CN116464338A - Locking mechanism for rotary flight lock of cabin door - Google Patents

Abstract

A locking mechanism for a flight lock of a hatch door, the flight lock being rotatable between a flight lock locking position and a flight lock unlocking position, the hatch door being fitted with a handle shaft, rotation of a handle secured at an end of the handle shaft in an opening direction being capable of opening the hatch door, the locking mechanism comprising: a locking shaft mounted at the hatch door; a locking shaft rocker arm boss having a projection, which is relatively rotatably mounted on the locking shaft; a first rocker arm having a recess, which is non-rotatably mounted on the handle shaft, the flight lock being operatively connected to the lock shaft rocker arm boss, wherein the lock shaft rocker arm boss is in a lock shaft rocker arm boss locking position when the flight lock is in the flight lock locking position, the projection is received in the recess with a gap between the projection and a surface of the recess, and the handle is rotated in an opening direction such that the surface of the recess abuts the projection when the flight lock is in the flight lock locking position. The invention also provides an aircraft comprising the locking mechanism.

Description

Locking mechanism for rotary flight lock of cabin door

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a component for a door of a civil aircraft. In particular, the invention relates to a locking mechanism for a rotary flight lock of a door of an aircraft. The invention also relates to an aircraft comprising a locking mechanism for a rotary flight lock as described above.

Background

The cabin door of the aircraft is provided with a flight lock. The function of the flight lock is to prevent the door from being opened manually during the flight of the aircraft, with serious consequences. In addition, the flight lock also has the function of quick unlocking after the aircraft lands, so that the cabin door on the ground can be normally opened. Therefore, the reliability of the flight lock mechanism is required to be high, and the requirements on the manufacturing and assembling precision are very strict. If there is a deviation between the installation clearance and the actual design, the functionality of the flight lock mechanism will be greatly affected.

In this context, it has been generally noted by those skilled in the art that the aircraft door space is limited and that the arrangement of the flight lock and its mechanism needs to be coordinated with the other mechanisms of the door. Since the cabin door space provided by different models may also be different, it is desirable that the arrangement of the flight lock and its mechanism be more freely flexible.

In addition, the mechanism of the flight lock needs to have a design that can ensure that the load of the manually opened door does not back drive the flight lock.

From CN114872878A (publication date: 2022, 8, 9) a door panic handle locking mechanism for civil passenger aircraft is known, which is mainly applied to locking of slide pre-positioning mechanism handles, so that the slide pre-positioning handles can be kept in a pre-positioning or un-pre-positioning state, wherein attitude control is realized by depending on a mechanism movement track, and at the same time, rollers are locked by a grooved cam arc slideway, thereby realizing locking of panic door handles. The movement mechanism locks the slide pre-positioning handle without the aid of an actuating device, so that the manual operation of the handle cannot be prevented from opening the cabin door.

From CN216841027U (publication date: 2022, 6, 28) a drive for a linear flight lock is known, wherein a crank-slider mechanism is formed by means of which the rocker arm is rotated, whereby the latch arm is clamped by means of a clamping groove on the rocker arm, and the latch shaft is locked. However, this driving device does not have an adjustment means and is not suitable for a rotary actuator; compared with a rotary actuator, the linear actuator occupies a larger space and has a heavier weight.

From CN111140083a (publication date: 5/12 in 2020), an aircraft handle locking device is known, which comprises a movement mechanism with a locking hook and a locking shaft, the locking hook being connected to a spring mechanism, the locking shaft being connected to a handle, which drives the locking shaft to slide into the locking hook, thus locking the handle. The locking means is a resistance means which is in its default state, the handle being biased into the locked state by a spring mechanism, but which is only released by pressing once the door is opened. In an emergency situation, an operator may not be able to press to unlock the device, which may result in an inability to operate the handle, affecting emergency evacuation.

