Electric execution system for aircraft cabin door

Abstract

The invention discloses an electric execution system for an aircraft cabin door, and the system comprises a lifting unit which is used for driving and lifting the cabin door to realize opening degree-of-freedom release; the sliding opening unit is used for driving the lifted cabin door to slide, and opening of the cabin door is completed; the electric driving unit outputs power or interrupts power output in a switchable mode, when the power is output, lifting driving force is provided for the lifting unit, and after the lifting unit lifts the cabin door, the sliding opening unit is driven, and sliding opening of the cabin door is completed; the driving step that electric driving is firstly lifted and then sliding opening is conducted is adopted, so that opening and closing of the cabin door are electrically achieved, meanwhile, electric driving power can be switched into a transmission interruption state, the cabin door can be opened through manual driving at the moment, electric driving and manual driving do not interfere with each other, and the safety of the cabin door is improved. On the premise that the safety of the cabin door is guaranteed, the operation of opening the cabin door is simplified, the effects of saving labor and time are achieved, and the sense of science and technology is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of commercial aircraft, and more specifically to an electric actuator system for a semi-blocking cabin door of an aircraft. Background Technology

[0002] Aircraft cabin doors are not only passageways for passengers, but also an important guarantee for the safe operation of aircraft. In order to avoid circuit failures affecting the opening and closing and thus compromising safety, cabin doors are usually designed to be manually operated. The opening process is divided into two stages: lifting and opening. When closing, the doors first slide to close and then land and lock. The opening and closing operation is relatively laborious and lacks a sense of technology.

[0003] Therefore, the electric opening mechanism of the aircraft cabin door is one of the key and difficult points in cabin door design, and it is subject to various constraints, including the structural design of the cabin door to achieve the electric sliding drive when opening the cabin door.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to improve the existing aircraft door opening and closing structure to include electric participation, enabling electrically driven opening and closing, and ensuring that the electric mechanism does not interfere with manual opening and closing. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the object of the present invention is to provide an electric actuator system for aircraft doors, which has electric participation to realize electric drive opening and closing, and the electric mechanism does not interfere with manual opening and closing.

[0006] An electric actuator system for an aircraft cabin door according to the present invention includes:

[0007] The lifting unit is used to drive the hatch to lift, thereby releasing its degree of freedom of opening.

[0008] The sliding opening unit is used to drive the raised hatch to slide and complete the hatch opening;

[0009] The electric drive unit can switch between outputting power or interrupting power output. When outputting power, it provides lifting driving force to the lifting unit, and after the lifting unit lifts the hatch, it drives the sliding opening unit to complete the sliding opening of the hatch.

[0010] Furthermore, the lifting unit has a lifting power input end, which receives the lifting power output from the electric drive unit to generate rotation, thereby lifting the hatch.

[0011] Furthermore, the sliding opening unit includes a lead screw shaft and a flexible drive rod. The lead screw shaft is rotatably fitted and its length direction freedom is constrained, and it is installed on the hatch and used to receive the driving power of the electric drive unit. The flexible drive rod has at least a degree of freedom of deformation in the vertical direction, and its first end is threadedly fitted with the lead screw shaft to form a lead screw pair. Its second end is constrained and can revolve around the hatch hinge axis of the hatch hinge arm 7, which is hinged to the hatch. At the same time, this revolve causes the hinge arm to generate a reaction force.

[0012] Furthermore, the sliding opening unit also includes planetary gears and a sun gear meshing with the planetary gears. The sun gear is coaxial with the hinge axis of the hatch and is lockable and has a free rotational degree of freedom. The second end of the flexible drive rod is connected to the planetary gears.

[0013] Furthermore, the sliding opening unit also includes a planet carrier, through which the planetary gears are constrained and engaged with the sun gear.

[0014] Furthermore, a rigid fit is formed between the planetary carrier and the hatch in the hatch opening and sliding direction.

[0015] Furthermore, it also includes a locking unit with a locking power output end, which can be controlled to form a rotational lock on the sun gear and release its rotational degrees of freedom.

[0016] Furthermore, the flexible drive rod includes a first end seat and a rod body. The first end seat is threadedly engaged with the lead screw shaft to form the lead screw pair. The first end of the rod body is hinged to the first end seat via a first hinge, and the second end of the rod body is hinged to the planetary gear via a second hinge. One of the first hinge and the second hinge rotates in the vertical direction, and the other is rotated and hinged in the door sliding direction.

