MONUMENT APPARATUS AND METHOD

Abstract

A monument assembly for a mobile platform. The monument assembly includes a removable wall panel enabling access to an enclosed compartment of the monument assembly. The removability of an entire wall panel enables full and unimpeded access to the enclosed compartment, and eliminates the need for a separate, smaller access panel to be incorporated within one of the walls of the monument assembly. The removable wall panel is secured along at least two of its edges to two or more adjacent wall portions of the monument assembly by fastening assemblies that can be attached and/or separated from one another using a simple hand tool, or by fastening assemblies that can be slidably engaged with one another.

Description

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to monument assemblies used in mobile platforms, and more particularly to a monument assembly having a removable wall portion that enables quick and easy access to otherwise inaccessible components disposed within the monument assembly or adjacent to it.

BACKGROUND

Monuments such as galley cart structures, lavatories, crew rest modules, etc., are often used within mobile platforms, and particularly within commercial aircraft. Such monument assemblies are often positioned over pre-existing electrical, mechanical, pneumatic or hydraulic components, which occasionally require maintenance and/or replacement. Previously developed monument assemblies have included a small access panel formed within one wall portion of the monument assembly that enables a mechanic or technician to gain access to components that are otherwise rendered inaccessible by one or more wall portions of the monument assembly. Often, such access panels provide only a small opening which makes maintenance and/or servicing of components blocked off by the wall portion difficult for a mechanic or technician. Frequently, the access panel may need to be located within a wall portion of the monument assembly that is in a lower, internal area of a compartment formed by the monument assembly. This further adds to the ergonomic difficulty for the mechanic or technician, who must often position himself/herself within a relatively small interior area of the monument assembly, which may be difficult in and of itself, and then attempt to access the component requiring maintenance and/or repair through the exposed, small opening in an internal wall portion of the monument. Often, the opening is on the order of about one foot by one foot in dimensions, and the individual may be required to extend both arms through the opening to handle and manipulate the component being serviced or repaired. Often, such an area within a monument assembly is not well lit, which necessitates the use of a flashlight. This further complicates the maintenance or service task. In this instance, the technician often is required to attempt to position the flashlight within the compartment in which the component being serviced is located, while simultaneously extending both arms through the small opening to work on the component. Often the mechanic or technician must periodically remove one or both arms through the opening to obtain a different tool, and then extend both arms back through the opening to continue working on the component. This difficulty in accessing the component can add significantly to the overall time required to perform the needed service or repair operation. Additionally, the difficult ergonomic conditions that the mechanic or technician is required to work under make the task that much more demanding and difficult to perform.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is related to a monument assembly that is especially well suited for use on mobile platforms, and especially on commercial aircraft. In one form the monument assembly includes a removable wall panel that enables easy access to a component that is otherwise inaccessible when the removable wall panel is in its installed position. The removable wall panel forms an integral portion of the monument assembly when it is installed.

The removable wall panel, in one embodiment, includes a plurality of fastening components disposed at spaced apart locations along one or more of its peripheral edges. Similarly, the remaining walls of the monument assembly include mating fastening elements along one or more walls thereof that engage with fastening elements on the removable wall panel to hold the removable wall panel in its installed position. When access to the component that is blocked by the removable wall panel is needed, a user can quickly and easily release the fastening elements and remove the entire removable wall panel. This provides generous access to the component that was otherwise blocked off by the removable wall component. Removal of the entire wall portion also significantly eases or eliminates the ergonomic restrictions that may be present for an individual when working inside a compartment of the monument assembly.

The monument assembly thus does not need to be completely disassembled or otherwise detached from surrounding structure of the mobile platform within which it is disposed, when access to an enclosed component is required. Thus, maintenance and repair activities on components located within enclosed areas of the monument assembly, or that are otherwise blocked off by one or more walls of the monument assembly, can be easily accomplished by simply removing the entire removable wall panel. This significantly eases and hastens the job of performing routine maintenance or service on various components that are required to be enclosed either within the monument assembly, or adjacent to it, and which are otherwise inaccessible once the monument assembly is installed within the mobile platform.

