Patent Application
20110140462
Conventional overhead stowage bins on commercial aircraft include shelf-style bins and pivoting bucket-style bins. The shelf-style bins include a static storage shelf that is enclosed and secured by a bin door that rotates downward and secures into place. Pivoting bucket-style bins are mounted in place on an axle, pivoting downwards around the axle to expose an interior storage space and upwards around the axle to conceal the interior storage space. Each type of stowage bin includes handle and latch mechanisms that either secure the bin door in place over the contents of a shelf-style bin, or that secure a pivoting bucket-style bin upwards in the stowed configuration.
The handle assembly of a typical pivoting bucket-style bin includes an exterior handle that is rotated by a user to disengage the latch mechanisms and open the bin. The exterior handle is part of the handle assembly, which is mounted to an inside surface of the bin near the opening to the bin, centered between opposing latch mechanisms mounted to opposing sides of the bin. The opposing latch mechanisms and the handle assembly are linearly aligned along a single axis. A torque tube member extends from each side of the handle assembly to mechanically connect the exterior handle to the latch mechanisms. Rotation of the exterior handle rotates each torque tube member, which in turn rotates and disengages the latch mechanisms on opposing sides of the bin.
Utilizing torque tubes to transfer the rotational motion of the exterior handle to the latch mechanisms creates limitations that have conventionally been accepted as a trade-off to the effective design. First, the torque tubes require that the handle assembly and the latch mechanisms on opposing sides of the bin be mounted so that they are linearly aligned along a single axis, as described above. Because the exterior handle needs to be placed in a convenient location on the exterior surface of the bin that is accessible to passengers of varying heights, and because the torque tubes require that the latch mechanisms be axially aligned with the handle assembly, the latch mechanisms are limited as to the position at which they are located, which may not be at a mechanically advantageous location.
Additionally, because the handle assembly and corresponding latch mechanisms cannot be positioned flush with an external edge of the bin opening, the torque tubes and their cover must occupy valuable space within the interior of the stowage bin, limiting the valuable space utilized by carry-on luggage and other supplies. Further, even when manufactured to minimize weight, the torque tubes and corresponding safety covers add weight to an aircraft, which results in undesirable effects with respect to fuel efficiency and other design factors.
In addition to actuation inefficiencies, conventional overhead aircraft stowage bins cannot be locked by a flight crew without utilizing a keyed locking mechanism. A keyed locking mechanism operates differently from a traditional handle and latching mechanism. As a result, keyed bins must be specially ordered and installed. Reconfiguring overhead bins to add, remove, or swap locking mechanisms between keyed and un-keyed units is cumbersome. Further, utilizing a keyed locking mechanism requires that the flight crew maintain a key, which can be easily misplaced.
It is with respect to these considerations and others that the disclosure made herein is presented.
It should be appreciated that this Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Concepts and technologies described herein provide for a lockable, cable-actuated coupling mechanism that provides for latching and releasing an aircraft stowage bin, or any other similar stowage bin or compartment, in a manner that maximizes the available internal storage volume of the bin while minimizing weight. According to one aspect of the disclosure provided herein, a cable-actuated coupling mechanism includes a handle assembly, a latch assembly, and a cable connecting the two. The handle assembly includes an exterior handle actuated by the user and used to release the bin and an attached handle assembly. The handle assembly includes a pivoting arm that is attached to and rotates with the actuation of the exterior handle. One end of the cable is connected to the pivoting arm and the other end of the cable is connected to a release mechanism of the latch assembly. Upon rotation of the exterior handle, the pivoting arm pulls the cable, which in turn pulls the release mechanism of the latch assembly to release the bin from the stowed position.
According to another aspect, a method for securing an aircraft stowage bin includes assembling a handle assembly to rotate a pivoting arm with the rotation of an exterior handle. The handle assembly is installed in the inside of the aircraft stowage bin, with the exterior handle accessible from outside of the stowage bin. A latch assembly is installed on an exterior surface of the bin. A cable is attached to the pivoting arm at one end to a release mechanism of the latch assembly at the other end, and routed through a number of cable guides that are installed near an edge of the aircraft stowage bin so as to maximize the volume of the usable interior space of the stowage bin and to reduce the size and weight of the assembly's protective cover.
According to yet another aspect of the disclosure, a lockable cable-actuated coupling system for latching and releasing an aircraft stowage bin includes a handle assembly, a pair of latch assemblies positioned on opposing sides of the bin, and a pair of cables connecting the handle assembly to the pair of latch assemblies. The handle assembly includes a pair of pivoting arms that are connected to an exterior handle. Upon rotation of the exterior handle, the pivoting arms rotate and pull the cables to release the latch assemblies, releasing the aircraft stowage bin for loading and unloading. The coupling system additionally includes a locking mechanism configured to disengage the pivoting arms from the exterior handle so that rotation of the exterior handle does not rotate the pair of pivoting arms and therefore does not release the stowage bin to an open position.
