Aircraft with inwardly foldable rear door

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10005538-B2
Application number	US-201615005265-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2016
Priority date	Jan 28, 2015
Publication date	Jun 26, 2018
Grant date	Jun 26, 2018

Abstract

An aircraft comprising a rear opening and a rear door to close such rear opening, wherein the rear door is attached to the fuselage of the aircraft by means of an arrangement having two links due to which the rear door can be displaced longitudinally and in elevation up to a position at the interior of the fuselage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An aircraft comprising:
a rear door,
a landing gear,
a fuselage extending longitudinally between a nose and a rear part, and extending in elevation between a lower part and an upper part, the lower part being the part of the fuselage on which the landing gear is mounted and the rear part in turn comprising a rear opening, at least a portion of the rear opening configured to be closed by the rear door,
an auxiliary door pivotally connected to the fuselage and configured to open outwardly with respect to the fuselage, the auxiliary door configured to close at least another portion of the rear opening, wherein the
auxiliary door is configured to lock at (i) a first outward position (H) with respect to the fuselage in which the auxiliary door extends along the longitudinal direction of the aircraft, and (ii) a second outward position (V) with respect to the fuselage in which the auxiliary door extends along the elevation direction of the aircraft, and
an arrangement comprising:
a first link comprising:
a first main body,
a first door attaching means, and
a first fuselage attaching means,
wherein the first main body extends along a first length (L 1 ) between the first door attaching means and the first fuselage attaching means, and the first link is pivotally attached to the rear door by means of the first door attaching means and is pivotally attached to the fuselage at a first end by means of the first fuselage attaching means, and

a second link comprising:
a second main body,
a second door attaching means, and
a second fuselage attaching means,
wherein the second main body extends along a second length (L 2 ), greater than the first length (L 1 ), between the second door attaching means and the second fuselage attaching means, and the second link is pivotally attached to the rear door by means of the second door attaching means and is pivotally attached to the fuselage at a first end by means of the second fuselage attaching means,

wherein the first and second fuselage attaching means are attached to the fuselage,
wherein the second fuselage attaching means is located longitudinally closer to the nose of the fuselage than the first fuselage attaching means,
such that when the first and the second links rotate around the first and the second fuselage attaching means, the rear door rotates around the first and the second door attaching means, so that the rear door can be inwardly displaced in the longitudinal direction and in the elevation direction between a first position (F) wherein the rear door closes the at least a portion of the rear opening and at least a second position (S) at the interior of the fuselage wherein the rear door extends along the longitudinal direction, and
wherein a longitudinal axis of the first link and a longitudinal axis of the second link intersect at a location within the fuselage and above the first ends of the first and second links with the rear door in the first position (F).

2. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the first fuselage attaching means is located, in elevation, closer to the lower part of the fuselage than the second fuselage attaching means.

3. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein, when the rear door is at the first position (F), the first door attaching means is located longitudinally farther from the nose than the first fuselage attaching means, and the second door attaching means is located longitudinally closer to the nose than the second fuselage attaching means.

4. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein each one of the first and second door attaching means and of the first and second fuselage attaching means comprises a bearing.

5. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the rear door and the auxiliary door cooperate with one another to close the rear opening in a complementary manner, the rear door and the auxiliary door being in contact along a closing boundary when both the rear door and the auxiliary door close the rear opening.

6. The aircraft according to claim 5 , wherein the auxiliary door is pivotally connected to the fuselage by means of an auxiliary pivoting means.

7. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary door is further configured to lock at a third outward position (R) with respect to the fuselage in which the auxiliary door is configured for being used as a cargo ramp door.

8. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary door comprises tracks configured for allowing the access of a vehicle to the interior of the fuselage.

9. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary door comprises a step configured for allowing the access of a person to the interior of the fuselage.

10. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the rear door comprises:
an integrated storage compartment.

11. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary door comprises:
an auxiliary integrated storage compartment.

12. The aircraft of claim 1 wherein, when the rear door is positioned in the first position (F), the first link extends from the fuselage towards the rear part of the fuselage, and the second link extends from the fuselage towards the nose of the fuselage.

13. An aircraft comprising:
a fuselage extending in a longitudinal direction between a nose and a rear part, and extending in an elevation direction between a lower part and an upper part, the rear part defining a rear opening;
a landing gear mounted on the lower part of the fuselage;
a rear door supported by the fuselage and configured to at close at least a portion of the rear opening in a first position (F);
a first link member having first and second opposed ends such that the first link member extends along a first length (L 1 ), the first end pivotally connected to the fuselage and the second end pivotally connected to the rear door;
a second link member having first and second opposed ends such that the second link member extends along a second length (L 2 ), the second length (L 2 ) being greater than the first length (L 1 ), the first end pivotally connected to the fuselage and the second end pivotally connected to the rear door;
an auxiliary door pivotally connected to the fuselage, and configured to close at least another portion of the rear opening, the auxiliary door configured to open outwardly relative to the fuselage;
wherein the first end of the second link member is positioned longitudinally closer to the nose of the fuselage than the first end of the first link member; and
wherein the first and second link members are configured such that when the first and second link members rotate relative to the fuselage, the rear door rotates relative to the first and second link members, thereby inwardly displacing the rear door in the longitudinal direction and in the elevation direction between the first position (F) and at least a second position (S), the rear door positioned within the interior of the fuselage with the rear door extending along the longitudinal direction in the second position (S);
wherein, when the rear door is positioned in the first position (F), the first link member extends from the fuselage towards the rear part of the fuselage, and the second link member extends from the fuselage towards the nose of the fuselage; and
wherein the auxiliary door is configured to lock in one of (i) a first outward position (H) with the auxiliary door extending along the longitudinal direction of the aircraft, and (ii) a second outward position (V) with respect to the fuselage with the auxiliary door extending along the elevation direction of the aircraft.

14. The aircraft of claim 13 wherein, when the rear door is positioned in the first po

Assignees

• Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH

Inventors

• Probst Stefan
• Huenecke Wolfgang
• Loeser Frank
• Frese Johannes
• Mores Sebastian
• Matt Michael

Classifications

• B64C1/1415 Primary

  Cargo doors, e.g. incorporating ramps · CPC title

• B64D11/00

  Passenger or crew accommodation; Flight-deck installations not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B64C1/24

  Steps mounted on, and retractable within, fuselages · CPC title

• B64C1/22 Primary

  Other structures integral with fuselages to facilitate loading {, e.g. cargo bays, cranes} · CPC title

• B64C1/1423

  Passenger doors · CPC title