Temporarily-installed aircraft observer door plug, chair, sonotube ejection and control system

• US 9,868,504 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2017
• Issued: 01/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 1281329 Alberta Ltd.
• Original Assignee: 1281329 Alberta Ltd.
• Inventors: Woodland, Richard L. K., Neyedly, Ross James
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin P
• Application Number:
  US15/658,277
• Publication Number:
  US 20170334539A1
• Time in Patent Office: 176 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 1/1407 Doors; surrounding frames
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 1/1484 Windows B64C1/1492 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 1/18 Floors
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 1/20 specially adapted for freight
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/02 Dropping, ejecting, or releasing articles jettisonable fuel reservoirs B64D37/12
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/00 Passenger or crew accommodation; Flight-deck installations not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/06 Arrangements of seats, or adaptations or details specially adapted for aircraft seats crew seat constructions for emergency purposes B64D25/04
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0616 with ejection means
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/062 Belts or other passenger restraint means for passenger seats
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 7/00 Arrangements of military equipment, e.g. armaments, armament accessories, or military shielding, in aircraft; Adaptations of armament mountings for aircraft dropping bombs or the like B64D1/00; armaments or mountings therefor per se F41

Abstract

In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a door plug assembly with a sonotube-launch system to be used in a temporarily-mounted control system for an aircraft. The door plug assembly is built from one or more panels designed to fit an opening in the fuselage of the aircraft, the opening being created by the removal of a door on the side of the fuselage. The door plug assembly includes a segmented bubble window with transparent glazing, with a kick panel on the lower portion of the bubble. The door plug assembly further includes a door strut indent which allows a strut to extend from the interior of the aircraft through the indent to the exterior of the aircraft. When a strut is not being used, a close-out panel is secured to the door plug assembly to allow the interior of the aircraft to be pressurized.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a door plug assembly to be used in a temporarily-mounted control system on an aircraft, wherein the door plug assembly comprises:

one or more panels adapted to fit an opening in a fuselage of the aircraft, wherein the opening is created by removal of a door of the aircraft;

a segmented bubble window incorporating a transparent glazing in an upper portion of the bubble, and a door plug kick panel in a lower portion of the bubble;

a door strut indent located along a lower periphery of the door plug assembly, wherein;

the door strut indent accommodates installation of a strut extending from an interior of the door plug assembly to an exterior of the door plug assembly, wherein the door strut indent provides a pressurized seal around the strut; and

the door strut indent comprises a door plug close-out panel, wherein when the strut is not installed, the door plug close-out panel is secured to the door plug assembly via a plurality of close out panel lock pins to permit an interior of the aircraft to be pressurized;

a door plug tube port permitting ejection of a sonotube-compliant store from the interior of the aircraft to an exterior of the aircraft; and

a sonotube-ejection system coupled to an interior of the door plug assembly, wherein the sonotube-ejection system is capable of being manipulated via a sonotube hinge between;

a first position wherein the sonotube-ejection system is coupled to the door plug tube port to eject a sonotube-compliant store from the sonotube-ejection system through the door plug tube port; and

a second position wherein the sonotube-ejection system is stowed along an upper section of the door plug assembly.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more panels comprises:

a door plug upper panel comprising the segmented bubble window; and

a door plug lower panel comprising the door strut indent.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sonotube-ejection system is coupled to the door plug tube port via a valve that is operable between an open position and a closed position.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein:

the valve is in the open position when the sonotube-ejection system is in the first position; and

the valve is in the closed position when the sonotube-ejection system is in the second position.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a retraction rail assembly connecting the door plug assembly and the fuselage of the aircraft;

one or more collapsible workstation assemblies mounted to a floor of the aircraft via one or more mounting plates and one or more adaptive floor plates; and

an observer chair assembly connected to both the floor of the aircraft and the one or more collapsible workstation assemblies.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the door plug assembly further comprises one or more upper rail support struts operable to interface with the retraction rail assembly.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the one or more collapsible workstation assemblies are mounted on one or more line-replaceable unit (LRU) racks.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the one or more LRU racks are contoured, wherein the contour complies with a fuselage curvature of the aircraft.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the mounting plates are further operable to connect the one or more LRU racks to the floor of the aircraft via an upper surface of an Air Deployment System (ADS) rail connected to the floor of the aircraft.

10. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the apparatus is installed into the fuselage of the aircraft by removing a door of the aircraft by opening the door vertically and stowing the door in a locked position.

11. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the one or more collapsible workstation assemblies comprise a plurality of physically connected modules, wherein the physically connected modules comprise one or more of:

an overhead module;

an upper display module;

a lower display module;

or

a tactile interface module.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein two or more of the physically connected modules are physically connected at least by one or more locking hinges.

13. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein at least one of the one or more collapsible workstation assemblies is further electronically interfaced to one or more of:

a data bus of the aircraft;

or

a modified ditching hatch plug.

14. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the observer chair assembly is connected to the one or more collapsible workstation assemblies via a connection between the one or more collapsible workstation assemblies and a control interface of the observer chair assembly, wherein the connection comprises at least power and data cables.

15. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the observer chair assembly is connected to the floor of the aircraft via a stanchion post mounting plate.

16. An apparatus comprising a door plug assembly to be used in a temporarily-mounted control system on an aircraft, wherein the door plug assembly comprises:

a segmented bubble window incorporating a transparent glazing in an upper portion of the bubble, and a door plug kick panel in a lower portion of the bubble;

a door plug tube port permitting ejection of a sonotube-compliant store from the interior of the aircraft to an exterior of the aircraft; and

a sonotube-ejection system coupled to an interior of the door plug assembly, wherein the sonotube-ejection system is capable of being manipulated via a sonotube hinge between;

a first position wherein the sonotube-ejection system is coupled to the door plug tube port to eject a sonotube-compliant store from the sonotube-ejection system through the door plug tube port; and

a second position wherein the sonotube-ejection system is stowed along an upper section of the door plug assembly.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

a retraction rail assembly connecting the door plug assembly and the fuselage of the aircraft;

one or more collapsible workstation assemblies mounted to a floor of the aircraft via one or more mounting plates and one or more adaptive floor plates; and

an observer chair assembly connected to both the floor of the aircraft and the one or more collapsible workstation assemblies.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the door plug assembly further comprises:

a door plug upper panel; and

a door plug lower panel which is contoured and indented about its lower proximity to accommodate a pressurized seal around the periphery of an articulated- or fixed-position payload strut which transits from the interior to the exterior of the aircraft.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the door plug assembly further comprises two or more interlocking latches that are operable to:

join the door plug lower panel and the door plug upper panel; and

disengage the door plug lower panel from the door plug upper panel.

20. A method of installing a door plug assembly on a fuselage of an aircraft comprising:

removing a door of the aircraft, wherein removal of the door creates an opening in the fuselage of the aircraft;

attaching a retraction rail assembly to an interior of the fuselage, wherein;

one or more upper rail support struts of the retraction rail assembly are aligned with aircraft door retraction rail guides on a side of the opening; and

one or more lower sections of the retraction rail assembly are connected to a floor of the aircraft; and

attaching a door plug assembly to the retraction rail assembly, wherein;

the door plug assembly is adapted to fit the opening; and

the door plug assembly comprises;

a segmented bubble window incorporating a transparent glazing in an upper portion of the bubble, and a door plug kick panel in a lower portion of the bubble;

a door plug tube port permitting ejection of a sonotube-compliant store from the interior of the aircraft to an exterior of the aircraft; and

a sonotube-ejection system coupled to an interior of the door plug assembly.