Aeronautics and astronautics – Aircraft structure – Load accommodation
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-30
2004-10-26
Keith, Jack (Department: 3641)
Aeronautics and astronautics
Aircraft structure
Load accommodation
C244S118500, C244S137100, C244S137200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06808142
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an airplane with multi-level cabins for cargos or passengers in its fuselage, into which it is easier to load cargos, and a method of loading cargos into those cabins.
TECHNICAL BACKGROUND
FIG. 25
is a simplified perspective drawing of the cargo cabin into which cargo is loaded in an airplane.
FIG. 26
is a lateral cross section (taken perpendicular to the length of the plane) of the cargo cabin. In
FIG. 25
,
1
is a fuselage of the aircraft;
2
are main wings; and
3
are tail wings.
As can be seen in
FIG. 26
, this sort of cargo cabin is divided into an upper cargo cabin
10
and a lower cargo cabin
11
by a partition
14
which runs along the length of the fuselage. The upper and lower cargo cabins
10
and
11
have cargo hatchways
023
and
23
, respectively, which are opened and closed by cargo doors
012
and
12
. Normally, as can be seen in
FIG. 25
, the cargo cabin has one cargo hatchway
023
in either the fore or aft section of the craft and two cargo batchways
23
, one in the fore section and the other in the aft section.
Cargo door
12
and cargo hatchways
23
are normally used to load cargo belonging to passengers and cargo for commercial transportation.
To load cargo item
13
into such a cargo cabin, it is first transported through hatchway
023
into the upper cargo cabin
10
. A conveyor (not pictured) which extends along the entire length of the upper cabin floor
28
moves the cargo item to its designated location in upper cargo cabin
10
. A cargo item is also transported through hatchway
23
into the lower cargo cabin
11
and transported by a conveyor (not pictured) running along the length of the lower cabin floor
19
to its designated spot in lower cabin
11
. When the cargo is to be unloaded, the reverse operation is performed.
As is explained above, the prior art cargo cabin has an upper cargo cabin
10
and a lower cargo cabin
11
, each of which has a cargo hatchway (
023
and
23
) opened and closed by a cargo door (
012
and
12
). Cargo is loaded and unloaded through these cargo hatchways.
However, the cargo doors (
012
and
12
) which close the cargo hatchways (
023
and
23
) must be of the same thickness and made of the same material as fuselage
1
so that they have the same strength as the fuselage having no cut for hatchways. The doors must therefore be extremely massive. Moreover, since there are large pressure and temperature differentials between the inside and the outside of the aircraft, the areas between the doors (
012
and
12
) and the cargo hatchways (
023
and
23
) must be rigorously sealed. Thus, installing a cargo door (
012
or
12
) to close a hatchway (
023
or
23
) requires numerous assembly processes and costly materials.
The prior art technology shown in
FIGS. 25 and 26
, then, requires that the sort of cargo hatch doors described above (
012
and
12
), which entail numerous assembly processes and costly materials, be installed on the cargo hatchways (
023
and
23
) of the upper cargo cabin
10
and lower cargo cabin
11
. This drives up the cost of the aircraft, or, in the case of a passenger aircraft which is being converted into a cargo aircraft, increases the number of processes required and the cost of remodeling the plane.
The present inventors' investigation of the prior art has not turned up any technology concerning the relationship between the cargo doors (
012
and
12
) and cargo cabins
10
and
11
.
FIG. 24
is a partial cross plain section of an aircraft according to the prior art. The galley service spaces
505
,
506
are provided at the fore section of fuselage
500
, in which the flight attendants prepare the drink service for the passengers seated ahead of main wing
525
. Another galley service space
507
is provided at the aft section. Since the drink service is offered after the aircraft takes off, the drink will be consumed before the arrival at the destination. It is necessary, therefore, to exchange the new wagons loaded with drinks during the time that the aircraft is parking at the destination airport. The new sets of wagons provided from gailey service car
503
must be carried into the aircraft via the emergency door provided on the same floor as the passenger cabin floor.
It is, however, not possible to exchange to the new sets of wagons during the time that the passengers are deplaning from the aircraft, and it is possible only after the deplaning of the passengers is completed. This drives the parking period of the aircraft longer, and makes it difficult to schedule many flights in a limited time length. This fact also makes the passenger's waiting time longer, and causes damages for the profitability of the airline companies for the convenience of the passengers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the technical problems described, the objective of this invention is to provide a device and method to load cargo into an aircraft of the sort with multi-level cargo or passenger cabins in the fuselage. Such a device would, without diminishing the capacity to load or unload cargo on either level, reduce the number of cargo hatchways and doors through which cargo would be loaded and unloaded and further reduce the cost of the aircraft. If a passenger aircraft is being remodeled into a cargo aircraft, it will obviate the need to provide additional hatchways and doors beyond the hatchways and doors the craft originally came with, and it will greatly reduce the number of processes required and the cost of revamping the craft.
Since the beverage and food service is offered after the aircraft takes off, the beverages will be consumed before the arrival at the destination. It is necessary, therefore, to exchange the new beverage wagons loaded with the drinks during the time that the aircraft is parked at the destination airport.
Another objective of this invention is to provide a device and method to load the new set of beverage and food wagons, as mentioned above, into the aircraft without the necessity of moving the new set of wagons on the same floor as the passenger floor. According to this invention, the loading of the new set of wagons can be processed during the time that the passengers are deplaning from the aircraft. It can shorten the parking time of the aircraft on the ground, and make it possible to schedule more flights in a limited time. This can result in shortening the waiting time for the passengers, and result in improving the profitability of the airline companies and convenience of the passenger.
According to this invention, the aircraft is provided with multi-level cabins functioning as a cargo cabin or passenger cabin. It is distinguished by the configuration which comprises, a first cabin provided with a cargo hatchway which is opened and closed by a cargo door on a fuselage, the cargo door facing towards the cargo cabin; a second cabin which lacks the cargo hatchway, the second cabin being positioned directly above or under the first cabin; and an elevator to convey a cargo item, moved into the first cabin through the cargo hatchway, to the second cabin, and to convey back the conveyed cargo item from the second cabin to the first cabin, thereby the cargo item is moved between the exterior of the aircraft and the second cabin.
It is, therefore, possible in this aircraft according to this invention, to move the cargo items into and from the aircraft through the existing cargo hatchway (hatchway used only for cargos). Since the elevator can move the cargo items between the first cabin provided with a cargo hatchway which is opened and closed by a cargo door on a fuselage, and the second cabin which lacks the cargo hatchway, it obviates the need to provide a new cargo hatchway which lowers the strength of the fuselage. The number of cargo hatchways and doors can be reduced without affecting the ability to load and unload cargo on every level. This arrangement lowers the cost of the aircraft.
When a passenger aircraft is being converted to a cargo aircraft, this arrangement makes it unnecessary to add
Keith Jack
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.
Semunegus L.
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