Support for bundle overlengths in an electrical and/or optical harness, vehicle comprising such a support and method for installing bundles by implementing such a support

• US 10,640,058 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2019
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Atlantic (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Stelia Aerospace (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Pay, Jonathan, Paoly, Antony
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Stanley
• Application Number:
  US16/506,031
• Publication Number:
  US 20200017038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 301 Days
• Field of Search: 174 72 A
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0215 Protecting, fastening and routing means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4457 Bobbins; Reels
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 11/02 using take-up reel or drum
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/0487 with a non-circular cross-section H02G3/0468, H02G3/0475 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/30 Installations of cables or lines on walls, floors or ceilings

Abstract

A support for overlengths of cable bundles, includes a rear wall by which the support is fixed, an almost-toroidal cavity, at least one axial indentation, and a cover. The almost-toroidal cavity is delimited by: the rear wall; an inner wall determining a small diameter of the almost-toroidal cavity; and an outer wall determining a large diameter, greater than the small diameter, of the almost-toroidal cavity. The cover is fixed removably such that: the almost-toroidal cavity is open, on the front side of the support, over a whole length of the almost-toroidal cavity when the cover is removed and forms an almost-circular groove; and the almost-toroidal cavity is closed, except for the at least one axial indentation, when the cover is fixed. A vehicle including such a support and a method for installing a cable bundle are also provided.

Claims

1. A support for bundle overlengths of electrical and/or optical cables, comprising:

a rear wall, by which said support is fixed to a structure when it is implemented, wherein the support further comprises;

an almost-toroidal cavity, centred on an axis of the support perpendicular to an average plane of the rear wall, said almost-toroidal cavity being delimited by;

all or some of the rear wall;

an inner wall laterally delimiting the almost-toroidal cavity on the side of the axis of the support and determining a small diameter D1 of said almost-toroidal cavity; and

an outer wall laterally delimiting the almost-toroidal cavity on the side opposite the axis of the support and determining a large diameter D2, greater than the small diameter D1, of said almost-toroidal cavity;

said outer wall comprising at least two axial indentations distributed according to a perimeter of said outer wall; and

a cover, located opposite the rear wall on the front side located opposite the rear wall on the front side of the support, the cover being removably fixed such that;

the almost-toroidal cavity is open, on the front side of the support, over a whole length of said almost-toroidal cavity when the cover is removed and forms a groove closed on itself; and

the almost-toroidal cavity is closed, except for the at least one axial indentation, when the cover is fixed;

wherein the cover comprises two or more radial indentations arranged opposite the two or more axial indentations to form extended openings of the almost-toroidal cavity.

2. The support according to claim 1, where the at least one axial indentation has a height along an axial direction of said support substantially equal to a height of the outer wall and has a width according to a perimeter of the outer wall substantially equal to a radial width of the toroidal cavity, substantially equal to the difference between the large diameter D2 and the small diameter D1 of the almost-toroidal cavity.

3. The support according to claim 1, wherein a radial cross-section of the almost-toroidal cavity is substantially rectangular or square.

4. The support according to claim 1, wherein a base comprises, assembled together, the rear wall, the inner wall and the outer wall.

5. The support according to claim 4, wherein the base is formed integrally, produced by one of the moulding, forming, machining, additive manufacturing methods.

6. The support according to claim 4, wherein the fixing means of the cover maintain said cover attached to the base when the cover is removed.

7. The support according to claim 1, wherein the small diameter D1 of the almost-toroidal cavity is determined according to a minimum length of an overlength of a bundle to be maintained by means of said support.

8. The support according to claim 1, wherein a difference between the small diameter D1 and the large diameter D2 of the almost-toroidal cavity is determined according to a difference DSL between a minimum length Lmin and a maximum length Lmax of an overlength of a bundle to be maintained by means of said support.

9. The support according to claim 1, wherein the cover comprises one or more deformable compression element(s), arranged to exert a pressure on the bundle(s) inserted in the almost-toroidal cavity when said cover is fixed.

10. The vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the at least one bundle enters into the almost-toroidal cavity by a first opening of the outer wall along a direction substantially tangent to said outer wall, substantially travels once through the almost-toroidal cavity and emerges through said first opening or through another opening in the vicinity of said first opening along a direction substantially tangent to the outer wall.

11. A vehicle, comprising an electrical and/or optical installation, and comprising at least one support according to claim 1, wherein at least one support of at least one bundle of electrical and/or optical cables travel through all or some of the almost-toroidal cavity.

12. A method for installing a bundle of electrical and/or optical cables implementing at least one support according to claim 1, the method comprising:

if the cover is fixed, removing said cover to open the almost-toroidal cavity;

engaging, through the front side of the support, the bundle in a first axial indentation of the outer wall;

forming, with the bundle, a loop travelling through the toroidal cavity over substantially one rotation and exiting the bundle through the first axial indentation or through an axial indentation in the vicinity of this first axial indentation;

as needed, adjusting the position of the loop formed by the bundle between the inner wall and the outer wall to absorb the overlength of the bundle; and

fixing the cover to close the almost-toroidal cavity, wherein is maintained the overlength of the bundles.