Differential pressure control system for aircraft cargo hold
By controlling ventilation valves with sensors and controllers, the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the aircraft cargo hold is reduced using the existing ventilation system, solving the problems of increased cost and failure probability in existing technologies, and achieving simplified design and improved safety.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202520675580.8
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-04-10
- Publication Date
- 2026-01-30
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-04-10
AI Technical Summary
Existing technologies address the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the aircraft cargo hold by installing a cargo hold pressure balancing valve, which increases development costs, weight, damages the strength of interior panels, and increases the probability of failure.
By employing new sensor components and controllers, and controlling the opening and closing of ventilation and exhaust valves and air intake valves, the system utilizes existing cargo hold ventilation duct components to achieve cargo hold differential pressure control and reduce the internal and external pressure difference.
No additional equipment design or interior panel openings are required, simplifying the workflow, reducing the number of devices and safety analysis, lowering design costs, and reducing failure modes.
Smart Images
Figure CN223850827U_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The utility model relates to a differential pressure control system for aircraft cargo hold, concretely relates to the regulation and control of the pressure inside the aircraft cargo hold. BACKGROUND
[0002] Because of the fireproof requirement, the cargo hold 1 usually adopts the sealed design, that is, the air-tight separation with the in-cabin environment. During the flight process of the aircraft, the pressure of the in-cabin environment such as the manned area decreases with the increase of the flight height. At this time, because the cargo hold is in the sealed state, the pressure inside the cargo hold cannot be reduced, thereby a large pressure difference is generated with the outside thereof. The outside thereof is usually the passenger cabin above the passenger cabin floor 3 and the in-cabin triangular area 2 below and laterally left and right. In the case of no leakage, the maximum pressure difference can reach 25 KPa.
[0003] In addition, with the experience of several take-offs and landings of the aircraft, the air pressure change as mentioned above makes the cargo hold continuously experience the increase and decrease of the internal and external pressure difference, which can cause the interior panel of the cargo hold to continuously be affected by the changing load, thereby increasing the requirement for the structural strength and fatigue strength of the interior panel of the cargo hold.
[0004] In the prior art, in order to solve the problem that the cargo hold continuously experiences the increase and decrease of the internal and external pressure difference, a cargo hold pressure balance valve is usually additionally installed on the cargo hold interior panel. The cargo hold pressure balance valve is a mechanical valve, which is automatically opened when the pressure difference between both sides reaches a certain value, so that the air inside and outside the cargo hold is circulated, thereby realizing the pressure balance between the inside and outside of the cargo hold.
[0005] The additional installation of the cargo hold pressure balance valve on the cargo hold interior panel has the following disadvantages for the aircraft:
[0006] Firstly, the additional equipment increases the design work support, thereby increasing the development cost of the aircraft;
[0007] Secondly, the opening on the cargo hold interior panel causes a certain damage to the strength of the cargo hold interior panel, thereby increasing the development requirement for the interior panel;
[0008] Thirdly, the weight of the aircraft is increased. Because of the fireproof requirement of the cargo hold, the cargo hold pressure balance valve is usually made of steel, which can cause a certain weight increase (for example, there are two cargo holds in the trunk line civil aircraft, and usually one equipment is needed for each cargo hold, thereby the total weight usually needs to be increased by about 4 kg);
[0009] Fourthly, a new failure mode is increased, thereby increasing the failure probability of the overall fireproof of the cargo hold.
[0010] Therefore, a differential pressure control system with simple structure, which does not damage the original interior structure and can meet the pressure difference requirement of the cargo hold, is needed. UTILITY MODEL CONTENT
[0011] In order to solve the above problems of the prior art, the utility model provides a differential pressure control system for an aircraft cargo hold, the system of the utility model comprises a new sensor assembly, and utilizes the existing ventilation pipeline components of the cargo hold, and the opening and closing of a ventilation exhaust valve are controlled to realize control of the differential pressure of the cargo hold.
[0012] In a first example of the differential pressure control system, the differential pressure control system comprises: a valve assembly, the valve assembly comprising: an exhaust valve, the exhaust valve being arranged at an exhaust port of a ventilation system of the aircraft cargo hold and being movable between an open position and a closed position; a control circuit, the control circuit being connected with the valve assembly, the control circuit comprising an exhaust valve control circuit, the opening and closing of the exhaust valve being controlled by the exhaust valve control circuit; a sensor assembly, the sensor assembly comprising an in-cabin air pressure sensor, the in-cabin air pressure sensor being used to detect a first air pressure in the aircraft cargo hold; and a controller, the controller being connected with the exhaust valve control circuit and the in-cabin air pressure sensor, the exhaust valve control circuit being controlled by the controller.
