System, aircraft or spacecraft, and method for measuring a current position of a second vehicle part relative to a first vehicle part

• US 8,907,662 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2010
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Bauer, Hans-Achim, Zybala, Andre
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tung X
• Application Number:
  US13/516,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20130176019A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,462 Days
• US Class Current: 324/207.17
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0015 Arrangements for entertainment or communications, e.g. radio, television
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/06 Arrangements of seats, or adaptations or details specially adapted for aircraft seats crew seat constructions for emergency purposes B64D25/04
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0601 Arrangement of seats for non-standard seating layouts, e.g. seats staggered horizontally or vertically, arranged in an angled or fishbone layout, or facing in other directions than the direction of flight
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0624 Arrangements of electrical connectors, e.g. for earphone, internet or electric supply
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/06395 characterised by the arrangement of electric motors for adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/14 for measuring distance or clearance between spaced objects or spaced apertures G01B7/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/2073 by movement of a single coil with respect to two or more coils
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/208 using polyphase currents
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/2086 by movement of two or more coils with respect to two or more other coils
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/2093 using polyphase currents

Abstract

An arrangement for transmitting data and/or power between a chassis and a seat that is movably disposed on said chassis by means of a guide rail. Several primary iron half-cores that support at least one primary winding are arranged in a fixed manner within the guide rail while at least one secondary iron half-core comprising at least one secondary winding is placed on the seat. The primary half-cores are disposed within the guide rail in such a way that at least one primary and one secondary iron half-core are positioned relative to each other so as to transmit data and/or power.

Claims

1. An aircraft or spacecraft, comprising:

a cabin management system;

passenger-related means; and

a system, comprising;

a first vehicle part, which comprises one or more primary windings;

a second vehicle part, which comprises one or more secondary windings for a magnetic interaction with the one or more primary windings and can be arranged in various positions relative to the first vehicle part;

an energy supply device, which is set up to charge the one or more primary windings with a voltage or current in a first mode of the system;

a measuring means, which is set up so as to measure a resulting current flowing through the one or more primary windings or a resulting voltage at the one or more primary windings; and

an evaluation means, which determines a current position of the second vehicle part relative to the first vehicle part as a function of the resulting current or voltage;

the evaluation means supplying the current position of the second vehicle part to the cabin management system, and the cabin management system activating the passenger-related devices which are assigned to the current position of the second vehicle part.

2. An aircraft or spacecraft according to claim 1, wherein the computer means is formed as at least one of a cabin management system and an in-flight entertainment system of the aircraft or spacecraft.

3. An aircraft or spacecraft according to claim 1, wherein the passenger-related devices are formed as passenger service units.

4. An aircraft or spacecraft according to claim 1, wherein the comparison means is a component of a cabin management system of the aircraft or spacecraft.

5. An aircraft or spacecraft according to claim 1, wherein the first vehicle part is formed as a seat and the second vehicle part is formed as a seat rail of the aircraft or spacecraft.

6. A method for measuring a current position of a second vehicle part relative to a first vehicle part, for an aircraft or spacecraft, comprising the steps:

arranging the second vehicle part, which comprises one or more secondary windings, adjacent to the first vehicle part, which comprises one or more primary windings, in such a way that at least one secondary winding magnetically interacts with at least one primary winding;

charging the one or more primary windings with a voltage or current;

measuring a resulting current flowing through the one or more primary windings or a resulting voltage at the one or more primary windings;

determining the current position of the second vehicle part relative to the first vehicle part as a function of the resulting current or voltage;

supplying the current position of the second vehicle part to a cabin management system of the aircraft or spacecraft by means of the evaluation means, and passenger-related devices of the aircraft or spacecraft which are assigned to the current position of the second vehicle part being activated by means of the cabin management system.

7. A method according to claim 6,

characterised in that

energy and/or data are transmitted to a load or a data input and/or data output device of the second vehicle part by means of the one or more primary and secondary windings.