Furthermore, CN209037880U (publication date: day 6, 28 of 2019) discloses a door locking mechanism and a door system for a spacecraft, wherein a locking mechanism for a door is involved, the locking mechanism comprising a base, a driving assembly and a locking assembly, wherein the locking assembly is driven to stretch after rotation by a driving device through rotation of a gear, and a pulling force in a closing direction is generated on the door, thereby locking the door. The cabin door locking mechanism is complex in design and structure, and the space occupied by a single element is large, so that the cabin door locking mechanism cannot be flexibly adapted to available space of the cabin door locking mechanism on different machine types.

Accordingly, it is presently desirable in the art to provide an improved locking mechanism for a door lock, such as a rotary door lock. It is desirable that the locking mechanism of such an improved flight lock be capable of at least improving upon and even avoiding at least one of the above-identified deficiencies in the prior art.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a locking mechanism of a rotary flight lock for an aircraft door, which locks a handle shaft when the aircraft is flown, prevents a person from opening the door by operating a handle, and simultaneously realizes quick unlocking when the aircraft lands, ensuring normal opening of the door on the ground.

The locking mechanism according to the invention is configured for a flight lock of the rotary lock type mounted at a hatch door, which can be driven to rotate a certain angle about its axis of rotation for switching between a flight lock locking position and a flight lock unlocking position. In the flight lock locking position, the door is locked and cannot be opened. In the flight lock unlocking position, the hatch is unlocked, and the hatch can be opened by rotating the operating handle, in particular in the opening direction. The handle is fixed to one end of a handle shaft provided at the hatch door.

The locking mechanism according to the present invention includes:

a locking shaft mounted at the hatch door, the locking shaft having a fixed spatial positional relationship with respect to the flight lock and the handle shaft once mounted;

a lock shaft rocker arm boss formed with a projection, and mounted on the lock shaft such that the lock shaft rocker arm boss can rotate relative to the lock shaft, and

a first rocker arm configured to have a recessed portion, and mounted on the handle shaft such that the rocker arm cannot rotate relative to the handle shaft,

wherein the flight lock is operatively connected to the lock shaft rocker arm boss such that, as the flight lock rotates, the lock shaft rocker arm boss is rotatable about the lock shaft between a lock shaft rocker arm boss locked position and a lock shaft rocker arm boss unlocked position,

wherein, when the flight lock is in the flight lock locked position, the lock shaft rocker arm boss is in the lock shaft rocker arm boss lock position, and the projection of the lock shaft rocker arm boss is received in the recess of the first rocker arm, but the projection is spaced from the surface of the recess by a gap, and

wherein when the flight lock is in the flight lock locked position, if the handle is rotated in the opening direction, the surface of the recess is caused to abut against the projection of the lock shaft rocker arm boss.

Therefore, the locking mechanism provided by the invention adopts the self-locking structure of the convex part and the concave part of the rocker arm boss of the locking shaft, so that when the aircraft flies in the air, the cabin door cannot be opened manually when the rotary lock is in the locking state, because the abutting between the convex part of the rocker arm boss of the locking shaft and the concave part of the first rocker arm can prevent the handle from continuing to rotate along the opening direction, and the cabin door cannot be opened or the cabin door opening mechanism cannot be operated to open the cabin door. Meanwhile, by adopting the self-locking structure, the load from the handle cannot be transmitted back to the flight lock, so that the flight lock is prevented from being reversely driven to rotate to unlock accidentally. In other words, the invention adopts the rotary actuator to lock the handle of the cabin door, thereby preventing personnel from accidentally operating the handle and opening the cabin door in the airplane flight state.

In addition, since the flight lock is operatively connected to the lock shaft rocker arm boss, rotation of the flight lock to unlock will drive the lock shaft rocker arm boss to rotate after the aircraft lands, unlocking the self-locking mechanism. Therefore, the door opening action after landing does not need additional operation due to the arrangement of the locking mechanism, and only the handle is still required to be rotated.

