Abstract:
A device for actuating the doors of vehicles, in particular of an aircraft. The device comprises a drive element, which co-operates with a door lock. A lifting motion of a shaft element and a subsequent rotational motion of a follower element are carried out in an actuation device by a drive element.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a device for actuating doors of vehicles, in particular aircraft, with a drive element which interworks with a door locking mechanism. 
   Devices of this type for actuating doors, in particular of aircraft, are known and in standard use on the market in a variety of forms and designs. 
   Conventionally, aircraft doors are locked by means of mechanical manual locking mechanisms and are often opened manually or, where appropriate, hydraulically. 
   Hydraulic drive devices of aircraft doors, which automatically open the aircraft doors in an emergency actuation, are also known. 
   However, manually operable aircraft doors are often locked and swung open, if necessary, via elaborate gearing mechanisms. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,650 describes a device for actuating garden gates in which the garden gate is lifted out of a locking mechanism by means of a drive unit which is integrated in the gate post, and, during the lifting out process, the gate experiences a pivoting movement in order to open the garden gate. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,168,114 B1 discloses a door system for a passenger aircraft having a supporting device which supports the door leaf on the door frame in a pivotable fashion, and a lifting device which is connected to said supporting device. 
   DE 839 171 C discloses a device for electrically driving a component which can moved to and fro, in particular for opening and closing doors. 
   DE 31 21 136 A1 describes a pivoting gate whose drive is accommodated within a rotary bearing post. The latter is composed of a transmission device and a drive motor. Corresponding cam slots, which bring about travel and at the same time rotate the pivoting gate, are provided in a control tube. 
   An electric motor is used whose rotary movement is transmitted to a moveable component via a gear mechanism by means of a disengageable clutch which is connected downstream of said gear mechanism. 
   It is disadvantageous that devices of this type are, on the whole, elaborate and expensive, difficult to operate and also heavy. These devices are expensive to produce, cannot be remotely activated or remote-controlled, and usually require considerable manual force and time to operate, in particular when opening and/or closing doors of vehicles, in particular aircraft doors. 
   The object of the present invention is to create a use of the aforementioned type which eliminates the aforementioned disadvantages, and with which doors of vehicles, in particular aircraft, can be locked or opened by remote control in a precise, low-cost and effective manner. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   To achieve the foregoing object, a stroke movement of a shaft element and subsequent rotation of a carrier element are performed by means of a drive element in an actuation device, the shaft element being axially and rotationally decoupled from the carrier element, the actuation device having a housing, and an actuator element with a shaft element connected to its front surface being inserted within the housing. In the present invention, it has proved particularly advantageous to drive an actuation device by means of only one single motor gearing unit, in order to implement first a stroke of a shaft element and then a rotation of a carrier element. 
   A stroke of a shaft element, which unlocks and lifts a door, is initially performed through axial movement of an actuator element within a housing of the actuation device. 
   On completion of the stroke of the extended shaft element, a coupling of the rotation with a carrier element is performed via at least one coupling element through a corresponding further rotation of the actuator element, in such a way that, for example, an aircraft door can be swung open via the carrier element. In a corresponding reverse manner, the door, in particular the aircraft door, can be locked through corresponding reverse rotation of the actuator element and reverse movement of the carrier element and, following the locking operation, the aircraft door is returned into the door frame and is simultaneously or subsequently locked through a corresponding return stroke of the shaft element. 
   The actuator element can be moved axially and rotationally backwards and forwards into the different planes within the housing, in particular the cylinder element of the actuation device, via corresponding interlocking guide links and link elements. Consideration should also be given to providing the corresponding guide links, for example, in an inner wall of the cylinder element, whereby corresponding guide elements are then assigned to the actuator element and engage with corresponding guide links. The invention is not restricted to this feature. 
   The present inventive concept also includes the feature that either the actuator element or the housing of the actuation device can be actively driven by means of or via the motor gearing unit. The invention is not restricted to this feature. Both options are conceivable. 
   The present invention produces a device with which two functions or movements can be performed in a synchronized manner in temporal succession by means of only one single motor gearing unit. An aircraft door, for example, can be unlocked and lifted from a door frame and can then be swung open by the carrier element. The corresponding guide links guarantee that, when the carrier element moves, a return stroke is prevented or ensured. A reverse closing swing of the aircraft door and subsequent insertion and locking of the door can similarly be synchronized with only one single motor gearing unit. By means of the corresponding guide links, these movement operations can be implemented in a very exact and precise manner by means of only one readily controllable and adjustable device with only one single motor gearing unit. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Further advantages, features and details of the invention are described in the following description of preferred embodiments, and with reference to the drawing, in which: 
       FIG. 1  schematically shows a horizontal projection with a partially cut away longitudinal section through a device for actuating doors, in particular aircraft doors; 
       FIG. 2  schematically shows a partial longitudinal section through the actuation device of the device according to  FIG. 1  in a position of use; 
       FIG. 3  schematically shows a partial longitudinal section through the actuation device according to  FIG. 1  in a further position of use. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   According to  FIG. 1 , a device R according to the invention for actuating doors of vehicles, in particular aircraft, has a drive element  1  which is designed in the preferred embodiment as a motor gearing unit  2 . A gearing unit  4  is connected to a motor  3 . The gearing unit  4  or motor gearing unit  2  is connected to an actuation device  5 . In the preferred embodiment, the actuation device  5  has a housing  6  which is preferably designed as a cylinder element  7  with rotational symmetry around a central axis M. 
   In the area of a front surface  8  of the cylinder element  7 , a carrier element  10  is rotatably mounted around the central axis M via at least one bearing  9 . The front surface of the carrier element  10  projects slightly beyond the front surface  8  of the cylinder element  7 . 
