Transverse Flight Crew Rest Compartment with Under-Cot Stowage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flight crew rest compartments in aircraft are inefficiently designed, requiring crew members to cover significant distances and offering limited space, which can lead to optical, functional, and technical challenges, and do not adequately adapt to changing requirements or future safety standards.
Innovation Solution
A modularly configured compartment with a cot arranged transverse to the aircraft's longitudinal axis, incorporating a stowage area under the cot, and optional additional modules such as an entry area, seat, and folding table, allowing for flexible layout adjustments and increased comfort, while minimizing space intrusion and enabling short-term revisions to meet varying needs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the rest compartment is located in the ceiling area of the aircraft, then the cockpit crew has to cover a certain distance to reach the FCRC, but the rest facility can be provided in the available space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from traditional longitudinal arrangement of rest compartments to a transverse orientation perpendicular to the aircraft's longitudinal axis. This dimensional change allows the rest facility to be accessed directly from the cockpit without requiring crew members to travel along the longitudinal direction, thereby reducing access distance while utilizing ceiling space effectively
2Device complexity
If the cot is arranged longitudinal to the aircraft axis, then the compartment structure is simpler, but the space intrusion into the aircraft area behind is greater
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs asymmetric arrangement by positioning the rest compartment transverse to the longitudinal axis rather than parallel to it. This asymmetric orientation reduces the projection of the compartment into the aircraft's longitudinal space, minimizing interference with passenger cabin area while maintaining structural integrity
3Ease of manufacture
If the compartment configuration is fixed, then the manufacturing is simpler, but the adaptability to changing requirements and safety standards is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The rest compartment is divided into modular sections including the cot unit, stowage areas, and access panels. This segmentation allows individual components to be manufactured separately using standardized processes while enabling flexible reconfiguration to meet different safety standards and operational requirements without redesigning the entire structure
4Device complexity
If the stowage area is not utilized under the cot, then the compartment design is simpler, but the available stowage space in the aircraft is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The stowage area is nested underneath the cot structure, utilizing the vertical space that would otherwise be unused. This nested arrangement integrates the stowage function within the existing compartment geometry, maximizing storage capacity without adding external structures or complicating the overall design
Data Source
AI summary
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a compartment for accommodating at least one flight crewmember, comprising a first module and a stowage area, wherein the first module comprises a first rest facility, wherein the first rest facility is arranged substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, as well as substantially parallel to the traverse axis of the aircraft, and wherein the stowage area is substantially arranged under the first rest facility.