Support rack for at least one item of aircraft electronics, corresponding support device and aircraft

• US 9,888,604 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2015
• Issued: 02/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE), Airbus Operations (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Inventors: Dantin, Benoit, Senac, Serge, Guirado, Bernard, Pedoussaut, Philippe, Carrere, Sylvain
• Primary Examiner(s): HAWN, PATRICK D
• Application Number:
  US14/951,914
• Publication Number:
  US 20160150664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 244 1 R, 244131
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/14 Mounting supporting structure in casing or on frame or rack
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1412 hold down mechanisms, e.g. avionic racks

Abstract

A support rack configured for an aircraft including: a rectangular frame including four substantially straight segments and four feet, wherein upper surfaces of each of the substantially straight segments and the four feet are substantially aligned with a upper plane of the rectangular frame; a first set of attachment holes configured to attach at least one item of aviation electronic equipment, wherein the first set of holes are in the upper surfaces of the straight segments or the, and a second set of attachment holes configured to receive anchoring elements that anchor to a structure of the aircraft, wherein the second set of attachment holes are at a surface of the rack out of the substantially upper planar.

Claims

1. A support rack for at least one item of aircraft electronics, wherein the support rack comprises:

a rectangular frame formed by four essentially straight beam segments and having an essentially planar upper surface; and

four feet each having an essentially planar upper surface which is in the essentially planar upper surface of the rectangular frame, wherein each of said feet are joined to a corner of said frame, and each of said feet extend in a direction forming an angle between 90° and

180°

with a lengthwise direction of each of the beam segments of said frame forming the corner of the frame, wherein the rectangular frame, the four essentially straight beam segments and the feet are a one-piece assembly;

a first set of holes configured to attach at least one item of electronic equipment to the rectangular frame, wherein the first set of holes are in the essentially planar upper surfaces of said rectangular frame or of said feet, and

at least one second set of attachment holes configured to anchor the rectangular frame to the structure of an aircraft, wherein the at least one second set of attachment holes are in a sidewall of one of the beam segments or the feet and in a surface of the support rack out of the essentially planar upper surface and include a first group of holes and a second group of holes such that the first group of holes are a first distance from the upper surface less than a distance between the upper surface and a bottom edge of a narrowest portion of a sidewall of the one of the beam segments and the second group of holes are a second distance from the upper surface greater than the distance between the upper surface and the bottom edge of the narrowest portion of the sidewall of the one of the beam segments.

2. The support rack as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least two of the essentially straight beam segments are parallel to each other, and each of the at least two of the essentially straight beam segments include two branches each connected to one of said feet and the two branches are joined to one another.

3. The support rack as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the straight beam segments extends along a first axis and two of the feet extend away from opposite ends of the one of the straight beam segments along the first axis, and another one of the straight beam segments extends along a second axis and the other two of the feet extend away from opposite ends of the other one of the straight beam segments along the second axis.

4. The support rack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the four essentially straight beam segments bound an eight-sided opening.

5. A device for supporting at least one item of aircraft electronics comprising:

a support rack including;

a first rectangular frame formed by four essentially straight beam segments and having an essentially planar upper surface; and

four feet each having an essentially planar upper surface which is in the essentially planar upper surface of the first rectangular frame, wherein each of said feet are joined to a corner of said frame, and each of said feet extend in a direction forming an angle between 90° and

180°

with a lengthwise direction of each the beam segments of said frame forming the corner of the frame, wherein the first rectangular frame, the four essentially straight beam segments and the feet are a one-piece assembly;

a first set of holes configured to attach at least one item of electronic equipment to the first rectangular frame, wherein the first set of holes are in the essentially planar upper surfaces of said first rectangular frame or of said feet, and

at least one second set of attachment holes configured to anchor the first rectangular frame to the structure of an aircraft, wherein the at least one second set of attachment holes are in a sidewall of one of the beam segments or the feet and in a surface of the support rack out of the essentially planar upper surface and include a first group of holes and a second group of holes such that the first group of holes are a first distance from the upper surface less than a distance between the upper surface and a bottom edge of a narrowest portion of a sidewall of the one of the beam segments and the second group of holes are a second distance from the upper surface greater than the distance between the upper surface and the bottom edge of the narrowest portion of the sidewall of the one of the beam segments, and

an anchoring element configured to anchor to the structure of an aircraft, wherein said anchoring element is attached to said support rack by attachment devices extending from said second set of holes of the first support rack.

