Rockwell Collins, Inc.

B/e Aerospace, Inc.

Nicolas Behr

Trevor B Skelly

R Klaus Brauer

Daniel N Moe

David D Barrett

Art M Escobar

Randall S Weaver

Jefferey M McKee

Travis J Vaninetti

Ron Moss

Patrice About

Thomas P Munson

Frédéric Becel

A modular lower lobe passenger rest cabin includes passenger rest compartments oriented longitudinally along the roll axis and laterally along the pitch axis. Partial passenger rest compartments are defined by the modular lower lobe passenger rest cabin such that when two modular lower lobe passenger rest cabins are installed in a cargo deck of an aircraft, the partial passenger rest compartments define a single passenger rest compartment or aisle from space that would otherwise be insufficient for the purpose.

Optimized configuration for lower lobe passenger rest cabins

A bi-directional egress hatch for a passenger aircraft may allow passengers to rapidly and safely exit an overhead cabin of the aircraft onto the main deck, while allowing cabin crew to safely ascend into the overhead cabin if need be. Hatch panels may blend in with overhead bin doors and ceiling panels of the main cabin; the inner portions of the hatch panels (facing the overhead cabin) may include anti-skid portions and graspable handles for descending passengers. The hatch may be easily activated by a passenger with a single motion (or remotely activated, or autodeployed). Once activated, the hatch panels may swing open and a telescoping ladder may deploy from the inner portion to the main deck, remaining rigid once reaching the floor. Similarly, any barriers protecting the ladder from passengers in the overhead cabin may be released, granting access to the telescoping ladder.

Bidirectional hatch for passenger rest compartment

A passenger cabin monitoring system includes infrared cameras disposed in respective passenger rest compartments, a flight attendant information system including at least one display and at least one speaker, and a computing device in communication with the infrared cameras and the flight attendant information system. The computing device is configured to detect a temperature of a portion of passenger rest compartment based on one or more thermal images generated by a respective infrared camera of the passenger rest compartment. The computing device is further configured to compare the temperature of the portion of the passenger rest compartment with a predetermined critical temperature and provide an audible alert and/or a visual alert via the flight attendant information system to indicate a critical status of the passenger rest compartment when the temperature of the portion of the passenger rest compartment is above the predetermined critical temperature.

Non-intrusive passenger rest cabin monitoring system

An aircraft suite may include a passenger compartment disposed on a main deck of an aircraft. The passenger compartment may be partitioned from a main passenger cabin of the main deck by at least one bulkhead. The passenger compartment may include an aircraft seat and a hatch set within an opening in a floor of the passenger compartment. The aircraft suite may include a lower lobe rest compartment integrated in a cargo deck below the main deck. The lower lobe rest compartment may be proximate to the passenger compartment. The lower lobe rest compartment may include a passenger rest compartment and a device proximate to the hatch. The device may be configured to assist a passenger to at least one of descend into the lower lobe rest compartment from the passenger compartment, or ascend into the passenger compartment from the lower lobe rest compartment, via the hatch.

Aircraft suite including main cabin compartment and lower lobe rest compartment

Passenger rest compartments may be incorporated into remote areas of an aircraft, either in the overhead crown region or in lower lobe cargo decks. Each passenger rest compartment includes two-way audio communication with the flight deck and non-intrusive non-visual monitoring of the compartments and surrounding environment to determine passenger presence, absence, and general well-being as well as environmental safety. Rest compartments may be integrated into rest cabins in the overhead or lower lobe areas, the rest cabins accessible from the main passenger cabin via an entry vestibule providing dedicated enclosed paths to the overhead and lower cabins. Additional deployable egress hatches may allow passengers to rapidly return to the main deck from the overhead and lower lobe cabins in the event of an emergency. Selected passenger seats (e.g., partitioned or other premium seats) may include private access to passenger rest compartments.

Passenger rest compartments for remote aircraft spaces

Growing community of inventors

Kirkland, WA, United States of America

Nicolas Behr