Preferably, the locking mechanism according to the invention further comprises a connecting rod. The link has a link first end and a link second end. The link has an adjustable link length extending between a link first end and a link second end, wherein the link first end is operatively connected to the flight lock and the link second end is pivotally connected to the lock shaft rocker arm boss. Since the position between the flight lock and the handle shaft is often already established at the time of door manufacture for different doors and may also be accompanied by manufacturing tolerances, the mounting position of the first rocker arm is also door dependent, and the adjustable length of the connecting rod enables the mounting position of the locking mechanism according to the invention, in particular the locking shaft rocker arm boss, to be adapted to the configuration of different doors and to compensate for the build-up of manufacturing tolerances, so that the locking shaft rocker arm boss can be rotated smoothly within the required range without interference and can also abut against the recess when abutment against the recess is required, so that the locking mechanism can be locked and unlocked smoothly.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the connecting rod has a first bearing and a first nut threadedly engaged at a first end of the connecting rod and a second bearing and a second nut threadedly engaged at a second end of the connecting rod. Therefore, the length of the connecting rod can be adjusted by adjusting the threaded fit of at least one of the first end part of the connecting rod and the second end part of the connecting rod.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the external thread portion provided in the first bearing and the external thread portion provided in the second bearing are in opposite directions. For example, the first bearing has right-hand threads and the second bearing has left-hand threads; or vice versa. The design allows the user to adjust the threaded engagement of the first and second ends in the same rotational direction, for example, to tighten in a clockwise direction to shorten the length of the link or to loosen in a counter-clockwise direction to increase the length of the link, regardless of whether the length of the link is to be increased or decreased, when installing or adjusting the locking mechanism. Such arrangement is helpful for improving installation and debugging efficiency at the installation site of the locking mechanism and reducing the probability of misoperation of an installer.

In a non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the first rocker arm comprises a mating element and a first mating body, wherein the mating element is fixedly mounted on the handle shaft, wherein a recess forming a self-locking structure with the protrusion of the locking shaft rocker arm boss is provided on the first mating body, and wherein the mating element is connected to the first mating body by a fastener. This causes the first rocker arm to be mounted on the handle shaft so as to be non-rotatably relative to the handle shaft, such that rotation of the handle about the handle shaft will cause the handle and the first rocker arm to rotate together. Simultaneously, the cooperation component is connected to the first cooperation body through the fastener and is: the first coupling body is further enabled to be displaced relative to the coupling element, and thereby also relative to the handle shaft, thereby adjusting the first coupling body, and thereby also adjusting the position of the recess relative to the handle shaft, and thereby also adjusting the position of the recess relative to the locking shaft rocker arm boss, thereby adjusting the gap between the projection and the recess of the locking shaft rocker arm boss as described above. Preferably, the gap is uniform and is such that the locking mechanism is to be unlocked such that the locking shaft rocker arm boss can rotate without interference, thereby enabling the rotary flight lock to reverse rotation to unlock.

Preferably, at least one through hole is formed in the first matching body and the matching element respectively for the at least one fastener to pass through. The at least one fastener may be a bolt. Such an arrangement facilitates the removable adjustment of the locking mechanism according to the invention.

Preferably, the through hole is formed as an oblong hole. The oblong through-hole enables the first mating body to be moved in the long-side direction (i.e., longitudinal direction) of the oblong hole relative to the mating element by the fastener, thereby enabling further adjustment of the clearance between the protruding portion of the locking-shaft rocker arm boss and the recessed portion of the first rocker arm.

Preferably, the first fitting body and the fitting element are further formed with tooth-shaped adjustment surfaces on the faces facing each other. By the engagement of the toothed mating portions with each other, the first mating body and the mating member can be held together more stably, and the overlapping area between the first mating body and the mating member can be adjusted tooth by tooth, thereby facilitating accurate adjustment by an operator.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the locking mechanism further comprises a link and a second rocker arm, wherein the second rocker arm is connected to the flight lock by the link at a second rocker arm first end and is pivotally connected to the link first end at a second rocker arm second end. The arrangement is such that rotation of the rotary flight lock causes rotation of the lock shaft rocker arm boss about the lock shaft via the link, the second rocker arm, and the link.

Thus, the locking mechanism of the present invention has a set of adjustable four-bar linkages and a position adjustable toothed plate that can be used to adjust the locking angle and clearance each time the locking mechanism is installed to accommodate different door configurations. Specifically, the locking mechanism of the flight lock can adjust the rotation angle of the rocker arm boss of the locking shaft and the rocker arm position of the first rocker arm, so that the locking mechanism has adjusting measures in the aspects of the locking position of the flight lock and the position of the transmission connecting rod.

