US-12623768-B2 - Support assembly for an aircraft door

Abstract

A door assembly for an aircraft includes a door, a door hinge, and a support assembly rotatably mounting the door hinge to the door. The support assembly includes a forearm and at least one link. The forearm is rotatably mounted to the door hinge along a first rotational axis. The forearm extends along the first rotational axis between and to an upper end and a lower end. The at least one link extends between and to an inner end and an outer end. The at least one link is rotatably mounted to the forearm at the inner end. The at least one link is rotatable relative to the forearm about a second rotational axis. The at least one link is rotatably mounted to the door at the outer end. The at least one link is rotatable about the second rotational axis between and to a lowered position of the door and a raised position of the door.

Inventors

• Damien Buchet

Assignees

• ROHR, INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20240119

Claims (19)

1. 1 . A door assembly for an aircraft, the door assembly comprising: a door; a door hinge; and a support assembly rotatably mounting the door hinge to the door, the support assembly includes a forearm, at least one link, and at least one weight compensation spring, the forearm is rotatably mounted to the door hinge along a first rotational axis, the forearm extends along the first rotational axis between and to an upper end and a lower end, the at least one link extends between and to an inner end and an outer end, the at least one link is rotatably mounted to the forearm at the inner end, the at least one link is rotatable relative to the forearm about a second rotational axis, the at least one link is rotatably mounted to the door at the outer end, the at least one link is rotatable about the second rotational axis between and to a lowered position of the door and a raised position of the door, the at least one weight compensation spring extends between and to a lower spring end and an upper spring end, the lower spring end is rotatably mounted to the forearm, and the upper spring end is rotatably mounted to the at least one link at the outer end.
2. 2 . The door assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one link includes an upper link and a lower link, the lower link is disposed at the lower end, and the upper link is disposed at the upper end.
3. 3 . The door assembly of claim 2 , wherein the lower link includes a first arm portion, a second arm portion, and a lateral portion, the first arm portion and the second arm portion are rotatably mounted to the forearm, the lateral portion extends between and connects the first arm portion and the second arm portion, and the lateral portion is disposed at the door.
4. 4 . The door assembly of claim 2 , wherein the second rotational axis of the lower link is substantially parallel to the second rotational axis of the upper link.
5. 5 . The door assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one spring is configured to bias the door in the raised position.
6. 6 . The door assembly of claim 1 , further comprising an emergency puller assist system (EPAS) actuator, and the EPAS actuator extends between and connects the door hinge and the forearm.
7. 7 . The door assembly of claim 1 , wherein the forearm includes a shaft and a base, the shaft extends between and to the upper end and the lower end, the base is disposed at the lower end, the base extends between and to a proximate lateral end and a distal lateral end radially farther from the shaft than the proximate lateral end relative to the first rotational axis, and the at least one link is rotatably mounted to the base at the proximate lateral end and the distal lateral end.
8. 8 . The door assembly of claim 7 , further comprising an emergency puller assist system (EPAS) actuator, the EPAS actuator is rotatably mounted to the door hinge, and the EPAS actuator is rotatably mounted to the base between the shaft and the distal lateral end.
9. 9 . The door assembly of claim 1 , wherein the forearm is configured to rotate about the first rotational axis from a first rotational position to a second rotational position as the door moves from a closed position to an open position.
10. 10 . A door assembly for an aircraft, the door assembly comprising: a door; a door hinge; and a support assembly including a forearm, a lower link, an upper link, and a latch idler, the forearm is rotatably mounted to the door hinge at a distal end of the door hinge, the forearm extends between and to an upper end and a lower end, the lower link is rotatably mounted to the forearm at the lower end, the upper link is rotatably mounted to the forearm at the upper end, the lower link and the upper link are rotatably mounted to the door, the latch idler is operably connected to the forearm and mounted to the door, the latch idler is positionable, relative to the forearm, in a raised idler position or a lowered idler position to position the door in a raised door position or a lowered door position, respectively.
11. 11 . The door assembly of claim 10 , wherein the support assembly further includes at least one weight compensation spring, the at least one weight compensation spring extends between and to a lower spring end and an upper spring end, the lower spring end is rotatably mounted to the forearm, and the upper spring end is rotatably mounted to the upper link.
12. 12 . The door assembly of claim 10 , further comprising a door handle positionable in a latched position or an unlatched position, the door handle is operably connected to the latch idler, and the door handle is configured to move the latch idler from the lowered idler position to the raised idler position as the door handle moves from the latched position to the unlatched position.
13. 13 . The door assembly of claim 10 , wherein the forearm is configured to rotate, relative to the door hinge, about a first rotational axis from a first rotational position to a second rotational position as the door moves from a closed position to an open position.
14. 14 . The door assembly of claim 13 , wherein the forearm extends between and to the upper end and the lower end along the first rotational axis.
15. 15 . A door assembly for an aircraft, the door assembly comprising: a door; a door hinge; and a support assembly rotatably mounting the door hinge to the door, the support assembly includes a forearm and a lower link, the forearm includes a shaft and a base, the shaft is rotatably mounted to the door hinge along a first rotational axis, the shaft extends along the first rotational axis between and to an upper end and a lower end, the base is disposed at the lower end, the base extends between and to a proximate lateral end and a distal lateral end radially farther from the shaft than the proximate lateral end relative to the first rotational axis, the lower link is rotatably mounted to the base at the proximate lateral end and the distal lateral end about a second rotational axis, the lower link is rotatably mounted to the door, and the lower link is rotatable about the second rotational axis between and to a lowered position of the door and a raised position of the door.
16. 16 . The door assembly of claim 15 , wherein the lower link includes a first arm portion, a second arm portion, and a lateral portion, the first arm portion and the second arm portion are rotatably mounted to the base, the lateral portion extends between and connects the first arm portion and the second arm portion, and the lateral portion is disposed at the door.
17. 17 . The door assembly of claim 15 , further comprising an emergency puller assist system (EPAS) actuator, the EPAS actuator is rotatably mounted to the door hinge, and the EPAS actuator is rotatably mounted to the base between the shaft and the distal lateral end.
18. 18 . The door assembly of claim 15 , wherein the support assembly further includes an upper link rotatably mounted to the shaft at the upper end and rotatably mounted to the door.
19. 19 . The door assembly of claim 18 , wherein the support assembly further includes at least one weight compensation spring, the at least one weight compensation spring extends between and to a lower spring end and an upper spring end, the lower spring end is rotatably mounted to the forearm, and the upper spring end is rotatably mounted to the upper link.

