm is mounted to said beam.

4. A support according to claim 3 wherein the passenger seat assembly includes legs mounted to the seat tracks, and wherein the base is adapted for disposition between said legs.

5 . _. A support according to claim 3 wherein the arms are rotatably mounted to said beam.

6. A support according to claim 1 wherein the arm includes a telescoping portion.

7. A support according to claim 1 wherein the equipment mount is rotatably connected to a distal end of the arm.

8. A support according to claim 1 wherein the arm includes a cable raceway housing a cable between the base and a top portion of the arm.

9. A support according to claim 8 wherein the top portion of the post includes a receptacle in communication with said cable.

10. A support according to claim 1 wherein: the base is disposed laterally adjacent and forward of said ^'seat;

the post extends upwardly from the base and includes at least one elongate pocket; and

the arm in the stowed position is within the post in an associated pocket and in the deployed position extends upwardly anά laterally from said post toward a central portion of the associated passenger seat.

11. A support according to claim 10 wherein the base includes an adapter plate with connection means for anchoring to elongate seat tracks in the cabin floor.

12. A support according to claim 11 wherein the passenger seat includes legs mounted to the seat tracks, and wherein the adapter plate is adapted for disposition between the cabin floor and said legs .

13. A support according to claim 10 wherein the base includes an electrical component housing.

14. A support according to claim 10 wherein the post includes a cable raceway housing a cable between the base and a top portion of the post.

15. A support according to claim 14 wherein the top portion of the post includes a receptacle in communication with said cable.

16. A support according to claim 10 wherein said pocket includes latch means for releasably detaining said arm in the stowed position.

17. A support according to claim 10 wherein the proximal end of the arm is pivotally mounted to a top portion of said post.

18. A support according to claim 17 wherein the arm is resiliently biased to said deployed position.

19. A support arm according to claim 18 wherein the post includes a gas spring extending between the post and the arm at a distance from the proximal end thereof.

20. A support according to claim 10 wherein the arm includes carriage means disposed on a first arm segment for mounting a second arm segment to slide and to rotate relative to said first arm segment.

21. A support according to claim 10 wherein the equipment mount comprises a table.

22. A support according to claim 21 wherein the table includes extension leaves slidably disposed in lateral edges thereof.

23. A support according to claim 10 wherein the base includes a life vest storage compartment.