Overhead Stowage Compartment Hull for Lightweight Aircraft Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional overhead stowage compartments are heavy, difficult to handle during installation, and costly, which affects aircraft weight, fuel efficiency, and ergonomics.
Innovation Solution
A self-supporting hull with an open cross-section and vertical connectors that allows for easy handling and installation, combined with customizable partitioning and lightweight materials like thermoplastic and flexible fabrics, reducing weight and complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional overhead stowage compartments are made from rigid and strong materials like honeycomb plate or form, then sufficient material thickness is available for mounting components, but the compartments become heavy and difficult to handle during installation
Solution Approach 1:
The overhead stowage compartment is divided into multiple separate components: a self-supporting hull, vertical connectors, and a lid. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the hull can be made lightweight while vertical connectors provide the necessary structural strength for mounting, resolving the contradiction between overall weight and component strength.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the entire hull thick and heavy, the patent applies material and structural strength locally where needed - specifically in the vertical connectors that mount to the aircraft structure. The hull itself can be lighter since it doesn't need to provide all the mounting strength, thus resolving the contradiction between overall weight and mounting capability.
2Stability of the object's composition
If conventional overhead stowage compartments are made as integrated units, then structural stability is ensured, but they become costly when customization is required
Solution Approach 1:
The compartment is segmented into a hull, vertical connectors, and lid that can be manufactured separately and assembled. This modularity enables easy customization - different hull lengths, connector positions, or lid configurations can be produced by simply adjusting individual components rather than retooling entire integrated structures, thus reducing customization costs while maintaining assembly stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The self-supporting hull design with standardized connection points creates a universal base structure that can accommodate various configurations. The same hull platform can serve multiple customization needs by changing only the vertical connectors or lid arrangements, making the manufacturing process more economical across different configurations.
3Strength
If conventional overhead stowage compartments are heavy, then structural strength is sufficient, but installation becomes ergonomically unfavorable and difficult to reach mounting positions
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the compartment into a lightweight hull and separate vertical connectors, workers can install the hull first (which is easy to handle), then subsequently install the heavier vertical connectors at mounting positions using appropriate tools and techniques. This eliminates the need to manually handle and position the entire heavy structure at difficult-to-reach locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The hull is prepared in advance as a self-supporting structure that can be installed and positioned before the vertical connectors are mounted. This preliminary installation of the lightweight hull allows workers to secure the basic structure first, then add the heavier components in a controlled manner, improving overall installation ergonomics.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a lightweight overhead stowage compartment (OHSC, 100) comprising a self-supporting hull (110) having an open cross-section forming a stowage space and an opening (105) to the stowage space, wherein in a longitudinal direction of the self-supporting hull (110) any section of the self-supporting hull (110) has an open end in the front and rear. The OHSC includes a vertical connector (137) configured to be placed into the stowage space, wherein the vertical connector (137) is mounted to the self-supporting hull (110) at vertical sides of the vertical connector (137) in a force transferring manner. At least one lid (150) is mounted at an arbitrary section of the self-supporting hull (100) and configured to close the opening (105) to the stowage space.