Adjustable cooling system for airplane electronics

Abstract

Airplane ground service equipment includes an air conditioning system for an airplane and also a fluid cooling system for airplane electronics which detachably connects to a first port and a second port on the airplane. The fluid cooling system includes a first connector, a second connector, and a fluid conduit therebetween, the first and second connectors being adapted to be connected to the first and second ports, respectively, such that the connection of the ports to the connectors completes a fluid circuit. A fluid pump directs fluid through the fluid conduit, and a heat exchanger in the fluid conduit removes heat from the fluid circuit and transfers it into the air conditioning system of the ground support equipment. A temperature regulation mechanism stabilizes the temperature of the fluid in the fluid conduit to compensate for changes in the amount of heat that is drawn from the airplane electronics.

Description

[0001]This application is a non provisional of provisional application Ser. No. 60 / 984,002 filed Oct. 31, 2007 (Atty. Docket No. 21585-P1) and provisional application Ser. No. 61 / 036,727 filed Mar. 14, 2008 (Atty. Docket No. 50-003 ITW 21585-P2).CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0002]The present patent application is one of a set of commonly owned applications filed on the same day as the present application, sharing some inventors in common, and relating to airplane ground support equipment and carts. The other applications in this set, listed here, are hereby incorporated by reference into the present application: “A Multi-Voltage Power Supply for a Universal Airplane Ground Support Equipment Cart,” James W. Mann, III and David Wayne Leadingham (Ser. No. ______, Atty. Doc. No. 50-002 ITW 21608U); “A Frame and Panel System for Constructing Modules to be Installed on an Airplane Ground Support Equipment Cart,” Jeffrey E. Montminy, Brian A. Teeters, and Kyta Insixiengmay (Ser. ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014]An embodiment of the invention relates to ground support equipment including an air conditioning system for an airplane and also including a fluid cooling system for airplane electronics which detachably connects to a first port and a second port on the airplane. The fluid cooling system includes a first connector, a second connector, and a fluid conduit there between, the first and second connectors being adapted to be connected to the first and second ports, respectively, such that the connection of the ports to the connectors completes a fluid circuit. A fluid pump directs fluid through the fluid conduit, and a heat exchanger in the fluid conduit removes heat from the fluid circuit and transfers it into the air conditioning system of the ground support equipment. A temperature regulation mechanism stabilizes the temperature of the fluid in the fluid conduit to compensate for changes in the amount of heat that is drawn from the airplane electronics.

Problems solved by technology

When an airplane is on the ground with its engines shut down, the airplane is typically unable to provide power for its electrical systems and chilled air for its air conditioning systems; and some airplanes are also unable to provide liquid coolant for some critical electronic (or “avionic”) components.

Hence, a cart designed to support the specific requirements and needs of a first type or class of airplane cannot be used to support the differing specific requirements and needs of other types or classes of airplanes.

Problems arise when more airplanes of a particular type arrive at a specific location than there are ground support equipment carts suitably designed to service the needs of that particular type or class of airplane.

Since the temperature and pressure and fluid flow volume requirements for PAO cooling may vary from one type or class of airplane to the next, a PAO cooling system designed to meet the specialized PAO cooling needs of one airplane will not necessarily meet the somewhat different needs of another type or class of airplane.

This intermixing of non-air-conditioning components with the air-conditioning components greatly complicates servicing of all the components, since they are all crowded into the same cramped space.

If such a system has its cool air ducted into some other type or class of airplane, too much or too little air will flow from the air conditioner system, and this will throw off the balance of the air conditioning system, causing the air to be cooled too little or too much and possibly causing icing of the internal evaporator arrays or damage to the airplane.

And the temperature and pressure provided may not be proper for some other type or class of airplane.

Likewise, the electrical systems may not be able to supply the needs of differing types or classes of airplanes, and the PAO liquid cooling system may not be properly balanced when used to cool the avionics of differing types or classes of airplanes.

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