System for the automatic unlocking of an aircraft door

Abstract

System (10) for automatically unlocking a door (1) of an aircraft (100) upon impact of the aircraft (100), comprising: a door opening (3); a door (1) which is hinged to the aircraft (100) in the door opening (3); and a locking mechanism (4) designed to lock the door (1) to the aircraft (100) in a closed operating state; wherein the locking mechanism (4) has a load transfer device (5), which is designed and coupled to an impact area (7) of the aircraft (100) such that, in the event of an impact of the aircraft (100) in the impact area (7), the load transfer device (5) transmits a deformation load caused by an inward deformation of the impact area (7) to the locking mechanism (4) and thereby unlocks the door (1).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for automatically unlocking a door of an aircraft upon impact of the aircraft, and to an aircraft with such a system.

[0002] For the rapid evacuation of passengers from a passenger aircraft, for example after an emergency landing, several doors are typically used, located in the fuselage or outer skin of the aircraft. These doors can be regular entry or exit doors, doors or gates for loading and unloading baggage and / or supplies, or emergency escape hatches specifically designed for evacuation, for example in the wing area of ​​the passenger aircraft (see, for example, documents EP 2 644 495 B1 and EP 2 944 562 A2). Furthermore, document DE 20 2013 105 503 U1, for example, describes an aircraft fuselage with an outer skin stiffened by a rear structural element, which defines a passenger cabin and a cargo hold.

[0003] A passenger aircraft typically has an emergency door opening system that, in the event of an emergency landing, ensures the doors can be opened as quickly as possible and emergency slides or similar evacuation aids can be deployed. Such an emergency opening of the passenger door can be implemented, for example, using a gas-operated cylinder or actuator (see, e.g., EP 2 644 495 B1), in which a piston with a piston rod, located inside a cylinder, is moved by gas pressure to open the passenger door.

[0004] The fuselage of a typical passenger aircraft comprises one or two passenger decks located in the upper section of the fuselage, and a cargo deck below. In the event of a crash or emergency landing, the resulting impact energy is transferred to the lower fuselage section of the cargo deck, so that deformation and damage do not occur directly in the passenger cabins. Nevertheless, (emergency) doors, and especially their door frames and surrounding structures, are designed to be as robust and resistant as possible to ensure that the doors can be unlocked and opened despite an impact and any resulting fuselage deformation. These and other reasons lead to the use of considerable material weight in the door area.

[0005] To further improve the sustainability and economy of passenger aircraft, consideration is sometimes given to providing additional passenger seats in the lower fuselage areas, which have so far mostly been reserved exclusively for the accommodation of cargo, i.e., in an area that is exposed to greater deformation loads.

[0006] Against this background, the present invention aims to find a simplified emergency unlocking mechanism for aircraft doors.

[0007] According to the invention, this problem is solved by a system having the features of claim 1 and by an aircraft having the features of claim 11.

[0008] Accordingly, a system for the automatic unlocking of an aircraft door upon impact is provided. The system comprises a door opening; a door hinged to the aircraft within the door opening; and a locking mechanism designed to lock the door to the aircraft in a closed operating state. The locking mechanism includes a load transfer device configured and coupled to an impact area of ​​the aircraft such that, upon impact of the aircraft in the impact area, the load transfer device transmits a deformation load caused by an inward deformation of the impact area to the locking mechanism, thereby unlocking the door.

[0009] Furthermore, an aircraft with a system according to the invention is provided.

[0010] One of the underlying ideas of the present invention is to utilize the kinetic energy generated when an aircraft impacts, strikes, or crashes into, for example, a hard surface, to automatically unlock one or more of the aircraft's doors. For this purpose, the load transfer device is coupled to or positioned in a region of the aircraft, such as a lower fuselage section and / or a lower wing section, which is primarily affected by the impact and thus deformed. For example, this impact region could be the bottom of the fuselage, i.e., the lowest part of the fuselage, which is typically the first part of the aircraft to impact. The kinetic energy of the impact is converted into deformation energy, i.e., deformation loads are generated in the corresponding region of the fuselage.The load transfer device is now designed and arranged such that these deformation loads can be used to release a locking mechanism. In this way, a door lock is automatically released when the aircraft experiences deformation in the relevant area. The unlocking can thus advantageously be triggered directly upon impact, enabling a rapid evacuation of the aircraft.

