Fitting for an aircraft bracing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9587670-B2
Application number	US-201313891305-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 10, 2013
Priority date	May 11, 2012
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

Abstract

A fitting for an aircraft bracing device including anchor points, wherein the fitting includes a face able to press against the aircraft and at least one guide hole for a connecting element able to collaborate with an anchor point, a slider able to move in a translational movement parallel to a first direction parallel to the face of the fitting and a connection between the slider and the connecting element which allows a movement in a second direction different from the first direction and parallel to the face of the fitting so as to align the connecting element with an anchor point.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fitting for connecting an aircraft to a bracing device, said fitting comprising:
a face configured to press against the aircraft;
a hole formed in said fitting;
a slider comprising:
a body having a first through-hole defined therethrough, the body configured for translational movement within said hole in a first direction parallel to said face;
a ball joint disposed within the first through-hole, and
an eccentric engaged with the ball joint, and comprising a second through-hole; and

a connecting element configured to pass through the second through-hole and engage with an anchor point on said aircraft; and;
wherein the ball joint and the eccentric allow movement of the connecting element in a second direction different from the first direction and parallel to the face of the fitting so as to align said connecting element with the anchor point.

2. The fitting according to claim 1 , wherein the slider comprises:
at least one fixing element for blocking translational movement of said slider relative to the fitting in the first direction.

3. The fitting according to claim 1 , wherein the ball joint comprises a spherical head disposed in the first through-hole and the eccentric bears against the spherical head, the eccentric further comprising an exterior surface, the second through-hole being eccentric relative to the exterior surface and coaxial with the hole and the first through-hole and being configured to receive the connecting element.

4. The fitting according to claim 3 , wherein the ball joint and the eccentric are separate.

5. The fitting according to claim 4 , wherein an axis of the hole passes through the centre of the spherical head, guiding the connecting element.

6. The fitting according to claim 4 , wherein the eccentric has a cylindrical exterior surface, the second through-hole having a diameter equal, with an allowance for clearances, to an outside diameter of the connecting element, at a first end of the second through-hole, a planar surface forming a bearing surface for the connecting element, and at the other end a planar surface able to bear against the spherical head of the ball joint.

7. The fitting according to claim 4 , further comprising means for keeping the eccentric and the ball joint in the first through-hole of the slider.

8. The fitting according to claim 7 , wherein the eccentric comprises a peripheral rib projecting from the exterior surface thereof and wherein the slider comprises at least one bar with a slot, said bar being able to move between a first position in which said peripheral rib interferes with the slot and said bar holds the ball joint and the eccentric in the through-hole of the slider, and a second position in which the peripheral rib does not interfere with the slot.

9. A fitting
for connecting an aircraft to a bracing device, said fitting comprising:
a face configured to press against the aircraft;
a hole formed in said fitting; and
a slider comprising:
a body having a first through-hole defined therethrough, the body configured for translational movement within said hole in a first direction parallel to said face; and
a ball joint disposed within the first through-hole;

wherein the ball joint comprises a spherical head through which a guide hole for guiding the connecting element passes, the guide hole having an axis which is offset from the centre of the spherical head so as to perform an eccentric function.

10. The fitting according to claim 9 , further comprising means for holding the ball joint in the through-hole of the slider.

11. The fitting according to claim 10 , wherein the slider comprises a nut of cylindrical shape with, in the region of its exterior surface, a threaded first part collaborating with a tapped part of the through-hole and a second part having lugs for operating the nut, said nut comprising a continuation with a spherical portion collaborating with the spherical head.

Assignees

• Airbus Sas

Inventors

• Matignon Mickaël
• Ramond Francis

Classifications

• F16C11/06 Primary

  Ball-joints; Other joints having more than one degree of angular freedom, i.e. universal joints (universal joints in which flexibility is produced by means of pivots or sliding or rolling connecting parts F16D3/16) · CPC title

• Y10T403/32631

  Universal ball and socket · CPC title

• Y10T403/32

  Articulated members · CPC title

• B64F5/0036

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B64F5/0009

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic