Aircraft Door Handling Arms Pivot Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft door mechanisms are complex, costly, and heavy, relying on slideways and devices for raising and lowering, which complicates locking and unlocking processes.
Innovation Solution
The aircraft door employs a system with first and second handling arms interconnected by pivot connections, allowing relative movement between the door leaf and frame through pivot connections, enabling locking and unlocking without complex mechanisms, and allowing circular translation for additional use configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If slideways and devices for raising and lowering are used in aircraft door mechanisms, then the door can achieve complex movements, but the mechanism becomes complex, heavy, and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the complex slideways and raising/lowering devices from the aircraft door mechanism. By eliminating these unnecessary components, the invention achieves door opening and closing functionality using only pivot connections, thereby reducing mechanical complexity while maintaining the required adaptability for door movement.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using complex slideways to achieve door movement, the invention inverts the approach by using only pivot connections. The door mechanism is redesigned to achieve the same functional outcomes (opening, closing, locking) through rotational movements around pivot points, rather than through linear sliding movements, thereby simplifying the overall mechanism.
2Reliability
If complex mechanisms with slideways are used for locking and unlocking, then the door can be securely locked, but the mechanism becomes heavier and more costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes complex locking mechanisms and slideways, retaining only the essential pivot connections. The locking reliability is maintained through the geometric arrangement of the pivot connections and the deformable quadrilateral mechanism, which naturally provides stable locking positions without requiring additional heavy locking components.
Solution Approach 2:
The door mechanism is designed to lock and unlock automatically through the natural movement of the pivot connections and the deformable quadrilateral mechanism. The system uses its own structural geometry to achieve reliable locking without requiring separate complex locking devices, thereby reducing weight while maintaining security.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple complex devices are used for door opening and closing, then the door can perform various movements, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pivot connections in the invention serve multiple functions simultaneously: they enable door opening, closing, locking, and unlocking operations. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate specialized mechanisms for each operation, thereby reducing the number of components and lowering manufacturing costs while maintaining operational flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple door operations (opening, closing, locking, unlocking) into a single integrated mechanism based on pivot connections. By combining these functions into one unified system rather than using separate devices for each function, the invention reduces manufacturing complexity and cost while preserving the required adaptability for various door movements.
Data Source
AI summary
An aircraft door having: a first handling arm and a first forearm; a second handling arm and a second forearm; a holding device movable between: an immobilising position in which the first forearm and the second forearm are immobilised relative to the door panel; and a released position in which the first forearm and the second forearm are free to pivot relative to the door panel in at least one direction of rotation.