Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Luggage storage unit intended in particular for an aircraft cabin
This invention relates to a luggage storage unit intended in particular for an
aircraft cabin, and more specifically a luggage rack.
The sphere of this invention is the transport of passengers in an aircraft.
During
a trip, the travelers' luggage is placed in the holds of the aircraft, while
lighter luggage
can accompany the travelers in the aircraft cabin. In this cabin, storage
units are
provided for this luggage, also referred to as hand luggage. More often than
not, these
storage units are arranged in the upper portion of the aircraft cabin, beneath
the ceiling
of this cabin and above the seats intended to accommodate the passengers.
There are two major types of storage unit for luggage such as described
previously. On the one hand there are luggage bins and on the other hand
luggage
racks. A luggage bin is a compartment fixed in relation to the aircraft cabin,
and a door,
generally pivoting, allows the opening and closing of access to the luggage
compartment. A luggage rack, for its part, also has a compartment intended to
accommodate luggage and comprising an access. Here this compartment is a
compartment movable between a first extended position in which access to the
compartment is open, allowing the insertion and removal of luggage, and a
position
retracted inside the ceiling of the aircraft cabin, in which access to the
compartment is
closed.
The current trend, dictated by the airline companies, is to increase the
volume of
storage unit for hand luggage inside aircraft cabins. However, the volume
inside an
aircraft cabin is limited. It therefore is advisable to make the most of the
available
space inside a given cabin. Moreover, as regards the luggage racks and bins,
their
dimensions are limited inasmuch as the standards provide that these storage
units, in
open or closed position, must not hinder the movement of passengers in the
aisles of
the aircraft cabin.
This invention then has as a purpose to provide a luggage compartment that,
for
a given external occupied space, makes possible a greater volume of storage
space for
luggage than the known storage units of the prior art.
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To this end, it provides a storage unit for luggage, intended in particular
for an
aircraft cabin, comprising a compartment having a lower face and an upper
face, an
open face allowing access to the compartment for the depositing and removal of
luggage or similar items inside same, and a back, opposite the open face of
the
compartment.
According to this invention, the lower face of the compartment is
substantially
plane adjacent the open face, the lower face of the compartment rises up near
the back,
and a groove, the concavity of which is directed toward the upper face of the
compartment, is formed in the joining zone between the raised portion of the
lower face
and the back.
Accordingly, in one of its aspects, the present invention provides a storage
device for baggage for an aircraft cabin, comprising: a compartment having a
lower face,
an upper face, an open face allowing access to the compartment for depositing
and
removal of baggage, and a back located opposite to the open face of the
compartment,
wherein the lower face of the compartment is positioned on a side of the open
face and
includes a substantially planar portion, wherein the lower face of the
compartment
includes a ramp portion positioned closer to the back than to the open face
and
positioned between the planar portion and the back, wherein a highest point of
the ramp
portion is positioned above a highest point of the planar portion, wherein a
groove, a
concavity of which opens toward the upper face of the compartment, is
implemented
between a highest point of the ramp portion of the lower face and the back,
such that the
ramp portion does not contact the back, and wherein a lowest point of the
groove is
located above a surface of the planar portion of the lower face of the
compartment when
the compartment is in an open position.
In a further aspect, the present invention provides a storage device for
baggage
for an aircraft cabin, comprising: a compartment having a lower face, an upper
face, an
open face allowing access to the compartment for depositing and removal of
baggage,
and a back located opposite to the open face of the compartment, wherein the
lower
face of the compartment is positioned on a side of the open face and includes
a
substantially planar portion, the lower face of the compartment includes a
ramp portion
positioned closer to the back than to the open face and positioned between the
planar
portion and the back, a highest point of the ramp portion is positioned above
a highest
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point of the planar portion, a groove, a concavity of which opens toward the
upper face
of the compartment, is implemented between the ramp portion of the lower face
and the
back, such that the ramp portion does not contact the back, a lowest point of
the groove
is located above a surface of the planar portion of the lower face of the
compartment
when the compartment is in an open position, in the open position, the open
face is
uncovered, in a closed position, the open face is covered, the compartment
pivots
downward around an axis of pivoting to move from the closed position to the
open
position, and the axis of pivoting is fixed and passes through a side face of
the
compartment.
