Flexible modular cable tray

Abstract

The invention relates to a modular cable tray (1) intended for routing cable bundles in an aircraft wing structure, the modular cable tray (1) comprising: - at least one flexible routing module (2), each routing module (2) extending linearly and having two ends; - at least two parallel routing channels (2b) in each routing module (2); - a separation gap between two adjacent routing channels (2b); - a rigid connecting module (3) at each end of the routing module (2); and - at least one retaining clip (4) for retaining each connecting module (3) on one end (2a) of each adjacent routing module (2).

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] Flexible modular cable tray.

[0003] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0004] The invention relates to a modular cable tray composed of flexible modules assembled by juxtaposition. Cable trays allow for the organization and management of cables (electrical or data transmission) and / or connections (hydraulic or pneumatic) that pass through a structure, particularly aircraft structures. Furthermore, cable assemblies can be grouped to form cable bundles or harnesses, which are then supported by the cable trays, this grouping facilitating cable installation.

[0005] In the aeronautical field, and particularly in aircraft wing structures, cable trays extend throughout the wing to supply power to its components (flaps, ailerons, fuel tanks, etc.), systems (transmission, distribution, storage, etc.), and sensors, thus ensuring the aircraft's safety and reliability. Cables are grouped into bundles according to the type of signals they carry. A cable tray can have several paths, each isolating one or more cable bundles and applying segregation rules to each bundle from neighboring paths. This segregation protects the cable bundles from electrical and external interference, ensuring aircraft safety. Indeed, the wing constitutes an unstable environment subject to significant vibrations, variations in temperature and humidity, as well as the risk of exposure to chemicals such as fuel or lubricant.

[0006] Furthermore, for safety reasons, the wiring and therefore the cable trays are redundant and separate to allow the aircraft to function in the event of a cable break, thus minimizing the risk of simultaneous failure. An aircraft wing incorporates numerous elements such as fuel tanks, hydraulic systems for actuating flaps, and the wing's own structure; consequently, the number and volume of cables to be managed is significant. STATE OF THE TECHNOLOGY

[0007] The study and design of cable routing begins at the very start of wing development. Because space is limited within the wing, optimizing its use is essential for routing all the cables. Consequently, some cable trays are integrated into the wing structure. However, such cable trays often present the disadvantage of being difficult to access, particularly for maintenance operations.

[0008] Other cable trays are installed using mounting brackets on the wing structure. This routing allows for optimization of the cable trays by adapting them to the wing structure and its various systems. Typically, cable trays made of unidirectionally extending mechanically profiled sections are used. However, these profiles must be cut and adjusted for precise installation on the wing structure during aircraft assembly, making this installation particularly complex and time-consuming.

[0009] To reduce installation time, cable trays can be manufactured individually to suit the routing, with installation supports also being used. This approach leads to increased complexity in terms of tooling and machining to accommodate the manufacturing of each cable tray. Therefore, this approach is not applicable to high-volume cable tray production.

[0010] These cable trays also have the disadvantage of complicating maintenance operations when a section of the cable tray needs replacing due to damage or a reconfiguration of the wiring. Indeed, manufacturing the replacement section of the cable tray leads to delays in the maintenance operation and prolonged aircraft downtime.

[0011] DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] To overcome the drawbacks of the prior art described above, the invention's main objective is to enable the simplified and rapid installation of cable trays within a structure. To this end, the invention provides for modular cable trays composed of flexible routing elements and rigid connecting elements.

[0013] More specifically, the present invention relates to a modular cable tray for routing cable bundles within an aircraft wing structure. This cable tray comprises:

[0014] - at least one flexible routing module, each routing module extending linearly and having two ends;

[0015] - at least two parallel routing paths in each routing module, each routing path having two parallel side walls perpendicular to a bottom;

[0016] - a separation gap between two lateral walls of two adjacent routing paths;

[0017] - a rigid link module at each end of each routing module, the link module comprising at least two link channels, each link channel being arranged as an extension of a routing path of an adjacent routing module, and

[0018] - at least one retaining clip for each link module on one end of each adjacent routing module.

[0019] Advantageously, this modular cable tray allows for the rapid installation of cable harness routing elements within the aircraft wing structure. Indeed, the routing and connection modules are manufactured in series and upstream of the installation. They are therefore readily available and usable, with the flexibility of the routing modules facilitating adjustments to the installation.

[0020] Furthermore, the cable tray assembly is carried out in a continuous process without the need for specific tools, simply by inserting a link module into a routing module, with a clip securing the insertion. This assembly also allows for easy disassembly of cable tray sections and the rapid replacement of any routing or link module, which is particularly desirable during maintenance operations.

