TROLLEY EXTRACTION DEVICE

Abstract

A crank assembly for extracting an inner galley trolley from a galley bay is provided. The crank assembly comprises an output shaft configured to rotate about an axis of rotation A for actuating a trolley extraction mechanism to extract an inner galley trolley from a galley trolley bay; a crank arm configured to rotate about the axis of rotation A; a handle connected to the crank arm for rotating the crank arm about the axis of rotation A; and a clutch mechanism. The clutch mechanism is operable to selectively couple the crank arm to the output shaft to selectively transfer rotational movement of the crank arm into rotational movement of the output shaft.

Claims

1. A crank assembly for extracting an inner galley trolley from a galley bay, the crank assembly comprising: an output shaft configured to rotate about an axis of rotation for actuating a trolley extraction mechanism to extract an inner galley trolley from a galley trolley bay; a crank arm configured to rotate about the axis of rotation; a handle connected to the crank arm for rotating the crank arm about the axis of rotation; and a clutch mechanism operable to selectively couple the crank arm to the output shaft to selectively transfer rotational movement of the crank arm into rotational movement of the output shaft.

2. The crank assembly of claim 1, wherein the clutch mechanism comprises a first toothed member connected to the output shaft and a second corresponding toothed member connected to the crank arm.

3. The crank assembly of claim 2 wherein the first and/or second toothed member comprises eight teeth spaced evenly around the axis of rotation of the output shaft.

4. The crank assembly of claim 1, comprising a width perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the output shaft of less than 50 mm, preferably less than 30 mm, and further preferably less than 20 mm.

5. The crank assembly of claim 1, wherein the crank arm comprises an actuation member for operating the clutch mechanism.

6. The crank assembly of claim 1, comprising a biasing means configured to bias the clutch mechanism towards an engaged position in which the crank arm is coupled to the output shaft.

7. The crank assembly of claim 1, wherein the handle comprises a retractable handle movable between a deployed position and a retracted position.

8. The crank assembly of claim 7, wherein the handle is housed at least partially within the crank arm when in the retracted position.

9. The crank assembly of claim 1, comprising a locking mechanism for locking the crank arm in a stowed position.

10. The crank assembly of claim 9, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a locking element connected to the crank arm and selectively engageable with a fixed structure when the crank arm is in the stowed position.

11. The crank assembly of claim 9, configured to engage the locking mechanism by moving the handle into a or the retracted position.

12. The crank assembly of claim 9, comprising an alignment mechanism configured to prevent engagement of the locking mechanism unless the crank arm is in the stowed position.

13. A galley trolley extraction device comprising: a trolley extraction mechanism for extracting an inner galley trolley from a galley trolley bay; and a crank assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein rotation of the output shaft is configured to actuate the trolley extraction mechanism.

14. A galley structure comprising: a galley trolley bay defined at least partially by a wall extending rearwards from a front edge, said galley trolley bay suitable for storing at least an outer galley trolley adjacent the wall at a front of the galley trolley bay and an inner galley trolley adjacent the wall and behind the outer galley trolley; and a trolley extraction device as claimed in claim 13 configured to extract an inner galley trolley from the galley trolley bay; wherein the crank assembly of the trolley extraction device is disposed at the front edge of the wall with the axis of rotation of the output shaft extending parallel to the wall.

15. The galley structure of claim 14, wherein the galley structure comprises a passenger aircraft galley structure.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] One or more non-limiting examples will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying figures in which:

[0042] FIG. 1 is an overhead view of an aircraft galley structure according to an example of the present disclosure;

[0043] FIGS. 2-4 are various views of a double-depth galley trolley bay within the galley structure;

[0044] FIG. 5 is a detailed view of a crank assembly according to an example of the present disclosure with the handle deployed;

[0045] FIG. 6 is an exploded partial view of the crank assembly; and

[0046] FIG. 7 shows the crank assembly of FIG. 5 with the handle retracted;

[0047] FIGS. 8 and 9 are close-up views of a handle of the crank assembly;

[0048] FIG. 10 is a rear view of the crank assembly showing the alignment mechanism in the closed position; and

[0049] FIG. 11 is a rear view of the crank assembly showing the alignment mechanism in the open position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] FIG. 1 shows an aircraft galley structure 100 comprising a plurality of single-depth galley trolley bays 102 along with two double-depth galley trolley bays 104. Each of the double-depth galley trolley bays 104 is defined by two side walls 112 on either side of the bay. One of the double-depth galley trolley bays 104 is shown from a side view in FIG. 2.

