Patent attributes
An apparatus for dynamically tilting a seatpan in an aircraft passenger seating assembly includes a seat frame, seatback, seat cushion, and cushion support structure (e.g., a seatpan), the seat cushion and seatpan together having a forward end and a rear end and together supporting a passenger occupying the seating assembly. Accelerometers may detect an inertial event such as a rapid deceleration that may cause the passenger to pitch forward; dynamic seatpan actuators (e.g., airbags or ballistic devices) connected to the accelerometers react to the inertial event by detonating, driving the seatpan and seat cushion upward. As a result, the head path of the passenger may be redirected upward, alleviating the risk of passenger injury and component damage. Additional airbags may react to the inertial event by tightening the passenger seatbelt.
