AIRCRAFT CABIN

Abstract

An aircraft cabin (100) is disclosed. The aircraft cabin (100) comprises a plurality of pairs of seat units (120) positioned along an aisle (101). Each aisle seat unit (122 A) comprises an aisle seat (125A) and an aisle footwell (126 A) and each non-aisle seat unit (123 A) comprises a non-aisle seat (127 A) and a non-aisle footwell (128A). The aisle seat unit (122 A) and non-aisle seat unit (123A) are positioned with respect to one another such that the aisle seat (125A) faces towards a first end of the cabin (100) and has direct access to the aisle (101), the non-aisle seat (127A) faces towards a second, opposite end of the cabin (100). The aisle seat unit (122 A) is oriented at an angle with respect to the non-aisle seat unit (123 A) to provide the non-aisle seat unit (123 A) with an aisle access path (129 A) between the non-aisle seat (127 A) and the aisle footwell (126A). The width of the non-aisle footwell (128 A) is less than the width of the non-aisle seat (127A) and the aisle seat (125A) is positioned directly adjacent the non-aisle footwell (128A).

Claims

1. An aircraft cabin comprising a first aisle and a first plurality of pairs of seat units positioned along the first aisle on a first side of the first aisle, each pair of seat units comprising a non-aisle seat unit and an aisle seat unit, wherein the aisle seat unit comprises an aisle seat and an aisle footwell and the non-aisle seat unit comprises a non-aisle seat and a non-aisle footwell, and wherein the aisle seat unit and non-aisle seat unit are positioned with respect to one another such that: the aisle seat faces towards a first end of the cabin and has direct access to the aisle, the non-aisle seat faces towards a second, opposite end of the cabin, and the aisle seat unit is oriented at an angle with respect to the non-aisle seat unit to provide the non-aisle seat unit with an aisle access path between the non-aisle seat and the aisle footwell, and wherein the width of the non-aisle footwell is less than the width of the non-aisle seat, the aisle seat is positioned directly adjacent the non-aisle footwell, and wherein the non-aisle seat unit is oriented at an angle to a longitudinal axis of the aircraft cabin such that the non-aisle seat faces towards the first aisle.

2. An aircraft cabin according to claim 1, wherein the aisle seat faces in a direction defining an aisle seat unit axis and wherein the aisle seat unit axis is oriented at an aisle seat unit angle of between 16 and 20 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft cabin.

3. An aircraft cabin according to claim 1, wherein the non-aisle seat faces in a direction defining a non-aisle seat unit axis and wherein the non-aisle seat unit axis is oriented at a non-aisle seat unit angle of between 2 an d9 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft cabin.

4. An aircraft cabin according to claim 1, wherein the aisle seat faces in a direction defining an aisle seat unit axis and non-aisle seat faces in direction defining a non-aisle seat unit axis and wherein the non-aisle seat unit axis is oriented at an angle of between 19 and 25 degrees with respect to the aisle seat unit axis.

5. An aircraft cabin according to claim 1, wherein a seat unit pair axis passes through both the non-aisle seat and aisle seat of each pair of seat units of the first plurality of pairs of seat units.

6. An aircraft cabin according to claim 1 further comprising a second plurality of pairs of seat units positioned along the first aisle on a second, opposite side of the first aisle, wherein the second plurality of pairs is substantially identical to the first plurality of pairs.

7. An aircraft cabin according to claim 6 further comprising a second aisle, wherein the first aisle and the second aisle are positioned between the first plurality of pairs of seat units and the second plurality of pairs of seat units.

