Patent Application
20080149765
This invention relates to a rest system for use on the flight deck of an aircraft comprising a sleeping area, and may also include a mini-lavatory and/or a mini-galley. The invention also relates to an aircraft containing the same.
As a result of consumer needs and advances in technology, airline customers are flying extended range airplanes on long routes. Currently, no designated or purposely designed crew rest accommodations are provided on 737 model airplanes. A typical means for providing crew rest provisions is by having them utilize an otherwise revenue generating seat in the cabin. Several disadvantages are clearly associated with this arrangement. First, the revenue potential of the utilized seat in the cabin is lost. Second, the secure door safeguarding the flight deck from the cabin has to be opened during the flight, exposing the crew members and the flight deck to possible unauthorized access. Third, typical passenger seats even business class some first class seats can not be put into a lay-flat position which is optimal for sleep. Another way for providing crew rest provisions is by creating a sleep compartment for pilots beneath or above the flight deck floor. However, such a provision is typically possible only on a large aircraft and a single aisle aircraft is unlikely to have enough space to accommodate this method.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a pilot sleep area in a flight deck, allowing at least one of the crew members to rest in a comfortable, preferably fully flat, position and reducing or entirely eliminating the need for occupying an otherwise revenue generating seat in the cabin and exposing the crew members and the flight deck to potential unauthorized access.
The present invention is directed to a pilot rest system for use in a flight deck of an aircraft comprising a sleeping area which is easily accessible. The sleeping area comprises two parts, the first part being the space beneath one or more seats (the affected seats) and the second part being a seat-free area adjacent to the affected seats. Each one of the affected seats comprises a base and back panel and the base can be rotated and folded back toward the back panel. The space under the bases of the affected seats, which is the first part of the sleeping area, is also used for providing a walking path for a person to access the sleep area. A curtain is preferably provided to enclose the second part of the sleeping area to ensure privacy, reduce noise infiltration and keep the sleep area dark if desired.
The rest system can further comprise a mini-lavatory and/or a mini-galley within the flight deck.
The present invention seeks to provide a rest system for a crew member inside the secured flight deck for reasons of economy, safety and convenience.
Referring to
The relationship between the seat 140 and the first part of the sleep area 150a is better illustrated in the perspective view shown in
A curtain 160 is provided and shown in a partially retracted fashion in
Due to the efficient use of the floor space occupied by the seat 140, the sleep area can be accommodated on most of the commercial aircrafts, including the ones that have narrow flight decks. However, to make more room available for the sleep area, the door 180 separating the flight deck from the cabin is preferably moved off the center line of the hull. However, the door 180 may be on the center line if the aircraft has sufficient width to accommodate the sleep area. The door 180 is preferably limited to a maximum of 45° opening, so that a direct view of the flight deck from the cabin is minimized and people entering and exiting the flight deck are forced to move slower, thus safer, by following a zig-zag path.
At a suitable location, preferably behind the seat 130 and in front of the sleep area, a mini-galley 181 is provided. At another suitable location, preferably adjacent to the fuselage and on the opposite side of the sleep area, a mini-lavatory 190 is provided comprising a curtain 210 or a hard wall enclosure for privacy and a toilet and sink 195 installed in the area enclosed by the curtain 210. The provision of a mini-galley and a mini-lavatory, as a preferable feature of the present invention, improves the comfort of the crew members and further reduces or eliminates the traffic between the flight deck and the cabin. The arrangement of the mini-galley, mini-lavatory, and the sleep area shown in
When the pilot, 1st officer, the 1st observer or another crewmember in the flight deck needs to access the sleeping area (the sleeper), the person seated on the observer seat temporarily leaves the observer seat and folds the seat up by lifting the base of the seat and rotates the base toward the back panel, creating a path for the sleeper to walk into the sleeping area. A locking means is activated to keep the base in an up position close to the back panel when ingress or egress from the sleep area is needed. Alternatively, the sleeper can also enter the sleep area through the opening provided by a partially retracted curtain. The sleeper walks into the sleep area and lies down in a substantially stretched and flat manner with part of his/her body, preferably the legs and feet, underneath the affected observer seat. Thereafter, the persons previously seated on the affected observer seat can unlock the bases of their seats, return the bases to a down position and sit down again on the bases of the seats. The incorporation of the space underneath one or more seat base into the sleep area allows more space to be utilized for the sleep area, so that a substantially fully stretched and flat position can be accommodated on even a small airplane with a narrow flight deck.
While the invention has been described in connection with one or more embodiments, it will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that the specific mechanisms and techniques which have been described are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and numerous modifications may be made to the methods and apparatus described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the cockpit door may be placed on the centerline of the aircraft or off the centerline of the aircraft depending on the desired use of the cockpit space and the width of the aircraft. Further, there may be one or more observer seats having the capabilities described herein, and the placement and arrangement of the sleeping area, min-galley and/or mini-lavatory may be easily modified to place the sleeping area on either the port or starboard side of the aircraft. All such variations and modifications are intended to be within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