[0011] The solution according to the invention offers a number of advantages over conventional solutions for the emergency unlocking of aircraft doors. For example, significant weight savings can be achieved in the area of ​​the doors and door frames, particularly regarding their reinforcement. In the present solution, the doors are unlocked virtually instantaneously in the first phase of an impact. This occurs regardless of whether further deformations and / or deformations of the aircraft should occur during the subsequent impact. If such deformations were to affect one or more door areas, the corresponding door might no longer be able to be unlocked with conventional solutions that do not provide for instantaneous, directly physical unlocking mediated by the impact, as the corresponding mechanism might also be deformed.For this reason, previous solutions required significant reinforcement of the doors and / or door frames to ensure they could still be unlocked after an impact. This additional weight can be largely eliminated in the present invention. This, in turn, saves fuel and costs. Furthermore, no special actuators, sensors, and / or control devices are required. Instead, the present solution can utilize a robust and simple, for example, mechanical, load transfer solution. For instance, a lever or similar device can be attached in a section of the fuselage away from the impact area at the door.in an area that is not directly deformed, and protrude into and / or be coupled to the impact area in such a way that, in the event of an impact-induced inward deformation, it is moved into the interior of the body and thereby moves further elements of the locking mechanism, so that the door is unlocked.

[0012] In the context of this invention, "automatic" means that the unlocking occurs automatically upon impact, without requiring any action from, for example, a flight attendant. In the present invention, the unlocking is triggered directly by the transfer of the kinetic impact energy.

[0013] Advantageous designs and further developments result from the additional sub-claims as well as from the description with reference to the figures.

[0014] According to a further development, the load transfer device can transmit the deformation load mechanically, electrically, hydraulically, and / or pneumatically. For example, the load transfer device can include a lever positioned such that it is mechanically moved or rotated inwards during inward deformation of the fuselage. This (rotational) movement can be used to actuate further load transfer elements (e.g., a pull rod and / or cable coupled to the lever), which in turn can move a locking bolt to release it. Furthermore, electrically operated systems can be provided, which may include electrical sensors, actuators, controllers, etc.

[0015] According to a further development, the load transfer device can include a load transfer element. The load transfer element can be designed as a lever, linkage, and / or cylinder. For example, a hydraulically and / or pneumatically operated cylinder of a corresponding hydraulic and / or pneumatic system can transfer deformation energy. Alternatively or additionally, mechanical elements such as levers or pull rods, etc., can be used.

[0016] According to a further development, the load transfer device can perform a translational and / or a rotational movement to transfer the deformation load. In a specific example, a lever can be rotated by an inward deformation, which in turn can lead to a translation of a coupled pull rod, thereby releasing the locking mechanism.

[0017] According to one further development, the impact area can be adjacent to the door opening. For example, the impact area can be located in a bottom area of ​​the aircraft fuselage, while the door opening is located in a lower area of ​​the fuselage near the bottom. In alternative further developments, however, the impact area can also be designed at a distance from the door opening. For example, the impact area can be located in a bottom area and / or a wing area of ​​the aircraft, while the door opening is located in an upper or at least spaced-apart area of ​​the aircraft fuselage and / or a wing.

[0018] According to further training, the door opening can be located in the fuselage of the aircraft. However, in principle, the door opening can also be located in a wing and / or a wing section of the aircraft.

[0019] According to a further development, the impact area can be located in a lower section of the aircraft fuselage. In particular, the lowest fuselage section can form an impact area. Accordingly, the load transfer device can be located in this area and / or mechanically, electrically, hydraulically, and / or pneumatically coupled to it.

[0020] According to further training, the impact area can be located within a wing section of the aircraft. For example, the aircraft may be a flying wing, blended-wing-body, or hybrid-wing-body aircraft, or similarly configured, with a more or less distinct demarcation between the fuselage and wings. In one example, the aircraft may have a smooth transition between the fuselage and wings. In another example, the aircraft may have a single wing that serves as both the fuselage and the wing. For instance, in such a configuration, the aircraft may impact first with one or more wings, so the impact area can be located within a wing section.In principle, the impact area can be located in either a fuselage area or a wing area; in particular, the impact area can transition from a fuselage area to a wing area.

[0021] According to further development, the locking mechanism can also include an unlocking safety device. This unlocking safety device can be designed to block and / or release the door from being unlocked by the load transfer device. In this sense, it can be provided that the door is not fully unlocked immediately upon impact. It can be provided that an additional, for example, manual, unlocking of the door is necessary to open it. This can be achieved, for example, via a simple mechanical lever that remains movable even under severe deformation of the body.

[0022] According to further training, the unlocking safety device can be designed for manual operation.

[0023] According to further training, the unlocking safety device can be designed as a manual lever.