In one specific embodiment a plurality of stud and rotatable cam member fastening elements are incorporated for enabling quick and easy removable and re-installation of a removable wall panel of the monument assembly.

In another embodiment a plurality of threaded stud and threaded insert fastening elements are incorporated to enable a user to quickly and easily remove and reinstall a removable wall panel of the monument assembly.

In certain embodiments the monument assembly may form a portion or all of a galley cart storage area, a crew rest module, a video control center, a closet or any other structure adapted to be located within a mobile platform.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a mobile platform, in this example an aircraft, within which an embodiment of a monument assembly of the present disclosure is installed;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged front, perspective view of the monument assembly indicated in FIG. 1, with the dashed line in FIG. 2 indicating a removable wall panel;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the monument assembly of FIG. 2, but with a plurality of wall portions thereof broken away to illustrate an enclosed compartment within which a component is located requiring service;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a monument assembly of FIG. 3 but with the removable wall panel removed therefrom;

FIG. 5 is an side cross sectional view of a lower portion of the monument assembly of FIG. 4 in accordance with section line 5-5 in FIG. 4, illustrating the alignment of the removable wall panel just prior to being installed within the monument assembly;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion of the removable wall panel and a portion of one of the adjacent walls illustrating a stud and cam member fastening assembly used to secure the removable wall panel to the adjacent wall portion;

FIG. 7 is a view of an alternative fastening assembly involving a threaded stud and a threaded insert member for securing the removable wall panel to the adjacent wall portion;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a portion of the monument assembly with an alternative type of slider fastening assembly being used for securing the removable wall panel to the internal roof panel;

FIG. 9 is a side cross sectional view of the slider fastening assembly of FIG. 8 with the two portions of the slider assembly engaged and holding together the internal roof panel and the removable wall panel; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective cut-away view of a portion of the internal roof panel and the removable wall portion being secured together by a dovetail type sliding fastening assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a mobile platform 10 within which is disposed a monument assembly 12. In this example the monument assembly 12 comprises a galley cart monument assembly for storing galley carts typically used on commercial aircraft. The monument assembly 12 rests on a floor portion 14 within a cabin 16 of the aircraft 10. A lower portion 12A houses galley carts while an upper portion 12B can be used to house passenger luggage or other items. It will be appreciated immediately, however, that the monument assembly 12 could comprise a crew rest module, a video control center, a closet, an equipment module or any other form of module that is employed within the aircraft 12.

Referring to FIG. 2, an enlarged perspective view of the monument assembly 12 is illustrated. The monument assembly includes a rear wall 18, a first sidewall 20, a second sidewall 22, an internal roof panel 24 and an upper roof panel 26. A front panel 28 cooperates with a removable wall panel 30 and sidewall 22 to form an enclosed compartment 32. Internal roof panel 24, sidewall 20, rear wall 18 and removable wall panel 30 collectively form the lower portion 12A. Upper roof panel 26, sidewalls 20 and 22 and rear wall 18 collectively form the upper portion 12B. The panels 18, 20, 22, 26 and 28 may be coupled together with any suitable fastening arrangements, for example by threaded fasteners, that enable secure assembly of the panels 18, 20, 22, 26 and 30 into a sturdy, rigid assembly. The panels 18, 20, 22, 26 and 28 may be made from any suitable material, for example high strength plastic, composites, or any suitable combination of materials.

