In current door systems in aircraft, door systems are conventionally used which, for opening and closing the respective door of the aircraft, comprise a manual actuating device for normal use and a pneumatic actuator, for example having a gas pressure cylinder, for emergency use. The conventional manual actuating device is not easy for the operating personnel, in particular the flight attendant, to handle. In the event of strong winds or gusts, the handling of the manual actuating device is also sometimes dangerous for the operating personnel.
In addition, the pneumatic actuator specifically for emergency use involves a high level of maintenance. This high level of maintenance results for example from the necessary regular checking of the gas pressure of the gas pressure cylinder of the pneumatic actuator. Furthermore, there is the problem of leakage when a pneumatic actuator is used. This entails increased maintenance outlay and therefore increased expenditure.
Furthermore, the conventional pneumatic actuators, including the conventional manual actuating devices, are not equipped to provide a monitoring or error message in the case of a fault or disturbance. For example, if the gas pressure drops below a required minimum level, the conventional pneumatic actuators are not equipped to report a fault of this type. In this case, it is conventional to await the monitoring intervals. However, if a fault occurs at the start of an interval of this type, the door is not equipped with a ready-to-use emergency actuating system for a relatively long period of time.
The commercial aircraft Airbus A380 is fitted with electrically actuated door systems, in which electrical actuators integrated in the doors are used for conventional opening and closing of the door for normal use, for example for boarding and disembarkation of the passengers, and also for emergency opening of the door in an emergency. In order to achieve high operational reliability in an emergency, when the connections of the door to the rest of the aircraft could be damaged, emergency electricity supply devices and control devices are provided in the doors themselves, which leads to greater complexity during production and greater weight. While door systems of this type require continuous maintenance, the removal and fitting of components in the event of a fault is very expensive.