Abstract:
The present invention aims at providing an arrangement for moving a door in both a swinging and a sliding manner, in which a pivoting means allows the rotation of the door around at least two axes of rotation—a slide axis around which the pivoting that allows the sliding motion takes place, and a swing axis, further passing through a swing point of a guiding means intended for allowing the door to slide over a guiding rail, around which the door swings.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to European patent application No. EP 15 400002.0 filed on Jan. 14, 2015, the disclosure of which is incorporated in its entirety by reference herein. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    (1) Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to an arrangement for moving a door which allows the door to move in sliding and swinging motions. 
         [0004]    (2) Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    Several types of mechanisms for opening doors, particularly doors for aircrafts, are known in the prior art. 
         [0006]    A type of mechanism is that characterizing sliding doors. The door is mounted on rails that guide it along the fuselage or other structure from a closed to an open position. This requires, normally, at least three guiding rails arranged in a particular manner, which limits the particular surface geometry of the fuselage or structure on which the arrangement can be mounted and the geometry of the door opening. U.S. Pat. No. 8,146,864 describes a sliding door for helicopters. 
         [0007]    A further type of mechanism, intended for swinging doors, comprises two or more hinges that define an axis around which the door opens. Although the arrangement is simple and adaptable to several geometries, the door may protrude far from the fuselage or structure, which requires a wide area to open the door. 
         [0008]    A different mechanism has a supporting arm which moves the door outward and then alongside the fuselage or structure in a circular motion. The door is kept parallel to the fuselage or structure by one or more guide arms. Due to the fact that the full weight of the door must be lifted by the supporting arm up to a significant distance from the door opening, which entails a large load moment on the supporting arm, this arrangement is usually heavy and bulky. An example can be found in US20020139897. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The present invention aims at providing an arrangement for advantageously moving a door, in both a swinging and a sliding manner, suitable for being installed on fuselages or structures with different, complex geometries and without the need for large or heavy components. 
         [0010]    This inventive arrangement comprises: 
         [0011]    pivoting means attachable to the structure and to a first attachment point of the door, the pivoting means being suitable for allowing a rotation of the door around a plurality of axes of rotation of the pivoting means, said plurality of axes of rotation comprising a slide axis and at least one swing axis, 
         [0012]    a guiding rail attachable to the structure, 
         [0013]    guiding means attachable to a second attachment point of the door and comprising a slider for moving along the guiding rail, the guiding means being suitable for allowing the door to slide over the guiding rail while pivoting around the slide axis, and for allowing the door to swing about the at least one swing axis, said at least one swing axis passing through a swing point of the guiding means. 
         [0014]    The pivoting means is one of the at least two connections for attaching the arrangement to the door. Such means allows the pivoting of the door about a plurality of axes referred to in this application as slide axis and at least one swing axis. 
         [0015]    The at least one swing axis is the axis around which the door rotates when in a swinging motion. This motion is possible because the guiding means comprises a swing point, playing the role of a hinge, through which the swing axis passes. 
         [0016]    The guiding means is intended for being another of the at least two connections between the arrangement and the door, and, besides, it comprises a slider for moving along a guiding rail which is in turn attachable to the structure. The swing point may be located at different positions of the guiding means. In an embodiment, the swing point is located at the slider, so that the door swings about a swinging axis passing through the slider and through at least a point of the pivoting means, and the remaining part of the guiding means remains integral with the door during the swinging motion. Alternatively, the swing point may be located at the point of the guiding means suitable for the attachment to the door. 
         [0017]    Since the at least one swing axis passes through a swing point of the guiding means, and the guiding means comprises a slider for moving along the guiding rail, which causes that the swing point varies its position during the sliding motion, the at least one swing axis also moves during such sliding motion. 
         [0018]    The arrangement is suitable for allowing the door to slide over the structure since the pivoting means further comprise a slide axis around which the door can pivot when the guiding means moves along the guiding rail. 
         [0019]    The provision of the pivoting means that permit the rotation of the door around a plurality of axes of rotation can be achieved by means of different embodiments. 
         [0020]    In an embodiment, the pivoting means comprises a spherical bearing suitable for allowing a free rotation of the door around the center of rotation of such spherical bearing. Accordingly, the slide axis and the at least one swing axis pass through the center of rotation of the spherical bearing. This configuration is advantageous in that one structural element, which, moreover, is simple, light and cheap, is sufficient to allow the rotation of the door in both the swinging and the sliding movements. 
