STRUCTURE AND EQUIPMENT SYSTEM FOR INSTALLATION IN AN AIR VEHICLE

Description

Technical area

[0001] The present description relates to a structural and equipment system for installation in an aircraft, an aircraft and a method for manufacturing a load-bearing structure. Technical background

[0002] During final aircraft assembly, structural components and equipment components are typically handled and installed manually. For example, vertical supports for underfloor areas are carried individually into a fuselage, manually aligned, and connected to crossbeams and frames with fasteners. At the same time, equipment components connected to the vertical supports or running directly alongside them are also attached piece by piece. Due to the size of an aircraft and the complexity of the equipment, final assembly is a complex process.

[0003] WO2021122322A1 shows a component system for the interior fitting of an aircraft, comprising at least one equipment component, a plurality of component rails, a plurality of guide elements that can be brought into engagement with the component rails and are movable relative to the component rails, a plurality of holding elements that are connected to the guide elements and are designed to be coupled to a fuselage structure of the aircraft or to the at least one equipment component, and a plurality of locking units that are arranged on the component rails and / or on the guide elements and are designed to lock the guide elements to a respective component rail.At least two of the component rails are arranged at a distance and parallel to each other on the at least one equipment component or the fuselage structure, so that the equipment component can be inserted by means of the component rails onto guide elements or component rails spatially defined in the aircraft and can be locked in an inserted position by the locking units.

[0004] According to the translation available at Espacenet, document US 2021 / 188417 A1 describes an aircraft fuselage section extending in a generally longitudinal direction and comprising a fuselage structure including annular frames and a flat floor. The fuselage section also includes struts that, in a desired position, are perpendicular to the floor and extend from the floor to a frame. Each strut includes a detachable connection near at least one of its ends so that the strut can be moved relative to the fuselage structure or separated from the fuselage structure to temporarily provide access to a triangular area located between the frames when the floor and struts are in the desired position. This allows access to the area where the wiring must be installed in the aircraft, particularly in the form of wiring assemblies that are assembled prior to installation in the aircraft fuselage. Description

[0005] It can be considered a task to provide a system or a method with which a simplified assembly of a structure can be carried out.

[0006] This object is achieved by the subject matter of independent claim 1. Further embodiments emerge from the dependent claims and from the following description.

[0007] A structure and equipment system for installation in an aircraft is proposed, comprising a plurality of vertical supports, a rail device, at least one connecting member, a plurality of guide elements, a plurality of pivot joints, and a plurality of locking devices, wherein the rail device is attachable to a structure of the aircraft and is designed to guide the guide elements along an extension axis of the rail device and to move them relative to the structure, wherein the vertical supports are arranged parallel and at a distance from one another by means of the at least one connecting member and are connected to form a lattice arrangement, wherein the guide elements are arranged on the lattice arrangement, wherein the pivot joints are attached to upper ends of the vertical supports and are designed to pivot the vertical supports about their upper end, wherein the locking devices each have a first locking element,which is arranged at a lower end of a vertical support and can be locked into a second locking element positionable on the structure, and wherein the grid arrangement can be inserted into the structure of the aircraft to an installation position by means of the guide elements on the rail device with the vertical supports pivoted upwards from the vertical, by pivoting down into a vertical orientation, the first locking elements can lock into correspondingly arranged second locking elements, so that a load-bearing support structure can be formed.

[0008] The vertical supports are intended, in particular, to vertically support floor beams on the aircraft structure. It is conceivable for the vertical supports to extend vertically downwards from a lateral region of a floor cross member at a distance from the outer skin of the fuselage and be connected there to a frame. This results in a triangular structure, particularly familiar from commercial aircraft, which is enclosed between the outer skin of the fuselage, a cargo hold, and a passenger cabin. The vertical supports are often made of a fiber-reinforced plastic, particularly carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic.

[0009] The rail device is intended, at least temporarily, for the installation of the vertical supports on the structure. The rail device could, for example, be a rail extending parallel to a longitudinal axis of the fuselage and arranged, for example, on floor crossbeams. The rail device could have a hollow cross-section in which guide elements can be guided. However, it could also have a cross-section shaped accordingly on its outer side, allowing the guide elements to be accommodated and guided.