The features, functions, and advantages that have been discussed can be achieved independently in various embodiments of the present disclosure or may be combined in yet other embodiments, further details of which can be seen with reference to the following description and drawings.
The following detailed description is directed to systems and methods for securing a stowage bin. Although the disclosure provided herein discusses various embodiments of a cable-actuated latching mechanism in the context of use with aircraft overhead stowage bins, and specifically with pivoting bucket-style bins, it should be understood that the various embodiments may be utilized with any type of bin, container, lid, compartment, or door. For example, the cable-actuated latching and releasing mechanisms described below may be installed on a bin door, closet door, and/or drawer, and may be used in an aircraft environment, in conjunction with any other type of vehicle, or with even with any type of static container or object.
As discussed above, conventional bucket-style aircraft overhead bins utilize a pair of torque tubes extending from the latch mechanism in the center of an interior surface of the bin to two latch mechanisms on opposing sides of the bin. This conventional latching configuration will be described below with respect to
Utilizing the concepts and technologies described herein, the conventional torque tubes used to transfer the rotational motion of the external handle of an overhead aircraft bin to the latching mechanisms of the bin are replaced with cables attached to pivoting arms and latch release mechanisms. Tension applied to the cables from the rotation of the external handle operates to release the latch mechanisms and open the bin.
In the following detailed description, references are made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and which are shown by way of illustration, specific embodiments, or examples. Like numerals represent like elements through the several figures. Referring now to
The exterior handle is connected to two torque tubes 108 on opposing sides of the conventional handle assembly 104 such that rotational motion from the exterior handle is transferred to the torque tubes 108 to rotate the torque tubes 108 with the handle. Opposing ends of the torque tubes 108 are connected to respective conventional latch assemblies 110 installed in a side wall 112 of the aircraft stowage bin 102. Only one conventional latch assembly 110 is shown, however, it should be understood that a corresponding torque tube 108 extends coaxially from the torque tube 108 shown to an opposite side wall 112 to which a second conventional latch assembly 110 is installed. Accordingly, whenever the exterior handle is rotated, the torque tubes 108 rotate the corresponding conventional latch assemblies 110 on the side walls 112 of the aircraft stowage bin 102 to release the conventional latch assemblies 110 and open the bin.
As previously mentioned, the torque tubes 108 are covered by a protective cover 114 to protect the torque tubes 108 and the conventional handle assembly 104 from damage from contact with carry-on luggage or other items stowed in the aircraft stowage bin 102. It should be appreciated that only the portion of the protective cover 114 that covers one torque tube 108 is shown for clarity, but in practice, a single cover protects both torque tubes 108 and the conventional handle assembly 104 between the two torque tubes. Similar to the torque tubes 108 themselves, the protective cover 114 is typically manufactured from a metal or suitably hard material sufficient to protect the torque tubes 108 and conventional handle assembly 104 from repeated impacts with luggage and other items tossed into the aircraft stowage bin 102. Consequently, the protective cover 114, along with the corresponding torque tubes 108, add a significant amount of undesirable weight to the aircraft as well as decrease the useable space of the bin interior, as described below.
As seen in
Turning now to
The exterior handle 202 is connected to two pivoting arms 206 via one or more axles. The axles are shown and described in further detail below with respect to
For example, the latch 210 may include a spring-loaded pawl that allows a pin or other fixed latch mechanism 213 to enter the latch 210 when the latch 210 and spring-loaded pawl are forced against the pin, but prevents the pin from exiting the latch 210 until the spring-loaded pawl is retracted or rotated out of the way. Retraction of the spring-loaded pawl is activated via the release mechanism 212. According to various embodiments, the release mechanism 212 may include a bar or rod of metal, plastic, or other rigid material of sufficient length to allow tension applied to the cable 208 attached to one end of the release mechanism 212 to rotate the pawl attached to the opposing end of the release mechanism to allow the fixed latch mechanism 213 to disengage from the latch 210.
The pivoting arms 206 are sized and configured such that rotation of the exterior handle rotates the pivoting arms 206 rearward toward the rear of the aircraft stowage bin 102 to apply tension to and pull the cables 208 that are attached to the pivoting arms 206. It should be appreciated that the length of each cable 208 that is pulled upon a full rotation of the exterior handle 202 may be determined according to the design of the cable-actuated coupling system 200. Factors in determining the cable pull length may include, but may not be limited to, the length of the pivoting arms 206, the length of release mechanisms 212 of the latches 210 described below, and the angle of rotation of the pivoting arms 206. It should also be appreciated that while the pivoting arms 206 are shown and described as rotating toward the rear of the aircraft stowage bin 102 upon rotation of the exterior handle 202, the pivoting arms 206 could be designed to rotate forwards toward the opening of the aircraft stowage bin 102 if the routing of the cables 208 were adjusted to allow for tension to be applied to the cables 208 with the forward rotation of the pivoting arms 206.