         [0021]    In an alternative embodiment, the pivoting means comprise an articulated joint in turn comprising at least a first and a second joint extensions, the first joint extension extending along the slide axis and the second joint extension extending along the at least one swing axis. Differently to the example of the spherical bearing, the rotation takes place around two axes articulately connected, and not around a single point. In a particular example of this embodiment, a longitudinal axis is provided so that the articulated joint is suitable for allowing a movement around three axes. In any case, this embodiment&#39;s mechanism is also a simple, cheap and light alternative to allow the rotation of the door in both the swinging and the sliding movements. 
         [0022]    The plurality of axes of rotations of the pivoting means permits the rotation of the door around such plurality of axes when attached to the arrangement by the first attachment point. This rotation in turn makes it possible that the sliding motion of the door can be achieved using only one guiding rail attachable to the structure. Thus, the inventive arrangement can be used on complex structure geometries. 
         [0023]    As has been explained, the arrangement is further advantageous in that it is formed by light, simple components. This is a consequence of the fact that the way of functioning of the arrangement does not exert excessive loads on the components of the arrangement, and that the moments generated by, for instance, the weight of the components are small, since the lever arms are configured for being small as well. 
         [0024]    In spite of the simplicity of its parts, the arrangement does present the advantages of both the swinging doors and the sliding doors of the prior art, that is, the access from the outside of a vehicle or of another structure is easy and fast, as the arrangement allows the door to open conventionally in a swinging manner. However, once the door has been swung out, it can be slid away from the opening of the structure and then folded back to a position closer to the structure, therefore making it appropriate for working around the structure without obstacles and for cases wherein the structure, for example that of a vehicle, is stored in a reduced space. 
         [0025]    In an embodiment, the guiding means comprises an arm extending between a first and a second extremities, the first extremity being attachable to the second attachment point of the door, and the second extremity comprising the slider. In the embodiment wherein the swing point is located at the slider, the door, the first extremity and the arm of the guiding means are suitable for moving integrally. In an alternative embodiment, the swing point is located at the first extremity of the arm. 
         [0026]    In another embodiment, the guiding rail is a curve on a sphere. This geometry of the rail is suitable for the movement of the door around the slide axis. In the embodiment where the pivoting means comprises a spherical bearing, the center of the sphere is normally the center of the spherical bearing, whereas in the embodiment where the pivoting means comprises an articulated joint, the center of the sphere is usually located at a point of the slide axis of the articulated joint. 
         [0027]    In yet another embodiment, the arrangement further comprises a guiding rod articulately attachable both to the structure and to a third attachment point of the door. This guiding rod is suitable for providing guidance of the door such that the door can follow a predetermined path. 
         [0028]    In an example of this embodiment, the guiding rod extends between a first end and a second end, the first end being articulately attachable to the structure by means of a first pivoting link, and the second end being articulately attachable to the third attachment point of the door by means of a second pivoting link. The pivoting links in the articulations enable the relative rotation of the guiding rod with respect to the structure and to the door, which permits the adequate movement of the guiding rod when the door swings or slides. In yet a more particular example of this embodiment, the first and second pivoting links comprise auxiliary spherical bearings so as to allow the relative rotation of the guiding rod with respect to the structure and to the door. 
         [0029]    In another embodiment, at least one stopper is provided at least at one point of the guiding rail for impeding a further movement of the slider along the guiding rail. For instance, two stoppers can be provided, one at each end of the guiding rail, for avoiding that the slider gets out of the guiding rail. 
         [0030]    In a further embodiment, locking means are provided for fixing the position of the door at any specific position. 
         [0031]    It is also an object of the invention to provide a door assembly comprising a door and any of the above described arrangements. 
         [0032]    The arrangement of the inventive door assembly comprises: 
         [0033]    pivoting means attachable to the structure and attached to a first attachment point of the door, the pivoting means being suitable for allowing a rotation of the door around a plurality of axes of rotation of the pivoting means, said plurality of axes of rotation comprising a slide axis and at least one swing axis, 
         [0034]    a guiding rail attachable to the structure, 
         [0035]    guiding means attached to a second attachment point of the door and comprising a slider for moving along the guiding rail, the guiding means being suitable for allowing the door to slide over the guiding rail while pivoting around the slide axis, and for allowing the door to swing about the at least one swing axis, said at least one swing axis passing through a swing point of the guiding means. 
