Patent Document

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to airplane design and, more specifically, to airplane cargo loading designs. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Current commercial airplane families typically carry cargo (including passenger baggage and revenue cargo) in lower deck cargo compartments situated below a passenger cabin. These cargo compartments may be either “bulk” cargo compartments which are hand loaded with baggage, or “containerized” cargo compartments into which standard containers (“Unit Load Devices” or ULDs) or pallets are loaded. Cargo is typically loaded through a cargo door on the side of the airplane fuselage. The cargo door is usually of the upward hinging type. 
     When airplane body length is short (i.e., less than 200 seat class airplane), there is often insufficient space ahead of or behind the wing to conveniently locate cargo doors, while maintaining sufficient longitudinal separation from the wing, any wing-mounted engines, and passenger entry/cabin service doors. 
     Therefore, there exists a need for effective cargo compartment placement in smaller aircraft while providing sufficient clearance from passenger doors, engines, and wings. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides cargo-loading means for short body airplanes. The cargo loading means permits effective cargo placement in smaller aircraft while providing sufficient clearance from passenger doors, engines, and wings. 
     A less-than-200-seat-class airplane includes a fuselage. The fuselage includes a passenger cabin and at least one cargo compartment located below the passenger cabin. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The preferred and alternative embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings. 
     FIG. 1 is a is a partial x-ray side view of an airplane formed in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIGS. 2 and 3 are cross-section views of the airplane shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a partial zoom view of the view from FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is an x-ray top view of the airplane shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-section front view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIGS. 7 and 8 are partial cross-section views of a cargo loading door and section for the airplane shown in FIG. 1 or  6 ; and 
     FIGS. 9 and 10 are partial x-ray side views of a cargo bay door and loading mechanism formed in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides cargo loading for a short body length airplane configuration, such as that shown in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. (pending), attorney docket number BOEI-1-1016, filed Oct. 2, 2001, which is hereby incorporated by reference. As shown in FIG. 1, a short body low wing airplane  26  includes forward passenger cabin doors  30  and aft passenger cabin doors  32 . The passenger cabin doors are suitably hinged to open either sideways or upwards, or mounted on a translating mechanism to swing outside the fuselage and then translate laterally, in order to avoid a cargo door interfering with the passenger cabin doors  30 ,  32 , cargo doors  36 ,  38  are located below the passenger cabin doors  30 ,  32  and are shown in more detail in FIGS. 2-4 below. 
     FIG. 2 shows a cargo door  42  in the closed position. In the closed position a latch  46  at one end of the door  42  secures the door  42  shut. The end of the cargo door  42  opposite the end that includes the latch  46  is a hinge  44 . The hinge  44  is located lower on the airplane fuselage than the latch  46  location, thereby allowing the door  42  to swing open down and away from the airplane&#39;s centerline, as shown in FIG.  3 . FIG. 3 shows the cargo door  42  open, in a configuration suitable for loading and unloading a cargo container  50  into or from a cargo compartment  40  by translating it laterally into or out of the airplane&#39;s cargo compartment. By way of non-limiting example, the cargo container  50  is shown as an LD3-46 container. However, it will be appreciated that other types of cargo containers may be used as desired. FIG. 4 shows an enlargement of FIG. 3, and illustrates powered or unpowered rollers  56  to move the container  50  into or out of the cargo compartment  40  from or to a conventional cargo loader vehicle (not shown). A deployable bumper element  54  is shown deployed at the latch end of the door  42 . The bumper element  54  softens the impact of contact when a cargo loader vehicle first mates with the cargo door  42  of the aircraft  26 . A sensor device (not shown) connected at the end of the door  42  adjacent to the bumper element  54  detects any contact forces. A warning device, such as an audible alarm (not shown), warns flight and maintenance crews if any contact with the door  42  is excessive and may endanger the structural integrity of the cargo door  42  or the airplane  26 . The door  42  is supported by locking bars  52 . The locking bars  52  support and maintain the cargo door  42  in a desired, substantially horizontal open configuration for loading or unloading operations. 
     Not shown are suitable structural reinforcements for maintaining fuselage structural strength, with the main cabin door  30  or  32  and the cargo door  36  or  38  being one on top of the other. 
     FIG. 5 shows a top view of a typical Ground Service Equipment (GSE) laid out around the representative low-wing airplane  26  of FIG. 1, equipped with the above-described bottom hinged cargo doors  42  for loading and unloading cargo into and from the forward and aft lower deck cargo compartments. Even for this very short body airplane, it is possible to simultaneously load containerized cargo into a forward lower deck containerized cargo compartment  40 , and an aft lower deck containerized cargo compartment  58 , load bulk cargo into an aft bulk cargo compartment  60 , load passengers through the main deck forward left cabin door  30 , and provide galley and cleaning service through the main deck aft left cabin door  32 . If it is undesirable to service a forward galley by moving carts through the cabin from the illustrated galley truck  74  location, alternately a galley truck  74  could be sequenced into the forward right main deck cabin door  62  either before or after cargo service has been provided to the forward cargo compartment  40 . 
     While the cargo end door configuration of the present invention have been described with reference to the airplane  26 , it will be appreciated that the above described cargo and door configurations can also be applied to other fuselage cross-sections and airplane configurations, within the spirit and scope of the invention. 
     FIGS. 6-8 illustrates an alternate embodiment for cargo loading in a high-wing airplane  80  or a low-wing airplane  26  as shown in FIG.  1 . As shown in FIG. 7,  a  cargo door  90  is located on the belly of the airplane  80  and is shown in the closed position. In the closed position latches (not shown) secure the door  90  to the fuselage. FIG. 8 shows the cargo door  90  open with a container  94  resting thereon. The translating cargo door  90  lowers a container supported by the door  90 . The cargo compartment  92  and the door  90  include powered or unpowered rollers (not shown). Once the door  90  is open, the container  94  is translated laterally over the rollers onto a container dolly or a low-sill-height cargo loader vehicle (not shown). 
     FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate another innovative approach to enabling cargo loading for a short body length airplane. This alternate approach applies preferably to a high-wing airplane configuration, such as the airplane  80 . A lower deck bulk cargo compartment  120  includes a conveyor belt floor surface  121  for supporting cargo. The conveyor belt floor surface  121  includes an aft portion supported by a ventral cargo door  122 , which is shown in closed and open configurations respectively in FIGS. 9 and 10. Use of the conveyor belt floor surface  121  enables automated loading and unloading thus reducing or eliminating risk of back injuries to cargo loading personnel. This concept can also apply to airplane configurations with a small cargo compartment height. 
     While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.

Technology Category: 7