[0051] The double-depth trolley bay 104 houses an inner galley trolley 106a at the rear of the bay 104 and an outer galley trolley 106b at the front of the bay 104. The trolley bay features an outer retaining mechanism 204 and an inner retaining mechanism 206, which comprise rotatable latches for retaining the outer inner trolley 106a and inner trolley 106b respectively. The retaining mechanisms 204, 206 prevent the trollies 106a, 106b from rolling out of the bay 104 when they are not in use.

[0052] FIG. 3 is a front view of the double-depth trolley bay 104, showing the outer galley trolley 106b along with the outer retaining mechanism 204. This view shows a crank assembly 300 located on the front edge 113 of the side wall 112. As explained below, the crank assembly 300 can be used to extract the inner galley trolley 106a from the trolley bay 104. In FIG. 3 the crank assembly 300 is shown in a stowed position where it is aligned with the side wall 112. The crank assembly 300 has a width that is narrower than the front edge 113 such that it does not obstruct the extraction and replacement of the outer galley trolley 106b when in the stowed position.

[0053] FIG. 4 shows the double-depth trolley bay 104 with the outer trolley 106b removed, and the crank assembly 300 being used to extract the inner galley trolley 106a. The crank assembly 300 is coupled to a trolley extraction mechanism 208 that, when rotated, pulls the inner galley trolley 106a out of the trolley bay 104. In this example the trolley extraction mechanism 208 comprises a lead screw 209 connected to a bracket (not shown) that engages with the inner galley trolley 106a. As the lead screw 209 is rotated using the crank assembly 300, it draws the bracket towards the front of the galley bay 104 to extract the inner trolley 106a.

[0054] Because the crank assembly 300 is located on the front edge 113 of the side wall 112, a user does not need to reach into the double-depth bay 104 to extract the inner trolley 106a. Furthermore, rotating the crank assembly 300 to extract the inner trolley 106a may require less force than simply pulling on the trolley 106a, making trolley extraction even more convenient. FIG. 4 shows how the crank assembly 300 protrudes in front of the opening of the trolley bay 104 as it is rotated to extract the inner trolley 106a.

[0055] FIG. 5 shows the crank assembly 300 in more detail. The crank assembly 300 comprises an output shaft 302, a crank arm 304, a clutch mechanism 306 and a handle 308. The output shaft 302 is configured to rotate about an axis of rotation A to actuate the trolley extraction mechanism 208 (e.g. by rotating the lead screw 209). The crank arm 304 extends away from the axis of rotation A, producing a mechanical advantage which reduces the force required to actuate the trolley extraction mechanism 208.

[0056] The handle 306 extends from the distal end of the crank arm 304 and provides a convenient interface for a user rotating the crank arm 304. The handle 306 extends from the crank arm roughly parallel with the axis of rotation A which means that its orientation relative to the axis A does not change throughout a rotation of the crank arm 304.

[0057] To extract the inner trolley 106a from the trolley bay 104, a user releases the inner retaining mechanism 206 and rotates the crank arm 304 using the handle 306. To stow the trolley 106a the same procedure is followed in reverse. Once the trolley 106a has been removed or stowed, the crank arm 304 must be returned to the stowed position shown in FIG. 3 aligned with the side wall 112, to avoid obstructing the galley trolley bay 104 (or whatever is adjacent the galley trolley bay 104). As explained below, the clutch mechanism 306 allows the position of the crank arm 304 to be adjusted without rotating the output shaft 302. This allows the crank arm 304 to be returned to the stowed position without applying any rotation to the trolley extraction mechanism 208, i.e. avoiding undesired further movement of the trolley 106a.