[0013] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the opening and closing of the exhaust valve are instructed based on whether the first air pressure in the cargo hold exceeds a threshold value, so that the adjustment control of the internal pressure of the aircraft cargo hold can be realized, and the differential pressure between the inside and outside of the cargo hold is reduced.
[0014] In a second example of the differential pressure control system, optionally comprising the first example, the differential pressure control system further comprises: the sensor assembly further comprises a triangular zone air pressure sensor, wherein the triangular zone air pressure sensor is used to detect a second air pressure (P2) outside the aircraft cargo hold, and the controller is further connected with the triangular zone air pressure sensor.
[0015] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the second air pressure of the triangular zone can be additionally detected, and the opening and closing of the exhaust valve 111 are instructed based on the air pressure difference between the inside and outside of the cargo hold, so that the adjustment control of the internal pressure of the aircraft cargo hold can be realized, and the differential pressure between the inside and outside of the cargo hold is reduced.
[0016] In a third example of the differential pressure control system, optionally comprising one or more of the first example and the second example, the differential pressure control system further comprises: the valve assembly further comprises an air inlet valve, wherein the air inlet valve is arranged at an air inlet port of the ventilation system of the aircraft cargo hold and is movable between an open position and a closed position, the control circuit further comprises an air inlet valve control circuit, the opening and closing of the air inlet valve are controlled by the air inlet valve control circuit; and the controller is further connected with the air inlet valve control circuit, the air inlet valve control circuit is controlled by the controller.
[0017] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the air inlet valve 112 can also be additionally instructed to open and close to realize ventilation of the cargo hold.
[0018] In a fourth example of the differential pressure control system, optionally including one or more of the first through third examples, the differential pressure control system further includes that the exhaust valve is a pneumatic electrically controlled valve, and the exhaust valve control circuit is a pneumatic control circuit.
[0019] In a fifth example of the differential pressure control system, optionally including one or more of the first through fourth examples, the differential pressure control system further includes that the exhaust valve control circuit includes a solenoid valve, and the exhaust valve is selectively opened and closed by switching of the solenoid valve.
[0020] The system of the utility model includes new sensor assembly and utilizes existing cargo cabin ventilation pipeline components, realizes the control of cargo cabin differential pressure by controlling ventilation exhaust valve, and reduces the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the cargo cabin.
[0021] The system of the utility model includes new sensor assembly and utilizes existing cargo cabin ventilation pipeline components, realizes the control of cargo cabin differential pressure by controlling ventilation exhaust valve, and reduces the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the cargo cabin.
[0022] The utility model can reduce the number of aircraft equipment, reduce the failure mode of safety analysis, and does not need to open the hole on the cargo cabin interior panel additionally, simplifies the overall work flow, and saves the aircraft design cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0023] In order to describe the implementation of the above and other features of the utility model, the above briefly described utility model will be presented with a more specific description with reference to the example embodiments of the utility model shown in the accompanying drawings. It can be understood that these drawings only depict various example embodiments of the utility model and should not be considered as limiting its scope, and the utility model will be described and explained by using the drawings and utilizing additional features and details. In the drawings:
[0024] Figure 1 It is a schematic view of the differential pressure control system for the aircraft cargo cabin according to the embodiment of the utility model.
[0025] In this and all the following content, the same features appearing in different drawings are denoted by the same or similar reference signs.
[0026] List of reference signs:
[0027] 1 aircraft cargo cabin
[0028] 2 triangular area
[0029] 3 cabin floor
[0030] 11 exhaust port
[0031] 12 air inlet
[0032] 100 differential pressure control system
[0033] 110 valve assembly
[0034] 111 exhaust valve
[0035] 112 intake valve
[0036] 120 control circuit
[0037] 121 exhaust valve control circuit
[0038] 122 intake valve control circuit
[0039] 130 sensor assembly
[0040] 131 cabin air pressure sensor
[0041] 132 triangular region air pressure sensor
[0042] 140 controller DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0043] First, the present application generally relates to a differential pressure control system. In particular, the present application relates to a differential pressure control system for an unoccupied area of an aircraft, such as a cargo compartment of an aircraft.
[0044] As used herein, the terms "comprise", "have", "contain", "include" and variants thereof are intended to be open-ended transitional phrases, terms or words that require the presence of the named ingredients / steps and that also permit the presence of other ingredients / steps.
