Rotary Hinge Adjustable Damping for Aircraft Stowage Bin Doors
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Rotary hinge assemblies in stowage bin door mechanisms for commercial aircraft cabins face variations in opening time due to differences in stowage bin door weight and geometry, leading to abrupt or slow door opening, which existing technologies fail to consistently address.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable fluidic damper is integrated into the rotary hinge assembly, comprising a rotor, stator, fill plug with entrance and exit holes, and an adjustable valve, allowing for varying fluid resistance to control the opening velocity of the stowage bin door, compensating for weight and geometry differences without requiring disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single universal rotary hinge assembly is used for stowage bin doors of various weights and sizes, then device complexity is reduced, but the opening time becomes inconsistent and door opening becomes abrupt or too slow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the damping characteristic adjustable through a valve mechanism. The valve can be positioned at different locations within the damper assembly to change the fluid flow path and resistance, thereby dynamically adjusting the damping force to match different door weight and geometry requirements while using the same physical hinge assembly structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements parameter changes by modifying the damping parameter through valve positioning. By changing the valve position, the effective damping coefficient is adjusted to compensate for variations in door weight and geometry, ensuring consistent opening velocity across different door configurations without requiring multiple hinge assembly designs.
2Stability of the object's composition
If damping is increased to prevent abrupt door opening, then door opening velocity becomes more controlled, but door opening may become too slow
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable valve mechanism allows the damping parameter to be optimized for each specific door configuration. The valve position can be set to provide the exact damping level needed - enough to prevent abrupt opening but not so much as to cause excessive slowness, achieving a balanced controlled opening velocity tailored to each application.
Solution Approach 2:
By adjusting the valve position, the damping parameter is precisely tuned to achieve the optimal balance between opening smoothness and opening velocity. The parameter can be changed to match the specific weight and geometry requirements, ensuring neither abrupt nor excessively slow door opening.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the hinge assembly is designed to accommodate different door weights and geometries, then adaptability increases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves universality by designing a single hinge assembly structure that can accommodate multiple door weight and geometry configurations. The adjustable valve mechanism enables one physical assembly to perform multiple damping functions, replacing the need for multiple specialized hinge assemblies and thereby increasing adaptability without proportionally increasing overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The dynamic adjustability of the valve allows a single static hinge assembly structure to provide multiple damping characteristics. This enables one universal assembly design to adapt to various door configurations through parameter adjustment rather than requiring complex multi-configuration mechanical structures.
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 adjustable damper ensures consistent opening velocity across varying door weights and geometries, extends the operating life of the hinge assembly by accommodating wear over time, and allows for adjustments without disassembly.
Implementation Method 1
a rotor and a stator combining to form a fluidic damper; a fill plug, a portion of which is disposed between the rotor and stator vanes and includes entrance and exit holes defining a fluidic path for the damper
Data Source
AI summary
A rotary hinge assembly includes a hinge housing including at least one interior chamber. A spring disposed within the hinge housing provides a torque on an attached door while in an opened and closed position. A rotor rotatably disposed within the at least one interior chamber includes at least one rotor vane that moves in relation to a stationarily mounted stator having at least one stator vane. A fill plug includes a plurality of entrance and exit holes disposed in relation to the stator and rotor vanes to define a fluidic damper assembly. A valve disposed within the fill plug permits selective adjustment of the fluidic damper by restricting or opening the entrance and exit holes of the fill plug.