Abstract:
A passenger aircraft security system provides double doors at the entrance to the cockpit and rearranges the adjacent galley and restroom and creates a vestibule or passageway between them fitted with parallel inner and outer doors with special locking devices so as to provide guarded access to the cockpit from the passenger cabin. Modified embodiments are disclosed for marine vessels and railway locomotives and subway cars.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to aircraft safety and particularly to a system for protecting operating personnel situated in the cockpit of passenger aircraft from attack by hijackers situated in the passenger section of the aircraft. The invention also relates to a system for protecting operating personnel of railway locomotives and marine vessels. 
     Aircraft cockpits are provided with a single lightweight door separating the flight deck crew from the passenger cabin with the door being usually closed and sometimes locked during flight of the aircraft. Unlocking and opening of the door during flight is normally restricted to the cabin crew by communication with the flight deck either by the aircraft&#39;s telephone system or by simply knocking on the door and entering using a key kept by the cabin crew. Passengers are normally able to approach the cockpit door in the course of using the forward head of the aircraft or by approaching the forward galley both of which facilities are situated adjacent to the cockpit door. 
     In the present order of things, security of an aircraft flight deck and flight deck crew relies heavily on the effectiveness of pre-boarding passenger screening to ensure that weapons fabricated of metal are not boarded, and on the assumptions that passengers will obey flight crew instructions restricting access to the area adjacent the cockpit door during flight and will not interfere with the flight crew in any way regarding operation of the aircraft. Needless to say, these measures and restrictions have proven to be inadequate for security of flight deck and crew. 
     The invention also provides a system for securing a railway locomotive cab and a bridge of a marine vessel against unwanted or unauthorized intrusion. 
     The present invention provides a system for securing an aircraft cockpit against unwanted or unauthorized intrusion from the passenger cabin of the aircraft. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention, a passenger aircraft interior is arranged by installing double doors at the entrance to the cockpit and rearranging the adjacent galley and restroom. The galley and restroom according to a preferred embodiment of the invention are situated on opposite sides of an aircraft cabin creating a vestibule or passageway between them. The vestibule is fitted with parallel inner and outer sliding doors of robust bulletproof construction with special locking devices so as to provide guarded access to the cockpit from the passenger cabin. The door locks are opened and closed with a special key, or by a biometric recognition system such as retina, facial, fingerprint, hand geometry and voice recognition of a member of the crew or other authorized personnel. The door locks are also interactive such that during aircraft operation, the inner and outer doors are each unlocked, opened, closed and relocked sequentially for cockpit entry and exit. The vestibule is equipped with visual means such as a video camera or double glazed door panel or window permitting the cockpit crew to see who is trying to gain access to the cockpit. The bulkhead separating the forward head or restroom and galley from the cockpit is bulletproof with light weight, thick Plexiglas, Kevlar or equivalent material. 
     One of the preferred requirements of the invention is to have the cockpit crew enter the cockpit and secure the cockpit vestibule doors prior to passengers boarding the aircraft. In this way the flight deck crew need not have any contact with passengers when the crew has secured the cockpit. 
     In accordance with a preferred aspect of the invention, the cockpit crew has access to the forward head through a cockpit-side door available only to the cockpit crew. 
     Any food or refreshment for the cockpit crew can be passed into the vestibule which is then locked on the passenger side and opened on the cockpit side. 
     Modified embodiments of the invention for railway and for marine use are also disclosed. 
     Specific systems are included in the following description for purposes of clarity, but various details can be changed within the scope of the present invention. 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the invention is to provide an aircraft security system for the protection of flight deck crew and to ensure authorized operation of an aircraft. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide an aircraft cabin configuration restricting access to the cockpit to authorized personnel. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide an railway locomotive cab configuration restricting access to the cab to authorized personnel. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a marine vessel bridge configuration restricting access to the bridge to authorized personnel. 
     Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent with an understanding of the following detailed description or upon employment of the invention in practice. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for detailed description to enable those having ordinary skill in the art to which the invention appertains to readily understand how to construct and use the invention and is shown in the accompanying drawing in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic fragmentary plan view of an aircraft cabin illustrating a preferred embodiment of aircraft cabin layout according to the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a schematic fragmentary plan view of aircraft cabin of FIG. 1 illustrating a preferred embodiment of double door security system according to the invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic fragmentary plan view of railway locomotive or subway cab illustrating a modified embodiment of double door security system according to the invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a schematic fragmentary plan view of a marine vessel bridge illustrating a modified embodiment of double door security system according to the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawing, an aircraft cabin  10  is partitioned to define several spaces including flight deck or cockpit  12 , forward galley  14 , cockpit vestibule  16 , forward head or restroom  18 , aircraft entryway  20  through entry door  22 , and passenger cabin  24 . 
     In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, a transverse bulkhead  11  extending between opposite sides of airframe  13  defines the aft partition of the cockpit and forward partition of cabin space including the forward galley  14 , cockpit vestibule  16  and forward head  18 . The transverse bulkhead has a cockpit doorway  11   a  providing access to the cockpit from the passenger cabin. The galley and restroom in this preferred embodiment of the invention are situated on opposite sides of the aircraft cabin creating between them the cockpit vestibule or passageway leading to the cockpit doorway. The vestibule is positioned amidships between the longitudinal partitions  14   a ,  18   a  of galley and head. As shown in FIG. 2, the vestibule is enclosed by an inner door  26  for closing the cockpit doorway  11   a  and outer door  28  for closing the passenger doorway  16   b  from the vestibule into the passenger cabin. The vestibule  16  with double doors  26 ,  28  provides guarded access to the cockpit. 
