Aircraft comprising at least one emergency beacon, and such an emergency beacon

• US 10,183,760 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2015
• Issued: 01/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus
• Original Assignee: Airbus
• Inventors: Cros, Christophe, Fontaine, Alain
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Tien Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Giczy, Alexander V.
• Application Number:
  US14/841,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20160075445A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,240 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 17/00 Parachutes non canopied parachutes B64D19/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2045/0065 Black boxes, devices automatically broadcasting distress signals
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 25/20 Releasing of crash position indicators
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/06 for indicating aircraft presence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0231 Emergency, distress or locator beacons
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/50 On board measures aiming to increase energy efficiency

Abstract

An emergency beacon is configured to replace of one or more navigation lamps installed on an aircraft, which has a fuselage with an outer face, on which is fixed a second interface, on which such a navigation lamp is typically disposed; the emergency beacon includes a base, which has a first interface configured to cooperate with the second interface of the aircraft to fix the base onto the outer face of the fuselage; a casing with a control unit, a radio transmitter for transmitting a distress signal, and a detector to detect abnormal aircraft behavior; and a fixing structure to take up a fixation position, ensuring the casing is fixed to the base, or a separation position, in which it does not ensure the casing is fixed to the base; the transition from fixation position to separation position is controlled by the control unit when an abnormal behavior is detected.

Claims

1. An aircraft comprising:

a fuselage having an outer face, which comprises a second interface fixed thereon;

at least one emergency beacon comprising;

a base having a first interface designed to cooperate with the second interface to fix the base onto the outer face, and

a casing, in which k housed at least one electronic component, which comprises one or more of a control unit, a radio transmitter suitable for transmitting a distress radio signal, and a detector in electronic communication with the control unit and designed to detect an abnormal behavioral the aircraft; and

a fixing structure configured to move between and including a fixation position, in which the fixing structure ensures the fixing of the casing onto the base, and a separation position, in which the fixing structure does not ensure fixing of the casing onto the base,

wherein the control unit is configured to control a position of the fixing structure in the fixation position or in the separation position when the detector detects an abnormal behavior,

wherein the second interface is a physical and electrical interface designed to receive a navigation lamp,

wherein the first interface is a physical and electrical interface substantially identical to a physical and electrical interface of the navigation lamp, and

wherein the base comprises a mounting interface identical to the physical and electrical interface of the second interface and on which the navigation lamp is received.

2. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the casing comprises an electrical energy source.

3. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the casing is equipped with an inflatable cushion designed to inflate around the casing in a form of a sphere.

4. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the casing comprises a parachute configured to be deployed by the control unit after the fixing structure is in the separation position.

5. The aircraft according to claim 1, comprising an electrical network configured to power the at least one electronic component from an energy source located in the aircraft.

6. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the at least one emergency beacon is arranged at a rear of the fuselage.

7. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises a memory area, in which is stored a mapping of Earth and a database, which lists safety threshold values linked to parameters of the aircraft, wherein the safety threshold values are based on the mapping of Earth, the control unit comprising data processing software configured to compare data transmitted by the detector to the safety threshold values in the database and to control the fixing structure based on these comparisons.

8. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises a first subunit and a second subunit, each of the first subunit and the second subunit comprising:

a first module configured to deliver a first electrical signal to the fixing structure through a first wired connection; and

a second module configured to deliver a second electrical signal to the fixing structure through a second wired connection;

wherein, for the first module, a first detector is provided that is connected to the first module,

wherein, for the second module, a second detector is provided that is connected to the first module, and

wherein the first detector is different from the second detector.

9. An emergency beacon comprising:

a base having a first interface designed to cooperate with a second interface located on an outer face of an aircraft fuselage to fix the base onto the outer face;

a casing, in which is housed at least one electronic component, which comprises one or more of a control unit, a radio transmitter suitable for transmitting a distress radio signal, and a detector in electronic communication with the control unit and designed to detect an abnormal behavior of the aircraft; and

a fixing structure configured to move between and including a fixation position, in which the fixing structure ensures the fixing of the casing onto the base, and a separation position, in which the fixing structure does not ensure fixing of the casing onto the base,

wherein the control unit is configured to control a position of the fixing structure in the fixation position or in the separation position when the detector detects an abnormal behavior,

wherein the second interface is a physical and electrical interface designed to receive a navigation lamp,

wherein the first interface is a physical and electrical interface substantially identical to a physical and electrical interface of the navigation lamp, and

wherein the base comprises a mounting interface identical to the physical and electrical interface of the second interface and on which the navigation lamp is received.