   A coupling element  12 . 1 , preferably designed as a toothed coupling, is provided on an inner front surface  11 . 1  of the carrier element. The carrier element  10  and the coupling element  12 . 1  are preferably designed in an annular form and are provided with a central bore  13 . 
   An actuator element  15  is located with rotational symmetry around the central axis M in the inner space  14  of the housing  6  or the cylinder element  7 . The shaft element  16 , with rotational symmetry around the axis M, is connected to a front surface  11 . 2  of the actuator element  15 , whereby a further coupling element  12 . 2 , preferably designed as a toothed coupling, is assigned in an annular form to the front surface  11 . 2 . 
   The shaft element  16  is mounted so that it can slide backwards and forwards axially in the direction X indicated by the double arrows along the central axis M within the bore  13  of the carrier element  10 . 
   The carrier element  10  can be simultaneously moved or slid radially in relation to the shaft element  16 . 
   Guide links  18 . 1 ,  18 . 2  are provided in an outer casing surface  17  of the actuator element  15 , whereby the respective guide links  18 . 1 ,  18 . 2  are designed to revolve at least partially around the casing surface  17 , interconnecting different planes E 1 , E 2 . 
   A link element  19 . 1 ,  19 . 2  is assigned to an inner wall  20  of the housing  6 . 
   The link element  19 . 1  engages with the guide link  18 . 1  of the actuator element  15  and the link element  19 . 2  engages precisely with the guide link  18 . 2  of the actuator element  15 . 
   The guide links  18 . 1 ,  18 . 2  are at least partially molded into the casing surface  17  of the actuator element  15  so that they can rotate through virtually  3600 , whereby said links interconnect the respective planes E 1 , E 2  of the guide links  18 . 1  or  18 . 2  via a pitch  21 . 
   An axial guide  22 , which equalizes a stroke H of the actuator element  15  between the carrier element  10  or its coupling elements  12 . 1 ,  12 . 2 , is located between the motor gearing unit  2 , in particular between the gearing unit  4  and the actuator element  15 , as shown in particular in  FIG. 2 . This may, for example, be a splined shaft connection. 
   The mode of operation of the present invention is as follows: 
   In the embodiment of the present invention according to  FIG. 1 , a device R is described in which the actuator element  15  can be rotationally driven with the shaft element  16  connected to its front surface by means of the motor gearing unit  2 . 
   In the present embodiment, the motor gearing unit  2  is preferably mounted in a torsion-resistant manner, so that with rotational, active driving of the actuator element  15  around the central axis M through the guide links  18 . 1 ,  18 . 2  described above, which engage with the guide elements  19 . 1 ,  19 . 2 , the actuator element  15 , as shown in particular in  FIG. 3 , can be moved in the X direction shown against the carrier element  10 . The shaft element  16  is moved by the carrier element  10  through a stroke H. 
   If the front surfaces  11 . 1 ,  11 . 2  meet with one another when the actuator element  15  moves against the carrier element  10  and if the coupling elements  12 . 1 ,  12 . 2  lie adjacently, coupled with one another, as shown in particular in  FIG. 2 , a radial connection is established between the actuator element  15  and the carrier element  10  in a frictionally or positively engaging manner. 
   The scope of the invention is also intended to include the feature that the coupling elements  12 . 1 ,  12 . 2  transmit a radial rotation of the actuator element  15  onto the carrier plate  10  in a frictionally or positively engaging manner. 
   In particular as shown in  FIG. 2 , on completion of the stroke H of the actuator element  15 , a subsequent rotation of the carrier element  10  can be synchronized. 
   An important feature of the present invention is that two functions of the actuator element  15  or the carrier element  10  can be performed in a synchronized manner by means of only one single motor gearing unit  2 . The stroke of the shaft element  16  is first performed, until the actuator element  15  meets with the carrier element  10 , in order to then cause the latter, once the stroke is completed, to rotate in accordance with the guide links  18 . 1 ,  18 . 2 . 
   In a corresponding reverse sequence, the carrier element  10  can first be moved back by changing the drive direction of the motor gearing unit  2 , and the actuator element  15  with the shaft element  16 , as shown from  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 3 , can then be moved back through a stroke H, in that the actuator element  15  moves from the plane E 1  into the plane E 2  along the guide links  18 . 1 ,  18 . 2 . The rotation of the carrier plate  10  is first performed, followed by a return stroke of the shaft element  16  into an original starting position, as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
   The scope of the present invention is further intended to include the feature that, for example, the motor gearing unit  2  does not rotationally drive the actuator element  5 , but rather the housing  6 , in particular its cylinder element  7 . In this case, the shaft element  16  is fixed to any door in a torsion-resistant manner in relation to the central axis M. 
   By rotating the housing  6 , the actuator element  15  can be moved according to the direction of rotation to produce the stroke H in the X direction shown in  FIG. 3 , until the couplings  12 . 1 ,  12 . 2  frictionally or positively engage and the carrier element  10  is then rotated around the central axis M. This similarly falls within the scope of the present invention. 
   Particularly in the case of aircraft doors not shown here, such doors can be unlocked and lifted at very low cost by means of only one single motor gearing unit  2  through a stroke H of the shaft element  16 . Once the aircraft door has been unlocked and lifted, the carrier element  10  is rotated around the central axis M through corresponding further radial rotation of the actuator element  15  in order to swing open the aircraft door. The door is closed through a change in direction of the motor gearing unit  2 , whereby the door is lowered or inserted and locked by the subsequent return stroke of the shaft element  16 .