     The vestibule inner  26  and outer  28  interacting sliding doors are generally parallel to each other and are mounted with suitable rollers  30  and guiding channels  32  or other suitable supports. The sliding doors are of robust bulletproof construction with special locking devices  34 ,  36  so as to provide guarded access to the cockpit from the passenger cabin. The door locks are opened and closed with a special key, or by a personnel or biometric recognition system forming a component of the aircraft&#39;s computer system such as retina, facial, fingerprint, hand geometry or voice recognition of a member of the crew or other authorized personnel. Each of the door locks is provided with dual opening means  34   a ,  36   a  positioned in the vestibule for each lock, and dual opening means  34   b ,  36   b  positioned in the galley or aircraft entryway for the outer door and in the cockpit for the inner door. 
     A door control unit  38  forming part of the aircraft computer system is located in the cockpit is programmed for monitoring the operating position of the door locks, and for ensuring sequential door operation when an authorized person enters or leaves the cockpit. In this way, the inner and outer sliding doors and their door locks are interacting during aircraft operation in that the doors are each unlocked, opened, closed and relocked sequentially and not simultaneously for cockpit entry and exit. So, to enter or leave the cockpit one of the outer door and the inner door is opened while the other remains closed and locked, an authorized person enters and remains in the vestibule as the one door is closed and locked, and leaves the vestibule as the one door remains closed and locked and the other door is unlocked and opened. To enter the cockpit, for example, a crew member actuates the outer door lock at the galley station  34   b  by means of a key or personal identification and with the inner door  26  in a closed and locked condition. Next, the crew member enters the vestibule, closes and locks the outer door at the vestibule station  34   a . In like manner and with the outer door closed and locked, the crew member at station  36   a  unlocks and opens the inner door for entry to the cockpit. 
     The flight deck crew is made aware by suitable visual or audible signal at the door control unit  38  that the cockpit is being entered. The flight deck crew has the door control unit  38  to override any attempt to unlock the inner and outer door locks and to keep the locks on, if necessary, or to unlock both the outer and inner doors for emergency exit of the aircraft or other reason. Normally, when the aircraft entry door  22  is open, the vestibule outer and inner doors are unlocked. 
     The vestibule and cockpit are equipped with visual means such as a video camera  40   a  and monitor  40   b  or inner door window  42  permitting the cockpit crew to monitor the vestibule space at all times without the need to open the inner double door and in particular to see each person trying to gain access to the cockpit. 
     The transverse bulkhead  11  separating the forward head or restroom and galley from the cockpit as well as the inner galley  14   a  and restroom  18   a  partitions and each of the double doors  26 ,  28  are bulletproof with light weight, thick Plexiglas, Kevlar or equivalent material. 
     The restroom  18  may be entered from the passenger cabin through a conventional door  18   b  which can be a single or double fold door when the vestibule outer door  28  is closed and locked. The outer door  28  when opened is situated in closing relation to the restroom access door  18   b  so that no one may enter or exit the restroom. 
     One of the preferred aspects of the invention is to have the cockpit crew enter and secure the cockpit vestibule doors prior to passengers boarding the aircraft. In this way the flight deck crew need not have any contact with passengers when the crew has secured the cockpit. 
     In another preferred embodiment according to the invention, the cockpit crew has access to the forward head through a cockpit door  18   c  available only to the cockpit crew. In this arrangement, the forward partition or bulkhead  11  of the restroom is fitted with door  18   c  having inner and outer locks  18   d  opened and closed with a special key, or by a personnel recognition system forming a component of the aircraft&#39;s computer system such as retina, facial, or fingerprint recognition of a member of the crew similar to the vestibule double doors. Suitable “occupied” and “vacant” lamps or other indicia are used on cockpit-side  18   c  and passenger-side  18   b  restroom doors to protect privacy of restroom usage. 
     Any food or refreshment for the cockpit crew can be passed into the vestibule which is then locked on the passenger side and opened on the cockpit side. 
     In accordance with a modified embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 3, double transverse bulkheads  50  and  52  and longitudinal partition  54  define a railway operating cab  56  with instrument panel  57 , cab vestibule  58  and lavatory  60 . The transverse bulkheads have vestibule door  50   a  and  52   a  providing access to the cab from the passenger cabin  62 . 
     The doors  50   a  and  52   a  may be provided with the same locking system of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2. The vestibule and cab may be provided with the same video monitoring system as for FIGS. 1 and 2. 
     In accordance with another modified embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 4, double transverse bulkheads  70  and  72  define a bridge or pilothouse  73  with ship&#39;s wheel  75  for a marine vessel  74  and bridge vestibule  76 . The transverse bulkheads have sliding vestibule doors  70   a  and  72   a  providing access to the bridge. 
     The doors  70   a  and  72   a  may be provided with the same locking system of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2. The vestibule  76  and pilothouse  73  may be provided with the same video monitoring system as for FIGS. 1 and 2. 
     Various changes may be made to the structure embodying the principles of the invention. The foregoing embodiments are set forth in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention is defined by the claims appended hereto.