[0017] The planetary carrier is connected to the hatch via a rigid frame, which includes a first frame fixed to the planetary carrier and a second frame fixed to the hatch. The first frame and the second frame are hinged together, allowing for single-degree-of-freedom rotation in the vertical direction.

[0018] Furthermore, the drive unit includes a servo motor and a transmission assembly. The transmission assembly includes a lifting bevel gear, a sliding bevel gear, and a driving bevel gear. The driving bevel gear is used to receive the output power of the servo motor and meshes with the lifting bevel gear and the sliding bevel gear respectively. The lifting bevel gear can be switched to engage or disengage with the lifting power input end, and the sliding bevel gear can be switched to engage or disengage with the lead screw shaft.

[0019] Furthermore, the locking unit also includes a locking drive and a locking rod assembly. The locking rod assembly includes a first locking rod and a second locking rod. The first locking rod and the second locking rod together with the locking power output end form a rocker-slider structure. The locking drive is used to drive the rocker-slider structure so that the locking power output end forms a reciprocating motion, thereby completing the rotational locking of the sun gear and the release of its rotational degree of freedom.

[0020] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: The electric actuator system for aircraft cabin doors disclosed in this invention adopts an electric drive step of first lifting and then sliding to open, which makes the opening and closing of the cabin door electric. At the same time, the electric drive power can be switched to an interrupted transmission state, and the cabin door can be opened manually at this time. This ensures that there is no interference between electric drive and manual drive, simplifies the operation of opening the cabin door while ensuring the safety of the cabin door, and has the effects of saving effort and time, and has a sense of technology. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments:

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 for Figure 1 View along direction A;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention installed on the hatch;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the transmission system structure of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0026] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, an electric actuator system for an aircraft cabin door in this embodiment includes:

[0027] The lifting unit 1 is used to drive the hatch 5 to lift, thereby releasing the degree of freedom of opening. The opening process of the hatch 5 involves a lifting process, which is not substantially different from the structure of the existing technology of manually opening hatches. It is only necessary to add a power input for receiving electric power, which will not be described in detail here.

[0028] The sliding opening unit 2 is used to drive the raised hatch 5 to slide and complete the hatch opening. In this structure, the hatch can be driven to complete the same sliding action as manually through electric drive and transmission structure. A mechanical drive and transmission structure that can achieve this action can be used, which will not be described in detail here.

[0029] The electric drive unit 3 can switch between outputting power and interrupting power output. When outputting power, it provides lifting driving force to the lifting unit and drives the sliding opening unit after the lifting unit lifts the hatch to complete the sliding opening of the hatch. The electric drive unit can be designed according to needs. The lifting unit and the sliding opening unit can be equipped with power separately or separately, both of which can achieve the purpose of the invention. At the same time, when the power output is interrupted, it is equivalent to cutting off the electric drive power, which does not interfere with the manual opening of the hatch and ensures safety.

[0030] The electric drive unit 3 drives the lifting unit 1 to complete the lifting action and drives the sliding opening unit 2 to complete the sliding opening action to open the hatch. The reverse operation can close the hatch. This will not be described in detail here.

[0031] In this embodiment, the lifting unit 1 has a lifting power input end, which receives the lifting power output from the electric drive unit 3 to rotate and drive the hatch to lift. As shown in the figure, the lifting unit 1 includes a lifting shaft 101. The lifting power input end can be an extension of the lifting shaft 101 or a separate arrangement that is in transmission cooperation with the platform lifting shaft 101. The lifting of the hatch 5 is completed by driving the lifting shaft 101 to rotate. The rotation of the lifting shaft to drive the hatch to achieve lifting, unlocking, and sliding freedom is the usual action before the hatch is opened. For this invention, the original manual lifting unit does not need to be structurally improved. It is only necessary to bring out the lifting power input end to receive the electric drive power. At the same time, in order to ensure the use of manually opening the hatch, a drive handle 102 for manually opening the hatch is also retained. When using the drive handle 102, the lifting shaft is first manually driven to lift the hatch, and then the hatch is manually driven to slide to complete the manual opening of the hatch 5.

