Aircraft Cargo Hold Housing Elements for Cable Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
The conventional installation of cargo holds in aircraft is complex and costly, requiring cutouts in cladding elements that compromise fire protection, and cable routing is difficult due to the need for spacers and angles to adhere to separation rules, making maintenance challenging.
Innovation Solution
A cargo hold design with cladding elements attached to aircraft supports, featuring housing elements with pre-defined bores for fastening devices, allowing cables and components to be housed separately and attached above the cladding, maintaining fire protection and adhering to separation rules, using flame-retardant materials and cost-effective manufacturing processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If control panels are integrated into the aircraft's fairing with cutouts, then control units can be mounted at suitable heights for operation, but fire protection is disrupted and requires expensive fire-resistant material trays
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves control panels from the traditional fairing integration (2D surface mounting) to a 3D spatial arrangement using vertical support structures. Control panels are mounted on side walls at optimized heights, separated from the fairing structure, allowing operational accessibility while preserving the fairing's fire protection integrity without requiring cutouts or fire-resistant trays.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the control panel mounting system from the fairing structure by introducing separate vertical support structures. This segmentation allows the control panels to be independently positioned for optimal ergonomics while the fairing maintains its continuous fire protection without disruptions or required repairs.
2Ease of manufacture
If cables are routed beneath the fairing panels, then connections to control panels can be established, but cable routing becomes extremely complex requiring spacers and brackets to meet separation requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts cables from the complex routing path beneath the fairing panels and relocates them to run along the exterior surfaces of the fairing and vertical supports. This extraction eliminates the need for spacers and brackets to maintain separation distances, significantly simplifying cable routing while still meeting safety requirements through maintained separation from other cable systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces vertical support structures as intermediary elements that facilitate simplified cable routing. These supports provide dedicated cable routing paths along their surfaces, acting as mediators that eliminate the need for complex spacing arrangements and brackets while ensuring proper separation from other cable systems through the structural geometry.
3Ease of operation
If control panels are mounted on fairing side interior paneling, then loading personnel can operate them comfortably while standing, but subsequent maintenance requires removal of cladding elements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments control panels from the fairing's cladding structure by mounting them on separate vertical supports. This segmentation enables independent access to control panels for maintenance without requiring removal of fairing cladding elements, while still positioning panels at ergonomically optimal heights for operation during loading activities.
4Adaptability or versatility
If conventional installation methods with cutouts and fire-resistant trays are used, then control units can be mounted in the fairing, but production costs and installation complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by instead of cutting openings in the fairing and adding fire-resistant trays, it positions control panels on external vertical supports adjacent to the fairing. This inversion eliminates the need for expensive fire-resistant materials and complex cutout work, reducing production costs while maintaining full control panel functionality and accessibility.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a cargo hold (1) of an aircraft with fairing elements (2) and at least one housing element (10, 20, 30) for accommodating electronic components and/or cables. The fairing elements (2) are attached to supports, in particular structural elements (3), of the aircraft and have a plurality of fairing holes (4) with predefined fairing hole spacings (dV) for attachment. The at least one housing element (10, 20, 30) according to the invention has at least one pair of housing holes (11) for receiving fastening devices. The housing holes (11) have a housing hole spacing (dG) that corresponds to at least one pair of fairing hole spacings (dV).