Protective Cable Harness Sleeve for Folding Wing Tip Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge of providing power and data transmission to folding wing tips in aircraft while ensuring segregation of high voltage wiring, managing movement and tensional loads, and maintaining a compact arrangement in limited space is exacerbated by the need for redundancy and harsh environmental conditions.
Innovation Solution
A protective sleeve for cable harnesses made of fluorosilicone polymer that holds two cable harnesses apart, providing insulation and resistance to abrasion, with a webbing region and fasteners to secure the configuration, allowing high voltage cables to be placed closer to other wiring without risk of arcing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If high voltage wiring is segregated from adjacent structure to prevent arcing damage, then safety is improved, but the available space for wiring is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cable harness is divided into multiple bundles, with high voltage cables separated from low voltage cables. Each bundle is independently managed within the protective sleeve, allowing proper segregation for safety while optimizing space utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple cable bundles are nested within a single protective sleeve structure. The sleeve contains internal partitions or webbing regions that create separate channels for high voltage and low voltage cables, effectively nesting multiple wiring systems within a compact outer housing.
2Adaptability or versatility
If cable harness extends across folding wing tip joint to provide power and data, then functionality is improved, but the cable harness is exposed to harsh environmental conditions and movement
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible protective sleeve made of abrasion-resistant material envelops the entire cable harness. This flexible protective shell allows the harness to bend and move with the folding wing tip while protecting the cables from environmental damage and abrasion at the joint.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective sleeve is pre-installed on the cable harness before the harness is routed through the folding joint. This beforehand protection ensures the cables are already shielded from harsh conditions and movement stresses before they encounter the challenging environment at the wing tip joint.
3Reliability
If two independent high voltage feeds are provided in limited space for redundancy, then reliability is improved, but space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Two independent cable bundles are nested within a single protective sleeve. The sleeve contains internal structures that create separate channels for each bundle, allowing both high voltage feeds to coexist in a compact arrangement while maintaining spatial separation for safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective sleeve utilizes three-dimensional space efficiently by creating vertically stacked or laterally adjacent channels within its structure. This dimensional organization allows multiple cable bundles to be accommodated in limited space while maintaining proper segregation.
4Adaptability or versatility
If cable harness is allowed to move with folding wing tip, then adaptability is improved, but risk of abrasion and arcing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective sleeve is designed as a flexible enclosure that moves with the folding wing tip while maintaining continuous coverage of the cable harness. This flexible shell prevents abrasion by keeping cables enclosed and prevents arcing by maintaining electrical insulation during movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective sleeve is pre-installed and configured to accommodate the full range of motion of the folding wing tip. This beforehand preparation ensures that during movement, the cables remain protected from abrasion and arcing without requiring additional tolerance or clearance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The sleeve ensures reliable power and data transmission to folding wing tips by preventing interference and abrasion, allowing high voltage cables to be positioned closer to other wiring, reducing the risk of arcing, and accommodating movement and environmental conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The sleeve ensures reliable power and data transmission to folding wing tips by preventing interference and abrasion, allowing high voltage cables to be positioned closer to other wiring, reducing the risk of arcing
Implementation Method 2
A protective sleeve for cable harnesses made of fluorosilicone polymer that holds two cable harnesses apart, providing insulation and resistance to abrasion
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3~4B
AI summary
An aircraft wing (3) comprising a fixed wing (5) and a moveably mounted wing tip device (11) is disclosed. A first cable harness (15a) and a second cable harness (15b) which are received in a protective sleeve (25) extend between the fixed wing (5) and the wing tip device (11). The protective sleeve is in a secured configuration in which at least two opposing parts of the protective sleeve (25) are secured together between the first cable harness (15a) and the second cable harness (15b) to provide the sleeve (25) with a first channel in which the first cable harness (15a) is received a second channel in which the second cable harness (15b) is received, and a webbing region extending between the first channel and the second channel such that the first and second cable harnesses (15a, b) are held apart by the webbing region.