CN101014496B - Arrangement of the upper part of an aircraft cabin - Google Patents

Abstract

The layout relates to an aircraft cabin (4) having: a main structure corresponding to the aircraft structure and enclosing the cabin (4); a deck (20) forming a flat surface, seating (12, 42) secured to said flat surface; a passageway (32) extending longitudinally within said cabin (4) and raised relative to said deck (20); berths (14) via The walkway (32) is accessible and is positioned above the seats (12, 42) of the deck (20) and is positioned on both sides of the walkway (32) and transversely with respect to the walkway (32).

Description

Layout of the upper part of the aircraft cabin

technical field

The present invention relates to the layout of the upper part of an aircraft cabin.

The technical field of the invention is the transport of passengers in aircraft. Within a given volume of an aircraft cabin, it is appropriate to accommodate as many passengers as possible while providing maximum comfort to the passengers. There are usually three classes of travel: First Class, Business Class and Economy Class. In first class and business class, the most common seats provided to passengers are convertible seats that provide passengers with a resting seat in a first position and a reclining position in another position , the lying position is somewhat reclined in business class. Various solutions are known from the prior art, which also provide passengers in the economy class with reclining positions. For example, it has been proposed to use several seats in order to convert them into stacked beds. The number of sleeping berths obtained is usually less than the number of sitting seats. In known solutions, two resting seats are generally counted as one berth.

The original idea of the invention is to use the upper space of the cabin of an aircraft in order to accommodate sleeping berths therein. The problem is to be able to place a larger number of sleepers.

Background technique

Some documents of the prior art have proposed the use of the headspace of an aircraft cabin. Therefore, document EP-0901964 proposes to place in said upper space several sleeping berths accessible via a corridor. As can be seen in the illustrations of said document, the number of berths is very limited. The use of the sleeping berths is therefore reserved rather for the flight crew. Another updated document, namely document US-6619589 also proposes a similar configuration.

Contents of the invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a greater number of sleeping berths in the headspace of an aircraft passenger cabin.

To this end, the invention proposes a cabin of an aircraft for the transport of passengers, which has:

- a body structure corresponding to the structure of said aircraft and enclosing said cabin,

- a deck forming a flat surface on which the seat is fixed,

- an aisle extending longitudinally within said cabin and raised relative to said deck, and

- berths, which are accessed via said gangway and placed above the seating of said deck.

According to the invention, said berths accessed via said raised aisle are arranged on both sides of said aisle and transversely with respect to said aisle.

Thanks to this configuration, a greater number of berths can be placed in the upper part of the passenger compartment compared to prior art arrangements of similar berths.

The invention also proposes a preferred embodiment in which the berth is suspended to the main structure of the cabin on one side of the central aisle and connected to the same main structure on the opposite side of the aisle. The elements supporting the berth can thus present a light structure and at the same time be strong, since they are connected to the main structure of the cabin. In this embodiment it is conceivable, for example, that the berth is supported by an L-shaped structural element, a first branch of the L-shaped body extends approximately parallel to the deck and presents a length approximately equal to the length of a berth, and the L-shaped body The other branch of the L extends substantially perpendicularly to the first branch, and the free end of the L-shaped structural element is fixed to the main structure of the cabin.

In order not to unnecessarily increase the suspended loads on the upper part of the main structure of the aircraft, the raised aisle is advantageously supported by the deck of the passenger cabin. No major overloading of the cabin deck occurs here. In practice, a raised aisle may replace a row of seats, and the weight of the elements allowing a raised aisle should not be greater than the weight of a row of seats, even if economy class seats are involved.

It may be considered that a staircase allows access to each end of the raised corridor. The staircase may be oriented longitudinally or transversely within the passenger cabin. In the case of a transverse staircase, said staircase may be of the double-passage type (thus entering the corridor from the left and from the right). A curved staircase can also be designed. A ladder may also allow access to the aisle. However, said method, while feasible and less costly to implement than stairs, is arguably not the preferred method, since it does not allow for a rapid evacuation of passengers out of the sleeping berths accessible via raised aisles.

In one embodiment, the raised aisle longitudinally divides the cabin into two longitudinal sections. A "wall" longitudinally dividing the cabin in two is thus seen in said aircraft. This allows the formation of an aisle with a relatively high height, so that passengers who want to enter the berth can walk standing without stooping. In the configuration with two longitudinal sections, and when the cabin has, for example, convertible sleeper seats and non-sleeper-convertible seats, the convertible sleeper seats are all located, for example, on the same in the vertical section.

In order to leave a maximum of space for the passengers seated directly on the berths, the channels for the air lines and ducts are advantageously arranged in a structure of the supporting deck.