[0021] Advantageously, the connecting modules also attach to and hold the routing modules, providing additional rigidity to the entire cable tray while maintaining sufficient flexibility to allow the cable tray to adapt to the extreme vibration conditions of aircraft wings. This flexibility absorbs vibrations and thus provides better resistance to stresses within the wing, increasing the cable tray's fatigue strength. Furthermore, the cable tray's clip-on assembly, without the need for screws / nuts and therefore drilling, eliminates the risk of crack propagation initiation at drilled holes, simplifying cable tray inspection and maintenance.

[0022] Advantageously, the separation gap between two adjacent routing paths optimizes the flexibility of the sidewalls of each routing path, as each sidewall is brought closer to the neutral fiber of each path. Furthermore, this separation gap also provides structural isolation for each routing path. Thus, if a sidewall of one routing path is damaged, the sidewall of the adjacent routing path retains its structural integrity, and this adjacent routing path continues to protect the cable bundle(s) it contains.

[0023] According to preferred embodiments taken alone or in combination: - each routing module is molded

[0024] - Each routing module is 3D printed:

[0025] - the bottom and side walls of the routing paths include a middle portion bounded by a flat interface portion at each end of the routing module; - each middle portion has a structure in a shape chosen between an accordion shape and a wave shape;

[0026] - each routing module is flexible;

[0027] - at least one cord on either side of the separation gap extends perpendicularly to the bottom and connects two neighboring routing paths;

[0028] - each cord extends over the flat interface portion of a side wall of a routing path;

[0029] - Each connecting channel has U-shaped grooves into which the flat interface portions of the bottom and side walls of the routing channels are inserted; - Each connecting module has at least one stop for a routing module; - Each routing module has at least one positioning angle for positioning this routing module in the corresponding connecting module when the positioning angle is in contact with the stop of said connecting module;

[0030] - each retaining clip has two external tabs that clamp the routing module and the link module;

[0031] - each retaining clip has an auxiliary safety tab inserted into each separating gap;

[0032] - each external and / or auxiliary safety tab of the retaining clip has a flexible tab that fits into a corresponding opening in the linking module;

[0033] - the link module includes at least one means of attaching a cable tray fixing support to the wing structure;

[0034] - the link module includes at least one reversible attachment means for a cable harness assistance device, and

[0035] - in the case where the cable path has more than one routing module, the routing modules are identical.

[0036] PRESENTATION OF THE FIGURES

[0037] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed embodiment, without limiting its scope, by reference to the accompanying figures which represent, respectively:

[0038] - Figure 1, a perspective view of a portion of an example of a modular cable tray according to the invention with its fixing supports and its cable bundle assistance devices;

[0039] - Figure 2, a perspective view of the portion of modular cable tray shown in Figure 1;

[0040] - Figure 3, an exploded perspective view of a portion of the modular cable tray of Figure 1; - Figure 4, a perspective view of a cable tray routing module according to Figure 1;

[0041] - Figure 5, a perspective view of a cable tray connection module according to Figure 1;

[0042] - Figure 6, a perspective view of a cable tray clip as shown in Figure 1, and

[0043] - Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the junction between a routing module and a cable tray linking module as shown in Figure 1.

[0044] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] In the figures, identical reference symbols refer to the same element as well as to the corresponding passages in the description.

[0046] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an example of a modular cable tray 1 according to the invention, this modular cable tray 1 being intended for routing cable bundles in an aircraft wing structure (not shown) and being installed on the aircraft wing structure by two mounting brackets 5a. These mounting brackets 5a are, on the one hand, fitted onto the attachment means 3e of the modular cable tray 1 and, on the other hand, fixed to the wing structure by screws or rivets (not visible in the figure) inserted into the holes 5b.

[0047] This modular cable tray 1 has three routes 1a for cable bundles in this example, each route 1a being composed of an alternation of routing paths 2b with link channels 3a. One or more cable bundles can be carried by each of the routes 1a. In the example shown in Figure 1, the center route 1a is wider than the two peripheral routes 1a; therefore, this center route 1a is better suited to carry a wider cable bundle and / or more cable bundles than the peripheral routes 1a.

[0048] Retention assistance devices 5c and exit assistance devices 5d respectively retain the cable bundles within the routes and guide their exit. These assistance devices 5c are inserted into the attachment means 3f. The modular cable tray of the invention is not limited to three routes or to the width of the routes illustrated in Figure 1.

