Aircraft comprising a cockpit delocalized outside an upper part of the nose

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9789961-B2
Application number	US-201314138406-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2013
Priority date	Dec 21, 2012
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

Abstract

An aircraft including a fuselage, a cockpit and a cabin, wherein the cockpit is situated below the cabin and outside the nose, such as a lancet-shaped nose, of the aircraft and may extend to a front end of the aircraft, and the viewing surfaces in the cockpit may be entirely formed of digital display screens.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft comprising:
a fuselage including an outer skin and a tapered portion of the outer skin which tapers inward to a front end of the fuselage,
a cockpit in the fuselage and including a seat for a pilot of the aircraft,
a cabin in the fuselage configured to receive passengers and the cabin extends to the front end of the aircraft;
a floor of the cabin which separates the cockpit from the cabin, wherein the cockpit is entirely below the cabin and rearward of the tapered outer skin of the fuselage, and
a door in the outer skin of the fuselage and leading to the cabin, wherein the cockpit is rearward of the door.

2. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the cockpit is in a cargo hold region of a central portion of the fuselage.

3. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the floor is a glazed floor between the cabin and the cockpit.

4. The aircraft according to claim 1 wherein the aircraft further comprises a pilot resting space under the floor of the cabin and to the rear of the pilot seat in the cockpit.

5. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the cockpit further includes a viewing surface for piloting formed by a display device presenting a digital image of a scene of the environment outside of and forward of the aircraft, and the cockpit is devoid of a glazed surface on a fuselage window.

6. The aircraft according to claim 5 , wherein the viewing surface for piloting is formed entirely by said display device.

7. An aircraft comprising:
a fuselage having an outer skin;
a nose region defined as a region of the fuselage in which the outer skin tapers inwardly to a forward end of the fuselage;
a cockpit in the fuselage and rearward of the nose region of the fuselage, wherein the cockpit includes a seat for a pilot of the aircraft, a digital display device including a viewing surface configured to present a digital image of a scene of the environment outside of and forward of the aircraft, and the viewing surface faces the seat for the pilot, wherein the viewing surface is devoid of glazed surfaced windows in the fuselage providing a view to the outside of the aircraft;
a cabin in the fuselage configured to seat passengers, wherein the cabin extends into the nose region of the fuselage;
a cabin floor in the fuselage which separates the cockpit from the cabin, wherein the cockpit is entirely below the cabin, and
a door in the outer skin of the fuselage and leading to the cabin, and the cockpit is rearward of the door.

8. The aircraft of claim 7 wherein the nose region is forward of the door.

9. The aircraft of claim 7 wherein the cockpit is below at least one glazed surfaced window in the cabin.

10. An aircraft comprising:
a fuselage having an outer skin;
a nose region of the fuselage, wherein the nose region extends from a position on the fuselage at which the outer skin tapers inward and to a front end of the fuselage;
glazed surfaced windows in the outer skin and at the front end of the fuselage,
a cockpit in the fuselage and reward of the nose region, wherein the cockpit includes a seat for a pilot of the aircraft, a digital display device including a viewing surface configured to present a digital image of a scene of the environment outside of and forward of the aircraft, and the viewing surface faces the seat for the pilot;
a cabin in the fuselage and configured to seat passengers, the cabin extending into the nose region, wherein the glazed surfaced windows at the front end face the cabin and provide a forward facing view from the cabin;
a floor of the cabin which separates the cockpit from the cabin, wherein the cockpit is entirely below the floor, and
a door in the outer skin of the fuselage and leading to the cabin, wherein the cockpit is rearward of the door.

11. The aircraft of claim 10 wherein the floor includes a transparent region providing visibility of the seat for the pilot from the cabin.

12. The aircraft of claim 10 wherein the cockpit is below the cabin.

13. The aircraft according to claim 10 , wherein the cockpit is in a cargo hold region in a central portion of the fuselage.

14. The aircraft according to claim 10 , wherein the aircraft further comprises a pilot resting space under the floor of the cabin and to the rear of the pilot seat in the cockpit.

15. The aircraft according to claim 10 , wherein the cockpit is devoid of a glazed surface on a fuselage window.

16. The aircraft according to claim 10 , wherein the viewing surface for piloting is formed entirely by said display device.

17. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the cockpit is rearward of the tapered outer skin of the fuselage.

Assignees

• Airbus Sas

Inventors

• Zaneboni Jason
• Saint-Jalmes Bruno

Classifications

• B64D2011/0076

  for crew members, e.g. for sleeping during flight · CPC title

• B64D11/00 Primary

  Passenger or crew accommodation; Flight-deck installations not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B64D11/0689

  specially adapted for pilots · CPC title

• B64C1/00

  Fuselages; Constructional features common to fuselages, wings, stabilising surfaces or the like · CPC title

• B64C1/18

  Floors · CPC title