Systems and methods for conveying passengers, flight crew personnel, containers and food service carts
An elevator system includes a shaft extending between at least two decks of a vehicle. A base of the shaft is mounted to a deck structure of at least two decks by a coupling mechanism that accommodates flexing of the deck structure to enable the deck structure to flex independently of the base of the shaft. The elevator system further includes a cab within the shaft. The cab is movable between the at least two decks. The elevator system also includes a pneumatic system in selective communication with an interior of the shaft.
1. An elevator system comprising:
a shaft extending between at least two decks of a vehicle, the shaft mounted to a deck structure separating the at least two decks by a coupling mechanism;
a cab within the shaft, the cab movable between the at least two decks; and
a pneumatic system in selective communication with an interior of the shaft and operable to move the cab, wherein the pneumatic system includes a vacuum pump that generates a pneumatic force and a noise-reducing enclosure surrounding the vacuum pump.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the coupling mechanism accommodates flexing of the deck structure to enable the deck structure to flex independently of the shaft.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the shaft is constructed from a plurality of vertically stacked tube structures with a first tube structure coupled to a first side of the deck structure and a second tube structure coupled to a second side of the deck structure.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the coupling mechanism includes one or more brackets fastened to the first side of the deck structure and to the second side of the deck structure, wherein the first tube structure and the second tube structure each include a portion that complements a u-shaped portion of the one or more brackets.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the coupling mechanism includes a cord that resists tension forces.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the coupling mechanism includes a rotational bumper.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the coupling mechanism includes one or more tie-rods.
8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising another coupling mechanism, wherein a base of the shaft is mounted to another deck structure by the other coupling mechanism, the other coupling mechanism comprising a bracket with a U-shaped portion that complements a shape of the base of the shaft, a tie-rod, a slide-bearing, a buffer panel, or any combination thereof.
9. An elevator system comprising:
a shaft extending between at least two decks of a vehicle, the shaft mounted to a deck structure separating the at least two decks by a coupling mechanism;
a cab within the shaft, the cab movable between the at least two decks;
a pneumatic system in selective communication with an interior of the shaft and operable to move the cab; and
a vehicle waste system, wherein the pneumatic system is part of the vehicle waste system.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the shaft is constructed from a plurality of vertically stacked tube structures with a first tube structure coupled to a first side of the deck structure and a second tube structure coupled to a second side of the deck structure.
11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the coupling mechanism includes one or more brackets fastened to the first side of the deck structure and to the second side of the deck structure, wherein the first tube structure and the second tube structure each include a portion that complements a u-shaped portion of the one or more brackets.
12. A method of installing an elevator system, the method comprising:
mounting a shaft to a deck structure that separates at least two decks of a vehicle with a coupling mechanism that accommodates flexing of the deck structure independently of the shaft;
installing a cab within the shaft; and
providing a pneumatic system in selective communication with an interior of the shaft, the pneumatic system operable to move the cab wherein the pneumatic system comprises a valve that generates a pneumatic force using a pressure differential between a cabin of the vehicle and an exterior of the vehicle, a valve that generates a pneumatic force using bleed air generated by a turbine engine, or a combination thereof.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the shaft includes a plurality of tube structures and wherein mounting the shaft to the deck structure comprises:
coupling a first tube structure to a first side of the deck structure using a first bracket; and
coupling a second tube structure to a second side of the deck structure using a second bracket,
wherein the second coupling mechanism includes the first bracket and the second bracket.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein a U-shaped portion of the first bracket is configured to enclose a portion of the first tube structure, and wherein a U-shaped portion of the second bracket is configured to enclose a portion of the second tube structure.
15. The method of claim 12 , wherein mounting the shaft to the second deck structure comprises:
attaching the shaft to the second deck structure using at least one cord that resists tension forces, the second coupling mechanism including the at least one cord.
16. The method of claim 12 , wherein mounting the shaft to the second deck structure comprises:
mounting the shaft to the second deck structure with at least one rotational bumper that retains the shaft within an opening in the second deck structure while enabling the shaft to move in a direction perpendicular to the second deck structure, the second coupling mechanism including the rotational bumper.
17. The method of claim 12 , wherein mounting the shaft to the second deck structure comprises:
attaching the shaft to the second deck structure with at least one tie rod, the second coupling mechanism including the at least one tie rod.
18. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
mounting a base of the shaft to another deck structure by another coupling mechanism.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein mounting the base of the shaft to the other deck structure comprises:
positioning at least one bracket with a U-shaped portion that complements a shape of the base of the shaft to retain a portion of the base of the shaft; and
fixing the at least one bracket to the other deck structure, the other coupling mechanism including the at least one bracket.
20. The method of claim 18 , wherein mounting the base of the shaft to the other deck structure comprises:
attaching the base of the shaft to the first deck structure with at least one tie-rod having elastomeric dampers;
attaching the base of the shaft to the first deck structure with at least one slide bearing; or
attaching a buffer panel to the first deck structure and fixing the base of the shaft to the buffer panel.