AIRCRAFT COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE EMERGENCY BEACON, AND SUCH AN EMERGENCY BEACON

• US 20160075445A1
• Filed: 08/31/2015
• Published: 03/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus
• Original Assignee: Airbus
• Inventors: Cros, Christophe, FONTAINE, Alain
• Granted Patent: US 10,183,760 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 aircraft including a fuselage having an outer face on which is fixed a second interface, at least one emergency beacon including a base having a first interface to cooperate with the second interface for fixing of the base onto the outer face, and a casing housing a control unit, a radio transmitter for transmitting a distress radio signal and detector to detect abnormal aircraft behavior, and fixing structure to take up a fixation position to ensure fixing of the casing onto the base or a separation position, in which it does not ensure fixing of the casing onto the base, the transition from the fixation position to the separation position being ordered by the control unit when the detector detect an abnormal behavior.

Claims

1. An aircraft comprising:

a fuselage having an outer face on which is fixed a second interface;

at least one emergency beacon comprising;

a base having a first interface designed to cooperate with the second interface in order to ensure fixing of the base onto the outer face, and

a casing in which is housed at least electronic components including a control unit, a radio transmitter suitable for transmitting a distress radio signal and detector designed to detect an abnormal behavior of the aircraft; and

fixing structure configured to take up a fixation position in which the fixing structure ensures the fixing of the casing onto the base or a separation position, in which the fixing structure does not ensure fixing of the casing onto the base, the transition from the fixation position to the separation position being ordered by the control unit when the detector detects an abnormal behavior, and

in which the second interface is a physical interface designed to receive a navigation lamp, in which the first interface is a physical interface similar to the interface of the navigation lamp and in which the base comprises a mounting interface configured to receive a navigation lamp.

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.

4. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the casing comprises a parachute designed to be deployed under control of the control unit after triggering the fixing structure from fixation position to separation position.

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

6. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the at least one emergency beacons 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 and that are based on the mapping the control unit comprising data processing software suitable for comparing the data transmitted by the detector to the database data, and for triggering 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 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; and

wherein, for each module, a detector is provided that is connected to the module and that is different from a detector of other modules.

9. An emergency beacon for an aircraft according to claim 1.