Passenger rest compartments for remote aircraft spaces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10824889-B2
Application number	US-201816127074-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 10, 2018
Priority date	Jun 13, 2014
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

Passenger rest compartments may be incorporated into remote areas of an aircraft, either in the overhead crown region or in lower lobe cargo decks. Each passenger rest compartment includes two-way audio communication with the flight deck and non-intrusive non-visual monitoring of the compartments and surrounding environment to determine passenger presence, absence, and general well-being as well as environmental safety. Rest compartments may be integrated into rest cabins in the overhead or lower lobe areas, the rest cabins accessible from the main passenger cabin via an entry vestibule providing dedicated enclosed paths to the overhead and lower cabins. Additional deployable egress hatches may allow passengers to rapidly return to the main deck from the overhead and lower lobe cabins in the event of an emergency. Selected passenger seats (e.g., partitioned or other premium seats) may include private access to passenger rest compartments.

First claim

We claim:

1. A passenger rest module for accommodating one or more passengers of an aircraft, comprising:
at least one passenger rest compartment (PRC) configured to accommodate a passenger of an aircraft in a substantially prone position, the PRC comprising:
a) a passenger service unit (PSU) configured to provide two-way communication between the passenger and a crewmember of the aircraft;
b) at least one non-visual sensor configured to sense one or more of a presence of the passenger within the PRC, a movement of the passenger, a noise level of the PRC, and a temperature of the PRC; and
c) a display surface configured to display a view external to the aircraft based on at least a position of the passenger relative to the aircraft and an image sensor coupled to the exterior of the aircraft;

at least one of a) an overhead passenger rest cabin capable of integration within an overhead crown area of the aircraft and b) a lower-lobe rest cabin capable of integration within a lower-lobe portion of the aircraft, the overhead passenger rest cabin and the lower-lobe rest cabin coupled to a main deck of the aircraft by an entry vestibule, the at least one PRC disposed within either the overhead passenger rest cabin or the lower-lobe rest cabin;
the overhead passenger rest cabin further comprising at least one first deployable hatch configured for allowing the passenger to access the main deck from the overhead passenger rest cabin and the overhead passenger rest cabin from the main deck;
the lower lobe rest cabin further comprising at least one second deployable hatch configured for allowing the passenger to access the main deck from the lower lobe rest cabin and the lower lobe rest cabin from the main deck;
the entry vestibule comprising:
a) at least one door accessible from the main deck;
b) a first enclosed path accessible via the at least one door, the first enclosed path connecting the main deck and the overhead passenger rest cabin and including an ascent device configured for allowing the passenger to travel between the overhead passenger rest cabin and the main deck;
and
c) a second enclosed path accessible via the at least one door, the second enclosed path connecting the main deck and the lower lobe rest cabin and including a descent device configured for allowing the passenger to travel between the lower lobe rest cabin and the main deck.

2. The passenger rest module of claim 1 , wherein the first enclosed path is accessible via a first door and the second enclosed path is accessible via a second door.

3. The passenger rest module of claim 1 , wherein the entry vestibule is a first entry vestibule positioned at an aft terminus of the overhead passenger rest cabin and having a first ascent device, further comprising:
at least one auxiliary entry vestibule positioned at a forward terminus of the overhead passenger rest cabin, the auxiliary entry vestibule comprising:
1) an auxiliary door accessible from the main deck;
and
2) a third enclosed path accessible via the auxiliary door, the third enclosed path connecting the main deck and the overhead passenger rest cabin and including a second ascent device configured for allowing the passenger to travel between the overhead passenger rest cabin and the main deck.

4. The passenger rest module of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one reporting station disposed within a crew area of the main deck and including at least one of a visual display surface, a wired or wireless transceiver, and an audio indicator, the reporting station configured to:
receive, via the wired or wireless transceiver, at least one signal from the non-visual sensor, the at least one signal associated with one or more of the sensed presence, the sensed movement, the sensed noise level, and the sensed temperature;
display at least one visual alert associated with the received signal;
emit at least one audio alert associated with the received signal;
and
transmit, via the wired or wireless transceiver, at least one remote alert to a mobile device associated with the at least one crewmember.

5. The passenger rest module of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one passenger seating unit disposed on the main deck and partitioned from the main deck by at least one partition, the passenger seating unit comprising:
an aircraft seat capable of accommodating the passenger;
a lower lobe compartment integrated within the lower lobe portion of the aircraft and proximate to the aircraft seat;
and
a hatch disposed within the main deck proximate to the aircraft seat, the hatch operable to allow the passenger to access the lower lobe compartment from the passenger seating unit.

6. The passenger rest module of claim 1 , wherein:
the main deck comprises at least one main passenger cabin, each main passenger cabin including:
a) an aisle separating a first plurality of main cabin seats from a second plurality of main cabin seats,
b) a first ceiling,
and
c) at least one plurality of overhead bins proximate to the first ceiling;

and
the at least one main passenger cabin includes at least one second ceiling disposed at a lower height than the first ceiling and under the overhead passenger rest cabin.

7. The passenger rest module of claim 6 , wherein the at least one main passenger cabin includes a first aisle, a second aisle, and a central area between the first aisle and the second aisle, the central area comprising:
at least one plurality of main cabin seats;
at least one monument modified to accommodate the overhead passenger rest cabin;
and
at least one pair of lavatories connected by a support structure and having a third ceiling, the support structure and the third ceiling modified to accommodate the overhead passenger rest cabin.

8. The passenger rest module of claim 6 , wherein:
each overhead bin of the plurality of overhead bins is accessible from the main deck via a bin door;
and
the at least one first deployable hatch is disposed behind a first bin door.

9. The passenger rest module of claim 8 , wherein the first deployable hatch further comprises:
at least one descent device configured to descend to the main deck when the first deployable hatch is activated, the descent device capable of allowing at least one of the crewmember and the passenger to travel between the overhead passenger rest cabin and the main deck.

10. The passenger rest module of claim 1 , wherein the overhead passenger rest cabin further comprises:
a first overhead module coupled to the entry vestibule and including at least one first overhead PRC;
and
at least one second overhead module connected to the first overhead module and including at least one second overhead PRC, the second overhead module connected to the first overhead module by at least one of an overhead electrical connection capable of providing a power supply to the at least one second overhead PRC and an overhead ventilation connection capable of providing circulated air to the at least one second overhead PRC.

11. The passenger rest module of claim 1 , wherein the overhead passenger rest cabin comprises:
a central corridor substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis or roll axis of the aircraft, the central corridor coupled to the entry vestibule;
one or more port PRCs disposed on a port side of the central corridor;
and
a starboard PRC opposite each port PRC, the port PRCs and the starboard PRCs accessible to the passenger via the central corridor.

12. The passenger rest module of claim 11 , wherein the central corridor is coupled to the entry vestibule by a transitional space, the transitional space including at least one crew station comprising:

Assignees

• Rockwell Collins Inc

Inventors

• Behr Nicolas
• Escobar Art M
• Moss Ron
• Weaver Randall S
• Munson Thomas P
• Barrett David
• Skelly Trevor
• Mckee Jefferey M
• Moe Daniel N
• Vaninetti Travis J
• Brauer R Klaus

Classifications

• H04N23/57

  Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices · CPC title

• H04N23/54

  Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils · CPC title

• H04N23/63

  by using electronic viewfinders · CPC title

• H04N23/69

  Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming · CPC title

• H04N23/611

  where the recognised objects include parts of the human body · CPC title