Therefore, the locking mechanism of the rotary flight lock for the cabin door is simple in structure, safe and reliable, capable of preventing back drive, flexible in arrangement, easy to assemble and adjust, and capable of supporting normal operation of the flight lock.

In particular, the locking mechanism of the present invention employs a rotary actuator, forming a crank and rocker mechanism. The swing range of the rocker is large, the requirements on manufacturing and debugging are low, and the reliability is good.

In addition, in the locking mechanism, locking operation is performed through the four-bar transmission mechanism, so that locking load is small, and locking is convenient for personnel on the aircraft.

The invention also proposes an aircraft comprising at least one door; a flight lock arranged at the at least one hatch door and being a rotary lock; and a locking mechanism for the flight lock according to any one of the above aspects.

Additional features and advantages described herein will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from that description or recognized by practicing the embodiments described herein, including the detailed description which follows, the claims, as well as the appended drawings.

Drawings

The above features and other features of the invention will be further explained below in connection with embodiments shown in the drawings. The drawings are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive. The drawings show:

fig. 1 shows a side perspective view of a locking mechanism of a rotary flight lock for a door of an aircraft according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a connecting rod portion of the locking mechanism shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the engagement between the other lock shaft rocker arm boss of the locking mechanism shown in FIG. 1 and the recess of the first rocker arm;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a first mating body and mating element of the locking mechanism shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 shows the locking mechanism closed when the rotary flight lock is locked in a side view;

FIG. 6 shows in side view the situation in which an attempt is made to unlock the locking mechanism when the rotary flight lock is locked;

FIG. 7 illustrates in enlarged detail the locking mechanism shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 shows the locking mechanism closed when the rotary flight lock is unlocked in a side view; and

fig. 9 shows the locking mechanism open when the rotary flight lock is unlocked in a side view.

List of reference numerals:

1. flight lock

2. Coupling piece

3. Driving rocker arm

31 First end (of driving rocker arm)

32 Second end (of driving rocker arm)

4. Connecting rod

4a first bearing

4b first nut

4c locking gasket

4d connecting rod body

4e locking gasket

4f second nut

4g second bearing

41 First end (of connecting rod)

42 Second end (of connecting rod)

5 locking shaft rocker arm boss

51 Projection (of locking shaft rocker arm boss)

6. Locking shaft

7. Handle shaft rocker arm

7a concave portion

7b mating element

7c bolt

7d first matching body

7d1 first part

7d2 second part

7e second mating body

7f tooth form part

7g hole

7h tooth form part

7i pad

7j lock nut

8. Handle shaft

9. Handle

L locking mechanism

F flange.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to the various embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While the present invention will be described in conjunction with the exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings, those skilled in the art will recognize that the present description is not intended to limit the invention to those exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover not only these exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

For convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appended claims, the terms "upper", "lower", "inner" and "outer" are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as displayed in the figures.

Fig. 1 shows a locking mechanism, generally designated by the reference numeral L, in a perspective view. The locking mechanism L is an adjustable locking mechanism for the flight lock 1 of a door of an aircraft. The flight lock 1 is a rotary lock which can be rotated about its axis of rotation, and when the angle of rotation is within a predetermined angle of rotation, this means that the flight lock 1 is locked, whereas the flight lock 1 is unlocked. The flight lock 1 is a kind of logic electric control element, which is connected to other flight lock drives, not shown in the figures, by which the flight lock 1 is driven in rotation.

Typically, when the aircraft is in an airborne state, the flight lock 1 is powered up, rotated through a first angle about its axis of rotation and locked. In the locked state of the flight lock 1, the door cannot be opened, whereas when the aircraft is in the ground-resting state, the flight lock 1 is normally de-energized, the flight lock 1 being rotated through a first angle, for example in the opposite direction about its axis of rotation, so that the flight lock is unlocked. When the flight lock 1 is unlocked, the operator can then open the door by operating the handle 9 provided on the door.

