Redundant rail and carriage assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12234017-B2
Application number	US-202117353474-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 21, 2021
Priority date	Jun 21, 2021
Publication date	Feb 25, 2025
Grant date	Feb 25, 2025

Abstract

A redundant rail and carriage assembly is disclosed. The assembly may include a primary sub-assembly including a primary rail and a primary carriage. The assembly may include a secondary sub-assembly including a secondary rail and a secondary carriage, the secondary rail being different than the primary rail, the secondary carriage being different than the secondary carriage. The assembly may be configured to couple to an actuatable door configured to actuate between a stowed door position and a deployed door position via at least one intermediate door position using one of the primary sub-assembly or the secondary sub-assembly, the secondary sub-assembly being configured to actuate the actuatable door via the secondary rail and the secondary carriage if one of the primary rail or the primary carriage of the primary sub-assembly fails.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. An actuatable door for an aircraft passenger suite installed within an aircraft cabin comprising:
one or more redundant rail and carriage assemblies, the one or more redundant rail and carriage assemblies coupled to a portion of the actuatable door,
each redundant rail and carriage assembly comprising:
a primary rail and carriage sub-assembly, the primary rail and carriage sub-assembly including a primary rail and a primary carriage; and
a secondary rail and carriage sub-assembly, the secondary rail and carriage sub-assembly including a secondary rail and a secondary carriage, the secondary rail being different than the primary rail, the secondary carriage being different than the primary carriage,

the actuatable door being coupled to a suite wall of the aircraft passenger suite, the suite wall including an opening configured to allow for access to the aircraft passenger suite from an open area within the aircraft cabin,
the actuatable door being configured to actuate between a stowed door position and a deployed door position via at least one intermediate door position using one of the primary rail and carriage sub-assembly or the secondary rail and carriage sub-assembly, the secondary rail and carriage sub-assembly being configured to automatically actuate the actuatable door via the secondary rail and the secondary carriage if one of the primary rail or the primary carriage of the primary rail and carriage sub-assembly fails, such that the failure is imperceptible to the operator,
the actuatable door being configured to separate the aircraft passenger suite from the open area within the aircraft cabin when in the deployed door position and provide privacy to the aircraft passenger suite,
wherein, for each redundant rail and carriage assembly, the primary rail is mounted to the suite wall, the secondary rail is mounted to the actuatable door, and the primary and secondary carriages are coupled by a coupling bridge.

2. The actuatable door of claim 1 , wherein a first secondary rail of a first secondary rail and carriage sub-assembly is coupled to a top portion of the actuatable door and an additional secondary rail of an additional secondary rail and carriage sub-assembly is coupled to a bottom portion of the actuatable door.

3. The actuatable door of claim 2 , wherein a first primary rail of a first primary rail and carriage sub-assembly is coupled to a top portion of the suite wall of the aircraft passenger suite and an additional primary rail of an additional primary rail and carriage sub-assembly is coupled to a bottom portion of the suite wall of the aircraft passenger suite.

4. The actuatable door of claim 3 , wherein a first secondary carriage of the first secondary rail and carriage sub-assembly is coupled to a top portion of the actuatable door and an additional secondary carriage of the additional secondary rail and carriage sub-assembly is coupled to a bottom portion of the actuatable door.

5. The actuatable door of claim 4 , wherein a first primary carriage of the first primary rail and carriage sub-assembly is coupled to a top portion of the suite wall of the aircraft passenger suite and an additional primary carriage of the additional primary rail and carriage sub-assembly is coupled to a bottom portion of the suite wall of the aircraft passenger suite.

6. The actuatable door of claim 1 , wherein the travel of the primary carriage on the primary rail is equal to the travel of the secondary carriage on the secondary rail.

7. The actuatable door of claim 1 , wherein the coupling bridge has a curved shape to protrude from a cover shroud to block a view of the one or more redundant rail and carriage assemblies.

8. An aircraft passenger suite comprising:
a suite wall installed within an aircraft cabin, the suite wall including an opening configured to allow for access to the passenger suite from an open area within the aircraft cabin; and
one or more actuatable doors, the one or more actuatable doors being configured to separate the passenger suite from the open area within the aircraft cabin when in a deployed door position and provide privacy to the aircraft passenger suite, each actuatable door comprising:
one or more redundant rail and carriage assemblies, the one or more redundant rail and carriage assemblies coupled to a portion of the actuatable door,
each redundant rail and carriage assembly comprising:
a primary rail and carriage sub-assembly, the primary rail and carriage sub-assembly including a primary rail and a primary carriage; and
a secondary rail and carriage sub-assembly, the secondary rail and carriage sub-assembly including a secondary rail and a secondary carriage, the secondary rail being different than the primary rail, the secondary carriage being different than the primary carriage,

the one or more actuatable doors being configured to actuate between a stowed door position and the deployed door position via at least one intermediate door position, using one of the primary rail and carriage sub-assembly or the secondary rail and carriage sub-assembly, the secondary rail and carriage sub-assembly being configured to automatically actuate the actuatable door via the secondary rail and the secondary carriage if one of the primary rail or the primary carriage of the primary rail and carriage sub-assembly fails, such that the failure is imperceptible to the operator,
wherein, for each redundant rail and carriage assembly, the primary rail is mounted to the suite wall, the secondary rail is mounted to the actuatable door, and the primary and secondary carriages are coupled by a coupling bridge.

9. The aircraft passenger suite of claim 8 , wherein a first secondary rail of a first secondary rail and carriage sub-assembly is coupled to a top portion of the one or more actuatable doors and an additional secondary rail of an additional secondary rail and carriage sub-assembly is coupled to a bottom portion of the one or more actuatable doors.

10. The aircraft passenger suite of claim 9 , wherein a first primary rail of a first primary rail and carriage sub-assembly is coupled to a top portion of a suite wall of the aircraft passenger suite and an additional primary rail of an additional primary rail and carriage sub-assembly is coupled to a bottom portion of the suite wall of the aircraft passenger suite.

11. The aircraft passenger suite of claim 10 , wherein a first secondary carriage of a first secondary rail and carriage sub-assembly is coupled to a top portion of the one or more actuatable doors and an additional secondary carriage of an additional secondary rail and carriage sub-assembly is coupled to a bottom portion of the one or more actuatable doors.

12. The aircraft passenger suite of claim 11 , wherein a first primary carriage of a first primary rail and carriage sub-assembly is coupled to a top portion of the suite wall and an additional primary carriage of an additional primary rail and carriage sub-assembly is coupled to a bottom portion of the suite wall.

13. The aircraft passenger suite of claim 8 , at least a portion of the passenger suite being defined by a bridge installed within the aircraft cabin.

14. The aircraft passenger suite of claim 8 , further comprising:
an aircraft seat.

15. The aircraft passenger suite of claim 8 , wherein the coupling bridge has a curved shape to protrude from a cover shroud to block a view of the one or more redundant rail and carriage assemblies.

Assignees

• Be Aerospace Inc

Inventors

• Davis Lyle T
• Steele Bradley
• Sikorski Joseph
• Jacob Twinkle V
• Warwick Michael R G

Classifications

• E05Y2900/531

  Doors · CPC title

• E05Y2900/502

  for aircraft or spacecraft · CPC title

• E05Y2201/684

  Rails; Tracks · CPC title

• E05Y2201/64

  Carriers · CPC title

• E05D15/0686

  Tracks (E05D15/0665 - E05D15/0682 and E05D15/0691 take precedence) · CPC title