[0045] In the present application, unless expressly stated to the contrary, the terms "first", "second", and the like, do not denote any order, location, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different locations, components, and / or positions as labels for distinguishing one element, component, region, and / or location from another element, component, region, and / or location.
[0046] The differential pressure control system 100 for a cargo compartment of an aircraft of the present application generally includes a valve assembly 110, a control circuit 120 connected to the valve assembly 110, a sensor assembly 130, and a controller 140.
[0047] In the present application, a plurality of different embodiments will be provided for the differential pressure control system 100 having the above structure. The following will be described with reference to Figure 1 , the differential pressure control system 100 will be described schematically.
[0048] (Embodiment 1)
[0049] In one embodiment of the present application, the valve assembly 110 of the differential pressure control system 100 comprises an exhaust valve 111, which is arranged at the exhaust port 11 of the ventilation system of the aircraft cargo hold 1 and is movable between an open position and a closed position.
[0050] The exhaust valve 111 can be a pneumatic electrically controlled valve, but is not limited thereto, and can also be other forms of valves that are movable between the open and closed positions, such as a magnetically attracted electrically controlled valve.
[0051] In this embodiment, the control circuit 120 comprises an exhaust valve control circuit 121 for controlling the opening and closing of the exhaust valve 111. Thus, the exhaust valve 111 is additionally controlled by the differential pressure control system 100 according to the present application on the basis of the original ventilation system control. The exhaust valve control circuit 121 can comprise a solenoid valve, and the opening and closing of the exhaust valve 111 is selectively controlled by switching the solenoid valve.
[0052] The exhaust valve control circuit 121 can be a pneumatic control circuit, but is not limited thereto, and can also be other forms of control circuits that can transmit control instructions, such as an electrical signal control circuit.
[0053] In this embodiment, the sensor assembly 130 comprises an in-cabin pressure sensor 131 for detecting the first air pressure P1 in the aircraft cargo hold 1.
[0054] In this embodiment, the controller 140 is connected to the exhaust valve control circuit 121 and the in-cabin pressure sensor 131, and controls the exhaust valve control circuit 121.
[0055] The controller 140 can instruct the exhaust valve control circuit 121 to move the exhaust valve 111 between the open and closed positions of the exhaust valve 111 based on a comparison of the measured first air pressure P1 with a predetermined threshold value. For example, the exhaust valve 111 is instructed to move to the open position when the first air pressure P1 is greater than the predetermined threshold value. And when the differential pressure of the air pressure in the cargo hold decreases to a predetermined value, the exhaust valve 111 can be instructed to automatically return to the closed position.
[0056] (Embodiment 2)
[0057] In Embodiment 1, the differential pressure control system 100 controls the differential pressure of the cargo hold based on the first air pressure P1 in the aircraft cargo hold 1 to prevent the differential pressure of the cargo hold from changing too much. However, the differential pressure control system 100 of the present application is not limited thereto, and can preferably control the differential pressure of the cargo hold based on the differential pressure between the inner and outer air pressures of the interior trim panel of the cargo hold.
[0058] In the present embodiment, the sensor assembly 130 includes an in-cabin air pressure sensor 131 for detecting a first air pressure P1 inside the aircraft cargo cabin 1 and a triangular zone air pressure sensor 132 for detecting a second air pressure P2 outside the aircraft cargo cabin 1.
[0059] In the present embodiment, the controller 140 is connected with the exhaust valve control circuit 121 and the in-cabin air pressure sensor 131 and the triangular zone air pressure sensor 132, and controls the exhaust valve control circuit 121.
[0060] The controller 140 can instruct the exhaust valve control circuit 121 to move the exhaust valve 111 between the open position and the closed position of the exhaust valve 111 based on the difference between the first air pressure P1 and the second air pressure P2. For example, when the difference between the first air pressure P1 and the second air pressure P2 is greater than a predetermined threshold value, the exhaust valve 111 can be instructed to move to the open position. And when the difference between the inside and outside air pressures of the cargo cabin decreases to a predetermined value, the exhaust valve 111 can be instructed to automatically return to the closed position.
[0061] (Emergency 3)
[0062] In the embodiment 1, the differential pressure control system 100 controls the exhaust valve 111 to selectively open and close to prevent the cargo cabin differential pressure from changing too much. However, the differential pressure control system 100 of the present application is not limited to this, and can preferably also control the intake valve 112 at the same time to achieve cargo cabin ventilation.