The lock mechanism L shown in fig. 1 includes:

a coupling 2, which in the embodiment shown is in the form of a connecting shaft;

a driving rocker arm 3 having a first end 31 and a second end 32, wherein the driving rocker arm 3 is operatively connected to the rotary lock 1 at the first end 31 by means of a coupling 2;

a link 4 having a first end 41 and a second end 42 and having an adjustable link length extending between the first end 41 and the second end 42, wherein the link 4 is pivotally connected at its first end 41 to the second end 32 of the driving rocker arm 3;

a locking shaft 6 fixedly mounted on the hatch;

a locking shaft rocker arm boss 5 rotatably fitted over the locking shaft 6 with respect to the locking shaft 6 and having a protruding portion 51, wherein, in the axial direction of the locking shaft 6, flanges F are provided on both sides of the locking shaft rocker arm boss 5, respectively, for holding the locking shaft rocker arm boss 5 in place in the axial direction (see fig. 3), and wherein the locking shaft rocker arm boss 5 is pivotally connected to the second end portion 42 of the link 4;

a handle shaft 8, which is also fixedly mounted on the door;

a handle shaft rocker arm 7 fixedly mounted on the handle shaft 8, for example by means of a key connection, and which is non-rotatable with respect to the handle shaft 8; and

a handle 9, which is fixed at one end of the handle shaft 8, is provided for an operator to operate the locking mechanism L, wherein in the embodiment shown in fig. 1, lifting the handle 9 in a counter-clockwise direction will perform an unlocking operation.

Thus, the lock mechanism L is provided with two input ends, one end being the rotary lock 1 and the other end being the handle 9.

When the flight lock 1 is driven to rotate by the flight lock driving piece, the rotation motion of the flight lock drives the connecting rod 4 to move through the connecting piece 2 and the driving rocker arm 3, and then the locking shaft rocker arm boss 5 is driven to rotate around the locking shaft 6 by a certain angle through the connecting rod 4.

When the handle 9 is manually lifted or depressed, it drives the handle shaft 8 and the handle shaft rocker arm 7 fixedly provided on the handle shaft 8 to rotate about the rotation axis of the manual shaft 8. In other words, the handle 9, the handle shaft 8 and the handle shaft rocker arm 7 are integrated here.

Turning now to fig. 2, the connecting rod 4 is shown in detail in fig. 2. When the locking mechanism L is installed, the position of the components in the locking mechanism L is adjusted to accommodate different configurations of hatches, in particular to accommodate the accumulation of tolerances between the installation position of the flight lock 1, the position of the handle shaft 8 and the locking shaft 6 on different hatches.

One of the ways this adaptation is achieved is to adjust the link length of the link 4. Specifically, as shown from top to bottom in fig. 2, the link 4 includes, between its first end 41 and second end 42, a first bearing 4a provided at the first end 41, a first nut 4b, a locking washer 4c, a link body 4d, a locking washer 4e, a second nut 4f, and a second bearing 4g provided at the second end 42.

In the embodiment shown, the first bearing 4a and the first nut 4b, which cooperate with each other at the first end 41 of the connecting rod 4, have a right-hand thread, while the second bearing 4g and the second nut 4f, which cooperate with each other at the second end 42, have a left-hand thread.

Thus, when the locking mechanism L is installed at different hatches, the length of the connecting rod 4 can be adjusted by screwing the threaded engagement between the first bearing 4a and the first nut 4b and the engagement between the second bearing 4g and the second nut 4f, respectively, for example, by loosening the two threaded engagements, respectively, so that the length of the connecting rod 4 becomes longer; conversely, the length of the connecting rod 4 will be shortened.

In the illustrated embodiment, since the external thread provided by the first bearing 4a is opposite to the external thread provided by the second bearing 4g, and the first bearing 4a and the second bearing 4g are provided at the first end 41 and the second end 42 of the connecting rod 4, respectively, which are opposite to each other, an operator or installer of the locking mechanism L only needs to screw the two bearings 4a, 4g in the same direction to achieve the adjustment of the length when adjusting the length of the connecting rod 4. This facilitates the length adjustment of the connecting rod 4 by the user and effectively avoids the wrong screwing direction.