Description

This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Appln. No. 63/440,019 filed Jan. 19, 2023 which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field This disclosure relates generally to an aircraft door assembly and, more particularly, to a support assembly for guiding and supporting an aircraft door. 2. Background Information Aircraft doors, such as passenger doors for an aircraft cabin, may be configured to facilitate evacuation of the aircraft in an emergency. Various assemblies for guiding and supporting aircraft doors for a range of opening and closing movements are known in the art. While these known assemblies have various advantages, there is still room in the art for improvement. SUMMARY It should be understood that any or all of the features or embodiments described herein can be used or combined in any combination with each and every other feature or embodiment described herein unless expressly noted otherwise. According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a door assembly for an aircraft includes a door, a door hinge, and a support assembly rotatably mounting the door hinge to the door. The support assembly includes a forearm and at least one link. The forearm is rotatably mounted to the door hinge along a first rotational axis. The forearm extends along the first rotational axis between and to an upper end and a lower end. The at least one link extends between and to an inner end and an outer end. The at least one link is rotatably mounted to the forearm at the inner end. The at least one link is rotatable relative to the forearm about a second rotational axis. The at least one link is rotatably mounted to the door at the outer end. The at least one link is rotatable about the second rotational axis between and to a lowered position of the door and a raised position of the door. In any of the aspects or embodiments described above and herein, the at least one link may include an upper link and a lower link. The lower link may be disposed at the lower end. The upper link may be disposed at the upper end. In any of the aspects or embodiments described above and herein, the lower link may include a first arm portion, a second arm portion, and a lateral portion. The first arm portion and the second arm portion may be rotatably mounted to the forearm. The lateral portion may extend between and connect the first arm portion and the second arm portion. The lateral portion may be disposed at the door. In any of the aspects or embodiments described above and herein, the second rotational axis of the lower link may be substantially parallel to the second rotational axis of the upper link. In any of the aspects or embodiments described above and herein, the support assembly further may further include at least one weight compensation spring. The at least one weight compensation spring may extend between and to a lower spring end and an upper spring end. The lower spring end may be rotatably mounted to the forearm. The upper spring end may be rotatably mounted to the at least one link at the outer end. In any of the aspects or embodiments described above and herein, the at least one spring may be configured to bias the door in the raised position. In any of the aspects or embodiments described above and herein, the door assembly may further include an emergency puller assist system (EPAS) actuator. The EPAS actuator may extend between and connect the door hinge and the forearm. In any of the aspects or embodiments described above and herein, the forearm may include a shaft and a base. The shaft may extend between and to the upper end and the lower end. The base may be disposed at the lower end. The base may extend between and to a proximate lateral end and a distal lateral end radially farther from the shaft than the proximate lateral end relative to the first rotational axis. The at least one link may be rotatably mounted to the base at the proximate lateral end and the distal lateral end. In any of the aspects or embodiments described above and herein, the door assembly may further include an emergency puller assist system (EPAS) actuator. The EPAS actuator may be rotatably mounted to the door hinge. The EPAS actuator may be rotatably mounted to the base between the shaft and the distal lateral end. In any of the aspects or embodiments described above and herein, the forearm may be configured to rotate about the first rotational axis from a first rotational position to a second rotational position as the door moves from a closed position to an open position. According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a door assembly for an aircraft includes a door, a door hinge, and a support assembly. The support assembly includes a forearm, a lower link, an upper link, and a latch idler. The forearm is rotatably mounted to the door hinge at a distal end of the door hinge. The forearm extends between and to an upper end and a lower end. The lower link is rotatably moun