In a preferred embodiment variant, the storage space is arranged below the raised aisle. This makes for some easy-to-reach luggage racks. In addition, a luggage rack placed on a base is also less heavy than a traditional luggage rack placed on a high place. Since there is a lot of space under the raised aisle, the space can also be used to place the trolleys (trolleys in English) used by the flight attendants to serve the passengers. It can also be used to receive elements called monuments fixed to the base. These may for example be galleys for cabin services (commonly called "galleys") or also wardrobes for storing passenger coats and coats (these wardrobes are usually called "coatstowage" in English).

In order to free up maximum space for passengers at the seats and at the berths, the roof of the deck is preferably approximately parallel to the deck in the region where the berths are located above the seats.

Description of drawings

Details and advantages of the invention will appear better from the following description by reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top view of the passenger cabin of an aircraft equipped with a layout according to the invention, and

2 to 4 are views corresponding to the cross-section of the aircraft of FIG. 1 in different configurations.

Detailed ways

An aircraft can be seen in FIG. 1 with a cockpit 2 located at the front of the aircraft and a passenger cabin 4 extending over a large part of the aircraft.

In front of the passenger cabin 4 there is a first compartment 6 in which individual modules 8 for passengers are arranged. In said individual module 8 for each passenger, there is a convertible seat which can accommodate the passenger, whether in a sitting or lying position. The modules are likewise equipped with other living facilities. Said cabin 6 is therefore referred to as a first class cabin.

Behind said first cabin 6 there is a second cabin 10 having on the one hand a seat 12 (not convertible into a bed) and on the other hand a berth 14 . The seat 12 and the berth 14 are arranged at different heights. Thus, the berth 14 is located above the seats 12 , all of the seats 12 being at the same height corresponding to the height at which the individual modules 8 for passengers are located. The second compartment 10 will be described in more detail below.

Finally, at the rear of the passenger cabin 4 there is a third cabin 16 in which a seat 12 similar to that in the second cabin 10 is placed. Said seat 12 is located at the same level as the seat 12 in the second cabin 10 and the individual modules 8 for passengers in the first cabin 6 .

FIG. 2 corresponds to a sectional view of the fuselage of the aircraft in FIG. 1 , said section being carried out at the second compartment 10 .

In FIGS. 2 to 4 , a main structure 18 of the aircraft is schematically shown by a pair of lines around the cabin perimeter. A conventional aircraft structure known to those skilled in the art may be involved here. Conventionally, a deck 20 extending longitudinally relative to the aircraft separates the passenger cabin 4 from a cargo compartment 22 . Said deck 20 is supported by a structure 24 formed in particular by beams fixed to the main structure 18 . Said cargo compartment 22 has a base plate 26 and is intended to accommodate standardized containers 28 in its section at the section.

In the description that follows, it is envisaged that said deck 20 is horizontal and extends in the same plane over the entire length and width of the aircraft. It is also conceivable that the passenger compartment is located above the deck and the cargo compartment is located below the deck.

In the upper part of the passenger cabin 4 , more precisely the second cabin 10 , there are sleeping berths 14 . The berths are arranged horizontally, ie parallel to the deck 20 and oriented transversely to the passenger cabin. As can be seen particularly in FIG. 1 , there are two rows of berths 14 here. The two rows of sleepers are arranged on both sides of a central aisle 32 .

The berth 14 is supported by an L-shaped support element 34 . Said support element 34 is placed such that one branch of the L-shaped body extends horizontally and the other branch extends vertically towards the upper part of the cabin 4 . The free ends of the branches of the L-shaped body are each connected to the main structure 18 of the cabin. This results in two mezzanines extending longitudinally on the sides of the aircraft. The passageway 32 allows access to the mezzanine. The walkway has a base 36 similar to a passerelle fixed to the deck 20 . In the middle of the passenger cabin 4 there is thus obtained an elevated passage with respect to the deck 20 . Access to the passage is via two staircases 38 , one at each end of the corridor 32 . Side walls 40 connect the base 36 of the gangway 32 to the sleeper 14 on either side of the gangway 32 . Said passageway 32 is thus isolated from the rest of the second compartment 10 .

The base 36 preferably rests on the storage case. The storage box can be used to store the luggage of the passengers in the second cabin 10 . There is sufficient space under the base 36 to accommodate all the luggage of passengers traveling in said second compartment, taking into account the acceptable maximum size of luggage that is normally permitted to travel in the cabin. There is even enough room to place a cart (galley) still under the base 36, which is typically used by a personnel navigant commercial (cabin crew) to provide service on the aircraft. The presence of said stowage space makes it possible to do away with the luggage normally located in the upper part of the passenger cabin. There is thus more space available in the upper part of the cabin and said space can be used to increase the comfort of the passengers in the berths 14 .

