Aircraft door system having a door actuator and movement detector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9199716-B2
Application number	US-201213984916-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 15, 2012
Priority date	Feb 18, 2011
Publication date	Dec 1, 2015
Grant date	Dec 1, 2015

Abstract

A door system for an aircraft or spacecraft having a door and an actuator for actuating the door. The actuator includes an actuator drive which moves the door in relation to the aircraft or spacecraft, a detection device which determines movement information of the door and/or of the actuator, an actuator control unit which controls the actuator based on the movement information, and an actuator housing which surrounds the actuator drive and the actuator control unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A door system for an aircraft or spacecraft, the door system comprising:
a door;
an actuator for actuating the door;
a door frame which receives the door in a closed state; and
a door fixing arm, which is pivotably attached to the door frame about a first hinge and is pivotably attached to the door about a second hinge;
wherein the actuator comprises:
an actuator drive which moves the door in relation to the aircraft or spacecraft by driving an output shaft, which is rotatably mounted on the door fixing arm and a pivot axis of the output shaft is coaxial with a pivot axis of the first hinge or the second hinge;
a detection device which determines movement information of at least one of the door and the actuator;
an actuator control unit which controls the actuator based on the movement information; and
a common actuator housing which surrounds the actuator drive and the actuator control unit, wherein the common actuator housing is connected to the door fixing arm in a non-rotational manner by a fastening bracket at an upper end of the common actuator housing, and wherein the output shaft is protruding from the upper end of the common actuator housing and is mounted on the door fixing arm in an upper bearing.

2. The door system according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator drive comprises an electric motor.

3. The door system according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator is arranged on the first hinge and applies a torque to the door fixing arm in relation to the door frame about the first hinge.

4. The door system according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator is arranged at the second hinge and formed to apply a torque to the door fixing arm in relation to the door frame about the second hinge.

5. The door system according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator comprises a gear, which reduces a rotational speed of the actuator drive by a predetermined ratio to achieve a pivot speed of the door fixing arm.

6. The door system according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator drive is set in rotation by manual opening of the door.

7. The door system according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator comprises an electromagnetic coupling for the detachable coupling of the actuator drive to the door.

8. The door system according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator comprises a gear, which reduces a rotational speed of the actuator drive by a predetermined ratio to achieve a pivot speed of the door fixing arm, the actuator comprises an electromagnetic coupling for the detachable coupling of the actuator drive to the door, whereby the electromagnetic coupling is arranged between the actuator drive and the gear.

9. The door system according to claim 1 , wherein the detection device comprises an angle sensor, which detects an angle of the door system.

10. The door system according to claim 9 ,
wherein the actuator comprises a gear, which reduces a rotational speed of the actuator drive by a predetermined ratio to achieve a pivot speed of the door fixing arm; and
wherein the angle sensor is arranged between the gear and the door fixing arm, in order to detect a pivot angle of the door fixing arm.

11. The door system according to claim 1 , further comprising an operating device, which is connected to the actuator control unit to operate the actuator.

12. The door system according to claim 11 , wherein the operating device comprises an output unit for outputting error messages of the door system.

13. The door system according to claim 1 , further comprising a system test interface configured to provide a read-out of system data related to the movement information by a test system of the aircraft or spacecraft.

14. An aircraft or spacecraft having at least a door system according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Knijnenburg Thorsten
• Airbus Operations Gmbh

Inventors

• Knijnenburg Thorsten

Classifications

• B64C1/1423 Primary

  Passenger doors · CPC title

• E05Y2900/502

  for aircraft or spacecraft · CPC title

• B64G1/22

  Parts of, or equipment specially adapted for fitting in or to, cosmonautic vehicles · CPC title

• E05Y2800/205

  forming a unit · CPC title

• E05F15/614

  operated by meshing gear wheels, one of which being mounted at the wing pivot axis; operated by a motor acting directly on the wing pivot axis · CPC title