With such a storage unit, a suitcase with wheels can be accommodated in the
luggage compartment in the lengthwise direction and not down flat, but
diagonally. The
wheels of the suitcase are introduced first when the compartment is open. They
then
come to roll over the plane portion of the lower face and the raised portion
of this face
then comes to guide them into the groove that is intended to accommodate them.
The
suitcase then is held in the compartment of the luggage storage unit thanks to
the
cooperation of the wheels of the suitcase with the groove.
In order to better support a suitcase placed in the luggage storage unit, or
to hold
a possible suitcase not comprising wheels, the free edge of the lower face of
the
compartment situated adjacent the open face for access to the compartment
advantageously has a rim projecting from the lower face of the compartment
toward the
upper face of the latter. This rim can be formed, for example, by a profiled
part.
Preferably, in order to avoid injuring a user or damaging a piece of luggage,
this rim,
profiled or otherwise, is rounded.
In order to facilitate the positioning of a suitcase in the compartment, the
raised
portion of the lower face of the compartment rises up gradually from the plane
portion to
the groove.
In a variation of embodiment, the raised portion of the lower face of the
compartment represents between 15 and 40% of the lower face of the
compartment.
Thus, the volume occupied by the raised portion is not too great and this
raised portion
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can have a slope that is not too great so as to facilitate the accommodation
of the
luggage.
By way of illustrative example, it is indicated here that the groove is, for
example,
between 5 and 30 cm above the level of the plane portion of the lower face of
the
compartment.
In a preferred embodiment of the storage unit for luggage according to the
invention, this rack is movable between a lower open position and a raised
position
retracted inside an aircraft cabin ceiling. In a variation of embodiment of
this storage
unit (which here is a luggage rack), the plane portion of the lower face of
the
compartment, in the open position of the compartment, is substantially
horizontal, that
is, substantially parallel to the floor of the aircraft cabin. These features
make it
possible to limit the height of the entry threshold of the compartment
accommodating
the luggage, thus facilitating the use of this luggage rack.
This invention also relates to an aircraft cabin and an aircraft,
characterized in
that they comprise a luggage storage unit such as described above, and more
specifically such a luggage rack.
Details and advantages of this invention will emerge more clearly from the
description that follows, presented with reference to the attached schematic
drawings
on which:
Figure 1 is a schematic view of a rack according to the invention in closed
position, while
Figure 2 shows this rack schematically in open position.
The luggage rack 2 depicted in the drawings is a rack pivotally mounted around
a pivotal axis 4. It is a matter here of a luggage rack 2 mounted in an
aircraft cabin.
This rack is mounted in the upper portion of this cabin, above the passenger
seats, not
depicted. The axis of pivoting 4 is a longitudinal axis in relation to the
aircraft cabin.
The ceiling 6 of this cabin is recognizable on the drawings.
The luggage rack 2 comprises a lower face 8, a back 10, an upper face 12 and
lateral walls 14. The overall shape of this rack is substantially
parallelepipedal. The
face opposite the back 10 is a completely open face.
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On Figure 1, the luggage rack 2 is depicted in its closed position. It then is
retracted in the ceiling 6 of the aircraft cabin. Inside this ceiling, a fixed
flap 16 comes
to close the open face of the luggage rack, opposite the back 10 of the
luggage rack.
This fixed flap 16 takes, for example, the form of a circular cylindrical
section, the axis
of which corresponds to the axis of pivoting 4.
For esthetic reasons, streamlining is provided in order to conceal the luggage
rack. In closed position of the latter, the streamlining completely hides the
luggage rack
2 from the sight of the passengers occupying the aircraft cabin. This
streamlining
comprises a fixed streamlining 18 connecting one edge of the fixed flap 16 to
the ceiling
6 and a mobile streamlining 20 covering in particular the lower face 8 of this
luggage
rack 2.
Figure 2 depicts the luggage rack in its open position. In order to go from
the
closed position depicted on Figure 1 to the open position of Figure 2, the
luggage rack
2 pivots downward around its axis of pivoting 4. In this position, the fixed
flap 16 no
longer covers the open face of the rack and this open face is completely
clear. A
passenger then can place a suitcase 22 inside the rack or remove it therefrom.