[0063] In the present embodiment, the valve assembly 110 of the differential pressure control system 100 includes an exhaust valve 111 and an intake valve 112, the exhaust valve 111 is arranged at the exhaust port 11 of the ventilation system of the aircraft cargo cabin 1 and can move between the open position and the closed position, and the intake valve 112 is arranged at the intake port 12 of the ventilation system of the aircraft cargo cabin 1 and can move between the open position and the closed position.
[0064] In the present embodiment, the control circuit 120 includes an exhaust valve control circuit 121 and an intake valve control circuit 122, the exhaust valve control circuit 121 controls the opening and closing of the exhaust valve 111, and the intake valve control circuit 122 controls the opening and closing of the intake valve 112. Therefore, both the exhaust valve 111 and the intake valve 112 are additionally controlled by the differential pressure control system 100 according to the present application on the basis of the original ventilation system control.
[0065] In the embodiment, the controller 140 is connected with the exhaust valve control circuit 121, the intake valve control circuit 122 and the cabin air pressure sensor 131, controls the exhaust valve control circuit 121 and the intake valve control circuit 122 to move the exhaust valve 111 and the intake valve 112 between the open position and the closed position.
[0066] In addition, the instruction priority of the controller 140 can be lower than the priority of the instruction of the ventilation system when the cargo compartment detects fire, so that the exhaust valve 111 and the intake valve 112 are closed by the instruction of the ventilation system; or the controller 140 can issue an instruction to force the exhaust valve 111 and the intake valve 112 to be closed when the cargo compartment detects fire, so as to keep the cargo compartment sealed and prevent the spread of fire.
[0067] (Embodiment 4)
[0068] In the embodiment, the above preferred embodiments are combined, the valve assembly 110 of the differential pressure control system 100 includes the exhaust valve 111 and the intake valve 112. The control circuit 120 includes the exhaust valve control circuit 121 and the intake valve control circuit 122. The sensor assembly 130 includes the cabin air pressure sensor 131 and the triangular area air pressure sensor 132. The controller 140 is connected with the exhaust valve control circuit 121, the intake valve control circuit 122, the cabin air pressure sensor 131 and the triangular area air pressure sensor 132, controls the exhaust valve control circuit 121 and the intake valve control circuit 122
[0069] The controller 140 can instruct the exhaust valve control circuit 121 and the intake valve control circuit 122 to move the exhaust valve 111 and the intake valve 112 between the open position and the closed position based on the difference between the first air pressure P1 and the second air pressure P2.
[0070] The above, in order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantage of the utility model embodiment more clear, the technical scheme of the utility model is clearly and completely described in combination with the specific embodiment and the drawing of the utility model.
[0071] Although various embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the utility model, not all the embodiments, which are presented in the form of examples rather than limitation. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the disclosed subject matter can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its spirit and essential characteristics.
Claims
1. A differential pressure control system for an aircraft cargo hold, characterized in that, The differential pressure control system (100) comprises: a valve assembly (110) comprising an exhaust valve (111) arranged at an exhaust port (11) of a ventilation system of the aircraft cargo hold (1) and movable between an open position and a closed position; a control circuit (120) connected with the valve assembly (110), the control circuit (120) comprising an exhaust valve control circuit (121) for controlling opening and closing of the exhaust valve (111); a sensor assembly (130) comprising an in-cabin air pressure sensor (131) for detecting a first air pressure (P1) inside the aircraft cargo hold (1); and a controller (140) connected with the exhaust valve control circuit (121) and the in-cabin air pressure sensor (131) for controlling the exhaust valve control circuit (121).
2. The differential pressure control system (100) according to claim 1, wherein the sensor assembly (130) further comprises a triangular zone air pressure sensor (132) for detecting a second air pressure (P2) outside the aircraft cargo hold (1), and the controller (140) is further connected with the triangular zone air pressure sensor (132).
3. The differential pressure control system (100) according to claim 1, wherein the valve assembly (110) further comprises an intake valve (112) arranged at an intake port (12) of a ventilation system of the aircraft cargo hold (1) and movable between an open position and a closed position, the control circuit (120) further comprises an intake valve control circuit (122) for controlling opening and closing of the intake valve (112); and the controller (140) is further connected with the intake valve control circuit (122) for controlling the intake valve control circuit (122).
4. The differential pressure control system (100) according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust valve (111) is a pneumatic electrically controlled valve, and the exhaust valve control circuit (121) is a pneumatic control circuit.
5. The differential pressure control system (100) according to claim 4, wherein the exhaust valve control circuit (121) comprises a solenoid valve, and the exhaust valve (111) is selectively opened and closed by switching of the solenoid valve.