Passenger cabin area and aircraft having a passenger cabin area

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11905019-B2
Application number	US-202117181563-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 22, 2021
Priority date	Feb 25, 2020
Publication date	Feb 20, 2024
Grant date	Feb 20, 2024

Abstract

A passenger cabin area includes at least one aisle extending along a longitudinal axis of the passenger cabin area, a seating area next to the aisle in the direction of a transverse axis, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, of the passenger cabin area and in which at least one passenger seat is provided, and a plurality of sleeping berths arranged above the seating area in the direction of a vertical axis, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and the transverse axis, of the passenger cabin area. Each sleeping berth is accessible from the aisle of the passenger cabin area via a stairway element assigned individually to the sleeping berth.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A passenger cabin area comprising:
at least one aisle extending along a longitudinal axis of the passenger cabin area;
a seating area arranged next to the aisle in a direction of a transverse axis of the passenger cabin area, the transverse axis being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, wherein the seating area comprises one or more passenger seats, all of the one or more passenger seats in the seating area being on a same side of the aisle as each other;
a plurality of sleeping berths arranged above the seating area in a direction of a vertical axis of the passenger cabin area, the vertical axis being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and the transverse axis; and
stairway elements, each of the stairway elements being assigned individually to a corresponding sleeping berth of the plurality of sleeping berths and configured to provide access from the aisle of the passenger cabin area to the corresponding sleeping berth associated therewith, the stairway elements comprising:
a support element that extends in the direction of the vertical axis and comprises a substantially flat support face; and
a plurality of steps that are fastened to a portion of the substantially flat support face and extend, in a ready-for-use operating state of the stairway element, substantially perpendicularly from the substantially flat support face of the support element;
wherein the support element is positioned laterally adjacent, in the direction of the transverse axis, to a passenger seat of the one or more passenger seats, such that the support element is within the seating area and between the passenger seat and the aisle; and
wherein the portion of the substantially flat support face to which the plurality of steps are attached faces the aisle.

2. The passenger cabin area of claim 1 , wherein at least one step of the plurality of steps is fastened to the portion of the substantially flat support face in a pivotably movable manner, such that the at least one step is moveable between a resting operating state, in which the at least one step extends substantially parallel to the substantially flat support face of the support element, and a use operating state, in which the at least one step extends substantially perpendicularly from the substantially flat support face of the support element.

3. The passenger cabin area of claim 2 , wherein at least one step of the plurality of steps have a different depth from at least one other step of the plurality of steps, the depth being in a direction perpendicular to the substantially flat support face of the support element, at least when the at least one step and the at least one other step are in the use operating state.

4. The passenger cabin area of claim 1 , wherein the support element is formed in a substantially panel-like manner.

5. The passenger cabin area of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the sleeping berths and/or at least one of the stairway elements is configured in a form of an aircraft monument certified for a load of 9 g.

6. An aircraft equipped with a passenger cabin area of claim 1 .

7. A passenger cabin area comprising:
at least one aisle extending along a longitudinal axis of the passenger cabin area;
a seating area arranged next to the aisle in a direction of a transverse axis of the passenger cabin area, the transverse axis being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, wherein the seating area comprises one or more passenger seats, all of the one or more passenger seats in the seating area being on a same side of the aisle as each other;
a plurality of sleeping berths arranged above the seating area in a direction of a vertical axis of the passenger cabin area, the vertical axis being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and the transverse axis, wherein adjacent sleeping berths of the plurality of sleeping berths that are laterally adjacent to each other in the direction of the transverse axis are separated from each other by a physical barrier; and
stairway elements, each of which is assigned individually to a corresponding sleeping berth of the plurality of sleeping berths, each of the stairway elements being configured to provide access from the aisle of the passenger cabin area to the corresponding sleeping berth associated therewith, wherein at least one of the stairway elements comprises:
a support element extending in the direction of the vertical axis, wherein the support element is formed in a substantially panel-like manner and has a support face that is substantially flat, the support element being arranged such that the support face thereof is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the passenger cabin area; and
a plurality of steps fastened to the support element, wherein, when the plurality of steps are in a ready-for-use operating state, the plurality of steps extend substantially perpendicularly away, in a plane defined by the longitudinal axis of the passenger cabin area and the transverse axis of the passenger cabin area, from the support face of the support element;
wherein the support element is positioned laterally adjacent, in the direction of the transverse axis, to a passenger seat of the one or more passenger seats, such that the support element is within the seating area and between the passenger seat and the aisle;

wherein each sleeping berth of the plurality of sleeping berths is only accessible by a single one of the stairway elements.

8. The passenger cabin area of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the sleeping berths and/or at least one of the stairway elements is configured in a form of an aircraft monument certified for a load of 9 g.

9. An aircraft equipped with a passenger cabin area of claim 7 .

10. A passenger cabin area comprising:
at least one aisle extending along a longitudinal axis of the passenger cabin area;
a seating area arranged next to the aisle in a direction of a transverse axis of the passenger cabin area, the transverse axis being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, wherein the seating area comprises one or more passenger seats, all of the one or more passenger seats in the seating area being on a same side of the aisle as each other;
a plurality of sleeping berths arranged above the seating area in a direction of a vertical axis of the passenger cabin area, the vertical axis being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and the transverse axis; and
stairway elements, each of the stairway elements being assigned individually to a corresponding sleeping berth of the plurality of sleeping berths and configured to provide access from the aisle of the passenger cabin area to the corresponding sleeping berth associated therewith, the stairway elements comprising:
a support element comprising:
a first support-element portion, which has a substantially flat first support-element face, the first support-element face extending in the direction of the vertical axis and forming an angle of less than 45° with the transverse axis; and
a second support-element portion, which has a substantially flat second support-element face, the second support-element face extending in the direction of the vertical axis and forming an angle of less than 45° with the longitudinal axis of the passenger cabin area;

a plurality of first steps that are fastened to a portion of the substantially flat first support-element face and extend, at least in a ready-for-use operating state of the stairway element, substantially perpendicularly from the substantially flat first support-element face; and
a plurality of second steps that are fastened to a portion of the substantially flat second support-element face and extend, at least in a ready-for-use operating state of the stairway element,

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Gmbh

Inventors

• Schmidt-Schäffer Tobias

Classifications

• B64D11/0604 Primary

  including a bed, e.g. cocoon type passenger seat modules · CPC title

• B64D11/0606

  with privacy shells, screens, separators or the like (class dividers B64D11/0023) · CPC title

• B64D2011/0084

  Bed units for passengers attached to the ceiling of the fuselage · CPC title