The lower face 8 of the luggage rack 2 has a plane portion adjacent the open
face of the rack. This plane portion 24, in the embodiment depicted in the
drawings,
extends over approximately 70% of the depth of the luggage rack. Then, on
nearing
the back 10 of the luggage rack 2, the lower face 8 has a raised portion 26
directed
toward the upper face 12. Thus, on the attached Figures corresponding
substantially to
a cross section, the lower face 8 of the luggage rack 2 has an angulate shape.
The free end of the raised portion 26 has a groove 28. The latter therefore is
in
the immediate vicinity of the back 10. This groove 28 is of circular
cylindrical form. Its
concavity is directed toward the upper face 12 of the luggage rack 2. This
groove 28 is
of a size suitable for accommodating a wheel 30 of a suitcase 22. Thus the
radius of
curvature of the groove 28 is, for example, on the order of 3 to 10 cm.
At the present time, a very great majority of suitcases have wheels 30. The
placement of a suitcase 22 with wheels 30 then is performed in the following
manner.
The luggage rack 2 is set in its open position depicted on Figure 2. The
suitcase 22
then is positioned so that these wheels 30 are introduced first inside the
luggage rack 2
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and come to roll over the plane portion 24 of the lower face 8 of the luggage
rack 2. On
approaching the back 10 of the luggage rack, the raised portion 26 of the
lower face 8
guides the wheels 30 toward the groove 28. The suitcase 22 then is in place in
the
luggage rack 2. It is held in this rack thanks to the cooperation of the
wheels 30 and
the groove 28. This loading process is quite natural for the passenger who
prefers to
position the handle of his luggage on the accessible side of the rack.
The plane portion 24 of the lower face 8 of the luggage rack 2 preferably is
substantially horizontal when the luggage rack 2 is in its open position. The
aircraft
here is considered to be down on the ground. In this case, the floor of the
aircraft cabin
is itself substantially horizontal. Thus, in relation to the aircraft cabin,
it may be
considered that the plane portion 24 of the lower face 8 of the luggage rack 2
is
substantially parallel to the floor (and/or to the ceiling) of the aircraft
cabin when the
luggage rack is in open position.
In order to better hold the suitcase 22 inside the luggage rack 2, it also is
provided to equip the free edge of the lower face 8 situated adjacent the open
face of
the luggage rack 2 with a profiled rail 32 forming a slight projection above
the plane
portion 24 of the lower face 8 of the luggage rack 2. This profiled rail 32
thus forms a
barrier for any object situated on the lower face 8 of the luggage rack 2. In
order to
avoid damaging the luggage or other objects in place in the luggage rack 2,
and
especially in order to avoid any injury to the passengers using the luggage
rack 2, the
profiled rail has a somewhat rounded form.
Such an embodiment of a luggage rack makes it possible, for the same external
occupied space, to accommodate luggage of a larger size. In relation to a
luggage rack
of the state of the art, the luggage rack 2 described above makes possible a
saving on
the order of 3" (or approximately 7 to 8 cm) in space occupied crosswise. It
should be
mentioned here that the luggage racks in an aircraft cabin, even in open
position, must
not hinder the movement of passengers passing along the aisles provided for
this
purpose. The luggage racks therefore must not project beyond the cabin seats,
above
the passage aisles. Thanks to the space saving achieved, it becomes possible
to place
a suitcase 22 corresponding to the maximum size generally accepted by the
airline
companies in the aircraft cabin (usually referred to as "traveler pro")
crosswise in the
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luggage rack, while in the luggage racks of the prior art, storage for such
suitcases had
to be implemented longitudinally. The space saving is very appreciable. With a
rack of
the prior art, the space sufficing to accommodate four suitcases of traveler
pro size in a
rack according to the invention can scarcely hold two suitcases of the same
size.
The volume 34 existing between the lower face 8 of the luggage rack 2
according to the invention and the suitcase 22 is not a wasted space--quite
the reverse.
A passenger could take advantage of this volume to store therein, in complete
safety,
various small-sized objects and in particular a jacket or similar item. Since
this volume
34 is well defined, the objects that are placed there also are held there.
This invention is not restricted to the preferred embodiment described above
by
way of non-limitative example. It also relates to all the variations within
the reach of the
individual skilled in the art, in the context of the claims below.
Thus, for example, the storage unit described above is depicted in the drawing
is
a luggage rack having a compartment intended to accommodate luggage that is
movable. This storage unit also could be a luggage bin with a fixed
compartment,
closed for example by an access door..