However, depending on the application requirements, the user may also adjust the length of the connecting rod 4 by adjusting the fit between only one of the two bearings 4a, 4g and the corresponding nut 4b, 4 f.

The other setting of the locking mechanism L that can be adjusted to accommodate and compensate for tolerances is to adjust the angle through which the locking shaft rocker arm boss 5 provided on the locking shaft 6 rotates relative to the locking shaft 6. Turning now to fig. 3, the locking shaft rocker arm boss 5 and its interaction with the handle shaft rocker arm 7 is further illustrated.

As shown in fig. 3, a lock shaft rocker arm boss 5 is provided relatively rotatably on the lock shaft 6, having a convex portion 51 for cooperating with a concave portion 7a formed on a side surface of the handle shaft rocker arm 7. The locking axle rocker arm boss 5 is also pivotally connected to the second end 42 of the link 4 by a bolt.

When the locking mechanism L is used, the locking shaft rocker arm boss 5 is rotated by a certain angle relative to the locking shaft 6 when the link 4 is moved up or down by the flight lock 1.

The arrangement of the handle shaft rocker arm 7 is explained below in connection with fig. 4. As mentioned above, the handle shaft rocker arm 7 is mounted on the handle shaft 8 by a key connection. As particularly shown in fig. 3 and 4, the handle shaft rocker arm 7 includes a mating element 7b, a first mating body 7d and a second mating body 7e disposed on both sides of the mating element 7 b. The mating element 7b is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped element having a certain thickness. In the illustrated embodiment, the mating element 7b is provided with two through holes 7g for the bolts 7c to pass through and mate with the nuts 7j and washers 7i, connecting the first and second mating bodies 7d, 7e with the mating element 7 b.

The first mating body 7d comprises in the shown embodiment a first portion 7d1 and a second portion 7d2 which are angled with respect to each other. Here, the first portion 7d1 and the second portion 7d2 are at an angle of approximately ninety degrees with respect to each other. The concave portion 7a of the handle shaft rocker arm 7 for engagement with the convex portion 51 of the lock shaft rocker arm boss 5 is formed mainly on the side surface of the first portion 7d1 of the first engagement body 7 d.

The side of the second portion 7d2 of the first fitting body 7d facing the fitting element 7b is provided with a tooth 7h. Likewise, the surface of the mating element 7b facing the first mating body 7d is formed with a tooth 7f. Thereby, the mating element 7b is formed like a toothed plate.

When the locking mechanism L is mounted, by adjusting the fit between the tooth-shaped portion 7f at the fitting element 7b and the tooth-shaped portion 7h at the first fitting body 7d, the area where the first fitting body 7d coincides with the fitting element 7b can be adjusted, thereby enabling the first fitting body 7d to be displaced relative to the fitting element 7b fixedly connected to the handle shaft 8 in the radial direction of the handle shaft 8 relative to the fitting element 7 b. Such a relative displacement is possible due to the oblong design of the through hole provided in the first mating body 7d for receiving the bolt 7c therethrough (see fig. 4). By displacement of the first fitting body 7d relative to the handle shaft 8, the fit between the concave portion 7a provided on the first fitting body 7d and the convex portion 51 of the lock shaft rocker arm boss 5 can be adjusted, thereby adjusting the gap between their surfaces so that the convex portion 51 can smoothly rotate relative to the concave portion 7a without any interference when unlocking of the door is required. As can be seen for example in fig. 3, the recess 7a is formed with a curvature.

In other words, during the assembly of the locking mechanism L, the angular range through which the locking shaft rocker arm boss 5 can rotate about the locking shaft 6 is controlled by the length adjustment of the connecting rod 4, in combination with fine adjustment of the position of the recess 7a in the handle shaft rocker arm 7 (i.e., the position of the first mating body 7d provided with the recess 7a is adjusted by adjustment of the overlapping area between the tooth-shaped portions 7f, 7 h), to ensure that the relative positions of the locking shaft rocker arm boss 5 and the handle shaft rocker arm 7 and the clearance between the protruding portion 51 and the surface of the recess 7a meet the requirements of the door locking and unlocking function when the door is in the closed state.

