Drainage end cap device for draining fluid from a hollow space in a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9862475-B2
Application number	US-201514958404-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2015
Priority date	Dec 3, 2014
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

A drainage end cap device for draining fluid from a hollow space in a vehicle, comprising a mounting unit that is durably mountable in a super-imposed manner onto a drainage opening provided in an outer shell of a vehicle, wherein a drainage cap with a drainage channel is provided, the drainage cap being removably mountable to the mounting unit and the drainage channel being at least partly zigzagged over a longitudinal extension of the drainage cap.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A drainage end cap device for an aircraft configured to drain fluid from a hollow space in the aircraft, the device comprising:
a mounting unit having a carrier defining an opening, the carrier defining a first mounting face configured to durably mount on an outer surface of an outer shell of the aircraft with the opening arranged congruent with a drainage opening of the aircraft, the carrier defining a second mounting face opposite to the first mounting face, the second mounting face defining a mounting plane, the mounting unit having a retainer extending peripherally around and away from the second mounting face and forming a guide groove between the retainer and the second mounting face; and
a drainage cap removably mounted to the mounting unit, the drainage cap having a housing defining a fluid inlet intersecting a cap mounting face and a fluid outlet intersecting a rear face, the fluid inlet and fluid outlet interconnected by a drainage channel, the cap mounting face configured to mate with the second mounting face of the mounting unit, the cap mounting face surrounded by a peripheral collar sized for receival by the guide groove of the mounting unit, wherein the fluid inlet intersects the cap mounting face, and wherein the housing is aerodynamically shaped over a longitudinal extension of the housing from the fluid inlet in a direction of the fluid outlet and the rear face;
wherein the drainage channel is zigzagged over the longitudinal extension of the housing such that the drainage channel has four wall segments extending substantially perpendicular to the mounting plane of the mounting unit and defining an L-shaped channel section configured such that fluid within the hollow space drains via the drainage channel to outside the aircraft and such that spray water ingressing into the drainage cap via the fluid outlet from outside the aircraft strikes at least one of the four wall segments and is prevented from traversing the drainage channel and reaching the hollow space of the aircraft.

2. The drainage end cap device according to claim 1 , wherein the drainage cap is removably mounted to the mounting unit by means of a snap-fit connection.

3. The drainage end cap device according to claim 2 , wherein the drainage cap comprises a blocking member unit that is adapted for creating the snap-fit connection to the mounting unit.

4. The drainage end cap device according to claim 3 , wherein the blocking member unit comprises at least one blocking member that is lockable by an associated blocking element of the mounting unit.

5. The drainage end cap device according to claim 2 , wherein a fixation unit is provided for creating the snap-fit connection to the mounting unit, the fixation unit removably mounted to the drainage cap for retaining the drainage cap at the mounting unit in a mounted state.

6. The drainage end cap device according to claim 5 , wherein the fixation unit comprises at least one blocking member that is lockable by an associated blocking element of the mounting unit for blocking the fixation unit at the mounting unit, the fixation unit further comprising at least one fixation unit abutting surface that is adapted for abutting in the mounted state against an associated drainage cap abutting surface of the drainage cap for blocking the drainage cap at the mounting unit.

7. The drainage end cap device according to claim 1 , wherein the housing of the drainage cap has a height that increases over a longitudinal extension of the drainage cap from the fluid inlet in direction of the fluid outlet.

8. The drainage end cap device according to claim 1 , wherein two wall segments of the four wall segments of the drainage channel are parallel to each other, and wherein two wall segments of the four wall segments of the drainage channel are perpendicular to each other.

9. The drainage end cap device according to claim 8 , wherein the two wall segments that are parallel to each other are spaced from one another by a distance that amounts to at least one third of an overall drainage cap width.

10. The drainage end cap device according to claim 9 , wherein each one of the four wall segments comprises a length that is greater than the distance.

11. The drainage end cap device according to claim 10 , wherein at least one of the four wall segments defines an angle of at least 45° with respect to the fluid outlet of the drainage cap.

12. The drainage end cap device according to claim 1 , wherein the drainage cap comprises a transparent plastic.

13. The drainage end cap device according to claim 1 , wherein the mounting unit is provided with at least one spacer that points away from the drainage cap in a mounted state of the drainage cap on the mounting unit.

Assignees

• Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH

Inventors

• Fietz Helmut
• Von-Wilmowsky Kaspar
• Singer Frank

Classifications

• F16L37/084

  combined with automatic locking · CPC title

• B64C1/1453 Primary

  Drain masts · CPC title