Door locking system with a rapid release mechanism

1 . A door locking system for a door module that is configured to separate compartments of an aircraft and that includes a door panel and a door frame, the door locking system comprising:

a locking element having at least a first state and a second state, wherein in the first state the locking element is protruded and protrudes between the door panel and the door frame to maintain the door panel in a closed position, and wherein in the second state the locking element is retracted and does not protrude between the door panel and the door frame to enable the release of the door panel from the closed position;

a first mechanism comprising a handle, the first mechanism enables a first movement of the door panel from the closed position to an opened position by the handle of the first mechanism acting on the locking element to retract the locking element from protruding between the door panel and the door frame and thereby transition the locking element from the first state to the second state, and the first mechanism enables a second movement of the door panel from the opened position to the closed position,

the first mechanism further comprising a first locking element release actuator, the first locking element release actuator is coupled to the locking element and when actuated the first locking element release actuator allows the locking element to be transitioned by the handle of the first mechanism from the first state to the second state; and

a second mechanism that enables a third movement of the door panel from the closed position to the opened position by the second mechanism acting on the locking element, wherein the second mechanism is spatially segregated from the first mechanism and operates independently of the first mechanism, the second mechanism comprising

a second locking element release actuator that is coupled to the locking element and when actuated the second locking element release actuator retracts the locking element from protruding between the door panel and the door frame and thereby performs a transition of the locking element from the first state to the second state,

a pressure sensor configured to monitor a difference in pressure between the compartments of the aircraft, and

a controller that is coupled to the pressure sensor and to the second locking element release actuator and that actuates the second locking element release actuator to perform the transition of the locking element from the first state to the second state when the difference in pressure between the compartments exceeds a predetermined threshold.

2 . The door locking system of claim 1 , wherein the locking element further comprises:

a latching element; and

a biasing element that biases the latching element such that the locking element is in the first state.

3 . The door locking system of claim 2 , wherein the locking element further comprises:

at least one of a spring bolt lock, a solenoid bolt, or an electromagnetic lock.

4 . The door locking system of claim 2 , wherein the biasing element has at least one movable pin comprised of a spring bolt or a solenoid bolt, that fails closed in a condition where the movable pin is in a retracted position.

5 . The door locking system of claim 1 , wherein the first mechanism further comprises:

a keypad for entering a pin that actuates the first locking element release actuator.

6 . The door locking system of claim 1 , wherein the second mechanism further comprises:

a power supply that is coupled to at least one of a release actuator driver, the pressure sensor, or the second locking element release actuator.

7 . The door locking system of claim 1 , wherein the second locking element release actuator further comprises:

a movable pin; and

at least one of a solenoid or a pyrotechnical device, wherein the at least one of the solenoid or the pyrotechnical device pushes the movable pin against the locking element, thereby performing the transition of the locking element from the first state to the second state.

8 . The door locking system of claim 7 , wherein the pyrotechnical device further comprises:

a gas generator; and

an ignition unit that deploys a gas in the gas generator, wherein the gas pushes the movable pin against the locking element.

9 . The door locking system of claim 8 , wherein the ignition unit receives a trigger signal from the controller and performs a chemical reaction that transforms an electrical energy associated with the trigger signal into thermal energy.

10 . The door locking system of claim 9 , wherein the ignition unit uses the thermal energy to start a secondary reaction that deploys the gas.

11 . The door locking system of claim 7 , wherein a current through the solenoid generates a magnetic field that pushes the movable pin against the locking element.

12 . The door locking system of claim 11 , further comprising:

an electrically controlled switch that receives a trigger signal from the controller and enables a flow of the current through the solenoid based on the trigger signal.

13 . A door module comprising a door locking system of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of at least one of the first mechanism or the second mechanism is in the door panel.

14 . The door module of claim 13 , wherein at least a portion of at least one of the first mechanism or the second mechanism is in the door frame.

15 . A method for operating a door module that is configured to separate compartments of an aircraft and that includes a door panel, a door frame, and a locking element, the locking element having at least a first state and a second state, and in the first state the locking element being protruded between the door panel and the door frame to maintain the door panel in a closed position and in the second state the locking element being retracted and not protruding between the door panel and the door frame to enable the release of the door panel from the closed position, the method comprising:

enabling, by a first mechanism, a first movement of the door panel from the closed position to an opened position by a handle of the first mechanism acting on the locking element to retract the locking element from protruding between the door panel and the door frame and thereby transition the locking element from the first state to the second state and enabling, by the first mechanism, a second movement of the door panel from the opened position to the closed position, the first mechanism further including a first locking element release actuator that is coupled to the locking element and that when actuated allows the locking element to be transitioned by the handle of the first mechanism from the first state to the second state;

enabling, by a second mechanism acting on the locking element, a third movement of the door panel from the closed position to the opened position, the second mechanism including a second locking element release actuator that is coupled to the locking element and that when actuated retracts the locking element from protruding between the door panel and the door frame and thereby performs a transition of the locking element from the first state to the second state, wherein the second mechanism is spatially segregated from the first mechanism and operates independently of the first mechanism;

using a pressure sensor to monitor a difference in pressure between compartments of an aircraft;

determining whether the difference in pressure between the compartments of the aircraft exceeds a predetermined air pressure difference threshold;

in response to determining that the difference in pressure between the compartments of the aircraft exceeds the predetermined air pressure difference threshold, using a controller to direct the second locking element release actuator to perform a transition of the locking element from the first state to the second state; and

actuating the second locking element release actuator to perform the transition of the locking element from the first state to the second state.