[0032] In this embodiment, the sliding opening unit 2 includes a lead screw shaft 203 and a flexible drive rod. The lead screw shaft 203 is rotatably fitted and has its length direction freedom constrained, and is installed on the hatch 5 to receive the driving power of the electric drive unit 3. The rotatable fit and the constrained length direction freedom of the lead screw shaft can adopt existing mechanical installation structures. For example, as shown in the figure, both ends of the lead screw shaft 203 are rotatably supported on the hatch 5 by bearings, forming an axial limit. This can be achieved through axial limit structures commonly used for lead screws, such as limit rings, which will not be elaborated further here. The flexible drive rod has at least a degree of freedom of deformation in the vertical direction, generally achieved through hinges. The current modification is mainly adapted to the lifting action of the hatch, which will not be elaborated here; and the first end is threaded with the lead screw shaft 203 to form a lead screw pair, and the second end is constrained to revolve around the hatch hinge axis of the hatch hinge arm 7, which is hinged to the hatch. At the same time, this revolution causes the hinge arm to generate a reaction force, which causes the hatch to rotate relative to the hinge arm. In the prior art, the opening process of the hatch is a compound sliding motion formed by the rotation of the hatch around the axis of the hinge arm and the rotation of the hinge arm (hinged to the fuselage). In the existing hatch design, this compound motion is completed by the hatch rotating around the hinge axis, which drives the hinge arm to rotate. This will not be elaborated here.

[0033] Therefore, when the lead screw shaft 203 rotates, it drives the first end of the flexible drive rod to slide, thereby driving the second end to revolve. The hinge arm 7 generates a reaction force, which causes the hatch to rotate around the hinge axis, thereby realizing the opening and sliding action of the hatch.

[0034] In this embodiment, the sliding opening unit 2 further includes a planetary gear 206 and a sun gear 207 meshing with the planetary gear 206. The sun gear 207 is coaxial with the hinge axis of the hatch and is lockable and has a free rotational degree of freedom. The second end of the flexible drive rod is connected to the planetary gear 206. As shown in the figure, the hatch 5 is hinged to the hinge arm 7 via a hinge shaft 701, and the sun gear is directly rotatably fitted onto the hinge shaft 701. When the hatch needs to be opened electrically, the sun gear 207 is locked and fixed relative to the hinge arm 7. When the planetary gear 206 is driven by the flexible drive rod to revolve around the sun gear 207 and rotate on its own axis, the sun gear 207 generates a reaction force on the planetary gear 206. The reaction force is generally transmitted through the planetary gear shaft, thereby driving the hatch to rotate around the hinge axis.

[0035] In this embodiment, the sliding opening unit 2 further includes a planetary carrier 208, and the planetary gears 206 are engaged with the sun gear 207 by the planetary carrier 208. As shown in the figure, the planetary gears 205 are rotatably supported by the planetary carrier 208 through the planetary gear shaft, and the planetary carrier 208 forms a rotating structure around the hinge axis of the hatch. In this structure, the planetary carrier 208 is located at a position lower than the sun gear and planetary gears to avoid installation interference. The reaction force is transmitted to the hatch by the planetary carrier 208, which has a simple and compact structure and stable force transmission. The structure of the planetary carrier is not limited, as long as it can rotate around the hinge axis of the hatch and support the planetary gears, which will not be described in detail here.

[0036] In this embodiment, the planetary carrier 208 and the hatch 5 form a rigid fit in the hatch opening and sliding direction. The mechanical structure that can achieve rigid connection can be adopted using existing technology, but interference with hatch lifting should be avoided, which will not be elaborated here.

[0037] In this embodiment, a locking unit 6 is also included, which has a locking power output end 604 and can controllably lock the rotation of the sun gear 207 and release its rotational degree of freedom. This structure has many possible implementation methods, such as locking by a pin, locking by a pawl, etc., which will not be described in detail here.

[0038] In this embodiment, the flexible drive rod includes a first end seat 204 and a rod body 205. The first end seat 204 is threadedly engaged with the lead screw shaft 203 to form the lead screw pair. The first end of the rod body 205 is hinged to the first end seat 204 via a first hinge, and the second end of the rod body 205 is hinged to the planetary gear 206 via a second hinge. One of the first hinge and the second hinge rotates in the vertical direction, while the other is rotatably hinged in the door sliding direction. In this embodiment, the first hinge is rotatably hinged in the door sliding direction, which can align the first end seat 204 at any time to avoid motion interference. This structure allows the flexible drive rod to have two degrees of freedom of deformation, without interfering with the lifting of the door 5. At the same time, the rotation of the lead screw pair formed by the lead screw shaft will not interfere with the rotation, thus ensuring smooth power transmission.