[0024] According to a further development, the aircraft can be configured with at least one upper passenger deck and a lower passenger deck located below it. The door opening to the lower passenger deck can be located within the aircraft. For example, the aircraft can be a wide-body or narrow-body aircraft with one or two continuous upper passenger decks and a lower passenger deck below, which may not be continuous but extend only over a portion of the fuselage length (e.g., the lower fuselage section can be divided longitudinally into a lower passenger deck and an adjoining cargo deck). Thus, the lower passenger deck can be located, in particular, in the lower half of a fuselage that typically contains only a cargo deck.

[0025] The above embodiments and further developments can be combined with one another as appropriate. Further possible embodiments, further developments, and implementations of the invention also include combinations of features of the invention described previously or subsequently with regard to the exemplary embodiments, even if not explicitly mentioned. In particular, the person skilled in the art will also add individual aspects as improvements or additions to the respective basic form of the present invention.

[0026] The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the schematic figures. These figures show: Fig. 1a,b schematic sectional view or side view of an aircraft with a system for automatically unlocking a door of the aircraft upon impact of the aircraft according to an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 1c schematic side view of the aircraft from Fig. 1a with a system according to an alternative embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2a-c schematic sectional views of the system from Fig. 1a,b during an aircraft impact; and Fig. 3a-d schematic sectional views of an unlocking process of the system from Fig. 1a,b.

[0027] The accompanying figures are intended to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the invention. They illustrate embodiments and, in conjunction with the description, serve to explain the principles and concepts of the invention. Other embodiments and many of the advantages mentioned will become apparent with reference to the drawings. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily shown to scale.

[0028] In the figures of the drawing, identical, functionally equivalent and similarly acting elements, features and components - unless otherwise stated - are each provided with the same reference symbols.

[0029] Fig. Figure 1a shows a schematic sectional view of an aircraft 100 with a system 10 for automatically unlocking a door 1 of the aircraft 100 upon impact of the aircraft 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. Figure 1b shows aircraft 100 in a schematic side view.

[0030] The depicted aircraft 100 can, for example, be a passenger aircraft, such as a wide-body aircraft, which has a fuselage 2 containing a passenger cabin with two passenger decks 11 and 12 arranged one above the other: an upper passenger deck 11 and a lower passenger deck 12. Unlike typical wide-body aircraft, in this specific example, the lower passenger deck 12 is located in the lower half of the fuselage 2, near a floor area 17 of the fuselage 2, an area usually reserved for a cargo deck or the like. In this example, the upper passenger deck 11 can extend over the entire longitudinal extent of the fuselage 2. The lower passenger deck 12, on the other hand, can, for example, extend only over a section of the fuselage 2 in the longitudinal direction, so that at least one section of the fuselage 2 can be used as a cargo deck (not shown here).The depicted embodiment of aircraft 100 is purely exemplary. Similarly, additional passenger decks may be provided, for example, two upper passenger decks and one lower passenger deck. Furthermore, aircraft 100 may be configured as a narrow-body aircraft or a general passenger aircraft. In principle, embodiments of the invention are also provided in which the aircraft is a flying wing, blended-wing-body, or hybrid-wing-body aircraft, or the like.

[0031] The upper passenger deck 11 comprises in the Fig. In the embodiment shown in 1a,b, a plurality of seats 13 are mounted on an upper cabin floor 14a, which in turn rests on an upper crossbeam 16a in the usual manner. The entire structure is further supported by upper struts 15a. Similarly, the lower passenger deck 12 also comprises a plurality of seats 13, mounted on a lower cabin floor 14b above a lower crossbeam 16b. Below the lower crossbeam 16b, a plurality of lower struts 15b are provided, which serve to reinforce and stiffen the entire lower hull 2. In this lowest area of ​​the hull 2, further reinforcements and / or damping systems may also be provided (not shown) to achieve the most robust possible design of the lower hull 2.

[0032] The hull 2 ​​is provided with a multitude of door openings 3, one of which is shown in an example. Fig. Figure 1b shows the door opening 3, which leads to the lower passenger deck 12 in the fuselage 2. A door 1 is hinged to the fuselage 2 in each door opening 3. The door 1 shown has a locking mechanism 4, designed to lock the door 1 to the fuselage 2 in a closed operating state, e.g., during flight. In the specific embodiment according to... Fig. Figures 1a and 1b provide a total of five locking points 8, via which the door 1 is locked to the body 2 (two lateral and three lower locking points 8). It will be clear to those skilled in the art that a variety of different specific configurations of the locking mechanism 4 and the locking points 8 are possible, depending on requirements and application.

[0033] As an alternative example, Fig. 1c a corresponding system 10 in a slightly modified embodiment of the invention. In this specific embodiment, a total of five locking points 8 are also provided, via which the door 1 is locked to the body 2. However, in this case, in addition to two lateral locking points 8, three upper locking points 8 are provided. The door 1 can, for example, be hinged to the body 2 at a lower side in the door opening 3, so that after unlocking, the door 1 swings or is moved downwards into an open state automatically due to its own weight.