         [0036]    Since the inventive door assembly comprises the inventive door arrangement, all the explained technical advantages are also relevant to the assembly. 
         [0037]    In a particular embodiment of the door assembly, the door comprises a door edge having at least a first and a second corners, the first attachment point of the door being located at said first corner and the second attachment point of the door being located at said second corner. This way, the swinging movement of the door can be carried out in a simple manner, as the points acting as hinges are attached to consecutive corners of the door. 
         [0038]    In an example of this embodiment, the door assembly further comprises a guiding rod articulately attachable to the structure and articulately attached to a third attachment point of the door, the guiding rod being suitable for providing guidance of the door, wherein the third attachment point of the door is located at the inside of an area defined by the door edge. 
         [0039]    It is an additional object of the invention to provide a vehicle comprising the disclosed inventive door assembly. 
         [0040]    This vehicle comprises a door assembly in turn comprising a door configured to close an opening of a structure of the vehicle and an arrangement which comprises: 
         [0041]    pivoting means attached to the structure and attached to a first attachment point of the door, the pivoting means being suitable for allowing a rotation of the door around a plurality of axes of rotation of the pivoting means, said plurality of axes of rotation comprising a slide axis and at least one swing axis, 
         [0042]    a guiding rail attached to the structure, 
         [0043]    guiding means attached to a second attachment point of the door and comprising a slider for moving along the guiding rail, the guiding means being suitable for allowing the door to slide over the guiding rail while pivoting around the slide axis, and for allowing the door to swing about the at least one swing axis, said at least one swing axis passing through a swing point of the guiding means. 
         [0044]    Again, the inventive vehicle presents all the advantages of the inventive door assembly and of the inventive arrangement. 
         [0045]    In a particular example, the vehicle is an aircraft and the structure of the vehicle is the fuselage of the aircraft. 
         [0046]    The above detailed advantages make the invention especially appropriate for aircrafts, and more particularly for rotorcrafts. Aircrafts are in need of lightweight door systems in order to minimize their overall weight, and therefore the power and fuel needed for flight, and also in order to maximize the payload. This invention achieves this purpose and, besides, the folded position of the door once opened reduces the inconveniencies that many conventional doors cause regarding the movement around the aircraft. 
         [0047]    In an even more particular example, the aircraft is a rotorcraft, and in yet a further example the door of the rotorcraft is the back door. 
         [0048]    In an example of this embodiment, the pivoting means comprises a main body extending between a first edge and a second edge, the first edge being attached to the first attachment point of the door and the second edge being attached to the fuselage. A spherical bearing is located at the second edge so as to allow the free rotation of the door around its center of rotation, through which the slide axis and the at least one swing axis pass. In this embodiment, the second edge is a fixed point of rotation and the main body and the first edge moves integrally with the door. Due to the provision of a main body of sufficient length between the attachments of the pivoting means to the door and to the fuselage, a door that is flush with the fuselage when closed can perform the described sliding and swinging movements, by allowing for a clearance between a door edge and the door opening when the door swings out around the swing axis. 
         [0049]    This clearance between the door edge and the door opening—and, therefore, the fuselage—can also be achieved thanks to the form of the guiding means or to the form of the guiding rail, following the same line of reasoning as for the main body of the pivoting means. 
         [0050]    The guiding means may have a form suitable for linking the second attachment point to the guiding rail attached to the fuselage when the door is flush with the fuselage. In an example, the form of the guiding means is also configured so as to allow for the clearance when the swinging motion takes place. Alternatively, the guiding rail may have a curvature such that the door separates from the fuselage when there is a sliding motion, starting from the flush position. 
         [0051]    The pivoting means can also comprise an auxiliary guiding rail along which the spherical bearing is able to move, so that the first attachment point of the door, moving integrally with the spherical bearing, can be led towards an offset position. The auxiliary guiding rail is in turn attached to the structure. This embodiment is also intended for providing a clearance between the door edge and the door opening that permits carrying out the defined swinging and pivoting movements. 
         [0052]    In an embodiment, the clearance and the movements can be enhanced by placing the swing point at the slider, and by allowing a rotation at the swing point around multiple axes. 
