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US 12,337,948 B2Granted
Bifold stair system for aircraft
AssigneeTextron Innovations Inc.
InventorsMichael John Seibel, Jamie L. Taber, Sidney Aloysius Mohr
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A stairway for aircraft is disclosed which includes first and second stair halves, one which nests in the other. The first half is hinged to the doorway and the second half is hinged to the first half. A mechanical resistance system uses different devices to allow for the airstair to be damped when switching between modes. A retracting arrangement is also disclosed.
Claims20
A stairway for an aircraft, comprising:
- a first portion of the stairway having a stair side with a first plurality of steps, wherein a first end of the first portion is hingeably pinned to one end of a doorway frame on the aircraft;
- a second portion of the stairway having a stair side with a second plurality of steps, wherein a first end of the second portion is hingeably connected to a second end of the first portion;
- a plurality of mechanical resistance mechanisms incorporated to decelerate relative motion between both (i) the first portion relative to the doorway frame, and (ii) the first portion relative to the second portion, comprising:
- a primary damper which is attached at one end to a location on the aircraft above the stairway and attached at another end to an upper location on the first portion of the stairway, the primary damper biasing the stairway towards a stowed configuration;
- and
- one or more secondary dampers disposed on a backside of the first portion to damp during deployment and in stowing of the stairway, wherein the one or more secondary dampers bias the stairway towards the stowed configuration to provide resistance against a rotation of the second portion relative to the first portion of the stairway;
- and
- wherein, in the stowed configuration:
- the second portion of the stairway and the plurality of mechanical resistance mechanisms are housed entirely within a fuselage of the aircraft;
- and
- a side of the first portion of the stairway which does not include the steps has an angled wall surface that fits a contour of a fuselage wall.
8 more elements
An aircraft stair arrangement for a doorway of an aircraft, the arrangement comprising:
- a first portion of a stair pinned and hinged at a proximate end to one end of a doorframe in the doorway;
- a second portion of the stair hinged to a distal end of the first portion of the stair;
- a step side of the first portion being nestable into a step side of the second portion when the second portion is rotated onto the first portion;
- and
- a mechanical resistance system incorporated to damp a deployment of the first and second portions from the doorway, comprising:
- a primary damper which is attached at one end to a location on the aircraft located above the first portion and attached at another end to an upper location on the first portion, the primary damper biasing the first portion towards a stowed configuration;
- and
- one or more secondary dampers disposed on a backside of the first portion to damp during deployment and in stowing of the first and second portions, wherein the one or more secondary dampers bias the second portion towards the stowed configuration to provide resistance against a rotation of the second portion relative to the first portion;
- and
- wherein, in the stowed configuration:
- the second portion and the mechanical resistance system are housed entirely within a fuselage of the aircraft;
- and
- a side of the first portion which does not include steps has an angled wall surface that fits a contour of a fuselage wall.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.