[0034] A fuselage of this type 2 is naturally subjected to considerable loads and stresses during flight. Various forces and moments must be considered, such as lateral forces, torsional and bending moments, etc. Furthermore, considerable internal pressure also exerts forces. All openings, e.g., door openings, in the fuselage structure fundamentally weaken the structure's load-bearing capacity. For this reason, it is conventionally necessary to provide the fuselage 2 with thickenings and other reinforcements around the openings, i.e., in the area around the respective cutout in the fuselage. In a weight-optimized fuselage, the loads are also borne and transferred by the doors, both at the upper and lower edges as well as at the lateral boundaries. To ensure emergency door release even after an impact or collision, and any resulting deformation of the door structure, a safety mechanism is required.To guarantee the reliability of the door mechanisms, a considerable amount of material is sometimes used to reinforce the doors. In one embodiment, as described in... Fig. As shown in Figures 1a and 1b, the area of ​​the lower passenger deck 12 is subjected to significantly greater loads than the upper passenger deck 11 in the event of an impact or collision of the aircraft 100 with the floor area 17. Accordingly, a door 1 located in the area of ​​the lower passenger deck 12 will also be subjected to greater forces and moments than a door in a higher area of ​​the fuselage 2. In such an impact, the floor area 17 located below the lower crossbeam 16b will be the first to deform due to the impact forces, while more distant areas of the fuselage 2, e.g., the area around the door 1, will remain unaffected, at least initially. The present solution for a locking mechanism for the door 1 takes advantage of this fact.

[0035] Fig. Figures 2a-c show schematic sectional views of system 10 for illustrative purposes. Fig. 1a,b during an impact of the aircraft 100. The present solution provides a locking mechanism 4 with a load transfer device 5 (see Fig. 1a as well Fig. 2a-c). The load transfer device 5 is designed and coupled to an impact area 7 in the bottom area 17 of the fuselage 2 such that, upon impact of the aircraft 100 in the impact area 7, the load transfer device 5 transmits a deformation load caused by an inward deformation of the impact area 7 from the fuselage 2 to the locking mechanism 4, thereby unlocking the door 1. The impact area 7 can be adjacent to the door opening 3. In principle, however, it is also possible for the impact area 7 to be arranged at a distance from the door opening.

[0036] Specifically, the load transfer device 5 is mechanically designed with a load transfer element 19 functioning as a lever, which is coupled via a connecting element 18 to one or more of the locking points 8 of the locking mechanism 4 (see Fig. 2a-c). The load transfer element 19 is arranged at a pivot point 21 in a region of the hull 2 ​​away from the bottom region 17, i.e., in a region that is not directly deformed, and projects into the bottom region 17 such that, in the event of an impact-induced inward deformation, it is moved into the interior of the hull 2, rotating about the pivot point. The connecting element 18, e.g., a tie rod or a pull cable or the like, is coupled to the load transfer element 19 at an offset relative to the pivot point 21, such that the connecting element 18 is pulled downwards towards the bottom region 17 due to the rotation of the load transfer element 19. This movement can, in turn, be used to release a locking mechanism of the interlock 4, as described in connection with Fig. 3a-d will be explained below.

[0037] Fig. Figures 3a-d show schematic sectional views of an unlocking process of system 10. Fig. 1a,b. An example of a locking point 8 of the door 1 hinged to the fuselage 2 is shown, with the outer surface of the aircraft 100 indicated by the drawn aircraft skin 20, along which the main loads spread during flight. The locking mechanism 4 can be seen in detail in the sectional view along line AA. Initially, the door 1 is firmly locked to the fuselage 2 by means of a locking bolt 9 mounted in a bracket 22 (cf. Fig. 3a). The locking bolt 9 is connected to the connecting element 18 of the load transfer device 5. Fig. 2a-c are connected in such a way that the locking bolt 9 is pulled out of the locking mechanism 4 as soon as the load transfer device 5 is actuated due to a deformation of the body 2 in the impact area 7 (see Fig. 3b and c).

[0038] This design unlocks door 1 early in the initial phase of the impact, with the unlocking being driven directly by the kinetic energy of the impact. This allows the door to be significantly less reinforced than with conventional solutions, as it unlocks in the first phase of the impact regardless of any further deformation. Furthermore, no special actuators, sensors, or control devices are required. The presented solution offers a very simple and robust purely mechanical solution for the automatic unlocking of the door during impact.