[0010] The guide elements must be adapted to the rail assembly. For example, it could be based on a sliding guide, so that the guide elements are sliding and have two or more boundary surfaces that engage with a corresponding sliding surface of the rail assembly. However, rolling elements, and in particular rollers, that can roll along the rail assembly are also conceivable. The goal is to be able to move the grid assembly from outside the fuselage into it and there move it to a designated installation position. Depending on the size of the aircraft, this could be a considerable distance, so the guide elements and the rail assembly should allow for easy movement.

[0011] The lattice arrangement comprises several vertical supports arranged parallel to each other and spaced apart. The spacing should correspond to the pitch of the frame bays or another pitch if the structure does not provide for frames. The lattice arrangement can therefore be pre-positioned outside the hull and pivoted from an upwardly pivoted position to a vertical position to correspond to the positions of frames or similar stiffening elements.

[0012] Locking devices are provided for securing the lower ends of the vertical supports. These devices comprise two locking elements that can interlock, in particular, in a form-fitting manner. By pivoting a vertical support with a first locking element arranged at the lower end, the first locking element can approach the second locking element and then engage with it. When using multiple first locking elements, in particular a first locking element on each vertical support, all vertical supports can engage or lock with a second locking element. This automatically creates the aforementioned triangular structure. The lower ends of the vertical supports can be fixed, preferably in all spatial directions, by the locking devices.

[0013] The grid arrangement requires at least one connecting link to maintain the distance between the individual vertical supports. Dedicated components can be used for this purpose, which can, for example, be removed immediately after the vertical supports have been lowered. Alternatively, necessary fixtures with an elongated extension and running within the triangular structure could also be conceivable. Examples of suitable fixtures include installation lines, media lines, and the like. These can be used as connecting links during the manufacture of the grid arrangement to position the vertical supports correctly relative to one another.

[0014] It is also particularly preferred if the vertical supports are structurally connected at their upper ends. This means that the upper ends of the vertical supports are locked in all degrees of freedom. The pivot joints could be designed accordingly, i.e., they block or lock immediately after the lattice assembly is pivoted, so that the upper end of the vertical supports is structurally fixed. However, other variants are also conceivable, such as using a latch that is actuated along the length of the rail device. Split pin or screw locking mechanisms would also be possible.

[0015] The structural and equipment system according to the invention results in a rapid and precise manufacture of a load-bearing support structure, in which the installation time inside the fuselage of an aircraft is significantly reduced and the installation effort is simplified.

[0016] The guide elements could be lockable to the rail device. Once locked, the guide elements can therefore no longer be moved along the rail device. This determines their relative position to the structure. Locking can be achieved by a screw connection, a locking pin, or similar.

[0017] The guide elements could be designed as rollers. The rollers could be designed to roll within the rail system with as little play as possible, allowing them to remain permanently in the rail system. It is also conceivable to mount the rollers on individual vertical supports via an axle and to fix the axles to the rail system after the grid arrangement is installed.

[0018] The rail device could comprise a rail track with multiple rail sections. The rail sections allow for simplified installation of the rail device, as the rail sections follow one another at the end and can be supplemented or continued as desired. The rail sections can, in particular, have a consistent profile cross-section and be manufactured, for example, by extrusion. They are therefore preferably simple profile components.

[0019] The rail sections could be attached to the structure at a distance from each other at the end face and removable from the aircraft structure when the grid assembly is inserted. The rail sections could be dimensioned so that they are easy to handle and can be removed piece by piece even when the grid assembly is in position. It is conceivable that the rail sections could have a length slightly less than the distance between two guide elements. Thus, one rail section could be provided for each pair of guide elements.

[0020] The rail assembly could remain attached to the aircraft structure once the support structure is complete. The rail assembly thus transfers the load from the vertical supports to the aircraft structure via the guide elements. At this point, it could be particularly advantageous, as previously described, to be able to lock the guide elements into the rail assembly.