With brief reference to FIG. 3, the enclosed compartment 32 can be seen to include a component 34 that may require periodic maintenance or repair. Component 34 may comprise any form of mechanical, electrical, electromechanical, pneumatic or hydraulic component. In any event, access to the compartment 32 is required by a mechanic or technician in order to repair or service component 34. In previously developed monument assemblies, rather than using a removable wall panel 30, a small access panel is formed in one of the walls that form the compartment 32. For example, the access panel often is of relatively small dimensions, typically on the order of about 1.0 ft.×1.0 ft. (30.48 cm×30.48 cm), that covers a slightly smaller opening through which access to the enclosed compartment 32 is gained. As will be appreciated, this typical style of access panel and similarly sized opening make servicing and/or replacement of the component 34 difficult for a technician or mechanic. The monument assembly 12 eliminates this problem by providing an entire removable wall panel, in this example removable wall panel 30, which enables full, unimpeded access to the enclosed compartment 32.

Referring to FIG. 4, the removable wall panel 30 is shown removed from the remainder of the monument assembly 12. In this embodiment the rear wall 18 includes a plurality of first fastening elements 36 while the internal roof panel 24 includes an additional plurality of the first fastening elements 36. The first fastening elements 36 are spaced apart from one another about the rear wall 18 and the roof panel 24. Any suitable number of first fastening elements 36 may be used, but the total number will depend in large part on the overall dimensions of the removable wall panel 30. In this example three such first fastening elements 36 are used on each of the rear wall 18 and the internal roof panel 24.

The removable wall panel 30 includes a second plurality of fastening elements 38 spaced along peripheral edges 40 and 42 thereof. When the first and second fastening elements 36 and 38 are fastened together, the removable wall panel 30 is held in the position shown in FIG. 2. Thus, when the removable wall panel 30 is removed, a technician or mechanic has complete, full and unimpeded access to the interior compartment 32, and thus the task of servicing or replacing the component 34 is significantly eased. The increased ease by which the access compartment 32 can be accessed also contributes to reducing the time needed to access and service or repair a component 34. The increased ergonomic ease that the removable wall panel 30 provides in enabling access to the compartment 32 further can reduce fatigue on the part of mechanics or technicians in performing various repair and/or maintenance tasks on equipment located in the compartment 32

Referring to FIG. 6, one particular type of fastening arrangement for use with the removable wall panel 30 is illustrated. In this example the removable wall panel 30 includes a rotatable cam element 44, while the rear wall 18 includes a fixedly mounted stud 46. A head portion 48 of the stud 46 fits within an opening 50 formed within the peripheral edge 40 of the panel 30 and engages within an opening (not shown) in the cam element 44. Such a cam and stud fastener assembly described above in connection with FIG. 6 is well known and used widely in various forms of knock down furniture to enable quick and easy assembly and disassembly of two or more furniture panels. Once the stud 46 is inserted in the opening in the cam element 44, a partial turn (typically ¼ to ½ turn) of the cam element 44 locks (i.e., wedges) the stud 46 in place inside the cam element 44. Re-use of such a fastener assembly with the presently described monument assembly 12 enables the removable wall panel 30 to be quickly and easily removed by a technician or mechanic using only a simple hand tool, for example an Allen wrench, a screwdriver or a nut driver. If six to nine such fastening assemblies as shown in FIG. 6 are incorporated with the monument assembly 12, the removable wall panel 30 may be removed by a technician or mechanic often in a minute or less time.

Referring to FIG. 7, an alternative fastening arrangement is illustrated for the monument assembly 12. In this example the removable wall panel 30 includes a threaded stud 52 which is threadably inserted into a threaded insert 54 positioned within the back wall 18. Threaded insert 54 may be press fit into a suitably dimensioned opening in the rear wall 18 and therefore does not rotate when the threaded shaft 52 is threadably advanced into it. A relief area 56 may be formed in the outer surface of the removable wall panel 30 to provide easier access with an Allen wrench, screwdriver, nut driver or other simple hand tool.

From the discussion of the fastener embodiments shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, it will be appreciated that virtually any form of fastening assembly that can be quickly and easily assembled and disassembled can be implemented in the monument assembly 12. Thus, the arrangements described in connection with FIGS. 6 and 7 should be viewed as strictly exemplary of a wide variety of potential fastening assemblies that are suitable for use with the monument assembly 12.