[0049] The portion of modular cable tray 1 shown in figure 2 comprises: - three flexible routing modules 2, each routing module 2 extending linearly and having two ends 2a (see figure 3);

[0050] - three parallel 2b routing paths in each routing module 2;

[0051] - a rigid link module 3 at each end 2a of each routing module 2, the link module 3 comprising three link channels 3a, each link channel being arranged as an extension of a routing path 2b of an adjacent routing module 2;

[0052] - a retaining clip 4 of each link module 3 on one end 2a of each adjacent routing module 2.

[0053] Figure 3 illustrates an exploded view of a portion of modular cable tray 1 composed of identical routing modules 2, a link module 3, and two retaining clips 4. Each routing module 2 and the link module 3 respectively have three routing paths 2b and three link channels 3a, which together create three cable bundle routes of the modular cable tray 1. The modular cable tray 1 is therefore composed of a set of routing modules 2 connected at their ends 2a by a link module 3, thus connecting two adjacent routing modules 2. The connection between a routing module 2 and a link module 3 is achieved by a retaining clip 4.

[0054] The routing module 2, the linking module 3 and the retaining clip 4 are shown and detailed individually in Figure 4, Figure 5 and Figure 6 respectively.

[0055] Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a routing module 2 with, in this example embodiment, three routing paths 2b, a central routing path 2b', and two peripheral routing paths 2b', each comprising two parallel side walls 2c perpendicular to the base 2d. Alternatively, the base can be semi-cylindrical in shape, suitable for carrying a cable bundle with a circular cross-section. The routing module 2 also includes a separation gap 2e between two side walls 2c of two adjacent routing paths 2b. A cable 2h extends perpendicularly to the base 2d on either side of the separation gap 2e and connects two adjacent routing paths 2b.

[0056] The base 2d and the side walls 2c of the routing paths 2b have a central portion 2f bounded by a flat interface portion 2g at each end 2a of the routing module 2. In this embodiment, the cords 2h extend over the flat interface portions 2g of the side walls 2c of the routing paths 2b. Each cord 2h and the flat interface portions 2g of the side walls then define an insertion slot 2j for the clip 4.

[0057] Each mid-section 2f of the bottom 2d and side walls 2c of the routing channels 2b incorporates an accordion-like structure that provides flexibility to the routing module. This accordion-like structure is deformable, allowing the modular cable tray 1 to adapt to curvature and thus optimize the use of available space within the wing structure for routing the cable bundles. This flexibility also allows the modular cable tray 1 to adapt to vibrations in the wing structure. Alternatively, the mid-sections can incorporate a wave-shaped structure or any other shape to control and accommodate the flexibility of the cable tray.

[0058] The routing module 2 also includes four positioning angles 2i, extending perpendicularly to the bottom 2d outside the flat interface portions 2g of the side walls 2c of the peripheral routing paths 2b”. This position outside the routing paths allows the space for cable bundles to remain free.

[0059] The constituent elements of the routing module 2 allow it, by the simplicity of their structure, to be produced by molding or 3D printing, among other methods.

[0060] A link module 3 with three link channels 3a is shown in Figure 5. Each end 2a of a routing module 2 is inserted into the link module 3, which has three U-shaped grooves for each end 2a. Each of these U-shaped grooves is adapted to accommodate the flat interface portions 2g of the base 2d and the side walls 2c of a routing channel 2b. In addition, the link module 3 has two stoppers 3c for each routing module 2, against which the positioning brackets 2i bear to position the routing module 2 in the corresponding link module 3.

[0061] The linking module 3 is a rigid part to which the mounting brackets 5a, the retaining assistance devices 5c and 5d, as well as the retaining clips 4, are attached. The linking module 3 therefore has the following linking interfaces:

[0062] - grooves as means of attachment 3e for the fixing supports 5a of the modular cable tray 1 to the wing structure;

[0063] - reversible attachment means 3f for the restraint assistance devices 5c and exit devices 5d, and

[0064] - 3d openings for the passage of the 4c ​​tabs (see description below with reference to figure 6) of the retaining clip 4.

[0065] These connection interfaces, arranged on the surface of the connection module 3, allow on the one hand to visualize the state of the connections and on the other hand a rapid assembly / disassembly of the parts which are attached to it.

[0066] The retaining clip 4 is shown in Figure 6. This retaining clip 4 allows the assembly of a routing module 2 into a link module 3. The retaining clip 4 has a base 4d and two external tabs 4a. When the modular cable tray 1 is assembled, the base 4d of the retaining clip is in contact with the bottom 2d of the routing module 2. In addition, the external tabs 4a clamp the routing module 2 and the link module 3 by pressing the flat interface portions 2g of the side walls 2c of the peripheral routing channels 2b' and 2b” against the link module 3.

