US-20260123756-A1 - LIGHTWEIGHT SEAT FOR HIGH-DENSITY CONFIGURATION AND CLUSTER OF ADJACENT SEAT FOR HIGH-DENSITY CONFIGURATIONS

US20260123756A1US 20260123756 A1US20260123756 A1US 20260123756A1US-20260123756-A1

Abstract

Lightweight seat for high-density configurations and cluster of adjacent seat, the seat comprising a support structure ( 10 ) supporting a seat pan ( 20 ) comprising a rigid shell ( 21 ), a lining ( 23 ) and an intermediate foam ( 22 ), and a backrest ( 30 ), wherein most of the rear portion ( 20 A) of the seat pan ( 20 ), covering at least one rear third thereof, and at least left and right rear corner regions ( 20 L, 20 R) contained within a 10 cm radius from the left and right rear corners, have a thickness equal to or less than 25 mm or 15 mm, and in a front portion ( 20 B) of the seat pan, covering at least a front third thereof, the rigid shell ( 21 ) defines a descending slope of at least 15° towards a front edge of the seat pan ( 20 ) and the intermediate foam ( 22 ) defines a wedge of at least 15°.

Inventors

Joan SINGLA CASASAYAS

Assignees

Inmuebles Molí, SL

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20250922
Priority Date: 20240923

Claims (15)