6. The support device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the support rack includes a second rectangular frame secured to first rectangular frame, wherein an upper surface of the second rectangular frame is in the essentially planar upper surface of the first rectangular frame.

7. The support device as claimed in claim 5 wherein the support rack includes a second rectangular frame secured to first rectangular frame by at least two spacers, wherein a plane of an upper surface of the second rectangular frame is parallel to the essentially planar upper surfaces of the first rectangular frame.

8. An aircraft including at least two different items of electronic equipment, wherein a support device as recited in claim 5 supports each of the two different items of electronic equipment.

9. A support rack configured for an aircraft, the support rack comprising:

a rectangular frame including four substantially straight beam segments and four feet, wherein upper surfaces of each of the substantially straight beam segments and the four feet are substantially aligned with a upper plane of the rectangular frame, and wherein each of the feet are at a corner of the rectangular frame and the foot at each of the corners extends at a direction forming an angle between ninety and one-hundred eighty degrees with respect to each of the lengthwise directions of the straight beam segments ending at the corner, wherein the rectangular frame, the four essentially straight beam segments and the feet are a one-piece assembly;

a first set of attachment holes configured to attach at least one item of aviation electronic equipment, wherein the first set of holes are in the upper surfaces of the straight beam segments or the feet, and

a second set of attachment holes configured to receive anchoring elements that anchor to a structure of an aircraft, wherein the second set of attachment holes are in a sidewall of one of the beam segments or the feet and at a surface of the rack out of the substantially upper planar surface and include a first group of holes and a second group of holes such that the first group of holes are a first distance from the upper surface less than a distance between the upper surface and a bottom edge of a narrowest portion of a sidewall of the one of the beam segments and the second group of holes are a second distance from the upper surface greater than the distance between the upper surface and the bottom edge of the narrowest portion of the sidewall of the one of the beam segments.

10. The support rack of claim 9 wherein at least two of the substantially straight beam segments are parallel and are formed of branch segments each including one of the feet.

11. An electronics equipment support device configured for an aircraft and comprising:

a support rack including;

frames each having upper surfaces in a horizontal plane corresponding to the frame, wherein the upper surfaces are configured to support electronics equipment, and each frame include a first pair of beam segments, a second pair of beam segments orthogonal to the first pair, and four feet each at junction between the first and second pairs of beam segments, wherein the frame, the first pair of beam segments, the second pair of beam segments and the feet are a one-piece assembly,

a first set of attachment holes configured to attach at least one item of aviation electronic equipment, wherein the first set of holes are in the upper surfaces of each of the frames, and

a second set of attachment holes in each of the frames and configured to receive anchoring elements to anchor the frame to a structure of an aircraft, wherein the second set of attachment holes are in a sidewall of one of the beam segments or the feet and in a surface of the frame out horizontal plane for the frame and include a first group of holes and a second group of holes such that the first group of holes are a first distance from the upper surface less than a distance between the upper surface and a bottom edge of a narrowest portion of a sidewall of the one of the beam segments and the second group of holes are a second distance from the upper surface greater than the distance between the upper surface and the bottom edge of the narrowest portion of the sidewall of the one of the beam segments; and

an anchoring element configured to anchor to the structure of the aircraft, wherein said anchoring element extends through at least one of the second set of holes.

12. The electronics equipment support device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the second set of attachment holes are configured to fasten together at least two of the frames and the horizontal planes are in the same plane for the at least two of the frames fastened together.

13. The electronics support device as claimed in claim 11, further comprising spacers extending between at least two of the frames, and the second set of attachment holes include holes configured to receive a fastener to affix one of the spacers to the frame, and the horizontal planes are parallel for the at least two of the frames.

14. An aircraft including at least two different items of electronic equipment, wherein a support device as recited in claim 11 that supports each of the two different items of electronic equipment.