Stowable Aircraft Entry Handle With Rotating Shaft
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft entry handles are typically stowable due to aerodynamic requirements, but existing solutions often require significant space and are coupled with the stairway, limiting independence and passenger convenience.
Innovation Solution
A stowable entry handle system with a rotating and translating mechanism, featuring a cylindrical shaft and mounting structure with slots and protrusions, allowing for easy deployment and stowing within the aircraft fuselage without requiring the stairway's deployment, enabling independent operation and efficient space utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the entry handle is stowed inside the doorway, then space utilization is improved, but accessibility and ease of operation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The handle system transitions from a static fixed position to a dynamic multi-position configuration. The shaft can rotate and translate to move the handle between a stowed position (inside the doorway) and a deployed position (outside the doorway), allowing the system to adapt its state based on operational needs while maintaining both space efficiency and accessibility
2Stability of the object's composition
If the entry handle is coupled with the stairway, then structural integration is improved, but independence and operational flexibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The entry handle system is segmented from the stairway structure into an independent deployable unit. The handle assembly with its shaft and mounting structure can be operated independently without requiring stairway deployment, allowing the handle to be used in various configurations and positions while maintaining structural integrity when installed
3Ease of operation
If the entry handle requires significant space for deployment, then operational range is improved, but space efficiency and aircraft design flexibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The handle deployment utilizes multiple dimensional movements including rotation around the shaft axis and translation along the shaft length. This multi-dimensional motion allows the handle to achieve an extended operational range outside the doorway while maintaining a compact stowed profile inside the doorway, effectively using spatial dimensions to resolve the contradiction between operational range and space efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
A stowable entry handle includes a handle having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, a shaft mechanically coupled with the handle, a protrusion extending from an end of the shaft opposite the handle, and a mounting structure for mechanically coupling to a side wall adjacent a doorway. The shaft includes a cylindrical member that extends perpendicularly from the first end. The mounting structure includes a tube configured to receive the shaft. The tube includes a first slot at a first position within the tube and a second slot at a second position within the tube. The protrusion is configured to insert into the first slot for stowing the handle inside the doorway and the second slot for deploying the handle outside the doorway.