8. An aircraft cabin according to claim 7, wherein a third plurality of pairs of seat units is positioned between the first aisle and the second aisle, the third plurality of pairs of seat units being positioned along one of the first aisle or second aisles, each pair of seat units comprising a non-aisle seat unit and an aisle seat unit, wherein the aisle seat unit comprises an aisle seat and an aisle footwell and the non-aisle seat unit comprises a non-aisle seat and a non-aisle footwell, wherein the width of the non-aisle footwell is less than the width of the non-aisle seat, and wherein the aisle seat unit and non-aisle seat unit are positioned with respect to one another such that: the aisle seat faces towards a first end of the cabin and has direct access to the one of the first or second aisles, the non-aisle seat faces towards a second, opposite end of the cabin, the aisle seat is positioned directly adjacent the non-aisle footwell, and the aisle seat unit is oriented at an angle with respect to the non-aisle seat unit to provide the non-aisle seat unit with an aisle access path between the non-aisle seat and the aisle footwell.

9. An aircraft cabin according to claim 8, wherein an aisle seat unit angle of the third plurality of seat units is different to an aisle seat unit angle of the first plurality of seat units.

10. An aircraft cabin according to claim 8, wherein a non-aisle seat unit angle of the third plurality of seat units is different to a non-aisle seat unit angle of the first plurality of seat units.

11. An aircraft cabin according to claim 8, wherein the third plurality of seat units comprises a plurality of sets of three seat units, each set of seat units comprising a first seat unit corresponding to the aisle seat the pair of seat units, a second seat unit corresponding to the non-aisle seat of the pair of seat units, and a third seat unit.

12. An aircraft cabin according to claim 11, wherein the third seat unit is an aisle seat unit comprising an aisle seat and an aisle footwell, and wherein the third seat unit is positioned with respect to the first and second seat units such that: the aisle seat of the third seat unit faces towards a first end of the cabin and has direct access to the other of the first and second aisles, the aisle seat of the third seat unit is positioned directly adjacent the non-aisle footwell of the second seat unit, and the aisle footwell of the third seat unit is positioned directly adjacent the non-aisle seat of the second seat unit.

13. An aircraft cabin according to claim 12 wherein the aisle seat of the third seat unit faces in a direction defining a third seat unit axis, wherein the third seat unit axis is oriented at an angle of between 5 and 8 degrees to a longitudinal axis of the aircraft cabin.

14. A kit of parts suitable for forming an aircraft cabin according to claim 1.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings of which:

[0026] FIG. 1 is a plan view of an aircraft cabin according to a first embodiment of the invention;

[0027] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a pair of outboard seat units from the aircraft cabin according to the first embodiment of the invention;

[0028] FIG. 3 is a plan view of a set of three inboard seat units from the aircraft cabin according to the first embodiment of the invention; and

[0029] FIG. 4 is a plan view of an aircraft cabin according to a second embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] A plan view of an aircraft cabin 100 according to an embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 1. The cabin 100 is that of a wide-body aircraft and comprises a starboard wall 102, which is shown on the left-hand side of the FIG. 1, and a port wall 103, which is shown on the right-hand side of FIG. 1. The fore of the aircraft would therefore be located below the image shown in FIG. 1 and the aft of the aircraft would therefore be located above the image shown in FIG. 1. The cabin 100 comprises a starboard plurality of pairs of seat seats 120 arranged in a column along the starboard side of the cabin 100, between the starboard wall 102 of the cabin 100 and a starboard aisle 101, a port plurality of pairs of seat units 140 arranged in a column along the port side of the cabin 100, between the port wall 103 of the aircraft cabin 100 and a port aisle 104, and an inboard plurality of seat units 160 arranged in a column centrally along the length of the cabin 100 between the port and starboard aisles 101, 104. The inboard plurality of seat units 160 comprises a plurality of sets of three seat units 161A, 161B, 161C arranged in a column along the length of the cabin 100.

[0031] The port and starboard aisles 101, 104 run the length of the cabin 100 and are oriented substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis X of the aircraft cabin 100 which runs centrally along the length the cabin 100. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the starboard plurality of pairs of seat units 120 and the port plurality of pairs seat units 140 are arranged symmetrically about the longitudinal axis X and are therefore substantially identical mirror images of one another whereas the each set of three seat units 161A, 161B, 161C of the inboard plurality of seat units 160 is arranged asymmetrically about the longitudinal axis X of the cabin 100.