[0058] FIG. 6 shows an exploded view of the clutch mechanism 306. The clutch mechanism 306 comprises a female-toothed portion 310 fixed to the crank arm 304 and a corresponding male-toothed portion 312 fixed to the output shaft 302. A spring 314 is configured to bias the female-toothed portion 310 towards the male toothed-portion 312 so as to engage the teeth and couple the crank arm 304 to the output shaft 302. In this example the female-toothed portion 310 and the male toothed portion 312 each comprise eight evenly spaced teeth. This allows

[0059] In the example shown in FIG. 6, a narrow central section of the male-toothed portion 312 extends through the female-toothed portion 310 and projects out of the front of the crank arm 304 as a small button 316 (shown in FIG. 5). To disengage the clutch mechanism 306, a user presses in the button 316 against the biasing force of the spring 314 to disengage the teeth of the male-toothed portion 312 from the female-toothed insert 310. This decouples the crank arm 304 from the output shaft 302, allowing a user to rotate the crank arm 304 to a desired position (e.g. a stowed position) without rotating the output shaft 302. Once the crank arm 304 is in its desired position (or within 22.5° of its desired position where eight teeth are used), the user releases the button 316 to reengage the clutch mechanism 306.

[0060] In another example, the clutch mechanism 306 is disengaged by a user pulling the crank arm 304 (and thus female-toothed insert 310) outwards to overcome the bias force of the spring 314 and disengage the teeth of the male-toothed portion 312 from the female-toothed insert 310. In this example one or more additional components are used to transfer a pulling force on the crank arm 304 to the rear of the spring 314.

[0061] To reduce the profile of the crank assembly 300 when not in use, the handle 308 of the crank assembly 308 is configured to fold into the crank arm 304. FIG. 5 shows the handle 308 in the operational position, and FIG. 7 shows the handle 308 in the stowed position.

[0062] The crank assembly 300 comprises a locking mechanism 316, shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. The locking mechanism 316 is used to lock the crank arm 304 in a stowed position to prevent its accidental operation.

[0063] The locking mechanism 316 comprises a tooth that is formed as an integral part of the handle 308. The locking mechanism 316 extends perpendicularly to the rest of the handle 308. As such, when the when the handle 308 is in the operational position (as shown in FIG. 8), the locking mechanism 316 is located within the crank arm 304 in an unlocked position. However, when the crank arm 304 is in the stowed position and the handle 308 is moved to its stowed position within the crank arm 304 (as shown in FIG. 9), the locking mechanism 316 protrudes through an opening 318 in the rear of the crank arm 304 to adopt a locked position. In this position, the locking mechanism 316 engages with a corresponding slot in the side wall 112 to prevent the crank arm 304 from rotating.

[0064] Because the locking mechanism 316 protrudes out of the rear of the crank arm 304 when it is engaged, it is important to ensure that it cannot be moved to the locking position when the crank arm 304 is not in the stowed position (i.e. when it is being used to actuate the trolley extraction mechanism 208) because it could then cause damage to the crank assembly 300 or another structure such as the wall 112. The crank assembly 300 thus comprises an alignment mechanism 320, which will now be described with reference to FIGS. 10-11.

[0065] The alignment mechanism 320 is positioned at the rear of the crank arm 304 and comprises a shutter 322 configured to block the opening 318, and a spring 324 that biases the shutter 322 towards the blocked position. The shutter 322 comprises a curved channel 323 which is configured to engage with a corresponding pin 116 fixed to the side wall 112. The pin 116 is aligned vertically with the slot in the side wall 112 with which the locking mechanism 316 engages.

[0066] FIG. 10 shows the alignment mechanism 320 in the closed position (i.e. with the opening 318 blocked). In this scenario, the crank arm 304 is away from the stowed position (e.g. it is being rotated to actuate the trolley extraction mechanism 208). The pin 116 is thus not engaged with the curved channel 323 of the shutter 322 and the spring 324 pushes the shutter 322 into the closed position. The opening 318 is blocked and the locking mechanism 316 cannot be engaged (i.e. the handle 308 cannot be swung into the stowed position). This prevents accidental engagement of the locking mechanism 316 during use which may cause damage.

[0067] FIG. 11 shows the alignment mechanism 320 in the open position (i.e. with the opening 318 unblocked). When the crank arm 304 is moved to the proper stowed position aligned with the side wall 112, the pin 116 engages the curved channel 323 of the shutter and pulls it upward, overcoming the biasing force of the spring 324 and unblocking the opening 318. The handle 308 can now be swung into the stowed position, engaging the locking mechanism 316 and preventing further movement of the crank arm 304.

[0068] While the disclosure has been described in detail in connection with only a limited number of examples, it should be readily understood that the disclosure is not limited to such disclosed examples. Rather, the disclosure can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the scope of the disclosure. Additionally, while various examples of the disclosure have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the disclosure may include only some of the described examples. Accordingly, the disclosure is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.