Door assembly with an engagement mechanism

1 . A door assembly configured to be mounted in an opening and configured to control movement of persons through the opening, the door assembly comprising:

a door comprising a first panel and a second panel each with an inner edge that faces into a center of the opening and an outer edge that faces outward away from the center when the door is in a closed position, the first panel and the second panel that are pivotally connected together at the inner edges, the door is movable between a folded configuration to enable the movement of persons through the opening and an extended configuration to extend across the opening to prevent the movement of persons through the opening;

a translating rod mounted to the second panel and configured to move between an open position with the first end extending outward beyond the inner edge of the second panel and the closed position with the first end within the inner edge of the second panel;

a plunger mounted to the second panel and comprising a plunger end positioned at a second edge of the second panel, the plunger movable relative to the second panel between a retracted position and an extended position;

a gear assembly mounted to the translating rod and the plunger and configured to move the plunger based on movement of the translating rod;

wherein in the folded configuration the first end of the translating rod extends outward beyond the inner edge of the second panel and the plunger is in the retracted position; and

wherein in the extended configuration the first end of the translating rod is forced inward into the second panel by contact with the first panel and the plunger is in the extended position to be engaged at the opening.

2 . The door assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second panel comprises a front side, a rear side, and an interior space formed between the front side and the rear side with the translating rod, the plunger, and the gear assembly positioned within the interior space.

3 . The door assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first end of the translating rod is positioned along a lateral side of the second panel and the plunger end of the plunger is positioned at a bottom side of the second panel.

4 . The door assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the translating rod and the plunger comprises straight shapes and wherein the translating rod is positioned perpendicular to the plunger.

5 . The door assembly of claim 1 , wherein the translating rod is mounted to the second panel to move horizontally relative to the second panel and the plunger is mounted to the second panel to move vertically relative to the second panel.

6 . The door assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a spring connected to the translating rod to bias the translating rod outward from the inner edge of the second panel.

7 . The door assembly of claim 1 , wherein the translating rod and the plunger are mounted to a first side of the second panel.

8 . The door assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plunger is a first plunger and the gear assembly is a first gear assembly, the door assembly further comprising a second plunger mounted to the second panel away from the first plunger and movable relative to the second panel between a retracted position and an extended position and a second gear assembly is mounted to the second panel and configured to move the second plunger between the retracted position and the extended position based on movement of the translating rod lever.

9 . A door assembly configured to be mounted in an opening and configured to control movement of persons through the opening, the door assembly comprising:

a door comprising:

a first panel with an inner edge positioned at a central section of the opening when the door is in a closed position;

a second panel with an inner edge positioned at the central section of the opening when the door is in the closed position;

a hinge that pivotally connects the first panel and the second panel along the inner edges and with the inner edges being adjacent to one another;

a translating rod mounted to the second panel, the translating rod being movable relative to the second panel between a first lateral position with a translating rod end extending outward from the inner edge of the second panel and a second lateral position that is laterally offset from the first lateral position;

a plunger mounted to the second panel and comprising a plunger end positioned at a second edge of the second panel, the plunger movable relative to the second panel between a first vertical position with the plunger end disengaged from the opening and a second lateral position with the plunger end extending outward from the second panel and engaged with the opening;

a gear assembly mounted to the second panel and configured to move the plunger to the first vertical position when the translating rod is in the first horizontal position and to move the plunger to the second vertical position when the translating rod is in the second horizontal position; and

a housing that comprises a first section and a second section that are mounted to the second panel at the second edge and which extend over the plunger, the housing mounted to the second panel with threaded fasteners with one or more of the threaded fasteners mounted from a front side of the second panel and one or more of the threaded fasteners mounted from a rear side of the second panel to enable the first section of the housing to be removed from the second panel from the front side and the second section of the housing to be removed from the second panel from the rear side.

10 . The door assembly of claim 9 , wherein the translating rod end is positioned away from the inner edge of the first panel when the translating rod is in the first lateral position and is in contact with the inner edge of the first panel when the translating rod is in the second lateral position.

11 . The door assembly of claim 10 , wherein the translating rod end is positioned within an interior space of the second panel in the second lateral position.

12 . The door assembly of claim 10 , wherein the door is movable between a folded configuration and an extended configuration with the translating rod end positioned away from the inner edge of the first panel in the folded configuration and in contact with the inner edge of the first panel in the extended configuration.

13 . The door assembly of claim 9 , wherein the translating rod, the plunger, and the gear assembly are positioned within an interior space of the second panel.

14 . The door assembly of claim 9 , wherein the translating rod end is positioned at a lateral side of the second panel and the plunger end is positioned at a bottom side of the second panel.

15 . A method of locking a door in an opening, the method comprising:

positioning a door in a folded configuration with a first panel and a second panel folded together and an end of a translating rod of the second panel extending outward from an edge of the second panel;

contacting the translating rod with the first panel while moving the door across the opening to an extended configuration and moving the end of the translating rod towards a center of the opening;

unfolding the first panel and the second panel and moving the translating rod laterally relative to the second panel;

positioning a housing that extends over a plunger along the door with a front section of the housing that is connected to the door with first fasteners accessible from a front side of the door and a rear section of the housing connected to the door with second fasteners accessible from a rear side of the door;

driving a gear assembly with the translating rod and unfolding the first panel and the second panel; and

driving the plunger with the gear assembly and moving a plunger vertically downward into engagement with a floor of the opening.

16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising positioning an end of the translating rod away from the first panel in the folded configuration.

17 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising aligning the first panel and the second panel in a coplanar arrangement in the extended configuration.

18 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising contacting an end of the translating rod with an inner edge of the first panel while folding the first panel and the second panel.

19 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising mounting the door within the opening in an interior space of an aircraft.

20 . The door assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a pivoting hinge at the inner edges of the first panel and the second panel to connect together the first panel and the second panel.