Aircraft air distribution assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11267572-B2
Application number	US-201816183982-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 8, 2018
Priority date	Nov 8, 2018
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

An aircraft air distribution assembly providing integrated personally controllable air flow and cabin air flow is presented. The aircraft air distribution assembly comprises a plenum and a flow restriction system. The plenum is connected to a plurality of personal air outlets configured to provide the personally controllable air flow. The flow restriction system extends through at least one wall of the plenum, the flow restriction system configured to set a pressure for the cabin air flow.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An aircraft air distribution assembly, comprising:
a plenum, forming a chamber;
a plurality of personal air outlets, configured to provide personally controllable air flow and connected to the plenum such that air exits the chamber via the plurality of personal air outlets;
a flow restrictor, extending through at least one wall of the plenum, wherein the flow restrictor is configured to provide cabin air flow and to set a pressure for the cabin air flow;
a housing that surrounds an exterior surface of the plenum; and
a channel, formed between the exterior surface of the plenum and the housing, wherein the housing forms a nozzle, configured to direct air from the channel into a cabin to provide the cabin air flow such that the cabin air flow exits the channel around at least a portion of a passenger interaction panel of the aircraft air distribution assembly, and wherein the plurality of personal air outlets extends through the passenger interaction panel.

2. The aircraft air distribution assembly of claim 1 , wherein the flow restrictor comprises a plurality of flow restriction holes.

3. The aircraft air distribution assembly of claim 1 , wherein the flow restrictor comprises a pressure relief valve.

4. The aircraft air distribution assembly of claim 1 , further comprising an acoustic material connected to the housing within the channel.

5. The aircraft air distribution assembly of claim 1 , wherein the housing is at least one of fastened to the plenum, welded to the plenum, snapped onto the plenum, or bonded to the plenum.

6. The aircraft air distribution assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the nozzle encircles the passenger interaction panel of the aircraft air distribution assembly.

7. An aircraft, comprising:
a cabin;
a plurality of rows of passenger seats within the cabin; and
a plurality of aircraft air distribution assemblies, positioned above the plurality of rows of passenger seats, each of the plurality of aircraft air distribution assemblies comprising:
a plenum, forming a chamber;
a plurality of personal air outlets, configured to provide personally controllable air flow and connected to the plenum such that air exits the chamber via the plurality of personal air outlets;
a flow restrictor, extending through at least one wall of the plenum, wherein the flow restrictor is configured to provide cabin air flow and to set a pressure for the cabin air flow;
a passenger interaction panel;
a housing that surrounds an exterior surface of the plenum; and
a channel, formed between the housing and the exterior surface of the plenum, wherein the housing forms a nozzle, configured to direct air from the channel into the cabin to provide the cabin air flow such that the cabin air flow exits the channel around at least a portion of the passenger interaction panel, and wherein the plurality of personal air outlets extends through the passenger interaction panel.

8. The aircraft of claim 7 , wherein each of the plurality of aircraft air distribution assemblies is positioned above a respective row of passenger seats of the plurality of rows of passenger seats.

9. The aircraft of claim 7 , wherein each of the plurality of aircraft air distribution assemblies further comprises:
an air inlet to the plenum,
a first air path that extends from the air inlet into the plenum and through the plurality of personal air outlets, and
a second air path that extends from the air inlet into the plenum, through the flow restrictor, and through the channel.

10. The aircraft of claim 9 , wherein the flow restrictor comprises at least one of a plurality of flow restriction holes, a number of slots, or a pressure relief valve.

11. The aircraft of claim 9 , wherein
the nozzle encircles the passenger interaction panel of a corresponding one of the plurality of aircraft air distribution assemblies.

12. A method of distributing air using an aircraft air distribution assembly, the method comprising steps of:
supplying the air, having a first pressure, to a plenum of the aircraft air distribution assembly, wherein the plenum forms a chamber;
directing a portion of the air from the plenum to exit the chamber through a set of personal air outlets; and
sending a remainder of the air through a flow restrictor and into a cabin of an aircraft at a second pressure, wherein the step of sending the remainder of the air through the flow restrictor and into the cabin of the aircraft comprises sending the remainder of the air through the plenum and into a channel, formed by an exterior surface of the plenum and by a housing of the aircraft air distribution assembly, wherein the step of sending the remainder of the air through the flow restrictor and into the cabin of the aircraft further comprises directing the remainder of the air using a nozzle, formed by the housing and configured such that the remainder of the air exits the channel around at least a portion of a passenger interaction panel of the aircraft air distribution assembly, and wherein the set of personal air outlets extends through the passenger interaction panel.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the second pressure is between the first pressure and an ambient air pressure within the cabin.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein:
the nozzle surrounds an exterior of the plenum, and
the nozzle encircles the passenger interaction panel of the aircraft air distribution assembly.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising adjusting the flow restrictor based on a volumetric flow rate of the portion of the air from the plenum through the set of personal air outlets.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the step of sending the remainder of the air through the flow restrictor and into the cabin of the aircraft comprises sending the remainder of the air through the plenum and into the channel, formed by the exterior surface of the plenum and by the housing of the aircraft air distribution assembly.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising dampening noise within the channel using an acoustic material, positioned within the channel.

18. The method of claim 12 , wherein the step of sending the remainder of the air through the flow restrictor and into the cabin comprises sending the remainder of the air into the cabin in a three-dimensional shape.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Vandyke Bryce Avery

Classifications

• Y02T50/50

  On board measures aiming to increase energy efficiency · CPC title

• B64D13/06 Primary

  the air being conditioned (pressurising B64D13/02) · CPC title

• B64D2013/003

  Cabin ventilation nozzles · CPC title

• B64D13/04 Primary

  Automatic control of pressure · CPC title

• B64D2013/0625

  comprising means for distribution effusion of conditioned air in the cabin · CPC title