Antenna cladding for aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12434807-B2
Application number	US-202218550691-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2022
Priority date	Mar 16, 2021
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

An antenna cladding is for fastening fuselage fittings protruding from an outer skin of the aircraft. The antenna cladding has a carrier for fastening antenna modules thereto; a radome fuselage cladding fastened to the carrier for contact on the outer skin; and a radome cover, which forms a continuous cover and lining for electromagnetic radiation in a predetermined wavelength range with the radome fuselage cladding. The carrier is a fiber composite adapter plate made of fiber having recesses with inserts, which have connection fittings for connection to the fuselage fittings. The connection fittings are arranged between upper and lower faces of the adapter plate and are designed such that the connection fittings do not protrude beyond the upper side of the adapter plate and the fuselage fittings do not protrude into the adapter plate when connected to the connection fittings, but do not project beyond the upper side thereof.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An antenna cladding configured for an aircraft and configured for fastening fuselage fittings protruding from an outer skin of the aircraft, the antenna cladding comprising:
a carrier configured for fastening antenna modules thereto;
a radome fuselage cladding fastened to the carrier for contact on the outer skin of the aircraft; and
a radome cover, which forms a continuous cover and forms a continuous lining for electromagnetic radiation in a predetermined wavelength range with the radome fuselage cladding,
wherein the carrier is an adapter plate made of fiber composite, which has recesses provided with inserts,
wherein there are connection fittings formed in the inserts for connection to the fuselage fittings,
wherein the connection fittings are arranged between upper and lower faces of the adapter plate and are designed in such a way that the connection fittings do not protrude beyond the upper side of the adapter plate and the fuselage fittings do protrude into the adapter plate when connected to the connection fittings, but do not protrude beyond the upper side thereof.

2. The antenna cladding according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least one of the connection fittings has at least one degree of freedom relative to a respectively associated one of the fuselage fittings in a plane of the adapter plate, and
wherein the at least one degree of freedom is predefined or selectively fixed.

3. The antenna cladding according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least one connection fitting is designed to fasten a bolt, which is guided through the associated fuselage fitting on both sides, and
wherein the fastening on both sides has a degree of freedom in a direction perpendicular to a bolt fixed thereto in a plane of the adapter plate.

4. The antenna cladding according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least one of the recesses or a free space of one of the inserts provided for receiving a connector is rectangular.

5. The antenna cladding according to claim 1 ,
wherein the radome fuselage cladding is dome-shaped at two opposite ends and is designed to be curved in regions lying in between the two opposite ends, and
wherein the radome fuselage cladding is independently dimensionally stable.

6. The antenna cladding according to claim 5 ,
wherein the radome fuselage cladding is fastened to the adapter plate with angle elements, one leg of an angle element, of the angle elements, being connected to the radome fuselage cladding and another leg of the angle element being connected to the adapter plate.

7. The antenna cladding according to claim 6 ,
wherein in order to compensate for manufacturing or assembly tolerances, the individual angle elements are each selected in a suitable manner from a set of differently configured angle elements or are variably adaptable during assembly.

8. The antenna cladding according to claim 7 ,
wherein the individual angle elements are each variably adaptable during assembly by means of bolt leadthrough openings produced only during the assembly.

9. The antenna cladding according to claim 1 ,
wherein one or more stiffening elements, which stiffen the adapter plate and/or support the radome cover, is arranged on the adapter plate.

10. The antenna cladding according to claim 1 ,
wherein the antenna cladding has a length of 2.5 to 3.0 m, or a width of 0.7 to 1.5 m, or a height of less than 30 cm.

11. The antenna cladding according to claim 1 ,
wherein positions of the recesses or a configuration of the connection fittings is selected such that the adapter plate is fastenable to fuselage fittings according to one of ARINC 791 or ARINC 792 standards.

12. The antenna cladding according to claim 1 ,
wherein the adapter plate is a fiber composite plate in a sandwich construction, with carbon fiber epoxy layers and a foam core.

13. The antenna cladding according to claim 1 ,
wherein the inserts, the connection fittings, or the angle elements are made of corrosion-resistant stainless steel or by bolts that are attached to the adapter plate.

14. The antenna cladding according to claim 1 ,
wherein the antenna cladding has a length of 2.8 m, a width of 1.1 m, and a height of less than 22 cm.

15. An antenna cladding configured for an aircraft and configured for fastening fuselage fittings protruding from an outer skin of the aircraft, the antenna cladding comprising:
a carrier configured for fastening antenna modules thereto;
a radome fuselage cladding fastened to the carrier for contact on the outer skin of the aircraft; and
a radome cover, which forms a continuous cover and forms a continuous lining for electromagnetic radiation in a predetermined wavelength range with the radome fuselage cladding,
wherein the carrier is an adapter plate made of fiber composite, which has recesses provided with inserts,
wherein there are connection fittings formed in the inserts for connection to the fuselage fittings,
wherein the connection fittings are arranged between upper and lower faces of the adapter plate and are designed in such a way that the connection fittings do not protrude beyond the upper side of the adapter plate and the fuselage fittings do protrude into the adapter plate when connected to the connection fittings, but do not protrude beyond the upper side thereof,
wherein the radome fuselage cladding is dome-shaped at two opposite ends and is designed to be curved in regions lying in between the two opposite ends,
wherein the radome fuselage cladding is independently dimensionally stable, and
wherein the radome fuselage cladding is fastened to the adapter plate with angle elements, one leg of an angle element, of the angle elements, being connected to the radome fuselage cladding and another leg of the angle element being connected to the adapter plate.

Assignees

• Lufthansa Technik Ag

Inventors

• Adugna Tobias
• Strotmann Arno
• Exner Matthias

Classifications

• H01Q1/42

  Housings not intimately mechanically associated with radiating elements, e.g. radome · CPC title

• H01Q1/286

  substantially flush mounted with the skin of the craft · CPC title

• H01Q1/28

  Adaptation for use in or on aircraft, missiles, satellites, or balloons · CPC title

• B64C1/36 Primary

  adapted to receive antennas or radomes · CPC title

• H01Q1/12 Primary

  Supports; Mounting means · CPC title