[0039] The planetary carrier 208 is connected to the hatch via a rigid frame. The rigid frame includes a first frame 209 fixed to the planetary carrier 208 and a second frame 2010 fixed to the hatch. The first frame 209 and the second frame 2010 are hinged together, allowing single-degree-of-freedom rotation in the vertical direction. As shown in the figure, the first frame 209 is a rod-shaped structure that forms a hinge joint, and the second frame 2010 is a frame structure that forms a hinge shaft. The hinge shaft passes through the hinge joint to form a hinge. The hinge joint has a certain width to ensure single-degree-of-freedom rotation in the vertical direction, which is suitable for raising the hatch and facilitates the formation of transmission.

[0040] By combining the design of the planetary carrier and rigid rod, the design of the flexible drive rod, and the structural design of the planetary gears and sun gears, the electric drive design for the drive door to rotate around the hinge arm was cleverly completed. This creates a complex compound sliding motion during the door opening process, realizing the electric opening and closing of the aircraft door without interfering with manual opening.

[0041] In this embodiment, the drive unit 3 includes a servo motor 301 and a transmission assembly. A harmonic reducer 302 is also provided in cooperation with the servo motor 301 for outputting power. The transmission assembly includes a lifting bevel gear 305, a sliding bevel gear 304, and a driving bevel gear 306. The driving bevel gear 306 is used to receive the output power of the servo motor 301 (through the harmonic reducer 302) and meshes with the lifting bevel gear 305 and the sliding bevel gear 304 respectively. The lifting bevel gear 305 can be switched to engage or disengage with the lifting power input end, and the sliding bevel gear 304 can be switched to engage or disengage with the lead screw shaft 203.

[0042] As shown in the figure, the sliding opening unit 2 also includes a sliding force input shaft, a driving pulley 201 (or driving sprocket) driven on the sliding force input shaft, and a driven pulley 202 (or driven sprocket) driven on the lead screw shaft 203. The transmission between the sliding bevel gear 304 and the lead screw shaft 203 is achieved through the sliding force input shaft. In this structure, the sliding bevel gear 304 can be switched to drive with or disconnect from the sliding force input shaft, thereby achieving drive engagement or disconnection with the lead screw shaft 203.

[0043] The aforementioned transmission engagement or disengagement can be achieved using a typical transmission shifting mechanism. As shown in the figure, this embodiment uses a shift fork assembly, which includes a shift fork, a shift fork drive, and a coupling, a structure common to existing technologies. The coupling is simultaneously engaged with both the sliding power input shaft and the lifting power input end. The sliding bevel gear is loosely fitted on the sliding power input shaft, and the lifting bevel gear is loosely fitted on the lifting power input end. When the shift fork controls the coupling to slide towards the sliding bevel gear, a sliding power output is formed; when the coupling slides towards the lifting bevel gear, a lifting power output is formed. When the coupling is in the middle, the power output is interrupted. These are all typical transmission engagement or disengagement designs, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0044] In this embodiment, the locking unit 6 further includes a locking drive member 602 and a locking rod assembly 603. The locking rod assembly 603 includes a first locking rod and a second locking rod. The first and second locking rods, together with the locking power output end 604, form a rocker-slider structure. The locking drive member 602 is used to drive the rocker-slider structure so that the locking power output end 604 forms a reciprocating motion, thereby completing the rotational locking of the sun gear 207 and the release of its rotational degree of freedom. As shown in the figure, the locking unit also includes a component fixed to the hinge arm 7. The housing 601 has an electric actuator installed inside it, which also serves as a constraint on the slider of the locking power output end 604, which acts as a rocker-slider structure. The reciprocating motion of the locking power output end 604 presses or releases the upper axial end face of the sun gear 207, and locking is achieved through friction-enhancing treatment (such as forming textures on the surface to increase friction). By locking the sun gear 207, the function of electrically opening the hatch is accomplished. After release, the sun gear can rotate freely without generating a reaction force, thus activating the manual mode, which will not be elaborated further here.

