Galley appliance controller for an aircraft

• US 9,422,057 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2009
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Schnabel, Ralph, Koschberg, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Savani, Avinash
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blum, George R
• Application Number:
  US12/641,005
• Publication Number:
  US 20100243800A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,441 Days
• Field of Search: 126/24, 244/118.5, 715/744, 715/741, 700/275, 307/9.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/04 Galleys

Abstract

A galley (10) for an aircraft comprises a plurality of electrical kitchen appliances (24) that differ functionally from one another. Of these, at least a partial number of at least two electrical appliances comprise in each case an operator control unit (26), which is manufactured structurally separate from a main functional part of the relevant appliance and has an arrangement of operator control elements for operator control of the appliance. The operator control units are in this case designed to be of an identical construction to one another from appliance to appliance.

Claims

1. An aircraft galley comprising:

a plurality of functionally different electrical kitchen appliances, each kitchen appliance including a main functional part and an operator control unit manufactured structurally separate from the main functional part,

wherein each of the operator control units has an arrangement of operator control elements for operator control of the appliance defined by all the operator control elements on an operator control side of the operator control unit;

wherein each operator control unit is capable of controlling all functions of the corresponding main functional part;

wherein the arrangement of operator control elements on each of the operator control units of the appliances is identical, thereby forming an identical arrangement scheme of the operator control elements on each of the operator control units,

for at least one operator control element disposed identically from operator control unit to operator control unit, a different or no operator control function is assigned;

wherein each operator control unit contains a fixed and identical arrangement of mechanical and visual operator control elements; and

wherein each operator control unit is structurally separate from other operator control units.

2. The aircraft galley of claim 1, wherein for each of the appliances at least one identical operator control function is assigned.

3. The aircraft galley of claim 1, wherein the operator control units each comprise at least one visual display member and wherein each of the operator control units of the appliances includes a mutually identical arrangement scheme of the display members of the operator control units.

4. The aircraft galley of claim 1, wherein each of the operator control units includes an identical construction of an electrical interface arrangement, by which the relevant operator control unit is connected electrically to the main functional part of the respective appliance.

5. The aircraft galley of claim 1, wherein at least one of the operator control elements of each operator control unit is a mechanical operator control element.

6. The aircraft galley of claim 1, wherein at least one of the operator control elements of each operator control unit is formed by a touch-sensitive button.

7. The aircraft gallery of claim 1, wherein, for at least one operator control element of two or more operator control units, a same operator control function is assigned, wherein the same operator control function includes at least one of placing a respective appliance in an on, off, or standby state.