         [0053]    It is yet another purpose of the invention to provide a method for operating a door of the disclosed inventive vehicle, the method at least comprising the steps of: 
         [0054]    swinging the door about an at least one swing axis passing through a swing point of a guiding means and through a point of a pivoting means, so that the door is suitable for opening and closing an opening of a structure and for folding and unfolding with respect to the structure, 
         [0055]    sliding the door over a guiding rail by means of the pivoting of the door around a slide axis which passes through the pivoting means and by means of the movement along the guiding rail of a slider of the guiding means, the guiding means being attached to the door. 
         [0056]    This method presents all the advantages of the inventive arrangement, door assembly and vehicle. 
         [0057]    The method allows that once the door is opened and led to a swung out position, it can be folded, by means of a swinging motion around the swing axis, to a position closer to the structure of the vehicle, which makes the method advantageous for working around the vehicle when there are space constraints. The step of the folding—or of a subsequent unfolding—of the door can be carried out at any moment before, during or after the sliding of the door, no matter the position of the slider along the guiding rail. The movement of the slider along the guiding rail implies a corresponding movement of the swing axis, since the swing axis passes through a swing point of the guiding means. The versatility of the door for folding and unfolding leads to the commented advantage of the lack of obstacles when working around the vehicle. The method also permits that the door can be swung back to close the opening of the structure, when the slider is located at an end of the guiding rail. 
         [0058]    These and other features and advantages of the invention will become more evident from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, given only by way of illustrative and non-limiting example, in reference to the attached figures: 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0059]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the rear part of a rotorcraft comprising the inventive arrangement and a door in a closed, flush position. 
           [0060]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the rear part of the rotorcraft comprising the inventive arrangement and the door in a swung out, slid position. 
           [0061]      FIG. 3  is a detailed view of an attachment between a pivoting means of the arrangement and a fuselage of the rotorcraft by means of a spherical bearing. 
           [0062]      FIG. 4  is a detailed view of an attachment between the pivoting means of the arrangement and the fuselage of the rotorcraft by means of an articulated joint. 
           [0063]      FIG. 5  is a detailed view of a guiding means attached to the door and to the fuselage of the rotorcraft. 
           [0064]      FIG. 6  is a detailed view of an attachment between a guiding rod and the fuselage of the rotorcraft by means of an auxiliary spherical bearing. 
           [0065]      FIG. 7  is a detailed view of an auxiliary guiding rail suitable for guiding a spherical bearing of the pivoting means. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0066]      FIG. 1  shows the rear part of a rotorcraft  30 , whose back door  2  is connected to the fuselage  1  of the rotorcraft  30  by means of the inventive arrangement. In the embodiment depicted in this figure, the door  2  is flush with the fuselage  1 , in a closed position. 
         [0067]    The arrangement of this embodiment comprises a pivoting means  3  attached to a first attachment point  9  located on a first corner of the door  2  and guiding means  4  attached to a second attachment point  10  located on an adjacent second corner of the door  2 . 
         [0068]    The pivoting means  3  of this example comprises a main body  3 . 1  extending between a first edge  3 . 3  and a second edge  3 . 2 . The first edge  3 . 3  is attached to the first attachment point  9  of the door, and the second edge  3 . 2 , attached to the fuselage  1 , comprises a spherical bearing  19  that allows the free rotation SW, SL of the door, with the second edge  3 . 2  as a fixed point and the main body  3 . 1  and the first edge  3 . 3  being able to move integrally with the door  2 . The separation between the first  3 . 3  and second  3 . 2  edges by means of the main body  3 . 1  of the pivoting means  3  makes this arrangement suitable for doors  2  which can be flush with the fuselage  1 . This configuration of the pivoting means  3  permits its attachment to the fuselage  1  and to a closed, flush door  2 . 
         [0069]    The attachment between the pivoting means  3  and the fuselage  1  is depicted in greater detail in  FIG. 3 . The spherical bearing  19  is located, in this embodiment, in the middle of the first edge  3 . 2  in order to make the integral rotation of remaining part of the pivoting means  3  and the door  2  possible. 
         [0070]    The embodiment of  FIG. 7  is also intended for allowing a door  2  which is flush with the fuselage  1  in a closed position to be in an offset position when open. To achieve this, an auxiliary guiding rail  18  is provided, along which the spherical bearing  19  can move, thus leading the first attachment point  9  of the door  2 , integral with the spherical bearing  19 , from the flush position to the offset, cleared position. 
