Aircraft door hinge mechanism

A translating motion hinge assembly for connecting an aircraft door to a fuselage, wherein the door is adapted to be seated in a closed position in a door opening formed in the fuselage, comprising:

• a hinge fitting having a shoulder section adjacent the fuselage and an outboard section connected to said shoulder section, said shoulder section being pivotally attached to the fuselage, said outboard section having a free end distal from said shoulder section wherein, said shoulder section and said outboard section are axially offset from each other so that when the aircraft door is in an open position, the aircraft door is laterally spaced from the door opening and said shoulder section and said outboard section are axially offset by less than 90.degree.;
• a universal shaft rotatably attached to said free end of said hinge fitting outboard section wherein, said universal shaft includes at least one linkage element for connecting the door to said universal shaft so that the aircraft door pivots around said free end of said hinge fitting outboard section in unison with the rotation of said shaft;
• a pulley assembly including a fixed pulley secured to the aircraft fuselage adjacent the location said hinge fitting is attached to the aircraft fuselage, a rotating pulley attached to said universal shaft to rotate in unison therewith, and a twin-spindle idler pulley rotatably mounted to said hinge assembly at a location approximately where said shoulder section in said outboard section of said hinge fitting meet;
• and
• a drive belt in the form of a closed loop cable wrapped at a first end around said fixed pulley, at a second end around said rotating pulley, and wrapped at separate locations around said idler pulley so that the opposed sections of said cable are disposed over separate ones of said idler pulleys so that when said hinge fitting is moved from the door closed position to the door open position, said drive belt causes said universal shaft to rotate so as to maintain the door in a substantially parallel orientation relative to the fuselage door opening.

A hinge assembly connecting a translating motion-type aircraft door to an aircraft fuselage wherein, the door is dimensioned to be seated in an opening formed in the fuselage, the fuselage including a plurality of stops preventing the outward movement of the door, the door including a latch-lock mechanism for selectively lifting the door above the fuselage stops, said hinge assembly comprising:

• a hinge fitting having a pair of opposed ends, said hinge fitting having a first end pivotally attached to the aircraft fuselage adjacent the door opening and a second end distal from the aircraft fuselage, said hinge fitting being positioned so that, when said door is seated in the door opening, said hinge fitting is spaced from the door opening;
• a universal shaft rotatably attached to said second end of said hinge fitting;
• at least two linkage elements, said linkage elements being connected to said universal shaft at spaced-apart locations, said linkage elements being pivotally connected to said universal shaft and the aircraft door to allow the aircraft door to vertically shift position relative to said hinge fitting and move about the fuselage stops so that the aircraft door rotates around said second end of said hinge fitting in unison with the rotation of said shaft;
• a first fixed sprocket attached to the aircraft fuselage adjacent the location said hinge fitting is attached thereto and a second sprocket mounted on said universal shaft for rotation in unison with said shaft;
• and
• a drive belt assembly including an open-ended rubber belt, said rubber belt having teeth adapted to interlock with said sprockets and a pair of opposed ends, and an adjustable tensioner for connecting said ends of said rubber belt wherein, said rubber belt is coupled to said sprockets so as to cause said universal shaft to rotate so as to maintain the aircraft door in a substantially parallel orientation relative to the door opening and said drive belt assembly is separate from the aircraft door latch-lock assembly.