Wastewater tank arrangement for an aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12134473-B2
Application number	US-202318199087-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2023
Priority date	Mar 31, 2020
Publication date	Nov 5, 2024
Grant date	Nov 5, 2024

Abstract

A wastewater tank arrangement for an aircraft, including a wastewater tank and a drain pipe having a first end and an opposite second end, the drain pipe fastened with its first end to the wastewater tank and having a second end for connection to a service panel in the aircraft structure. Providing a wastewater tank arrangement can effectively compensate tolerances between the wastewater tank and the service panel, and can effectively compensate installation and manufacturing tolerances during the course of the initial installation, in that the wastewater tank arrangement has a tolerance compensation device configured to connect the second end of the drain pipe to the service panel and compensate tolerances between the second end of the drain pipe and the service panel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wastewater tank arrangement for an aircraft, the wastewater tank arrangement comprising:
a wastewater tank;
a drain pipe having a first end and a second end that is opposite the first end, wherein the first end of the drain pipe is fastened to the wastewater tank and the second end is configured for connection to a service panel in the aircraft; and
a tolerance compensation device comprising:
a first pipe piece; and
a second pipe piece that has a first end, a second end that is opposite the first end, and a first channel situated between the first and second ends thereof;
wherein the first end of the second pipe piece is connected to the first pipe piece such that the second pipe piece is rotatable relative to the first pipe piece about a longitudinal axis of the first pipe piece;

wherein the tolerance compensation device is configured to connect the second end of the drain pipe to the service panel and compensate tolerances between the second end of the drain pipe and the service panel; and
wherein, after assembly of the wastewater tank arrangement, the tolerance compensation device is configured to be fixed, such that a movement of the second pipe piece relative to the first pipe piece is not possible.

2. The wastewater tank arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the first pipe piece and the second pipe piece are arranged in series along a longitudinal axis, the second pipe piece being movable relative to the first pipe piece perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal axis.

3. The wastewater tank arrangement according to claim 2 , wherein the first pipe piece is movable relative to the second pipe piece two-dimensionally in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

4. The wastewater tank arrangement according to claim 2 , wherein the first pipe piece is configured to connect to the service panel and the second pipe piece is connected to the second end of the drain pipe.

5. The wastewater tank arrangement according to claim 4 , wherein the second end of the drain pipe projects into the second pipe piece without being fixedly connected to the second pipe piece.

6. The wastewater tank arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first pipe piece has a gap which extends perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal axis, is inwardly open, and runs in encircling fashion in a circumferential direction;
the second pipe piece has a flange which extends outwardly perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal axis; and
the first and second pipe pieces are connected to one another such that the flange is arranged in the gap.

7. The wastewater tank arrangement according to claim 6 , wherein the flange is arranged in the gap with play, such that the flange is movable in the gap perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal axis.

8. The wastewater tank arrangement according to claim 7 , wherein, when the flange moves in the gap perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal axis, the second pipe piece also moves relative to the first pipe piece perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal axis.

9. The wastewater tank arrangement according to claim 8 , wherein the first pipe piece and the second pipe piece are movable relative to each other between a concentric position and an eccentric position.

10. The wastewater tank arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the second pipe piece has an eccentric shape, whereby, in an event of rotation of the second pipe piece relative to the first pipe piece about the longitudinal axis of the first pipe piece, a longitudinal axis of the second pipe piece is movable relative to the longitudinal axis of the first pipe piece.

11. The wastewater tank arrangement according to claim 10 , wherein the first channel is positioned obliquely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the first pipe piece, such that the second end is arranged eccentrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the first pipe piece.

12. The wastewater tank arrangement according to claim 11 , wherein the first channel has a cross-section that narrows towards the first end of the second pipe piece, such that the first channel is narrower at the first end of the second pipe piece than at the second end of the second pipe piece.

13. The wastewater tank arrangement according to claim 11 , wherein the second end of the second pipe piece is connected to the second end of the drain pipe.

14. The wastewater tank arrangement according to claim 10 , wherein the tolerance compensation device comprises a third pipe piece that has a first end, a second end that is opposite the first end, and a second channel situated between the first and second ends thereof, the first end of the third pipe piece being rotatably connected to the second end of the second pipe piece, and the second end of the third pipe piece being connected to the second end of the drain pipe.

15. The wastewater tank arrangement according to claim 14 , wherein the second channel is positioned obliquely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the first pipe piece, such that the second end of the third pipe piece is arranged eccentrically with respect to the second end of the second pipe piece.

16. The wastewater tank arrangement according to claim 14 , wherein the second channel has a cross-section that widens towards the first second end of the third pipe piece, such that the second channel is wider at the second end of the third pipe piece than at the first end of the third pipe piece.

17. The wastewater tank arrangement according to claim 14 , wherein the second end of the third pipe piece is concentric with the first pipe piece.

18. An aircraft comprising a wastewater tank arrangement according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Gmbh

Inventors

• Lutzer Wilhelm
• Rieger Ulrich
• Gumbert Eberhard
• Ohlfest Carsten
• Brilsky Holger
• Popken Gerke

Classifications

• F16L27/0804

  the fluid passing axially from one joint element to another · CPC title

• F16L27/1012

  Flanged joints · CPC title

• F16L27/11 Primary

  the sleeve having the form of a bellows with multiple corrugations · CPC title

• B64D11/04

  Galleys · CPC title

• B64D11/02 Primary

  Toilet fittings · CPC title