US3674307A

US3674307A - Safety seats for automobiles and aircraft

Info

Publication number: US3674307A
Application number: US872899A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ernest Baker Dove
Original assignee: Teleflex Ltd
Current assignee: IMO Corp; Teleflex Ltd
Priority date: 1968-10-31
Filing date: 1969-10-31
Publication date: 1972-07-04
Anticipated expiration: 1989-07-04
Also published as: SE364223B; GB1286259A; FR2022073A1; DE1954676A1

Abstract

A vehicle seat, especially for automobiles or aircraft, is provided which has a seat frame possessing a configuration akin to the human spine and hip formation. At the rear of the seat base there is a hip frame having lateral wings and providing the main attachment point of the seat in the vehicle. Forward and upward from this hip frame there extend a base spine and a back spine respectively, the base spine carrying integral therewith a seat pan supporting a seat cushion while the back spine, which widens toward the top, supports a fixed shoulder cushion, an adjustable lumbar cushion, and, if desired an adjustable head rest. The seat frame structure is fabricated in pressed sheet steel, the hip frame being a box-type fabrication built up from two half-pressings one integral with the back spine and the other with the base spine. The ends of the hip frame wings provide anchorage points for the straps of a safety harness. A harness retraction reel, which may be an inertia reel, is mounted on the back spine to receive a diagonal or breast strap of the harness passing over the seat occupant''s shoulder and down into the seat back.

Description

United States Patent Dove [4 1 1 Jul 4, 1972 [54] SAFETY SEATS FOR AUTOMOBILES 3,137,524 6/1964 Chancellor ..297/284 AND AIRCRAFT 3,471,197 10/1969 Ely ..297/216 X [72] Inventor: Ernest Baker Dove, Basildon, England primary Examine, pau| R Gilliam [-73] Assign; Teleflex products Limited, Basfldoh Essex, Attorney-John R. Bronaugh, Floyd S1. Levison and Richard England A. Speer 22 Filed: on. 31, 1969 [57] ABSTRACT PP 872,899 A vehicle seat, especially for automobiles or aircraft, is provided which has a seat frame possessing a configuration akin to the human spine and hip formation. At the rear of the seat [30] Fomgn Apphcamn Prmmy Dam base there is a hip frame having lateral wings and providing Oct. 31, 1968 Great Britain 51,556/68 the main attachment point of the seat in the vehicle. Forward and upward from this hip frame there extend a base spine and 52 U.S. c1 ..297/284, 297/216, 297/458 8 hack Spine respectively. the base Spine carrying integral 51 Int. Cl. ..A47c 3/00, B60r 21/10 therewith a Seat P Supporting a Seat cushion while the back [58] Field of Search ..A47c/7 02; 297/284, 216,458, Spine, which Widens toward the r pp a fixed Shoulder 297/460 cushion, an adjustable lumbar cushion, and, if desired an adjustable head rest. The seat frame structure is fabricated in 56 R f n Cited pressed sheet steel, the hip frame being a box-type fabrication built up from two half-pressings one integral with the back UNITED STATES PATENTS spine and the other with the base spine. The ends of the hip frame wings provide anchorage points for the straps of a safety 321,402 10/1887 w1]]13.1'l'lS0l'l....1...i ..297/460 X hamcSs A harness retraction reel, which y be an inertia 5355 1/ ,ltchcock et "297/460 x reel, is mounted on the back spine to receive a diagonal or 1,527,754 2/1925 Simon ..297/284 UX breast Strap of the harness passing over the Seat occupanps 2,485,l l 1 10/1949 Robmsnm ..297/284 X Shoulder d down into the Seat back 2,831,533 4/1958 Pasquarellr. ..297/284 X 3,124,389 3/ l 964 Mikan ..297/458 UX 4 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEnJuL 41972 3, 674,307

sum a, as 4 074 m WM 35 E k fi SAFETY SEATS FOR AUTOMOBILES AND AIRCRAFT stalled, the safety belt or harness for the seat occupant can be anchored tothe seat itself rather than to the main body structure of the vehicle. It is an object of the invention to provide a seat of this kind.

According to the present invention, the seat frame is designed so that the seatroccupant restraining forces are taken by a structure of cross-form configuration somewhat akin to the human spine and hip formation.

In the pre'ferredform, the structure comprises a hip frame with lateral wing portions situated at the region where the base and the back of theseat meet and incorporating the main anchorage points for the seat. And from this hip frame there extend upward andforward, respectively, a central back spine and a substantially horizontal basespine. On this structure are fitted seat and back cushions for the occupant and preferably also an adjustablehead rest.

The design is proposedbearing in mind the following:

a. That seat loads, normally high in the seat pan and low in the seat back, can be suddenly reversed when subjected to crash conditions. The conventional harness lap and diagonal" restraint system, by virtue of its three point construction, provides anchorage of the imposed loads in a plane behind the wearer and never on the seat pan.

b. That the loads set up in the human frame byeveryday efforts are borne, ultimately, by the spine. I

The invention provides a seat construction compatible with these considerations.

While the above discussion is directed to automobile seats, it will be understood that to a large extent similar considerations hold in the case of aircraft seats and the invention is also automobile seats, the preferred material of construction of the seat frame is pressed steel, but for aircrew seats filament-reinforced synthetic resin materials, e.g. glass materials, are preferable.