With further reference to FIG. 2, removal and reattachment of the removable wall panel 30 may be aided by a plurality of conventional attachment members 58 that are disposed along edge portions of the panels 18, 20, 30 and 22. Attachment members 58 support the monument assembly 12 a slight distance, for example 0.25 inch-0.5 inch (6.35 mm-12.7 mm) above the floor 14 of the cabin 16 (FIG. 1). In this regard, providing the small amount of space beneath a lower edge 60 of the removable wall panel 30 enables a technician or mechanic to place one or more fingers below the lower edge 60 to assist in handling and manipulating the removable wall panel 30 during removal or reattachment procedures.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate the use of a conventional hook type slider fastening assembly 62 for securing the internal roof panel 24 and the removable wall panel 30 releasably together. The hook type slider assembly 62 makes use of a first “hook” type member 64 and a receiving member 66 that can be slidably engaged with one another. The hook type member 64 is secured within a recess 68 in a surface of the internal roof panel 24, while the receiving member 66 is secured within a recess 70 in the edge 42 of the removable wall panel 30. The hook type member 64 has one or more hook portions 72 that are vertically aligned over a corresponding number of openings 74 in the receiving member 66 during an assembly operation. The removable wall panel 30 is then slid in the direction of arrow 76 to lock the hook type members 64 within the openings 74. It will be appreciated that if the slider fastening assembly 62 is implemented, securing would likely take place along one, or possibly two, parallel edge surfaces of the removable wall panel 30, rather than along two perpendicular edge surfaces. Obviously, two or more different styles of fastening assemblies could be employed to potentially optimize securing of the removable roof panel 30 to its surrounding wall structure.

FIG. 10 illustrates a dovetail type slider fastening assembly 80 that makes use of first and second dovetail shaped tracks 82 and 84. Tracks 82 and 84 are secured to the internal roof panel 24 and the removable wall panel 30, respectively, by threaded screws (not shown). The tracks 82 and 84 are slidably engaged when the removable roof panel 30 is moved in the direction of arrow 86 in FIG. 10.

It will be appreciated, then, that virtually any suitable fastening assembly could be employed for removably securing the removable wall panel 30. For example, conventional gear and bolt type fastening assemblies could also be employed. The precise configuration of the monument assembly may in some instances influence the specific type of fastening assembly selected for use. For example, a slider type fastening assembly may be preferred where there is a small amount of room to slidably manipulate the removable wall panel 30. An advantage of a slider type fastening assembly is that it does not require the use of any hand tools for accomplishing releasing and removal of the removable wall panel 30.

In the embodiments described in connection with FIGS. 2-5, it will be appreciated that while the removable wall panel 30 is shown coupled along two peripheral edges thereof to the rear wall 18 and the interior roof panel 24, that the panel 30 may also be secured to the front panel 28 if desired merely by incorporating an additional plurality of suitable fastener elements.

In the various embodiments disclosed, the removable wall panel 30 enables access to an interior compartment of a monument assembly that would otherwise be difficult to access through a conventional, small access opening. The ability to completely remove the removable wall panel 30 of the monument assembly 12 can significantly reduce the repair or maintenance time required to access various components that are located within the enclosed compartment 32 of the monument assembly 12. This is further accomplished without unnecessarily complicating the construction or design of the monument assembly 12, without significantly adding to its overall weight or its cost of manufacture.

While the monument assembly 12 is especially well suited for use on mobile platforms such as commercial aircraft, it may be employed on other types of platforms such as on marine vessels (i.e., commercial or military ships), on land based vehicles such as trucks and busses, or possibly even within buildings or other fixed, land-based structures where the need to use a monument assembly arises.