[0021] Furthermore, the structure and equipment system could comprise an electrical contact rail attachable to the structure for transmitting electrical power and / or data, and at least one load slidably arranged in the contact rail, which load is connectable to at least one component attachable to the grid arrangement. The electrical contact rail allows for very simple connection of loads for electrical power or data. The load, like a guide element, could be slidably arranged in the electrical contact rail. The contact rail could comprise two or more conductors on an inner and / or outer surface, which are connected to an on-board system and can be contacted along the entire contact rail.The pickup is designed accordingly and thus has sliding elements or similar on an outer and / or inner surface and can be connected to the corresponding consumer via a cable. It is of course conceivable for multiple pickups to be arranged simultaneously in the contact rail and connect multiple consumers with electrical power and / or data.

[0022] The electrical contact rail could be integrated into the rail device. The electrical contact rail could be integrated into a guide profile of the rail device, for example, in an internal cavity of the rail device. However, it could also connect to or be connected to an external cross-section. When the grid assembly is inserted, a connection to the electrical contact rail is established simultaneously.

[0023] The structural and equipment system could further comprise at least one cladding panel arranged on the grid arrangement. The cladding panel could be a wall panel and be attached to an inward-facing side of the grid arrangement. It is conceivable that the at least one cladding panel forms the at least one connecting link.

[0024] The at least one connecting element could comprise a supply line arranged on a laterally outward-facing side of the support structure. The supply line could be a fluid line or an electrical line. If sufficiently rigid, it can easily be used to temporarily create a grid arrangement for implementing the procedure described above.

[0025] The invention further relates to an aircraft comprising a fuselage formed by a structure and at least one structure and equipment system according to the preceding description, wherein the structure and equipment system is positioned in the fuselage and connected to the structure.

[0026] Furthermore, the invention relates, analogously to the preceding embodiments, to a method for producing a load-bearing support structure, comprising the steps of connecting a plurality of vertical supports arranged parallel and at a distance from one another by means of at least one connecting link to form a lattice arrangement, attaching a rail device to a structure of an aircraft, suspending the lattice arrangement by means of a plurality of guide elements onto the rail device so that the lattice arrangement hangs down from the rail device, inserting the lattice arrangement by means of the guide elements onto the rail device to an installation position, aligning the lattice arrangement by pivoting about pivot joints at the upper ends of the vertical supports such that the vertical supports are arranged vertically, and connecting the vertical supports to the structure by locking first locking elements,which are arranged at lower ends of the vertical supports, with second locking elements arranged on the structure, so that a load-bearing support structure is thereby formed.,

[0027] The method could further comprise locking the guide elements to the rail device.

[0028] The method could further comprise removing rail sections between the individual guide elements following the connection of the vertical supports.

[0029] The method could further comprise arranging at least one electrical load on the grid arrangement and connecting it by means of a cable to an electrical pickup before hanging it in the rail device, and displacing the pickup in an electrical contact rail integrated in the rail device when displacing the grid arrangement in order to establish an electrical connection of the at least one electrical load at the installation position. Short description of the characters

[0030] The following examples are described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The illustrations are schematic and not to scale. Like reference numerals refer to like or similar elements. They show: Fig. 1a to 1d: Several schematic views of a structural and equipment system in the fuselage of an aircraft. Fig. 2: A schematic representation of an upper part of a vertical support. Fig. 3: A schematic representation of a lower part of a vertical support. Fig. 4: A schematic side view of an installed structural and equipment system. Fig. 5: An aircraft. Detailed description of implementation examples

[0031] Fig. 1a to 1d show a structure and equipment system 2 in different representations. Here, a part of a fuselage 4 of an aircraft can be seen, which has a structure 6. This comprises frames 8 and floor cross members 10 running transversely on the frames 8. On an underside of floor members 10 at a lateral distance from the frames 8, a rail device 12 is arranged, which runs along a longitudinal axis x. Vertical supports 14 are held on this, which extend in Fig. 1a and 1c vertically, ie in the Z direction, from the rail device 12 downwards.

[0032] As in Fig. 1c and 1d As can be seen, several vertical supports 14 are arranged parallel and spaced apart from each other and are connected via a connecting link 16 to form a grid arrangement 18. The connecting link 16 could be a dedicated connecting link or a media line that is to be installed in this area of ​​the fuselage 4 anyway. Fig. 1b and 1d The process of connecting the vertical supports 14 or the lattice assembly 18 to the structure 6 is shown. Here, the lattice assembly 18 is pivoted slightly out of the vertical so that it runs at an angle to the Z-axis. The structure and equipment system 2 allows the lattice assembly 18 to be placed in a slightly pivoted position by sliding it along the rail device 12 into the fuselage 4 at a desired installation position along the longitudinal axis X.

