Lock defeating system for an aircraft door
AssigneeTextron Innovations Inc.
InventorsJoseph Allan Smarsh, Evan Michael Johnson, Timothy Bachman, Richard S. Conkling
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for defeating a door lock. More specifically, a door having an outside door handle with a key-lock, and having an interior door handle of the type that includes both a paddle along with the handle runs the risk of being left in locked mode in the event of a mechanical malfunction. This problem has been overcome by mechanically linking the paddle on the interior handle to unlatch the key-lock.
Claims20
An aircraft door comprising:
- an exterior door handle assembly including a key-operated lock, the key-operated lock being operable to a locked position where an outstanding tab on the key-operated lock is rotated between a first locked position and a second unlocked position;
- an interior door handle assembly including a paddle portion and a handle portion, wherein the paddle portion and the handle portion are configured in such a way that the action of operating the handle portion causes the actuation of the paddle portion, the paddle portion being operably linked via a mechanical system to an opposing outwardly extending blocking member;
- the blocking member, when the paddle portion is not being actuated by a user, and when the key-operated lock is in the locked position, existing in blocking mode where the outstanding tab overlaps and engages with the blocking member and prevents an opening of the door;
- and
- the blocking member, when the paddle portion is actuated by a user, existing in an unblocked mode where the outstanding tab of the key-operated lock overlaps and engages with the blocking member and does not block opening of the door on an actuation of the handle on the exterior door assembly.
An aircraft door comprising:
- an exterior handle system having a lock tab which rotates to catch on an axially mounted blocking member when in locked mode and is rotatable to an unlocked mode where the tab does not catch on the blocking member;
- an interior handle system including a paddle which is operated by a user to gain the ability to operate a handle in the interior handle system, wherein the paddle and the handle are configured in such a way that the action of operating the handle portion causes the actuation of the paddle portion;
- and
- the paddle rotating on a shaft, the shaft configured to impart mechanical rotation to the blocking member via a mechanical system.
A lock-defeat process for use with a door having a first handle having a key-lock arrangement on a first side of the door and a paddle associated with a second handle existing on a second side of the door, the process comprising:
- mechanically linking the paddle associated with the second handle to the key-lock associated with the first handle such that the operation of the paddle maintains an unlatching of the key-lock, and
- configuring the paddle and the second handle in such a way that the action of operating the second handle causes the actuation of the paddle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.