The interaction between the locking shaft rocker arm boss 5 and the handle shaft rocker arm 7 and the operation of the locking mechanism L are explained in detail below in connection with fig. 5 to 8. Fig. 5 shows the locking mechanism L when the door is closed with the flight lock 1 in the locked state. Fig. 6 and 7 show the case when the door is closed with the flight lock 1 in the locked state and the person tries to unlock the lock mechanism L. Fig. 8 shows the locking mechanism L with the door still closed, with the rotary lock 1 in the unlocked state. Fig. 9 shows the case of the locking mechanism L when the door is opened with the rotary lock 1 in the unlocked state.

Fig. 5 shows the flight lock 1 on an aircraft already in flight, which has been locked. As the flight lock 1 is locked it rotates through a certain angle about the rotation axis and this rotation rotates the protrusion 5 downwards via the coupling 2, the driving rocker 3, the connecting rod 4 to the position shown in fig. 5.

As can be seen in fig. 5, at this time, a gap G exists between the concave portion 7a of the handle shaft rocker 7 and the surface of the convex portion 51 of the lock shaft rocker boss 5. The gap G ensures that the flight lock 1 is not loaded to external forces and is thus accidentally unlocked by the counter-drive during the flight of the aircraft. Furthermore, this gap G also ensures that the process of the flight lock 1 driving the locking shaft rocker arm boss 5 via the above-described force transmission path for unlocking will be smooth and non-interfering if the flight lock 1 is to be unlocked and the door opened when the aircraft is resting on the ground. The gap G is typically determined by trial and error during installation of the locking mechanism L, and ideally is uniform between the two surfaces.

At this time, if one tries to open the door by manipulating the handle 9 without permission in the flying state, the situation shown in fig. 6 and 7 occurs.

Specifically, as described above, since it is necessary to turn the handle 9 in the counterclockwise direction in the plane of the drawing, i.e., to raise the handle 9 upward, as the door is opened, after the operator rotates the handle shaft 8 and the handle shaft rocker arm 7 mounted on the handle shaft 8 by a slight angle through the handle 9, contact occurs between the concave portion 7a in the handle shaft rocker arm 7 and the convex portion 51 of the lock shaft rocker arm boss 5, and the gap G disappears. At this time, the convex portion 51 of the lock shaft rocker arm boss 5 and the concave portion 7a of the handle shaft rocker arm 7 form self-locking. This self-locking is shown enlarged in fig. 7.

The self-locking makes the handle shaft rocker arm 7 unable to rotate any further, and the rotating handle 9 unable to lift up. At the same time, the self-locking also ensures that the load exerted on the handle 9 is not transmitted from the handle 9 to the flight lock 1 along the force transmission path of the locking mechanism L but ends at the locking shaft 6. This avoids reverse rotation of the lock shaft rocker arm boss 5 due to accidental back-driving of the flight lock 1.

If the aircraft has fallen in a ground-resting state, the door is unlocked and the door is opened, the flight lock 1 is first de-energized, either manually or automatically. After the power failure, the flight lock 1 is rotated reversely by a certain angle around the rotation axis thereof to unlock, and the locking is rotated upwards around the locking shaft 6 by the coupling member 2, the driving rocker arm 3, and the connecting rod 4, as shown in fig. 8. At this time, the handle 9 and the handle shaft rocker arm 7 are still in the state when the in-flight lock mechanism L is in the lock position shown in fig. 4, but the link 4 and the lock shaft 6 and the lock shaft rocker arm boss 5 mounted thereon have been lifted upward.

At this time, if the hatch is to be opened, the operator is required to operate the handle 9, specifically to raise it up a certain angle, as shown in fig. 9. At this time, the door can be opened without any interference between the convex portion 51 and the concave portion 7a to block the opening of the door.

