Expandable Aircraft Lavatory Wall-Door for PRM Accessibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft lavatories are not typically designed to accommodate Persons of Reduced Mobility (PRM), as they require more space than standard lavatories and existing designs often conflict with seating and seating capacity concerns, making it difficult to dedicate sufficient space for PRM access.
Innovation Solution
An expandable aircraft lavatory system that converts from a standard footprint to a larger footprint by using a movable wall-door that can extend to accommodate PRMs, incorporating additional space from adjacent areas such as the passenger egress area, and includes retractable barrier walls to adjust the lavatory dimensions dynamically.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a standard lavatory footprint is used, then seating capacity is maximized, but accessibility for Persons of Reduced Mobility (PRM) is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The lavatory footprint is made dynamic through a movable wall-door that can transition between different positions. When the wall-door moves to a second position, it creates an expanded footprint that accommodates PRM wheelchairs. When in the first position, the standard footprint is maintained for normal operations, thus resolving the contradiction between accessibility and seating capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The lavatory space is segmented into a fixed portion and a variable portion controlled by the movable wall-door. The wall-door itself acts as a separable element that can be positioned to either include or exclude adjacent space (such as passenger egress area) from the lavatory footprint, enabling flexible adaptation to different usage requirements.
2Adaptability or versatility
If additional space is allocated for PRM lavatory, then accessibility is improved, but available aircraft cabin space is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of permanently allocating additional space, the system uses a dynamic wall-door mechanism that temporarily expands the lavatory footprint only when needed for PRM accommodation. The movable wall-door can incorporate adjacent cabin space (such as passenger egress area) into the lavatory footprint on demand, thus providing PRM accessibility without permanently reducing available aircraft cabin space.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable wall-door serves multiple functions: it acts as a boundary element of the lavatory, a space-partitioning mechanism, and a means to dynamically incorporate or release adjacent cabin space. This multi-functionality allows the same structural element to serve both PRM accommodation and general cabin space requirements.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a movable wall-door is used to expand lavatory footprint, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wall-door mechanism is segmented into multiple operable components that can be independently controlled. This segmentation allows for simplified individual elements rather than a single complex mechanism, and enables the wall-door to be maneuvered through a series of simple positional changes to achieve footprint transformation.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using complex mechanical systems to expand the lavatory footprint outward, the invention uses a movable wall-door that repositions existing boundary elements. The complexity is inverted by using a relatively simple repositioning mechanism rather than elaborate expansion structures, thus achieving adaptability with reduced device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Alterable aircraft lavatory configurations for improving access for Persons of Restricted Mobility are disclosed comprising incorporating an expandable aircraft lavatory wall-door that can convert from a configuration as a wall in a lavatory having an aircraft lavatory first footprint into a configuration as an expanded door in an expanded aircraft lavatory having an aircraft lavatory second footprint that is larger than the aircraft lavatory first footprint.