[0032] Because each of the starboard pairs of seat units 121A, 121B, 121C are arranged in substantially the same way as each of the port pairs of seat units 141A, 141B, 141C, the arrangement of the pairs of seat units will now be described with reference only to the single pair of starboard seat units 121A that is depicted in isolation in FIG. 2. The pair of seat units 121A consists of an aisle seat unit 122A comprising an aisle seat 125A and an aisle footwell 126A and a non-aisle seat unit 123A comprising a non-aisle seat 127A and a non-aisle footwell 128A. The seats are configurable between an upright sitting configuration and a lie-flat bed mode configuration. In the lie-flat configuration a leg rest of the seat extends into its respective footwell. The aisle seat unit 122A is situated immediately adjacent the aisle 101 with direct access to the aisle 101, and the non-aisle seat unit 123A is situated immediately adjacent the starboard wall 102 of the aircraft cabin 100. The aisle seat unit 122A is therefore positioned between the non-aisle seat unit 123A and the starboard aisle 101.

[0033] The aisle seat unit 122A and non-aisle seat unit 123A of the pair 121A are situated side-by-side in a “head-to-toe” configuration. Configured as such, the seats of the pair of seat units are spaced apart along the longitudinal axis X of the aircraft cabin 100 and face in substantially opposite directions, with the aisle seat 125A facing towards the aft of the cabin 100 and the non-aisle seat 127A facing towards the fore of the cabin 100. The non-aisle footwell 128A is located at substantially the same position along the longitudinal axis X as the aisle seat 125A and the aisle footwell 126A is located at substantially the same position along the longitudinal axis X as the non-aisle seat 127A.

[0034] The pitch of a seat unit is the distance along the longitudinal axis X of the aircraft cabin 100 between a given point on a seat unit and the corresponding point the immediately adjacent seat unit situated to the front or to the rear. In order to reduce the pitch of the pairs of seat units 120, the both the aisle and non-aisle seat units 122A, 123A are oriented at an angle to the longitudinal axis X of the aircraft cabin 100. The non-aisle seat 127A faces in a direction defining an non-aisle seat unit axis Y2 which is oriented at an non-aisle seat unit angle α2 of 2.5 degrees to the longitudinal axis X of the cabin 100. The aisle seat 125A faces in a direction defining an aisle seat unit axis Y1 which is oriented at an aisle seat unit angle α1 of 17.1 degrees to the longitudinal axis of the cabin 100. The angle between the aisle seat unit axis and non-aisle seat unit axis is therefore 19.6 degrees. Such an arrangement results in an outboard seat unit pitch P1 of 201 centimetres.

[0035] The aisle seat unit 122A is positioned such that the aisle seat 125A is directly adjacent the non-aisle footwell 128A and, due to the angle between the seat units, such that the aisle footwell 126A is spaced apart from the non-aisle seat 127A. The gap between the aisle footwell 126A and the non-aisle seat 127A provides an aisle access path 129A defining a passenger access path axis Y3 that is substantially parallel with the aisle seat axis Y1. A passenger of the non-aisle seat unit 123A can therefore access the aisle 101 without passing through the aisle seat unit 122A. Furthermore, because the non-aisle seat unit 123A is entered from behind the non-aisle seat 127A via the access path 129A, when sitting in the non-aisle seat 127A there is no direct line of sight from the non-aisle seat 127A into the aisle 101. Such a configuration therefore results in enhanced privacy for the passenger of the non-aisle seat unit 123A.

[0036] The seat units 121A, 122A are angled with respect to the longitudinal axis X of the aircraft cabin 100 in order to reduce their pitch P1. However, rotating the seat units 122A, 123A in this way increases the space occupied by the seat units 122A, 123A across the width of the cabin 100, the width of the cabin 100 being measured substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X. In order to efficiently use the space available across the width of the aircraft cabin 100, the arrangement of the aisle and non-aisle seat units 122A, 123A of each pair takes advantage of the fact that, while the width of the non-aisle seat unit is dictated by the width of the W1 non-aisle seat 127A at the seat-end of the seat unit, the non-aisle footwell 128A can be made with a smaller width W2 than the non-aisle seat 127A so that the non-aisle seat unit 123A can be made narrower at its footwell end.