[0033] Second locking elements 20 are arranged on the structure 6 and in particular on the frames 8, which correspond to first locking elements 22 at a lower end 23 of the vertical supports 14 or the grid arrangement 18. By pivoting the grid arrangement 18 downwards into the vertical, the first locking elements 22 can be connected to the second locking elements 20 of a locking device 21, for example, by positively locking them together.

[0034] To pivot the vertical supports 14 or the grid arrangement 18, pivot joints 24 are arranged at the upper ends of the vertical supports 14, as shown in Fig. 2shown. Here, an upper end 26 of a vertical support 14 or of the grid arrangement 18 is shown. At the upper end 26 is the rail device 12, which comprises a rail profile 28. The rail profile 28 has a first cavity 30 in which two or more rollers 32 are guided as guide elements. The first cavity 30 also has boundary edges 34, which are provided for mounting the rollers 32 in the first cavity 30 so that they can be displaced along the X-axis with as little play as possible. For this purpose, for example, two rollers 32 arranged next to one another in the Y-direction are connected to one another via an axis 36, which extends, for example, through a plane spanned by the grid arrangement 18.

[0035] Above the first cavity 30, a second cavity 38 is formed, which comprises an electrical contact rail 40. Several electrical conductors 42 are provided here, which can be electrically tapped by a pickup 44. The electrical contact rail 40 preferably extends along the entire rail device 12. Pickups 44, each having sliding contacts 46, can be arranged at any desired location. A line 48 leads from the respective pickup 44 to a connector 50, which can be connected to a load.

[0036] The swivel joints 24 are arranged below the rail device 12, each of which is directly connected to a vertical support 14. The locking device 21 at the lower end 23 of the vertical support 14 for fixing the respective vertical support 14 is Fig. 3 shown in more detail.

[0037] Fig. 3shows the first locking element 22 in engagement with the second locking element 20. These two locking elements interlock so that they can transfer the load generated on the respective vertical support in the Z and Y directions into the structure 6.

[0038] Fig. 4 shows a side view of the structural and equipment system 2 in the assembled state. The viewing direction is from a frame 8 to the grid arrangement 18. The rail device 12 has a plurality of rail sections 52 on which guide elements 54, for example, the rollers 32 shown above, are displaceably mounted. An aircraft-fixed coordinate system is shown. The X-axis represents a longitudinal axis of the aircraft in which the structural and equipment system 2 is mounted. An installation direction, i.e., an insertion direction, is parallel to the X-axis.

[0039] The guide elements 54 are, for example, locked in the rail device 12 so that they can no longer move there. The rail sections 52 between locked guide elements 54 can be removed if necessary or can remain on the structure 6. If the sections 52 are to be removed, the guide elements 54 must be appropriately fixed to the structure 6. It is conceivable that only rail sections 52 between the guide elements 54 are removed, leaving narrower rail sections 53 to hold the guide elements 54 on the structure 6.

[0040] Finally, Fig.5 an aircraft 56 with the fuselage 4 and a structural and equipment system 2 installed therein, as indicated by the dashed lines, each of which indicates a rail device 12. These are provided in an underfloor area.

[0041] Additionally, it should be noted that "comprising" or "having" does not exclude other elements or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. Furthermore, it should be noted that features or steps described with reference to one of the above embodiments may also be used in combination with other features or steps of other embodiments described above. Reference signs in the claims are not to be considered as limitations. List of reference symbols

[0042] 2Structural and equipment system 4Fuselage 6Structure 8Frame 10Floor cross member 12Rail device 14Vertical support 16Connecting link 18Grid assembly 20Second locking element 21Locking device 22First locking element 23Lower end 24Pivot joint 26Upper end 28Rail profile 30First cavity 32Roller 34Boundary edge 36Axle 38Second cavity 40Electrical contact rail 42Conductor 44Pickup 46Sliding contact 48Cable 50Connector 52Rail section 53Rail section 54Guiding element 56Aircraft