         [0071]      FIG. 4  represents an alternative embodiment of the pivoting means  3 , whose second end  3 . 2  comprises an articulated joint  25  instead of a spherical bearing  19 . The articulated joint  25  in turn comprises at least a first  26  and a second  27  joint extensions, the first joint extension  26  extending along the slide axis  23  and the second joint extension  27  extending along the at least one swing axis  22 . A longitudinal axis  28  is provided to confer the articulated joint with movement around three axes. It should be noted that a configuration with two axes, namely the at least one swing axis  22  and the slide axis  23 , is perfectly possible. The door  2  and the remaining part of the pivoting means  3  pivot integrally around the slide axis  23  associated to the first joint extension  26  and rotate about the at least one swing axis  22  associated to the second joint extension  26 , the swing axis changing its position as the door  2  and the remaining part of the pivoting means  3  pivot around the slide axis  23 . 
         [0072]    In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the guiding means  4  comprises an arm  12  extending between a first  17  and a second  16  extremities, the first extremity  17  being attached to the second attachment point  10  of the door  2 , and the second extremity  16  comprising a slider  11 . This embodiment is further shown, in detail, in  FIG. 5 . The slider  11  is intended for sliding along a guiding rail  5  which, in  FIG. 1 , is attached to the fuselage  1  and has the shape of an arc of circumference, as a particular example of a curve on a sphere, whose center is the center of the spherical bearing  19 . Such configuration facilitates the sliding motion of the door  2  when pivoting around the slide axis  23  that passes through the center of the spherical bearing  19 . 
         [0073]    The arrangement of this embodiment further comprises a guiding rod  7  articulately attached to the fuselage  1  and to a third attachment  13  point of the door  2 . The guiding rod  7  is suitable for providing guidance of the door  2  during both the swinging and the sliding motions. 
         [0074]    The guiding rod  7  of this example extends between a first end  14  and a second end  15 , the first end  14  being articulately attached to the fuselage  1  by means of a first pivoting link  8 , and the second end  15  being articulately attached to the third attachment point  13  of the door  2  by means of a second pivoting link  21 , the first  8  and second  21  pivoting links allowing the relative rotation of the guiding rod  7  with regard to the fuselage  1  and to the door  2 , respectively. The first  8  and second  21  pivoting links comprise first and second auxiliary spherical bearings, in an embodiment. A detail of this embodiment is shown in  FIG. 6 —the guiding rod  7  is linked to the internal wall of the fuselage  1  through the first end  14 , which comprises, in its center, the first auxiliary spherical bearing that allows the relative rotation of the guiding rod  7 . 
         [0075]    In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , a stopper  6  is provided at an end point of the guiding rail  5  for impeding a further movement of the slider  11  along the guiding rail  5 . 
         [0076]    The door  2  of  FIG. 2  is in a swung out position, after a swinging motion resulting from a swing rotation SW around the swing axis  22 . Besides, the slider  11  has slid along a slide distance SD along the guiding rail  5 , after a sliding motion of the door consequence of a slide rotation SL around the slide axis  23 . 
         [0077]    In the embodiment of this figure, the swing axis  22  passes through the center of the spherical bearing  19  and through the second extremity  16  of the arm  12  of the guiding means  4 . Thus, such second extremity  16  of the arm  12  is the swing point of the guiding means  4  of the present embodiment, and the door  2  swings integrally with the arm  12  and with the first extremity  17  of the guiding means  4 . 
       REFERENCE LIST 
       [0000]    
       
           1 .—Structure/Fuselage 
           2 .—Door 
           3 .—Pivoting means 
           3 . 1 —Main body 
           3 . 2 —Second edge 
           3 . 3 —First edge 
           4 .—Guiding means 
           5 .—Guiding rail 
           6 .—Stopper 
           7 .—Guiding rod 
           8 .—First pivoting link 
           9 .—First attachment point 
           10 .—Second attachment point 
           11 .—Slider 
           12 .—Arm 
           13 .—Third attachment point 
           14 .—First end 
           15 .—Second end 
           16 .—Second extremity 
           17 .—First extremity 
           18 .—Auxiliary guiding rail 
           19 .—Spherical bearing 
           21 .—Second pivoting link 
           22 .—Swing axis 
           23 .—Slide axis 
           25 .—Articulated joint 
           26 .—First joint extension 
           27 .—Second joint extension 
           28 .—Longitudinal axis 
           30 .—Rotorcraft 
         SW.—Swing rotation 
         SL.—Slide rotation 
         SD.—Slide distance