Opening system and method for an aircraft emergency door

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11198498-B2
Application number	US-201615764065-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2016
Priority date	Oct 2, 2015
Publication date	Dec 14, 2021
Grant date	Dec 14, 2021

Abstract

The invention proposes a simple system, with small space requirement, without hinge arms or sealing skirt, while providing secure and effective opening. To achieve this, the invention provides a door opening by a lateral guidance defining an integrated doubling-back kinematics, towards the interior then the exterior of the fuselage. An opening system of an emergency door ( 1 ) is positioned in an aircraft fuselage ( 2 ), the door and the fuselage comprising respective frameworks ( 11, 21 ) extending opposite each other. According to the invention, the system comprises a control handle ( 5 ) for rotating, combined with a bolt/latch pair, and an opening mechanism ( 30 ) equipped, in the upper corner areas (Zs) of the door ( 1 ), with a pivoting lever ( 6 ) hinged on an upper edge of the fuselage ( 2 ) and provided with guide tracks interacting with the bulk/latch pair and with a door attachment fitting ( 12 ), upper and lower rollers mounted in the lateral framework of the door ( 11 c ) in connection with the guide tracks ( 20 s, 20 i ) mounted in the opposing fuselage framework ( 21 c ), the upper guide tracks ( 20 s ) being inclined rising towards the interior of the cabin (I) and the lower guide tracks ( 20 i ) being curved.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for opening an aircraft cabin emergency door in a fuselage carrying out opening kinematics for a door arranged in a cut-out in the fuselage, from an initial door state in the closed position, with a profile aligned with the fuselage, according to the following succession of steps generated in succession by the action of an opening control comprising:
activating intermediary movement units designed to allow combined rotation to unlock and unblock a control transmission;
a step of inclined lifting thus generated in association with the fuselage, by inclined sliding of an upper edge of the door towards an interior of a cabin; and
simultaneous lifting and sliding of a lower edge of the door, followed by doubling-back of movement, a step of exteriorization of the lower edge of the door outside the cabin, by inclined sliding of the upper and lower edges of the door in the inverse direction, and according to inclination which is the same as that of the upper edge in the lifting step, thus repositioning the upper edge of the door simultaneously at the fuselage, and a final step of pivoting of the door by locking and blocking of the control transmission on the door via the intermediary movement units, which is then pivoted around a longitudinal axis of rotation of the fuselage, with the slidings being created by upper and lower connection guides between frameworks of the door and of the fuselage opposite, as well as by guides for cooperation of the control transmission with the door.

2. The opening method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the step of activation of the intermediary movement units on the control transmission starts with a phase of unlocking caused by combined rotation of the intermediary movement units from a locking-blocking position, with the unlocking giving rise to unblocking of the guides for cooperation of the transmission control with the door and of the guides for connection between the frameworks.

3. The opening method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the intermediary movement units comprise a first and a second intermediary movement unit, respectively for locking-unlocking and for blocking-unblocking, the first intermediary unit having a locking function which releases from the second intermediary unit, and the second unit having a function of blocking the access to movement, which is released when the first intermediary unit has been disarmed, the intermediary units having longitudinal axes of rotation supported by the door, at a distance.

4. The opening method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the step of inclined lifting of the door is generated by simultaneous trajectories towards the interior of the cabin of the upper connection guides, and upwards of the lower connection guides, starting from an intermediary position on the upper guides, and from a position of low abutment on the lower connection guides, as far as a high abutment position on these connection guides defining the doubling-back, whereas sliding of the door takes place simultaneously in the cooperation guide of the control transmission as far as a high abutment position.

5. The opening method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, in the step of exteriorization of the door, the upper and lower connection guides follow, in the inverse direction and as far as their disconnection, inclination trajectories which are smaller than, or equal to, the inclination of the trajectories of the upper connection guides in the lifting step, and, simultaneously, the door slides downwards on the cooperation guide from the high position, until it reaches a low abutment, then, at the end of sliding, the cooperation guide of the door on the control transmission is locked-blocked by the intermediary movement units in the position of locking abutment, corresponding to the initial position of pivoting of the door.

6. The opening method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the step of pivoting of the door starts by driving of the locked-blocked door on the control transmission by the opening control around the axis of rotation of the control transmission, until a predetermined end position is reached.

7. The opening method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein compensation for the mass of the door is provided in order to balance this mass during the final lifting step.

8. An emergency opening system for a door positioned in an aircraft fuselage, respective door and fuselage frameworks extending opposite the system comprising:
at least one bolt/latch pair,
a door attachment fitting,
upper and lower guide tracks fitted in the framework of the fuselage, a control handle for combined rotation of at least the (un)locking/(un)blocking bolt/latch pair, and
an opening mechanism, which is equipped in at least one upper corner area of the door with a pivoting lever which is articulated in rotation on an upper edge of the fuselage, and is provided with tracks for guiding in cooperation with the bolt/latch pair and with the door attachment fitting, with upper and lower rollers fitted in the lateral framework of the door in order to form means for guiding in association with the corresponding guide tracks fitted in the fuselage framework opposite, with the upper guide tracks being globally inclined in a rising manner towards the interior of the cabin, and the lower guide tracks being curved, and in that, each upper guide track has two substantially linear consecutive slide portions in which there circulate respectively the rollers obtained from the corresponding door framework lateral beam, and each lower guide track has a curved configuration with a top forming a high stop between two portions.

9. The opening system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the upper guide tracks have a high end inner stop and portions which are linear and inclined as far as a low outer end opening, and the lower guide tracks have a low inner end stop which is coupled with a substantially vertical portion provided with a top and extended by a substantially linear portion with an end which is open towards the exterior according to inclination with a gradient smaller than that of the portions of the upper guide tracks.

10. The opening system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the bolt has a first lug which circulates in guide tracks integrated in the latch, and a second lug which slides on a ramp portion with a configuration which ends in a locking stop, with the latch having a face which cooperates with a connected wall of the ramp of the pivoting lever.

11. The opening system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein each pivoting lever has a guide track in cooperation with lugs obtained from the door attachment fitting, with this guide track having rims which act as a ramp for the bolt and the latch.

12. The opening system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the door framework has lateral sides which are integral with, or which incorporate, the door attachment fittings.

13. The opening system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein a spring for compensation of the mass of the door is fitted on the axis of rotation of the pivoting lever, in order to balance the mass of the door during the pivoting.

14. The opening system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein auxiliary stops are secured at the corner of joining of the lateral beams and of the door framework longitudinal beam, and at the fuselage framework longitudinal beam opposite.

15. An emergency door of an aircraft cabin in a fuselage, comprising an opening system as claimed in claim 8 .

Assignees

• Latecoere

Inventors

• Vergnot Patrick
• Romec Christian

Classifications

• E05Y2201/62

  Synchronisation of suspension or transmission members · CPC title

• B64C1/143 Primary

  of the plug type · CPC title

• E05Y2201/626

  Levers · CPC title

• B64C1/1461

  Structures of doors or surrounding frames · CPC title