Aircraft Built-in Module with Pivoting Door and Collapsible Bed
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current aircraft crew rest compartments and passenger sleeping boxes lack a compact and space-efficient design, particularly for medium and long-haul flights, where additional sleeping areas are needed without significantly increasing the aircraft's footprint.
Innovation Solution
A modular crew rest compartment with a collapsible bed system that can be integrated into the aircraft cabin, featuring a module housing with a pivoting door and expandable bed sections that can be stowed away during non-use, allowing for efficient use of available space and easy installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If traditional crew rest compartments are installed in overhead compartments or cargo holds, then sleeping areas are provided for crew members, but the aircraft's usable space is significantly reduced and installation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sleeping compartment is divided into two separable parts: a fixed module housing that integrates with the aircraft structure, and a movable bed unit that can be inserted and removed independently. This segmentation allows the sleeping area to be provided without permanently modifying the aircraft's overhead compartments or cargo holds, reducing installation complexity while maintaining sleeping volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The bed unit is designed to be movable between a stowed position (reducing space occupation) and a deployed sleeping position. This dynamic configuration allows the sleeping area to adapt to different operational requirements, providing the needed volume when required while minimizing space usage during other phases of flight, thereby avoiding permanent space reduction.
2Ease of operation
If sleeping boxes are installed adjacent to aisles in passenger cabins, then access to sleeping areas is improved, but the compactness and space efficiency of the module is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The bed unit is designed to extend in the longitudinal direction of the aircraft rather than occupying lateral space adjacent to aisles. By utilizing the longitudinal dimension and extending through the access opening, the module provides easy access to crew members while maintaining a compact lateral footprint that does not interfere with passenger cabin width or aisle space.
Solution Approach 2:
The bed unit can be nested within or adjacent to the module housing structure, utilizing the vertical and longitudinal dimensions of the aircraft cabin. This nesting approach allows the sleeping area to be accessed through the access opening while the bulk of the sleeping volume is contained within the module's structural envelope, maintaining compactness.
3Reliability
If fixed sleeping compartments are installed in aircraft, then crew rest areas are provided, but the ability to utilize unused space efficiently is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The movable bed unit can be positioned in different configurations - extended for sleeping, retracted for storage, or relocated to different positions within the module. This dynamic adaptability allows the same physical space to serve different functions at different times, maximizing space utilization flexibility while ensuring crew rest availability when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The module housing serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, contains the sleeping compartment, offers storage space, and facilitates easy installation and removal. The bed unit itself can serve as both a sleeping surface and a space-saving storage element when not in use, making the entire system versatile and adaptable to various operational requirements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The modular design provides additional sleeping areas for crew members while maintaining a compact footprint, allowing unused space to be utilized effectively and simplifying installation, operation, and stowage, thus enhancing passenger aircraft efficiency and comfort.
Implementation Method 1
The built-in module has at least one module door (13), which is pivotally mounted on the module housing (12) between at least one open and one closed position. The pivot axis of the module door is perpendicular to the base of the housing.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
A built-in module 10 for an aircraft 1 is proposed, comprising a module housing 12, wherein the module housing 12 has a sleeping compartment 14 with a sleeping area A1, the sleeping compartment 14 being accessible via an access opening 15, with a module door 13, wherein the module door 13 is pivotably arranged on the module housing 12, wherein the module door 13 closes the access opening 15 in a closed position S and releases the access opening 15 in an open position O1, with at least one cot 16, wherein the cot 16 provides a floor area A2 in the sleeping compartment 14 and in a basic position G, wherein the floor area A2 is smaller than or equal to the sleeping area A1 of the sleeping compartment 14, wherein the cot 16 can be moved from the basic position G to a lying position L in the open position O1 of the module door 13, wherein in the lying position L a lying surface A3 extends beyond the sleeping compartment 14 for at least one person is providedwhere the sleeping area A3 is larger than the sleeping area A1 of bedroom 14.