Preferably, the cables 208 should be manufactured from abrasion resistant material that is substantially inelastic, corrosion resistant, non-kinking, with very low creep characteristics. The material for the cables 208 is to be robust and could be fire resistant. One suitable example of a potentially suitable material for the cables 208 is braided stainless steel. Another example of a potentially suitable material for the cables 208 is Spectra® 900/1000/2000 fiber supplied by Applied Fiber of Havana, Fla. Spectra® is a registered trademark of Honeywell International, Inc. of Morristown, N.J.
It should be noted that maintaining the desired tension of the cables 208 over time may be accomplished by using a cable material that does not stretch, or by using a self-tightening system that ensures proper tension. As an example of a self-tightening system, a length of spring could be inserted in each run of cable 208 so that the spring operates to take up any slack in the cable due to stretching. These springs would also simplify the application of a desired tension when installing the cable-activated coupling system 200. As described above, the cables 208 may be routed in areas of the aircraft stowage bin 102, internally and/or externally, that are least likely to be utilized for the storage of luggage and other items, effectively eliminating the unusable space 116 created by the conventional latching system 100 described and illustrated above with respect to
The cables 208 are routed throughout the aircraft stowage bin 102 using the cable guides 214. The cable guides 214 may include any structures that are secured to the inside and/or outside of the aircraft stowage bin 102 that are used to turn the cables 208. The cable guides 214 may be static guides, such as projections from a surface of the aircraft stowage bin 102 around which a cable 208 turns, or dynamic guides, such as pulleys that provide the means for turning the cables 208 while minimizing frictional wear as the cables 208 move back and forth as the external handle 202 is pulled and released. While the cables 208 are shown as being routed from the handle assembly 204, forward to the front edge 118 of the aircraft stowage bin 102, outwards toward the side walls 112 of the aircraft stowage bin 102, and finally rearward to the latch assemblies 211, it should be appreciated that the locations of the cable guides 214 and the corresponding path of the cables 208 may be positioned at any locations with respect to the aircraft stowage bin 102 depending on the preferred locations of the latch assemblies 211 with respect to the handle assembly 204.
As mentioned above, it may be mechanically advantageous to position one or more latch assemblies 211 as far as possible, radially from the pivoting location of the aircraft stowage bin 102, rather than in axial alignment with the handle assembly 204. Locating the latch assemblies 211 towards the front edge 118 of the aircraft stowage bin 102 will reduce the loads carried by the latch assemblies 211 because of the increased lever arms. Reducing the loads carried by the latch assemblies 211 enables the use of smaller, and consequently lighter, latch assemblies 211, which further reduces the weight of the cable-actuated coupling system 200 and of the aircraft as a whole. Utilizing the cable-actuated coupling system 200, the latch assemblies 211 may be positioned at any preferred position on any surface of the aircraft stowage bin 102. It should be understood that embodiments described herein are not limited to the configurations and positioning of the various components of the cable-actuated coupling system 200 shown in
The embodiment of the cable-actuated coupling system 200 shown in
First, keyed bins are separate from conventional non-lockable bins and must be ordered, purchased, and installed separately, which creates certain additional administrative and financial considerations. Secondly, keyed bins require that the flight crews maintain keys. Keys can be easily misplaced, and can be mistakenly broken off into locks or otherwise damaged. Utilizing the concepts described herein with respect to
Turning now to
It should be understood that according to various embodiments, the axle is configured to be self-centering and the pivoting arms 206 are configured to return to the “home” position upon release of the external handle 202, the home position being substantially vertical or in the otherwise designed position that applies minimal or no tension on the cables 208. For example, springs (not shown) may be installed around the axle to bias the pivoting arms 206 in the home position. In doing so, it is ensured that the slidable pins 404 are properly aligned with the pivoting arms 206 to actuate the locking mechanism 308 as described below.
Looking at
When the slidable pins 404 are forced outwards by the lock activation knob, the pin projections 602 compress the springs 702, biasing the slidable pins 404 toward the center hub 504 such that when the force is removed from the slidable pins 404, the springs 702 force the slidable pins 404 inward to allow for the engagement of the pivoting arms 206 with the axle. It should be appreciated that the specific configuration of the slidable pins 404 and corresponding pin slots 502 and springs 702 is not limited to the illustrated embodiments. Rather, any structure that allows for the pivoting arms 206 to be selectively forced outward and returned inward falls within the scope of this disclosure. The pin slots 502 may have multiple depths with multiple slot widths at various depths to accommodate different portions of the slidable pins 404. The springs 702 may freely rest within the slots 502, or the outboard ends of the springs 702 may be secured within the pin slots 502.