The invention provides a locking mechanism of a rotary flight lock for a cabin door. The locking mechanism L has a simple structure and light weight, and the adopted connecting rod-rotating shaft mechanism has high reliability, so that the locking mechanism L is convenient to install and adjust. The length-adjustable connecting rod 4 and the position-adjustable handle shaft rocker arm 7 in the locking mechanism L can compensate any direction deviation of the cabin door caused by mechanism manufacturing and installation, so that the whole set of mechanism is smoothly locked and unlocked. The locking of the self-locking feature of the male part 51-female part 7a employed in the locking mechanism L is reliable. If a person tries to open the cabin door in the air in the flight state of the aircraft, the load generated by the operation of the cabin door is borne by the locking shaft 6, so that the risk of driving the flight lock 1 reversely is avoided, the cabin door is effectively prevented from being opened accidentally in the air, and the safety of the aircraft is improved.

In addition, the locking mechanism L of the present invention occupies a small space, has a large flexibility in arrangement, and realizes a large degree of freedom in designing the relative position between the flight lock 1 and the locking shaft 6, and a large degree of freedom in designing the unlocking angle. The locking mechanism L of the present invention is therefore also adapted to be retrofitted to existing door configurations.

The present invention can be freely combined with each other, or can be appropriately modified and omitted within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (10)

1. A locking mechanism for a flight lock of a door, the flight lock being secured at the door and being a rotary lock configured to be rotatable about its axis of rotation between a flight lock locked position and a flight lock unlocked position, wherein the door is further fitted with a handle shaft at an end of which a handle is secured, wherein the handle shaft is configured such that rotation of the handle causes the handle shaft to rotate together and the handle is configured such that rotation of the handle in an opening direction causes the door to be opened,

the locking mechanism includes:

a locking shaft mounted at the hatch door,

a lock shaft rocker arm boss shaped to have a projection and relatively rotatably mounted on the lock shaft, and

a first rocker arm configured to have a recessed portion, and the first rocker arm is non-rotatably mounted on the handle shaft,

wherein the flight lock is operatively connected to the lock shaft rocker arm boss such that the lock shaft rocker arm boss is rotatable about the lock shaft between a lock shaft rocker arm boss locked position and a lock shaft rocker arm boss unlocked position as the flight lock rotates,

wherein when the flight lock is in the flight lock locked position, the lock shaft rocker arm boss is in the lock shaft rocker arm boss lock position, and the projection of the lock shaft rocker arm boss is received in the recess of the first rocker arm, the projection being spaced from a surface of the recess by a gap, and

wherein rotating the handle in the opening direction causes a surface of the recess to abut a surface of the projection when the flight lock is in the flight lock locked position.

2. The locking mechanism of claim 1, further comprising a link having a link first end and a link second end, and the link having an adjustable link length extending between the link first end and the link second end, wherein the link first end is operatively connected to the flight lock and the link second end is pivotally connected to the lock shaft rocker arm boss.

3. The locking mechanism of claim 2, wherein the link has a first bearing and a first nut threadedly engaged at the first end of the link and a second bearing and a second nut threadedly engaged at the second end of the link.

4. A locking mechanism as claimed in claim 3, wherein the threaded portions of the first and second bearings are of opposite thread directions.

5. The locking mechanism of claim 4, wherein the first rocker arm comprises a mating element and a first mating body, wherein the mating element is fixedly mounted to the handle shaft, wherein the recess is provided on the first mating body, and wherein the mating element is connected to the first mating body by a fastener.

6. The locking mechanism of claim 5, wherein the first mating body and the mating member have at least one through hole formed therein for the fastener to pass through.

7. The locking mechanism of claim 6, wherein the through-hole is configured as an oblong shape.

8. A locking mechanism according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the first mating body and the mating element are provided with a toothed mating portion on the surfaces facing each other.

9. The locking mechanism of claim 8, further comprising a link and a second rocker arm, wherein the second rocker arm has a second rocker arm first end and a second rocker arm second end, wherein the second rocker arm first end is connected to the flight lock by the link and the second rocker arm second end is pivotally connected to the link first end.

10. An aircraft, the aircraft comprising:

at least one hatch;

a rotary flight lock disposed at the at least one door; and

the locking mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 9, for the rotary flight lock of the hatch.