[0039] In this embodiment, the locking mechanism 4 further comprises an unlocking device 6. The unlocking device 6 is designed as a mechanical lever to release or block the unlocking of the door 1 by the load transfer device 5. Fig. 3a-c blocks the unlocking device 6, preventing the door from being unlocked. 1. The unlocking will only occur in Fig. 3d manually released via activation of the release mechanism 6, e.g. by aircraft escort personnel 100. This prevents unwanted, premature opening of door 1.

[0040] In the preceding detailed description, various features have been summarized in one or more examples to improve the clarity of the presentation. However, it should be clear that the above description is merely illustrative and in no way limiting. It serves to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents of the various features and embodiments. Many other examples will be immediately and directly clear to the person skilled in the art based on their technical knowledge, given the above description.

[0041] In one example, the load transfer device can be designed not only mechanically, but also alternatively or additionally electrically, hydraulically, and / or pneumatically. For instance, a hydraulic cylinder can be driven by an inward deformation to operate a locking mechanism.

[0042] The aircraft may be designed, for example, as a flying wing, blended-wing-body, or hybrid-wing-body aircraft, or the like, with an impact area located in a fuselage section and / or a wing section. The door opening may also be located in a wing and / or wing section of the aircraft.

[0043] In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, an inward deformation of the impact area is used to actuate a load transfer device arranged inside a fuselage. Alternatively, it is possible in principle to arrange the load transfer device at least partially outside the fuselage.

[0044] For example, the load transfer device may have a lever that projects outwards from the fuselage at the point of impact. The load transfer device may be oriented and designed such that, upon impact of the aircraft in the impact area, the lever is moved directly by contact with a surface or the like. For example, such a lever or corresponding device may be moved upwards, thereby unlocking the door.

[0045] The exemplary embodiments were selected and described to best illustrate the principles underlying the invention and its practical applications. This enables those skilled in the art to optimally modify and utilize the invention and its various exemplary embodiments with regard to the intended purpose. In the claims and the description, the terms "including" and "comprising" are used as neutral language terms for the corresponding terms "comprehensive." Furthermore, the use of the terms "a," "a," and "an" is not intended to fundamentally exclude multiple features and components described in this way. Reference symbol list 1 door 2 Hull 3 Door opening 4 Locking mechanism 5 Load transfer device 6. Unlocking lock 7 Service area 8 Locking point 9 locking bolts 10 System 11 upper passenger deck 12 lower passenger deck 13 seats 14a upper cabin floor 14b lower cabin floor 15a upper support strut 15b lower support strut 16a upper crossbeam 16b lower crossbeam 17 Floor area 18 Connecting element 19 Load transfer element 20 Aircraft skin 21 Pivot point 22 bracket 100 aircraft

Claims

[1] System (10) for automatically unlocking a door (1) of an aircraft (100) upon impact of the aircraft (100), comprising: a door opening (3); a door (1) which is hinged to the aircraft (100) in the door opening (3); and a locking mechanism (4) designed to lock the door (1) to the aircraft (100) in a closed operating state; wherein the locking mechanism (4) has a load transfer device (5), which is designed and coupled to an impact area (7) of the aircraft (100) such that, in the event of an impact of the aircraft (100) in the impact area (7), the load transfer device (5) transmits a deformation load caused by an inward deformation of the impact area (7) to the locking mechanism (4) and thereby unlocks the door (1). [2] System (10) according to claim 1, wherein the load transfer device (5) transfers the deformation load by at least one of mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic means. [3] System (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the load transfer device (5) comprises a load transfer element (19) which is designed as at least one of a lever, linkage and cylinder. [4] System (10) according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the load transfer device (5) performs at least one translational movement and one rotational movement for the transfer of the deformation load. [5] System (10) according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the impact area (7) adjoins the door opening (3). [6] System (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the door opening (3) is provided in a fuselage (2) of the aircraft (100). [7] System (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the impact area (7) is provided in a bottom area (17) of a fuselage (2) of the aircraft (100). [8] System (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the impact area (7) is provided in a wing area of ​​the aircraft (100). [9] System (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the locking mechanism (4) further comprises an unlocking safety device (6) which is configured to block and release an unlocking of the door (1) by the load transfer device (5) of at least one of [10] System (10) according to claim 9, wherein the unlocking safety device (6) is designed for manual operation. [11] Aircraft (100) with a system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 10. [12] Aircraft (100) according to claim 11, wherein the aircraft (100) is designed with at least one upper passenger deck (11) and a lower passenger deck (12) arranged below the at least one upper passenger deck (11), wherein the door opening (3) to the lower passenger deck (12) is formed in the aircraft (100).

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