1 . Lightweight seat for high-density configurations, the seat comprising: a support structure supporting a seat pan and a backrest; the seat pan comprising a rigid shell, a lining and an intermediate foam between the rigid shell and the lining; the seat pan has an average vertical thickness equal to or less than 25 mm, or equal to or less than 15 mm, in at least most of the surface of a rear portion of the seat pan, defined on at least one rear third of the seat pan in a horizontal direction, and/or in at least left and right rear corner regions contained within a radius of at least 10 cm from the left and right rear corners of the seat pan; and in a front portion of the seat pan, covering at least a front third, or at least a front half, of the seat pan in the horizontal direction, is a collapsible portion of the seat pan, adapted to be collapsable under the weight of a user of the seat, the collapsible portion being formed by the portion of the rigid shell contained in the front portion of the seat pan forming a descending slope with an angle of at least 15° regards the horizontal towards a front edge of the seat pan and by the portion of the intermediate foam contained in the front portion of the seat pan defining a wedge of at least 15°, filling the increasing distance between the lining and the descending slope of the portion of the rigid shell contained in the front portion of the seat pan.
2 . The seat according to claim 1 wherein in the left and right rear corner regions, the rigid shell of the seat pan is raised in the vertical direction, in average, between 15 mm and 40 mm, or between 20 mm and 30 mm, regards the rigid shell located between the left and right rear corner regions.
3 . The seat according to claim 1 wherein the wedge defined by the intermediate foam has a density below 35 kg/m 3 or below 25 kg/m 3 .
4 . The seat according to claim 1 wherein the wedge defined by the intermediate foam contains at least one hollow cavity, or a hollow cavity occupying at least a 15%, or at least a 25%, of the volume of the wedge.
5 . The seat according to claim 4 wherein the at least one cavity are two or more symmetric cavities separated by interposed vertical foam walls.
6 . The seat according to claim 1 wherein the backrest is articulated around an articulation joint, the articulation joint of the backrest being located at a distance of between 100 mm and 180 mm, or between 120 mm and 160 mm above the upper surface of the seat pan.
7 . The seat according to claim 6 wherein a lower portion of the backrest, defined below the articulation joint, integrates an upward extension of the rigid shell of the seat pan.
8 . The seat according to claim 7 wherein at least one elastic spring is partially inserted in a housing defined in the lower portion of the backrest and is partially inserted in a housing defined in an upper portion of the backrest, defined above the articulation joint, and the at least one elastic spring is selected among: a coil spring; or two nested counter-rotating coil springs, or a transversally flattened coil spring, or two nested and transversally flattened counter-rotating coil springs.
9 . The seat according to claim 1 wherein the support structure comprises at least two parallel vertical structures and at least two horizontal tubular profiles, transversal to the vertical structures, the rigid shell is attached to the at least two horizontal tubular profiles.
10 . The seat according to claim 9 wherein the seat further comprises a left foldable footrest connected to one vertical structure and a right foldable footrest connected to the other vertical structure, both movable between a vertical fold position and a horizontal extended position, both left and right foldable footrests being located below the rear portion of the seat pan configured to service a user of a seat located behind the seat, the left and right foldable footrests.
11 . The seat according to claim 1 wherein the seat further comprises a left foldable armrest connected to one vertical structure, and a right foldable armrest connected to the other vertical structure, both movable between a vertical fold position and a horizontal extended position, the left and right foldable armrests comprising an overload release mechanism set to lower the armrest under loads greater than 30 kg or greater than 20 kg.
12 . The seat according to claim 11 wherein the left and right foldable armrests comprises a friction retainer set to keep the armrest immobile, at any intermediate position between the vertical fold position and the horizontal extended position, under forces of less than 20 kg, or less than 30 kg.
13 . Cluster of adjacent seats for high-density configurations wherein a single support structure supports all the adjacent seats of the cluster, each seat comprising a support structure supporting a seat pan and a backrest; wherein the seat pan comprises a rigid shell, a lining and an intermediate foam between the rigid shell and the lining; the seat pan having an average vertical thickness equal to or less than 25 mm, or equal to or less than 15 mm, in at least most of the surface of a rear portion of the seat pan, defined on at least one rear third of the seat pan in a horizontal direction, and/or in at least left and right rear corner regions contained within a radius of at least 10 cm from the left and right rear corners of the seat pan; a front portion of the seat pan, covering at least a front third, or at least a front half, of the seat pan in the horizontal direction, is a collapsible portion of the seat pan, adapted to be collapsable under the weight of a user of the seat, the collapsible portion being formed by the portion of the rigid shell contained in the front portion of the seat pan, forming a descending slope with an angle of at least 15° regards the horizontal towards a front edge of the seat pan, and by the portion of the intermediate foam contained in the front portion of the seat pan, defining a wedge of at least 15°, filling the increasing distance between the lining and the descending slope of the portion of the rigid shell contained in the front portion of the seat pan.
14 . The cluster of adjacent seats according to claim 13 wherein the seats are three seats, and comprises four equally spaced armrests corresponding to two intermediate armrests located between adjacent seats and two extreme armrests located on the left and right sides of the cluster of seats, wherein the central seat is centered between the intermediate armrests, the left seat of the cluster is closer, or between 30 mm and 50 mm closer, to the extreme armrest of the left side of the cluster than to the adjacent intermediate armrest, and the right seat of the cluster is closer, or between 30 mm and 50 mm closer, to the extreme armrest of the right side of the cluster than to the adjacent intermediate armrest.
15 . The cluster of adjacent seats according to claim 13 wherein the seat pans of all the seats of the cluster share a single rigid shell.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention concerns to a lightweight seat for high-density configuration, and also to a cluster of adjacent seats for such high-density configurations. A cluster of adjacent seats is an aggrupation of several laterally adjacent seats sharing some elements, such the support structure providing attachment to the floor or the armrests, to reduce its weight. It will be understood that a high-density configuration is an arrangement of multiples rows or multiples lines and rows of seats or of clusters of adjacent seats, in an optimized manner to achieve a high density of passengers in a given available space. The present invention is directed to an improved seat or cluster of seats integrating features directed to increase the comfort of the passengers despite the limited available space, particularly the available space for knees and legs. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Seats for high-density configurations are already known. Those seats have a reduced thickness of the backrest to increase the available space for the knees of the user. It is also known, for example through document U.S. Pat. No. 4,018,477A, an seat where the front portion of the seat pan can tilt downwards, through a mechanism integrated in the seat, for lowering and extending the legs. Despite the above, the tilting mechanism is expensive, heavy and prone to fail, increasing the maintenance costs and the fuel cost due to the increased weight. Also, these known documents do not provide any solution to further increase the available space for the knees of the user, beyond the reduction in thickness of the backrest. The present invention solves the above and other problems in a cheap, light, resistant and therefore cost-effective manner. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention concerns to a lightweight seat for high-density configurations, as defined in claim 1. The proposed lightweight seat for high-density configurations, comprises, as already known in the available prior art, a support structure supporting a seat pan and a backrest; wherein the seat pan comprises a rigid shell, a lining and an intermediate foam between the rigid shell and the lining. The seat pan is the part of the seat, mostly horizontal, intended to receive and support the user's buttocks when seated, and the backrest is the part of the seat, mostly vertical, intended to receive and support the user's back when seated. The rigid shell is a shell, for example made of plastic or lightweight metal such aluminum, that provides support for the intermediate foam that forms the cushion of the seat pan. The seat pan can be divided between a rear portion covering at least one rear third of the seat pan in a horizontal direction, adjacent to the backrest, and a front portion, covering at least a front third of the seat pan in the horizontal direction, away from the backrest. According to the above, if the seat pan is divided in three equally dimensioned horizontal bands, the band closer to the backrest is the rear portion mentioned above, and the band farthest away from the backrest is the front portion. It will be understood that the orientations horizontal and vertical are referred to horizontal and vertical directions when the seat is fixed on a horizontal floor. Similarly, the directions rear, front, left and right are orientations relative with respect to a user seated on the seat. The seat pan has an average vertical thickness equal to or less than 25 mm, or equal to or less than 15 mm in at least most of the surface of the rear portion of the seat pan, and/or in at least left and right rear corner regions contained within a radius of at least 10 cm from the left and right rear corners of the seat pan. Preferably, said average vertical thickness, in the corner regions, can be equal o smaller than 12 mm. The left and right rear corners of the seat pan are the rear corners of the seat pan, adjacent to the backrest, located to the right and left sides of the seat. All the portions of the seat pan contained within a radius of 10 cm from each of said left and right rear corners are the left and right corner regions. These left and right corner regions are regions where a user sitting on the seat applies little pressure, so padding in these regions is less necessary, and a reduced thickness can be achieved. The reduced thickness of the seat pad in this particular region is beneficial because frees up more space bellow the seat pan on those left and right regions, facilitating the insertion of the knees of a passenger seated in a rear row of seats under the seat pan. The present invention also proposes to define, on the rigid shell of the front portion of the seat pan, a descending slope forming an angle of at least 15° regards the horizontal towards a front edge of the seat pan. The intermediate foam defines a wedge of at least 15°, filling the increasing distance between the lining and the descending slope of the rigid shell, so that the upper surfac