[0045] In this embodiment, as shown in the figure, multiple partitions (including horizontal and vertical partitions) are fixedly provided on the hatch. The drive unit 3 and the lifting unit 1 are both installed on the hatch through the partitions. At the same time, a bracket for supporting the lead screw shaft, a bracket for installing the rigid rod frame, and a bracket for installing the shift fork assembly 307 are also formed. These are adaptive support structures and will not be described in detail here.

[0046] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, and all such modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electric actuator system for aircraft cabin doors, characterized in that: include: The lifting unit is used to drive the hatch to lift, thereby releasing its degree of freedom of opening. The sliding opening unit is used to drive the raised hatch to slide and complete the hatch opening; The electric drive unit can switch between outputting power or interrupting power output. When outputting power, it provides lifting driving force to the lifting unit, and after the lifting unit lifts the hatch, it drives the sliding opening unit to complete the sliding opening of the hatch.

2. The electric actuator system for aircraft cabin doors according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lifting unit has a lifting power input end, which receives the lifting power output from the electric drive unit to generate rotation, thereby lifting the hatch.

3. The electric actuator system for aircraft cabin doors according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sliding opening unit includes a lead screw shaft and a flexible drive rod. The lead screw shaft is rotatably fitted and its length direction freedom is constrained. It is installed on the hatch and used to receive the driving power of the electric drive unit. The flexible drive rod has at least a degree of freedom of deformation in the vertical direction. Its first end is threadedly fitted with the lead screw shaft to form a lead screw pair. Its second end is constrained and can revolve around the hatch hinge axis of the hatch hinge arm 7. At the same time, this revolve causes the hinge arm to generate a reaction force.

4. The electric actuator system for aircraft cabin doors according to claim 3, characterized in that: The sliding opening unit also includes planetary gears and a sun gear meshing with the planetary gears. The sun gear is coaxial with the hinge axis of the hatch and is lockable and has a degree of rotational freedom that can be released. The second end of the flexible drive rod is connected to the planetary gears.

5. The electric actuator system for an aircraft cabin door according to claim 4, characterized in that: The sliding opening unit also includes a planet carrier, through which the planetary gears are constrained and engaged with the sun gear.

6. The electric actuator system for an aircraft cabin door according to claim 5, characterized in that: The planetary carrier and the hatch form a rigid fit in the hatch opening and sliding direction.

7. The electric actuator system for an aircraft cabin door according to claim 4, characterized in that: It also includes a locking unit with a locking power output end, which can be controlled to form a rotational lock on the sun gear and release its rotational degrees of freedom.

8. The electric actuator system for an aircraft cabin door according to claim 5, characterized in that: The flexible drive rod includes a first end seat and a rod body. The first end seat is threadedly engaged with the lead screw shaft to form the lead screw pair. The first end of the rod body is hinged to the first end seat via a first hinge, and the second end of the rod body is hinged to the planetary gear via a second hinge. One of the first hinge and the second hinge rotates in the vertical direction, and the other is rotated and hinged in the door sliding direction. The planetary carrier is connected to the hatch via a rigid frame, which includes a first frame fixed to the planetary carrier and a second frame fixed to the hatch. The first frame and the second frame are hinged together, allowing for single-degree-of-freedom rotation in the vertical direction.

9. The electric actuator system for an aircraft cabin door according to claim 3, characterized in that: The drive unit includes a servo motor and a transmission assembly. The transmission assembly includes a lifting bevel gear, a sliding bevel gear, and a driving bevel gear. The driving bevel gear receives the output power of the servo motor and meshes with the lifting bevel gear and the sliding bevel gear respectively. The lifting bevel gear can be switched to engage or disengage with the lifting power input end, and the sliding bevel gear can be switched to engage or disengage with the lead screw shaft.

10. The electric actuator system for an aircraft cabin door according to claim 7, characterized in that: The locking unit further includes a locking drive and a locking rod assembly. The locking rod assembly includes a first locking rod and a second locking rod. The first locking rod and the second locking rod together with the locking power output end form a rocker-slider structure. The locking drive is used to drive the rocker-slider structure so that the locking power output end forms a reciprocating motion, thereby completing the rotational locking of the sun gear and the release of its rotational degree of freedom.

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