Avionics Cabinet Direct Shelf Mounting Eliminates Chair
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cabinets for avionic equipment face challenges with high weight, volume, and cost due to the need for floating connectors and limited ventilation, as well as vulnerability in the seal between the chair and cabinet during assembly and disassembly.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves eliminating the chair and fixing the cabinet directly to the shelf, moving the interchangeability function to the electronic cards, and maximizing ventilation by drilling the underside of the cabinet over the entire shelf, eliminating the need for floating connectors and seals between the chair and cabinet.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If floating connectors are used to ensure interchangeability of cabinets in a chair, then the cabinets can be quickly connected and disconnected, but the cost, volume and weight of the assembly increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the chair component entirely, fixing cabinets directly to the shelf structure. This removes the need for floating connectors mounted in chairs, significantly reducing the weight and volume of the connector assembly while maintaining cabinet interchangeability through direct shelf mounting points
Solution Approach 2:
The shelf structure is given multiple functions: it serves as both the mounting structure for cabinets and the structural support for the avionics bay. By integrating the chair function into the shelf, the system reduces component count and weight while maintaining the interchangeability capability
2Reliability
If floating connectors are used to compensate for alignment errors, then connection reliability is improved, but the volume and density of the connector increase, resulting in high weight
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the chair and its associated floating connectors entirely. Cabinets are fixed directly to the shelf structure, eliminating the need for volume-intensive floating connectors that would be required to compensate for alignment errors in a chair-mounted system
3Reliability
If the shelf has a gutter profile with a chair to ensure tightness of the ventilation system, then sealing is improved, but the seal is stressed during assembly and disassembly, making it vulnerable
Solution Approach 1:
The invention eliminates the chair component that created the seal stress problem. By fixing cabinets directly to the shelf, the seal between the chair and cabinet is removed entirely, eliminating the vulnerability caused by seal stress during assembly and disassembly operations
4Device complexity
If the electronic card ventilation zone is limited to the zone under the cabinet, then the ventilation system is simplified, but the cooling of cards outside this zone is low, restricting design flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the ventilation system into multiple zones: the traditional gutter profile ventilation zone and new ventilation zones created by openings in the cabinet bottom and side walls. This segmentation allows air circulation throughout the entire cabinet volume, enabling flexible placement of electronic cards anywhere within the cabinet while maintaining adequate cooling
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5A~7B
AI summary
The cabinet (100) has a connecting interface comprising multiple connectors (105) at a side of guiding units (104), where the connectors cooperate with electronic boards. The connecting interface has connection units connected to wire harness of an aircraft. A fixation face (103) has fixation units for fixing the cabinet directly to an avionic equipment rack (200) in the aircraft. The interface is provided with a mother board (102) fixed to a base of the cabinet, and the fixation units are formed by holes (108) or threaded elements that are provided in the fixation face of the cabinet.