[0037] As can be seen in FIG. 2, the non-aisle seat unit 123A is at its narrowest at its footwell end, where the width of the seat unit is dictated by the width W2 of the non-aisle footwell 128A. In order to reduce the combined width of the aisle and non-aisle seat units 122A, 123A, the aisle seat 125A is placed directly adjacent the non-aisle footwell 128A. So while the seat units 122A, 123A have been rotated away from the longitudinal axis X of the cabin 100 to reduce the pitch P1 of the seat units, the resulting increase in width of the pair of seat units has been mitigated by moving the aisle seat 125A directly adjacent to the non-aisle footwell 128A, which corresponds to the narrowest part of the non-aisle seat unit 123A. In this configuration, both the aisle seat unit 122A and the non-aisle seat unit 123A overlap a seat unit pair axis S, which, in this embodiment of the invention, is simply a straight line drawn through the cabin 100 parallel with the longitudinal axis X of the cabin 100. As can be seen in FIG. 2, a section of the seat unit pair axis S of length L1 passes through the pair of seat units 121A, the length L1 being equal to the pitch P1 of the pair of seat units 121A. The non-aisle seat unit 123A overlaps the section of length L1 along a length Q1 of the section, which is approximately equal to 75% of the length L1. Similarly, the aisle seat unit 122A overlaps the section of length L1 along a length Q2 of the section, which is approximately equal to 25% of the length L1. In this configuration the seat unit pair axis S also passes through both the aisle seat 125A and the non-aisle seat 127A.

[0038] A single set of three seat units 161A from the inboard plurality of seat units 160 is shown in isolation in FIG. 3. As can be seen, the set of three seat units 161A comprises a port aisle seat unit 162A situated directly adjacent to the port aisle 104, a starboard aisle seat unit 170A situated directly adjacent to the starboard aisle 101, and a central non-aisle seat unit 163A between the port aisle seat unit 162A and the second non-aisle seat unit. The central non-aisle seat unit 163A and the port aisle seat unit 162A form a pair of seat units that are configured in substantially the same way as the pair of seat units 120A as described above with respect to the first outboard plurality of seat units 120. In FIG. 3, features that the central non-aisle seat unit 163A and the port aisle seat unit 162A have in common with the pair of seat units 120A shown in FIG. 2 have therefore been numbered with corresponding reference numerals but having the prefix “16” instead of “12”. For example, the pair of starboard seat units 121A comprises an aisle seat footwell 126A whereas the pair of seat units formed by central non-aisle seat unit 163A and the port aisle seat unit 162A comprises a port aisle footwell 166A.

[0039] As with the outboard pluralities of pairs of seat units, the central non-aisle seat unit 163A and the port aisle seat unit 162A are arranged “head-to-toe”, with the port aisle seat 165A facing towards the aft of the cabin 100 and the central non-aisle seat 167A facing towards the fore of the cabin 100 so that the central non-aisle footwell 128A is located at substantially the same position along the longitudinal axis X as the port aisle seat 165A and vice versa. However, the arrangement of the central non-aisle seat unit 163A and the port aisle seat unit 162A differs from the outboard pluralities of pairs of seat units 120, 140 in that the port aisle seat unit 162A is oriented at a port aisle seat unit angle θ1 of 12.1 degrees to the longitudinal axis of the cabin 100 and the central non-aisle seat unit 163A is oriented at an angle θ2 of 8.6 degrees to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft cabin 100. The angle between the port aisle seat unit axis Z1 and central non-aisle seat unit axis Z2 is therefore 20.7 degrees.

