Connection system for connecting an electronic device, in particular for an aircraft, to a test unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9261230-B2
Application number	US-201314039917-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 27, 2013
Priority date	Oct 1, 2012
Publication date	Feb 16, 2016
Grant date	Feb 16, 2016

Abstract

Connection system for connecting an electronic device, in particular for an aircraft, to a test unit. The connection system includes a fixed portion, which is fixable to said test unit, and a movable plate which is capable of receiving the electronic device to be tested and is displaceable linearly with respect to said fixed portion between two positions which correspond respectively to a connection position and a disconnection position of the electronic device, by manually actuated displacement.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Connection system for connecting an electronic device to be tested, in particular for an aircraft, to a test unit, the connection system comprising:
a fixed portion, which is fixable to said test unit;
a movable plate which is mounted on said fixed portion and is capable of receiving the electronic device to be tested, said movable plate being able to be displaced linearly with respect to said fixed portion in a longitudinal direction and to be brought into one of the following two positions:
a rear position which corresponds to a position for connecting the electronic device to the test unit; and
a forward position which is remote from the test unit and corresponds to a position for disconnecting the electronic device from the test unit, said movable plate being configured such that its displacement from the forward position towards the rear position directly produces the connection and its displacement from the rear position towards the forward position directly produces the disconnection;

manually actuated displacement generation means which are able to displace said movable plate between said rear position and said forward position with a single manual actuation; and
width adjustment means which comprise opposite sidewalls for at least laterally supporting the electronic device that is to be arranged between these sidewalls with lateral contact, the lateral spacing of said opposite sidewalls, laterally to the longitudinal direction in which the movable plate is displaced, being adjustable for adaptation to the size of said electronic device.

2. System according to claim 1 , wherein said width adjustment means comprise:
two pairs of sidewalls, each pair comprising two sidewalls which are joined together;
displacement means for laterally displacing said pairs in order to adjust the spacing between these two pair of sidewalls for adaptation to the width of an electronic device; and
blocking/unblocking means which are able to block said pairs of sidewalls to prevent lateral displacement and to unblock them to permit lateral displacement.

3. System according to claim 2 , wherein each sidewall pair comprises an external fixed sidewall which is able to be secured to said fixed portion and an internal movable sidewall which is rigidly connected to said movable plate, the movable sidewall is joined to said fixed sidewall of the same pair in such a way as to be displaceable with respect to said fixed sidewall in a single direction, specifically said longitudinal direction, and the two movable sidewalls comprise rear supports for the electronic device, allowing the displacement of the electronic device between a connection position and a disconnection position corresponding respectively to the rear and forward positions of the movable plate.

4. System according to claim 3 , wherein, for each pair of sidewalls, the movable sidewall comprises at least one lug which is fixed to said movable sidewall and traverses a linear opening of the fixed sidewall, made in said longitudinal direction in such a way as to allow displacement of the movable sidewall with respect to the fixed sidewall in this longitudinal direction.

5. System according to claim 4 , wherein each of said openings is substantially equal in length to a connection/disconnection distance which is required for the electronic device, and each lug is arranged in such a way as to be located at one end of the opening in the forward position of the movable plate and at the other end of the opening in the rear position of said movable plate.

6. System according to claim 2 , comprising two ventilation plates which are arranged in a horizontal plane, each rigidly connected to a movable sidewall, and mounted on the movable plate in such a way as to make an opening between them, the width thereof being adjustable by the lateral displacement of said movable sidewalls.

7. System according to claim 6 , additionally comprising means for bringing ventilation air below the opening made between the two ventilation plates.

8. System according to claim 1 , wherein said displacement generation means comprise:
a drive shaft fitted with an actuatable lever which is mounted on said fixed portion and is drivable in rotation when an operator actuates said lever; and
two gear trains which are arranged at the ends of the drive shaft and each cooperate with a rack provided on the movable plate in such a way as to cause said movable plate to translate during rotation of the drive shaft.

9. System according to claim 1 , comprising two guide columns making it possible both to join together two supports—a front and a rear support—of the fixed portion and to provide linear guidance of the movable plate.

10. System according to claim 9 , wherein said movable plate comprises four ball bushings, which are coaxial in pairs, each pair of coaxial bushings being traversed by one of said guide columns.

11. System according to claim 1 , wherein said movable plate comprises, on its front face, at least one insertion hook for supporting an electronic device during its insertion, and said insertion hook is provided with notches for allowing the passage of locking supports for the electronic device.

12. System according to claim 11 , wherein said insertion hook is provided with a plurality of notches which are arranged in such a way as to be adapted to a plurality of different electronic devices.

13. Test unit, in particular a test bay, comprising at least one connection system according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Sas

Inventors

• Engelvin Pierre-Louis
• Lafont Patrice

Classifications

• F16M13/022 Primary

  repositionable · CPC title

• G01R31/008

  on air- or spacecraft, railway rolling stock or sea-going vessels · CPC title

• H05K7/1454

  Alignment mechanisms; Drawout cases · CPC title

• H05K7/1412 Primary

  hold down mechanisms, e.g. avionic racks · CPC title