In order to free up more space in the upper part of the cabin 4, the structure 24 supporting the deck 20 is arranged to allow the passage of the various ductwork and lines. Below the deck 20 , in said structure 24 , for example electrical harnesses, hydraulic and pneumatic lines are passed. As for the air ducts for the ventilation of the passenger cabin, they are located directly in said cargo compartment 22 , just below said structure 24 of the support deck 20 and near the outer walls of the aircraft. The point receiving said air line is indicated with reference numeral 41 . The air line thus passes between the structural link and the aircraft skin. In order to ventilate the upper part of the passenger cabin 4 , ducts may be arranged along transverse structural elements called frames in order to supply said part of the passenger cabin 4 with air.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment variant of FIG. 2 . The difference here is that the deck 20 has three front seats on each side of the central aisle 32 whereas, as can be seen in the figure, the configuration of FIG. 2 has four on each side of the central aisle. A front seat.

The originality of the configuration shown in FIG. 4 consists in the fact that a convertible seat 42 is placed on one side of the central aisle 32, while on the other side of the central aisle there are seats 12 corresponding to Seats usually seen in the economy class cabin. Usually, in an aircraft with a single deck, the seats corresponding to economy class are placed at the rear of the cabin, while first class and business class are arranged towards the front of the cabin. Here the passengers of the first class and the business class are arranged on the right side of the aircraft (ie, the left side in Fig. 4 ) relative to the direction of travel of the aircraft, while the passengers of the economy class are then seated on the left side of the aircraft. Therefore, during the boarding process, economy class passengers no longer have to pass through the cabins of first class and business class, but are directly led to the cabin of economy class.

The solution proposed above for placing sleeping berths in an aircraft allows for the first time to travel in a sleeping position for a large number of passengers in economy class. Of course, there are fewer sleeping berths than sleeping seats in economy class, but it is conceivable, for example, that there are two different set price levels for economy class: with berths or without berths.

The proposed scheme for realizing the sleeping berth will not cause a large overweight to the aircraft. In fact, as already mentioned above, the proposed solution leads to the elimination of all overhead racks. The luggage rack has a relatively high mass. Replacing said luggage rack, which is usually arranged high, with a box located on deck and used as a support for the base 36 of the central aisle 32, the weight is saved quite significantly.

The solution provided allows to have an aisle 32 in which passengers can walk without stooping. Evacuation of the aircraft can thus be achieved within the time period specified by aviation industry standards.

The elimination of the normally high luggage racks also frees up space in the upper cabin. The berth 14 can thus be arranged at a distance from the deck that is just over the height of a person. Thus, the height of these berths can be significantly reduced compared to prior art berths located above the cabin of an aircraft. The reduction in the height of the berths allows in particular to obtain a greater width at the berths and allows two passengers extending transversely with respect to the direction of travel of the aircraft and a central aisle in the upper part of the cabin at the same height.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above in a non-limitative manner. It also covers all variants of implementation within the scope of the appended claims within the purview of a person skilled in the art.

Claims (7)

1. be used for the main cabin (4) of the aerocraft of passenger traffic, said aircraft cabin has:

-one agent structure (18), its structure and envelope corresponding to said aerocraft is enclosed said main cabin (4),

-one deck (20), it forms a flat surface, and a seat tool (12,42) is fixed on the said flat surface,

-one passageway (32), they are longitudinal extension in said main cabin (4), and said relatively deck (20) high rise and

-sleeping berth (14), it is sensible via said passageway (32), and is placed in seat tool (12, the 42) top on said deck (20), and laterally settles in (32) both sides, said passageway and with respect to said passageway (32);

It is characterized in that in the agent structure (18) of said main cabin (4), and the opposite side in said passageway is connected to this identical agent structure (18) to said sleeping berth (14) in the side mounting in the passageway (32) of central authorities;

And high passageway (32) of rising is supported by the deck (20) in said main cabin.

2. according to the main cabin (4) of the described aerocraft of claim 1; It is characterized in that; Said sleeping berth (14) is supported by L-shaped structural constituent (34); One first branch of said L shaped body is roughly parallel to said deck extends (20), and have one be substantially equal to a sleeping berth (14) length length, and another branch of said L shaped body is approximately perpendicular to said first branch ground and extends; And the free end of said L shaped structural constituent (34) is fixed on the agent structure (18) of said main cabin (4).

3. according to the main cabin (4) of claim 1 or 2 described aerocrafts, it is characterized in that each end in the passageway (32) that the approaching said height of stair (38) permission rises.

4. according to the main cabin (4) of claim 1 or 2 described aerocrafts, it is characterized in that the passageway that said height rises (32) are divided into two longitudinal part sections with said main cabin (4) end wise.

5. according to the main cabin (4) of the described aerocraft of claim 4, it is characterized in that said main cabin (4) have the seat tool (42) that is convertible into sleeping berth and can not convert the seat tool (12) of sleeping berth to; And the said seat tool (42) that is convertible into sleeping berth all is arranged in same longitudinal part section.

6. according to the main cabin (4) of claim 1 or 2 described aerocrafts, it is characterized in that, be provided in the structure (24) that supports said deck (20) for airline and the used passage of pipeline.

7. according to the main cabin (4) of claim 1 or 2 described aerocrafts, it is characterized in that parking space is disposed in below the passageway (32) that said height rises.

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