[0040] The starboard aisle seat unit 170A is configured “head-to-toe” with the central non-aisle seat unit 163A so that the starboard aisle seat unit 170A faces in a direction towards the aft of the aircraft and the footwell 168A of the central non-aisle seat unit 163A is located at substantially the same position along the longitudinal axis X as the starboard aisle seat 175A and vice versa. Because an aisle access path 169A for the central non-aisle seat 167A has been provided between central non-aisle seat 167A and the port aisle footwell 166A, the footwell 178A of the starboard aisle seat unit 170A is positioned directly adjacent to the central non-aisle seat 167A, and the footwell of the central non-aisle seat 167A unit 163A is positioned directly adjacent to the seat of the starboard aisle seat unit 170A in order to efficiently use the space available across the width of the aircraft cabin 100. Arranged as such, the starboard aisle seat 175A faces in a direction defining a starboard aisle seat axis Z3 that is oriented at an angle θ3 of 7.2 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft cabin 100. Configured as such the pitch P2 of a set of three seat units 161A from the inboard plurality of seat units 160 is 205 centimetres.

[0041] A plan view of an aircraft cabin 200 according to a second embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 4. The cabin 200 is that of a narrow-body aircraft and comprises a starboard plurality of pairs of seat units 221A, 221B, 221C arranged along a starboard side of the cabin 200 and a port plurality of pairs of seat units 241A, 241B, 241C arranged along a second, opposite side of the cabin 200. The cabin 200 has a single aisle 201 that runs the length of the cabin 200 between the pluralities of pairs of seat units 220, 240. The outboard seat units 221A, 221B, 221C, 241A, 241B, 241C are substantially identical to the respective starboard and port pairs of seat units 121A, 121B, 121C, 141A, 141B, 141C of the wide-body aircraft cabin 100 according to the first embodiment of the invention and described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

[0042] Whilst the present invention has been described and illustrated with reference to particular embodiments, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention lends itself to many different variations not specifically illustrated herein. By way of example only, certain possible variations will now be described.

[0043] An aircraft cabin according to a third embodiment of the invention is substantially identical to the aircraft cabin according to the first embodiment of the invention. However, the orientation of the seat units is reversed such that the non-aisle seats face towards the aft of the cabin and the aisle seats face towards the fore of the cabin. This arrangement is equivalent to that shown in FIG. 1 but with the port wall on the left-hand side of the figure and the starboard wall on the right-hand side of the figure so that the fore of the aircraft would be located above the figure and the aft of the aircraft would be located below the figure.

[0044] An aircraft cabin according to a fourth embodiment of the invention is substantially identical to the aircraft cabin according to the first embodiment of the invention. However, the orientation of the seat units of the inboard plurality of seat units is reversed such that the port and starboard aisle seats face towards the fore of the cabin and the central non-aisle seats face towards the aft of the cabin.

[0045] An aircraft cabin according to a fifth embodiment of the invention is substantially identical to the aircraft cabin according to the second embodiment of the invention. However, the orientation of the starboard seat units is reversed such that while, for the port seat units, the aisle seats face towards the aft of the cabin and the non-aisle seats face towards the fore of the cabin, for the starboard seat units the non-aisle seats face towards the aft of the cabin and the aisle seats face towards the fore of the cabin.

[0046] An aircraft cabin according to a sixth embodiment of the invention is substantially identical to the aircraft cabin according to the second embodiment of the invention. However, the orientation of the pairs of seat units alternates from pair to pair along the length of the cabin such that while, for a given pair, the aisle seats face towards the aft of the cabin and the non-aisle seats face towards the fore of the cabin, the seat units of the pair situated immediately forward or aft of the given pair are oriented such that the aisle seats face towards the fore of the cabin and the non-aisle seats face towards the aft of the cabin.

[0047] Where in the foregoing description, integers or elements are mentioned which have known, obvious or foreseeable equivalents, then such equivalents are herein incorporated as if individually set forth. Reference should be made to the claims for determining the true scope of the present invention, which should be construed so as to encompass any such equivalents. It will also be appreciated by the reader that integers or features of the invention that are described as preferable, advantageous, convenient or the like are optional and do not limit the scope of the independent claims. Moreover, it is to be understood that such optional integers or features, whilst of possible benefit in some embodiments of the invention, may not be desirable, and may therefore be absent, in other embodiments.