Claims

1. Structure and equipment system (2) for installation in an aircraft (56), comprising: a plurality of vertical supports (14), a rail device (12), at least one connector (16), a plurality of guiding elements (32), a plurality of pivot joints (24), and a plurality of locking devices (21), wherein the rail device (12) can be attached to a structure (6) of the aircraft (56) and is designed to guide the guiding elements (32) along an axis of extension of the rail device (12) and, in so doing, move them relative to the structure (6), wherein by means of the at least one connector (16), the vertical supports (14) are arranged parallel to and at a distance from one another and are connected to form a grid arrangement (18), wherein the guiding elements (32) are arranged on the grid arrangement (18), wherein the pivot joints (24) are attached to upper ends (26) of the vertical supports (14) and are designed to pivot the vertical supports (14) about the upper end (26) thereof, wherein the locking devices (21) each have a first locking element (22) which is arranged at a lower end (23) of a vertical support (14) and can be locked in a second locking element (20) which can be positioned on the structure (6), and wherein the grid arrangement (18) can be inserted into the structure of the aircraft (56) as far as an installation position by means of the guiding elements (32) on the rail device (12) with vertical supports (14) pivoted upwards from the vertical, by pivoting down into a vertical orientation, the first locking elements (22) can interlock with correspondingly arranged second locking elements (20) so that a load-bearing support structure can be formed thereby.

2. Structure and equipment system (2) according to Claim 1, wherein the guiding elements (32) can be lockable to the rail device (12).

3. Structure and equipment system (2) according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the guiding elements (32) are in the form of rollers (32).

4. Structure and equipment system (2) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the rail device (12) comprises a track having a plurality of rail portions (52, 53).

5. Structure and equipment system (2) according to Claim 4, wherein the rail portions (52, 53) can be fastened to the structure (6) at a distance from the end faces of one another and can be removed from the structure (6) of the aircraft (56) when the grid arrangement (18) is inserted.

6. Structure and equipment system (2) according to any of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the rail device (12) remains on the structure (6) of the aircraft (56) when the support structure is produced.

7. Structure and equipment system (2) according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising an electric contact rail (40) which can be fastened to the structure (6) in order to transmit electrical power and / or data and at least one consumer (44) which is slidably mounted in the contact rail (40) and can be connected to at least one component that can be fastened to the grid arrangement (18).

8. Structure and equipment system (2) according to Claim 7, wherein the electric contact rail (40) is integrated in the rail device (12).

9. Structure and equipment system (2) according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one cover panel which is arranged on the grid arrangement (18).

10. Structure and equipment system (2) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one connector (16) has a supply conduit which is arranged on a laterally outward-facing side of the support structure.

11. Aircraft (56), comprising a fuselage (4) formed by a structure and at least one structure and equipment system (2) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the structure and equipment system (2) is positioned in the fuselage (4) and connected to the structure (6).

12. Method for producing a load-bearing support structure, comprising the steps of: connecting a plurality of vertical supports (14) arranged parallel to and at a distance from one another, by means of at least one connector (16), to form a grid arrangement (18), attaching a rail device (12) to a structure (6) of an aircraft (56), suspending the grid arrangement (18) by means of a plurality of guiding elements (32) on the rail device (12) so that the grid arrangement (18) hangs down from the rail device (12), inserting the grid arrangement (18) as far as an installation position by means of the guiding elements (32) on the rail device (12), orienting the grid arrangement (18) by pivoting about pivot joints (24) at upper ends (26) of the vertical supports (14) in such a way that the vertical supports (14) are arranged vertically, and connecting the vertical supports (14) to the structure (6) by locking first locking elements (22), which are arranged at lower ends (23) of the vertical supports (14), to second locking elements (20) arranged on the structure (6), so that a load-bearing support structure is formed thereby.

13. Method according to Claim 12, further comprising fixing the guiding elements (32) to the rail device (12).

14. Method according to either Claim 12 or Claim 13, further comprising, following the connection of the vertical supports (14), removing rail portions (52, 53) between the individual guiding elements (32).

15. Method according to any of Claims 12 to 14, further comprising arranging at least one electrical load on the grid arrangement (18) and connecting, by means of a conduit, to an electrical consumer (44) before the suspension in the rail device (12), and sliding the consumer (44) in an electric contact rail (40) integrated in the rail device (12) when sliding the grid arrangement (18) to produce an electrical connection of the at least one electrical load in the installation position.