The description of the various embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the foregoing description are intended to be within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A monument apparatus for use on a mobile platform, the apparatus comprising:

first and second walls spaced apart from one another;

a removable wall panel disposed adjacent to said first and second walls and having dimensions sufficient to form a third wall for said monument apparatus;

at least one of said first and second walls including a plurality of first fastening elements; and

said removable wall panel including a plurality of second fastening elements that cooperate with said first fastening elements to enable rapid removal and attachment of said removable wall panel to and from at least one of said first and second walls to enable access to an area adjacent said removable wall panel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second fastening elements are secured adjacent a perimeter of said removable wall panel.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

one of said first and second fastening elements comprises a stud; and

the other one of said first and second fastening elements comprises a rotatable cam member that engages and captures said stud.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

said first fastening element comprises a hook member;

said second fastening element comprises a member having an opening for engaging with said hook member; and

said first and second fastening elements are slidably engageable with one another.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

said first fastening member comprises a first dovetail shaped channel; and

said second fastening member comprises a second dovetail shaped channel; and

said dovetail shaped channels slidably engaging one another when said removable wall panel is installed in said monument apparatus.

6. A monument apparatus for use on a mobile platform, the apparatus comprising:

first, second and third walls cooperating to form an enclosure having an opening, with said opening bounded by edge portions of said first and second walls and a surface of said third wall;

a removable wall panel having dimensions sufficient to cover said opening;

at least two of said first, second, and third walls including a plurality of first fastening elements;

said removable wall panel including a plurality of second fastening elements disposed along two edge portions thereof, that cooperate with said first fastening elements to enable rapid removal and attachment of said removable wall panel to said two walls; and

said removable wall panel enabling access to a component disposed within said enclosure when said removable wall panel is removed, and blocking access to said component when said removable wall panel is installed.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said first and second fastening elements comprise components that are slidably engaged with one another.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said first fastening elements each comprise a hook and said second fastening elements each comprise a component having an opening for slidably engaging with said hook of one of said first fastening elements.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

one of said first and second fastening elements comprises a stud; and

the other one of said first and second fastening elements comprises a rotatable cam member that engages with said stud.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

one of said first and second fastening elements comprises a threaded stud; and

the other one of said first and second fastening elements comprises a threaded insert for receiving said threaded stud.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said first and second fastening elements comprise first and second dovetail shaped channels that slidably engage one another when said removable wall panel is installed in said monument apparatus.

12. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said first and second walls are arranged generally parallel to one another and spaced apart a distance that is sufficient to enable said removable wall panel to be inserted perpendicularly between said first and second walls.

13. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said removable wall panel forms an interior wall portion of said monument apparatus.

14. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said first and second walls are disposed within a vertical plane, and wherein said third wall is disposed within a non-vertical plane.

15. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said third wall is disposed perpendicular to said first and second walls.

16. A method for forming a monument assembly for use on a mobile platform, the method comprising:

arranging first, second and third walls to form an enclosure, said enclosure having an opening;

securing a plurality of first fastening elements to at least one of said first, second and third walls adjacent to said opening; and

securing a plurality of second fastening elements about a peripheral edge of a removable wall panel, said removable wall panel having dimensions sufficient to cover said opening;

positioning said removable wall panel within said enclosure and over said opening to cover said opening; and

securing said first and second fastening elements to one another to securely hold said removable wall panel, to thus cover said opening.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein securing said first and second fastening elements to one another comprises securing interlocking stud and cam fastening components to one another.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein securing said first and second fastening elements to one another comprises securing threaded stud and threaded insert fastening components to one another.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein securing said first and second fastening elements to one another comprises securing two slidably engageable fastening components to one another.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein positioning said removable wall panel within said enclosure comprises:

positioning said first and second walls in vertical orientations parallel to one another;

positioning said removable wall panel in a vertical orientation perpendicular to said first and second walls, and between said first and second walls; and

positioning said third wall in a horizontal orientation perpendicular to said first and second walls, and perpendicular to said removable wall panel.