[0067] Auxiliary safety tabs 4b of the retaining clip 4 are inserted into the insertion slots 2j of the separation gaps 2e of the routing module 2. Each external tab 4a and each auxiliary safety tab 4b has a flexible tab 4c which is inserted into the pass openings 3d of the link module 3.

[0068] Figure 7 shows a cross-sectional view of the assembly of the routing module 2 and the link module 3 with the clip 4. In this assembly, the outer arms 4a of the retaining clip 4 clamp the routing channels 2b and the link channels 3a. The safety auxiliary arms 4b are inserted into the slots 2j between two adjacent routing channels 2b. And the flexible tabs 4c at the ends of the safety auxiliary arms 4b and the outer arms 4a pass through the openings 3d of the link module 3.

[0069] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described and presented. Thus, the link module can also be Y-shaped to distribute cable bundles from an upstream routing module to two downstream routing modules in two distinct directions.

[0070] Furthermore, this modular cable tray can be included in a conventional metal cable tray network and connect several sections of extruded metal cable trays.

[0071] To improve the flexibility of the modular cable path, the connection between the routing modules and the link modules may include return means, for example springs at the end of the U-grooves of the link module or between the stops of the link modules and the positioning angles of the routing modules.

Claims

DEMANDS 1. Modular cable tray (1) for routing cable bundles in an aircraft wing structure, this modular cable tray (1) being characterized in that it comprises: - at least one flexible routing module (2), each routing module (2) extending linearly and having two ends (2a); - at least two parallel routing paths (2b) in each routing module (2), each routing path (2b) having two side walls (2c) parallel to each other and perpendicular to a bottom (2d); - a separation gap (2e) between two lateral walls of two adjacent routing paths (2b); - a rigid link module (3) at each end (2a) of a routing module (2), the link module (3) comprising at least two link channels (3a), each link channel (3a) being arranged as an extension of a routing path (2b) of an adjacent routing module (2), and - at least one retaining clip (4) of each link module (3) on one end (2a) of each adjacent routing module (2).

2. Modular cable tray (1) according to the preceding claim, in which each routing module (2) is molded.

3. Modular cable tray (1) according to claim 1, wherein each routing module (2) is 3D printed.

4. Modular cable tray (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bottom (2d) and side walls (2c) of the routing paths (2a) comprise a middle portion (2f) bounded by a planar interface portion (2g) at each end (2a) of the routing module (2).

5. Modular cable tray (1) according to claim 4, wherein each middle portion has a structure whose shape is chosen between an accordion shape and a wave shape.

6. Modular cable tray (1) according to claim 5, wherein each routing module (2) is flexible.

7. Modular cable tray (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which at least one cord (2h) on either side of the separation gap (2e) extends perpendicularly to the bottom (2d) and connects two adjacent routing paths (2b).

8. Modular cable tray (1) according to claim 7, in which each cord (2h) extends over a flat interface portion (2g) of a side wall (2c) of a routing path (2b).

9. Modular cable tray (1) according to claim 8, in which each link channel (3a) has U-shaped grooves into which the flat interface portions (2g) of the bottom (2d) and side walls (2c) of the routing paths (2b) are inserted.

10. Modular cable tray (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each link module (3) includes at least one stop (3c) of a routing module (2).

11. Modular cable tray (1) according to claim 10, wherein each routing module (2) has at least one positioning angle (2i) intended to position this routing module (2) in the corresponding linking module (3) when the positioning angle (2i) is in contact with the stop (3c) of said linking module (3).

12. Modular cable tray (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each retaining clip (4) has two external tabs (4a) which clamp the routing module (2) and the linking module (3).

13. Modular cable tray (1) according to claim 12, wherein each retaining clip (4) has an auxiliary safety tab (4b) inserted into each separation gap (2e).

14. Modular cable tray (1) according to claim 13, wherein each external tab (4a) and / or safety auxiliary (4b) of the retaining clip 4 has a flexible tab (4c) which fits into a corresponding opening 3d of the linking module (3).

15. Modular cable tray (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the linking module (3) comprises at least one means for attaching a fixing support (5a) of the modular cable tray (1) to the wing structure.

16. Modular cable tray (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the linking module (3) comprises at least one reversible attachment means (3f) for a cable bundle assistance device (5c, 5d).

17. Modular cable tray (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the routing modules (2) are identical in the case where the modular cable tray (1) comprises more than one routing module (2).

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