Airplane stairway
AssigneeMesserschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm GmbH
InventorsGunther Molter, Gerd Cerne
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A stairway for aircraft which will fold into a compact package. The stairway is mounted on suitable tracks within the aircraft for alternate positioning, either in alignment with a door thereof for extension therethrough or for movement as a compact package to one side thereof. Such track may be either a standard seat track or a special track provided for the purpose. Translation mechanism such as a sprocket supported chain or a parallelogram arranged linkage may be provided for moving such package translatably and without rotation thereof between a position in front of the aircraft door and a position at one side thereof.
Claims8
An on-board collapsible stairway and a stairway storage installation, for disposition transversely of an aircraft passenger cabin structure on an aircraft having a door opening thereinto, comprising:
- track means mounted on the floor of said aircraft passenger cabin structure and extending in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of said aircraft and terminating in front of said door opening;
- a collapsed stairway package means mounted on said track means for movement therealong between positions in front of said door and longitudinally spaced along side thereof in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of said aircraft, said collapsed stairway package means including collapsible stairway means comprising a plurality of elongated and straight sections stacked side-by-side in said package means, alternate hinge means connecting said plurality of said sections serially together, said alternate hinge means comprising a first plurality of hinges connecting alternate ones of mutually adjacent one ends of said sections and a second plurality of hinges connecting alternate ones of the mutually adjacent other ends of said sections not connected together by said first plurality of hinges;
- and
- drive means for moving said collapsible stairway means from a collapsed position wherein said first and second sections are side-by-side and parallel to a fully extended position wherein said first and second sections are positioned end-to-end and extend out of said door down to ground level.
An on-board collapsible stairway and stairway storage installation, for disposition transversely of an aircraft passenger compartment on an aircraft having a door opening thereinto, comprising:
- track means mounted on the floor within said aircraft passenger compartment and extending in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of said aircraft and terminating in front of said door opening;
- a collapsed stairway package means mounted on said track means for movement therealong between positions in front of said door and longitudinally spaced along side thereof in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of said aircraft, said collapsed stairway package means including a collapsible stairway means;
- and
- drive means for moving said collapsible stairway means between a collapsed position and a fully extended position extending out of said door down to ground level.
An on-board collapsible stairway and stairway storage installation, for disposition transversely of an aircraft passenger compartment on an aircraft having a door opening thereinto, comprising:
- guide means mounted inside said aircraft passenger compartment adjacent said door opening;
- a collapsed stairway package means mounted on said guide means for movement between positions in front of said door and longitudinally spaced along side thereof in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of said aircraft, said collapsed stairway package means including collapsible stairway means;
- and
- drive means for moving said collapsible stairway means between a collapsed position and a fully extended position extending out of said door down to ground level.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.