Arrangements for safety and comfort in vehicles.

Passenger seating comprises rows of seats with a door assembly at the end of each row for improving a seat occupant's privacy. The door assembly includes a door that slides into and out of a base in a primary mode of operation, and which supports a secondary mode of opening. The secondary mode may involve pivoting on hinges. A latch is provided to prevent the door from being opened routinely in the secondary mode. The door assembly is also capable of retracting with respect to the adjacent seat to improve access.

In a preferred embodiment, a contoured class divider for dividing an aircraft cabin includes a panel positioned between an aft seat and a forward seat, the panel having an aft-facing convex contour closely matching an aft-facing contour of a seatback of the forward seat and configured to enhance space utilization. The contoured class divider may include an articulation system to articulate at least a portion of the panel from a first position (normal operation) to a second position (emergency landing). The contoured class divider may provide up to an additional 12 inches of space which can be used to reduce seat pitch (and thereby enhance passenger comfort) or increase the number of rows of seats on a given aircraft.

A seat assembly for an aircraft cabin, wherein the seat assembly includes, in a same row a first seat, and a second seat, and a storage compartment disposed in an adjacent manner between the first and second seats. The storage compartment is sized to accommodate luggage of a passenger in either or both of the first and second seats.

An apparatus for inhibiting cross contamination by airborne droplets between adjacent passengers on an aircraft comprises a case in which a flexible shield can be stored, and from which the shield can be deployed in a vertical, substantially flat configuration, where it is maintained by an extension mechanism. The shield can be coiled within the case when not deployed, and can be retractable by a ratchet and spring when deployment is terminated. An attachment mechanism positions the case between the passengers by fixing the case to a structure such as an arm rest. The extension mechanism can include one or more rigid or semi-rigid rods. The case or shield can include a storage cavity for storage of the rods when not deployed. The attachment mechanism can include an arm rest clamp and/or an insertion member that can pivot downward for insertion between a seat cushion and adjacent structure.

In an illustrative embodiment, a premium class seating arrangement for an aircraft cabin includes at least three passenger suites, each passenger suite including a seat movable between an upright position and a horizontal bed position and an ottoman which expands a surface area of the bed position. The passenger suites may cooperatively form a nested arrangement capable of nesting with identical passenger suite arrangements longitudinally within the cabin area. At least two of the ottomans of the passenger suites may be longitudinally offset in installation position. Each passenger suite in the arrangement is afforded direct aisle access without interference by another passenger suite.

In illustrative embodiments, apparatus and associated methods relate to an aircraft cabin with an elevated zone along a centerline, and a main deck with passenger seating space located under the elevated zone. In an illustrative example, the elevated zone may include an elevated walkway between, for example, one or more cabins on either lateral side of the walkway. Access between the elevated zone and the main cabin may be via a stairway oriented, for example, along the longitudinal axis of the aircraft. The elevated zone may be advantageously retrofit or provided as original equipment that may increase passenger density, for example, and may further provide for enhanced amenities.

The invention describes a passenger seat unit for an aircraft cabin, comprising a seat surface (10), a backrest (20) and a leg rest (30), and having: an upright configuration in which the backrest (20) and the leg rest (30) are in a first position, and a bed configuration in which the backrest (20) and the leg rest (30) are in a second position, the backrest (20), the seat surface (10) and the leg rest (30) forming a substantially plane and continuous surface,
characterised in that: the seat surface (10) is fixed, the backrest (20) is mounted mobile in rotation around a joint axis between the backrest and the seat surface (29), the leg rest (30) is mounted mobile in rotation around a joint axis between the leg rest and the seat surface (39).

The present disclosure relates to an aircraft stowage unit configured to provide a footwell for an adjacent seating unit.

An aircraft seat may include an upper aircraft seat assembly, a lower aircraft seat assembly, and a frame actuation assembly configured to actuate the upper aircraft seat assembly relative to the lower aircraft seat assembly. The lower aircraft seat assembly may include at least one spring coupled to a foundation with a sloped actuation surface configured to cause the upper aircraft seat assembly to be at a decreased height when in a bed position. The compressing of the at least one spring may be configured to counterbalance a load within the aircraft seat and generate a controlled actuation of the upper aircraft seat assembly from an upright position to the bed position. A return force provided by the at least one spring may assist the frame actuation assembly during actuation of the upper aircraft seat assembly from the decreased height of the bed position to the upright position.