MODULAR POD SYSTEM FOR AIRCRAFT

• US 20150298807A1
• Filed: 06/25/2013
• Published: 10/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Chun, Craig C.M., Kearns, Justin, Picard, Lyle E., Dugger, Frank, Koehler, Harold A., Wynns, Paul L., Hall, George, Cunningham, Glen W., Rosenwach, Arthur Jules
• Granted Patent: US 9,394,051 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 7/00 Structures or fairings not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/00 Equipment not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 7/00 Arrangements of military equipment, e.g. armaments, armament accessories, or military shielding, in aircraft; Adaptations of armament mountings for aircraft dropping bombs or the like B64D1/00; armaments or mountings therefor per se F41
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 9/00 Equipment for handling freight; Equipment for facilitating passenger embarkation or the like emergency equipment B64D17/00, B64D19/00, B64D25/00; structures integral with fuselage to facilitate loading, fuselage floors specially adapted for freight, steps mounted on and retractable within aircraft B64C; ground installations B64F
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/28 Adaptation for use in or on aircraft, missiles, satellites, or balloons

Abstract

A mission pod system for an aircraft set to perform a mission includes a fixed portion that is fixedly secured to an exterior surface of the aircraft. The mission pod system also includes a modular portion that is removably secured to the fixed portion and spaced away from the exterior surface of the aircraft via the fixed portion. The modular portion includes an entirety of mission-specific components.

Claims

1. A mission pod system for an aircraft set to perform a mission, comprising:

a fixed portion fixedly secured to an exterior surface of the aircraft; and

a modular portion removably secured to the fixed portion and spaced away from the exterior surface of the aircraft via the fixed portion, wherein the modular portion comprises an entirety of mission-specific components.

2. The mission pod system of claim 1, wherein the fixed portion comprises a sidewall extending substantially transversely away from the exterior surface of the aircraft, the sidewall defining an interior cavity with an open end extending substantially parallel to the exterior surface of the aircraft to which the fixed portion is fixedly secured.

3. The mission pod system of claim 2, wherein the modular portion comprises a board removably secured to the sidewall of the fixed portion at the open end, and wherein the board covers the open end.

4. The mission pod system of claim 3, wherein the board comprises an upper surface facing the aircraft and an opposing lower surface facing away from the aircraft, and wherein at least a portion of the mission-specific components are mounted on the upper surface of the board, and wherein when the board is removably secured to the sidewall of the fixed portion, the portion of the mission-specific components mounted on the upper surface of the board are positioned within the interior cavity of the fixed portion.

5. The mission pod system of claim 4, wherein the portion of the entirety of components necessary for performing the mission mounted on the upper surface of the board comprise computer processors for executing functionality of the mission.

6. The mission pod system of claim 4, wherein a portion of the entirety of component necessary for performing the mission are mounted on the lower surface, and wherein when the board is removably secured to the sidewall of the fixed portion, the portion of the entirety of components necessary for performing the mission mounted on the lower surface of the board extends away from the interior cavity of the fixed portion.

7. The mission pod system of claim 6, wherein the portion of the entirety of components necessary for performing the mission mounted on the lower surface of the board comprises at least one of blade antenna, dish antenna, phased array antenna, optical sensors, or data transceivers.

8. The mission pod system of claim 3, wherein the board comprises an upper surface facing the aircraft and an opposing surface facing away from the aircraft, and wherein at least a portion of the entirety of components necessary for performing the mission are mounted on the upper surface of the board, and wherein when the board is removably secured to the sidewall of the fixed portion, some of the portion of the entirety of components necessary for performing the mission mounted on the upper surface of the board are positioned within the interior cavity of the fixed portion and the other of the portion of the entirety of components necessary for performing the mission mounted on the upper surface of the board are positioned external to the interior cavity of the fixed portion.

9. The mission pod system of claim 3, wherein the board comprises an upper surface facing the aircraft and an opposing lower surface facing away from the aircraft, and wherein at least a portion of the lower surface of the board is transparent.

10. The mission pod system of claim 1, wherein the modular portion comprises a board removably secured to the fixed portion, the board comprising a first data communication interface, wherein the fixed portion comprises a second data communication interface engageable with the first data communication interface to receive data from the entirety of components necessary for performing the mission, and wherein the fixed portion further comprises a third data communication interface in data receiving communication with the second data communication interface, the third data communication interface being in data providing communication with the aircraft.

11. The mission pod system of claim 1, wherein the modular portion is removably secured to the fixed portion via a plurality of fasteners accessible from a location external to the aircraft.

12. The mission pod system of claim 1, wherein the modular portion comprises an elongate board having a length greater than the fixed portion, a width greater than the fixed portion, and a thickness less than the fixed portion.

13. The mission pod system of claim 1, wherein the modular portion comprises an elongate board comprising a substantially flat upper surface and a substantially flat lower surface.

14. The mission pod system of claim 1, further comprising a component cooling system positioned within the fixed portion, the component cooling system comprising an air inlet formed in the fixed portion and an air outlet formed in the fixed portion, wherein the component cooling system cools at least some of the entirety of mission-specific components of the modular portion.

15. The mission pod system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of modular portions interchangeably and removably securable to the fixed portion, wherein each of the plurality of modular portions comprises an entirety of mission-specific components for a respective one of a plurality of different missions.

16. The mission pod system of claim 1, wherein the fixed portion comprises at least one of two power inputs in power receiving communication with two separate power source outputs of the aircraft, or two data outputs in data providing communication with two separate data inputs of the aircraft.

17. The mission pod system of claim 1, wherein the modular portion is removably secured to the fixed portion from below the fixed portion.

18. An aircraft, comprising:

a body defining an exterior surface;

a base pod fixedly secured to the exterior surface of the body; and

a mission pod removably secured to the base pod and spaced away from the exterior surface of the body via the base pod, the mission pod comprising an entirety of components specific to a mission.

19. The aircraft of claim 18, wherein the mission pod comprises a thin board with substantially flat upper and lower surfaces, the thin board being external to the body and base pod.

20. The aircraft of claim 18, wherein the body comprises external trunnions, and wherein the base pod is fixedly secured to the trunnions of the body.

21. A method for fitting an aircraft for a mission, comprising:

fixedly attaching a base pod to an external surface of the aircraft;

selecting a first mission from a plurality of missions;

removably coupling to the base pod a first mission pod of a plurality of mission pods each associated with a different mission, the first mission pod being associated with the first mission;

selecting a second mission from the plurality of missions;

decoupling the first mission pod from the base pod; and

removably coupling to the base pod a second mission pod of the plurality of mission pods associated with the second mission.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising a component cooling system configured to cool at least one of a plurality of components disposed within at least one of the first mission pod, second mission pod, and base pod.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising interchangeably coupling the first and second mission pods to the base pod, wherein the first mission pod comprises an entirety of mission-specific components for the first mission and the second mission pod comprises an entirety of mission-specific components for the second mission.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the first mission pod is removably coupled to the base pod from below the base pod, and the second mission pod is removably coupled to the base pod from below the base pod.