One construction of vehicle safety seat in accordance with the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of the seat frame,

FIG. 2 is a side elevation,

FIG. 3 is a rear elevation,

FIG. 4 is a plan,

FIG. 5 is a view in section on the line 5-5 of FIG. 2,

FIG. 6 is a view in section on the line 6--6 of FIG. 5, and

FIG. 7 shows an arrangement for connecting a harness strap to the seat.

The frame of the seat shown in the drawings is pressed in sheet steel and has as its main structuralportions a hip frame 1 1 with lateral wings 12, a back spine 13 upstanding centrally from the hip frame, and a horizontalseat spine 14 extending forward centrally from the hip frame. Integral with the seat spine 14 is a seat tray or pan 15 to receive the seat cushions 16, which is a separate item for ease of manufacture and fitting. The pan I5 is pressedwith lateral ribs 17, extending from the spine 14, to stiffen it.

It will be seen that the hip frame 11 is a strong box-type structure made up by mating two half-pressings 11A, 118, the one joined to the back spine 13 and the other to the seatspine 14, The hip frame is comparatively deep, more particularly at or carbon fiber its central region 19, in the plane of juncture 18 of the two half-pressings, which plane contains the horizontal axis of the hip frame (the hip frame axis that lies at right angles to the fore-and-aft vertical center plane of the seat) and slopes steeply down in the rearward direction. The two

spines

13, 14 deepen progressively in section as they approach the hip frame, encountering it in two

planes

21, 22 parallel to the plane 18, the terminal depth of each spine in the

plane

21 or 22, as the case may be, being substantially the same as the depth in that plane of the central region of the hip frame.

The central region 19 of the hip frame 11 extends somewhat below the wings 12, as at 23, and provision is made here for the main attachment of the seat to supporting vehicle structure, the horizontal axis 25 of the attachment points 24 lying in the plane 18. To prevent forward folding of the seat about the axis 25 a compression strut is provided under the seat spine 14 as indicated at 26.

The back spine 13 widens at its top region 27 to give adequate support to the seat occupants shoulders. It carries a fixed shoulder cushion 28, a separate adjustable lumber cushion 29 and an adjustable head rest 30, this arrangement giving excellent back support and ventilation.

The seat can be equipped with safety belt or harness gear of the retracting type, either lap-and-diagonal or a full harness. Shoulder webbing locations, in relation to the seat back, are shown at 31, this webbing running down within the back spine 13 at the rear to a retraction reel 32 secured about half-way up the back spine.

In the case of a lap-and-diagonal harness the two ends of the lap strap, and the lower end of the diagonal strap, are attached to the outer ends of the hip frame 11. FIG. 7 shows how this can be accomplished, the harness strap 33 being looped through an anchorage plate 34 which is held in place by an anchorage bolt 35 secured in an end-piece 36 fitted on to the end of the hip frame 11. Preferably, the lower end attachment for the diagonal strap is on the outside of the seat, that is to say the diagonal strap extends upward and inward away from the side of the vehicle, instead of out toward the side in the conventional manner. I

Although seat adjustment means are not illustrated, it is readily possible for such a seat construction to be adapted to afford any of the usual vehicle seat movements, e.g. fore-andaft travel, rake. adjustment, recline and lift-up; and it can also be adapted for height adjustment and swivel if used as an aircrew seat.

It will further be understood that the drawings illustrate only one of many possible ways of fabricating a seat in accordance with the principles of the invention. Furthermore, the same general design technique can be employed for aircraft seats, in which case the material of construction may advantageously be, as previously indicated, a glass or carbon fiber reinforced synthetic resin material instead of steel.

What I claim is:

1. A vehicle seat frame comprising a hip frame having lateral wings, a back spine upstanding centrally from said hip frame, a horizontal seat spine extending forward centrally from said hip frame, a seat tray integral with said seat spine, said seat tray having stiffening ribs, said back spine and said seat spine being fixedly joined to said hip frame, said back spine and said seat spine having progressively increasing cross sectional areas in the region of their juncture with said hip frame, the terminal width of the cross section area of each of said back and seat spines being substantially equal to the width of said hip frame.

2. A vehicle seat frame in accordance with claim 1 wherein the central region of said hip frame extends below said lateral wings, said hip frame being provided with attaching means for attaching said vehicle frame to a support structure.

3. A vehicle seat frame in accordance with claim 2 wherein a compression strut is provided under said seat spine.

4. A vehicle seat frame in accordance with claim 3 wherein said back spine widens at its top region giving support to the shoulders of the occupant of the seat, said back spine having a justably attached to said back spine above said fixed shoulder cushion and a seat cushion fixedly attached to said seat spine.

Claims

4. A vehicle seat frame in accordance with claim 3 wherein said back spine widens at its top region giving support to the shoulders of the occupant of the seat, said back spine having a fixed shoulder cushion attached thereto and a separate adjustable lumbar cushion adjustably attached to said back spine below said fixed shoulder cushion, an adjustable head rest adjustably attached to said back spine above said fixed shoulder cushion and a seat cushion fixedly attached to said seat spine.