It should be understood that while the lock activation mechanism 402 is described in the context of a lock activation knob, any mechanical component that effectuates the outward and inward translation of the pivoting arms 206 could be utilized within the scope of this disclosure. For example, one or more mechanical switches or levers may be utilized to manually push the slidable pins 404 and pivoting arms 206 outward to a disengage position and to return them inward to an engaged position. According to further embodiments, manual or computer-controlled electrical switches and actuators may be used to electro-mechanically move the pivoting arms 206. According to these embodiments, the flight crew may control one or more aircraft stowage bin 102 locking mechanisms 308 via a push button switch on each bin, or via a central control panel electrically connected to each lockable aircraft stowage bin 102.
Looking at
Referring again to
With this configuration, when the locking mechanism 308 is unlocked, the pivoting arms 206 are engaging the axle 906 with the outer ends of the axle 906 being seated within the axle recesses 1006 of the pivoting arms 206. The non-circular cross-sectional shape of the engagement portions 910 of the axle 906 and corresponding engagement recesses 1010 of the pivoting arms 206 provides for the rotation of the pivoting arms 206 with the rotation of the axle 906, which pulls the cables 208 and releases the latch assemblies 211.
When the lock activation knob of the locking mechanism 308 is rotated to lock the aircraft stowage bin 102, the elongated portion 810 of the lock activation projection 806 pushes the slidable pins 404 outward. The slidable pins 404 then push the pivoting arms 206 outward until the engagement portions 910 of the axle 906 release from the engagement recesses 1010 of the pivoting arms 206. With the engagement portions 910 and engagement recesses 1010 no longer mated, the end portions 912 of the axle 906 are free to rotate within the engagement recesses 1010 of the pivoting arms 206 due to the circular cross-sectional shapes of the end portions 912. Consequently, subsequent rotation of the external handle 202 and axle 906 result in the end portions 912 rotating within the engagement recesses 1010 without a corresponding rotation of the pivoting arms 206, which effectively locks the cable-actuated coupling system 200.
Conventional keyed locking systems for aircraft stowage bin 102 may be manually overridden and the bin unlatched via a manual release that is part of a conventional latch assembly 110. A member of the flight crew may reach beside the locked aircraft stowage bin 102 and press the manual release to bypass the keyed lock and release the bin. According to embodiments presented herein, these manual releases may also be used to release the aircraft stowage bin 102 when locked with the locking mechanism 308 described above. In practice, a flight crew member would open an aircraft stowage bin 102, place items to be secured within the bin, turn the lock activation knob to lock the bin, close the aircraft stowage bin 102, and later utilize the manual release to open the stowage bin.
Turning now to
If the aircraft stowage bin 102 is to be lockable, this operation may include connecting each pivoting arm 206 to the axle 906 via the springs 908 such that arm shaft 904 is inserted into the axle 906 and the outer end of the axle 906 is seated within the axle recess 1006 of the pivoting arm 206. This operation may further include configuring the locking mechanism 308 such that the slidable pins 404 and corresponding springs 702 are seated within the pin slots 502, and such that the lock activation knob or other lock activation mechanism 402 is installed onto the handle assembly 204.
From operation 1102, the routine 1100 continues to operation 1104, where the handle assembly is installed at the desired location within the aircraft stowage bin 102. At operation 1106, one or more latch assemblies 211 are installed. As discussed above, the concepts and technologies provided herein allow for the latch assemblies 211 to be installed at locations that offer the ideal mechanical advantage, rather than being limited to axial alignment with the handle assembly 204, as is required by conventional latching systems 100.
The routine 1100 continues from operation 1106 to operation 1108, where the cables 208 are attached at one end to the pivoting arms 206, while the opposing ends of the cables 208 are attached to the release mechanisms 212 of the latch assemblies 211. At operation 1110, the cables are routed through the cable guides 214. Any number of guides may be used depending on the routing of the cable within the aircraft stowage bin 102. These cable guides 214 are installed at operation 1112. As discussed above, advantageously, the cable guides 214 may be installed very close to the edges of the aircraft stowage bin 102, out of the way of luggage and other items to be stored within the aircraft stowage bin 102. At operation 1114, cable covers 306 and/or a handle assembly cover 304 are installed over the cable-actuated coupling system 200 components to conceal and protect the components from damage, and the routine 1100 ends.
The subject matter described above is provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed as limiting. Various modifications and changes may be made to the subject matter described herein without following the example embodiments and applications illustrated and described, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present disclosure, which is set forth in the following claims.
