Aircraft interior equipment component and aircraft interior equipment component system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9902481-B2
Application number	US-201113641996-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2011
Priority date	Apr 20, 2010
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

An aircraft interior equipment component ( 10 ) with a frame ( 12 ) which comprises two rigid frame sections ( 14 a - h ) and a joint ( 16 a - h ) connecting the rigid frame sections ( 14 a - h ) to one another, and with a sheetlike section ( 18 ) which is supported by the frame ( 12 ) and is formed by a flexible and/or foldable membrane ( 20 ) connected to the frame ( 12 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft interior equipment component, comprising:
a frame which comprises at least two rigid frame sections and a hinged joint connecting the rigid frame sections to one another; and
a sheet-like section extending between the at least two rigid frame sections, the sheet-like section being supported by the frame and formed by a single flexible or foldable membrane connected to the frame;
a non-flexible or non-foldable reinforcement structure which extends over an interior surface of the sheet-like section;
wherein the hinged joint is arranged on a fold line traversing the frame and the sheet-like section, about which fold line the aircraft interior equipment component, including the sheet-like section, can be bent or folded about the fold line.

2. The aircraft interior equipment component according to claim 1 , wherein the aircraft interior equipment component comprises a plurality of hinged joints which connect two frame sections to one another, which hinged joints are arranged on an imaginary fold line about which the aircraft interior equipment component can be bent or folded.

3. The aircraft interior equipment component according to claim 1 , wherein the hinged joints are formed by cutouts in the frame, by non-reinforced, flexible or foldable sections of the frame, or by regions of the membrane which are formed in one piece with the sheetlike section which is supported by the frame.

4. The aircraft interior equipment component according to claim 1 , wherein the frame extends substantially continuously along the outer periphery of the aircraft interior equipment component.

5. The aircraft interior equipment component according to claim 1 , wherein the frame, the hinged joint, the membrane or a reinforcement structure comprises a gas-impermeable material or a burn-through-resistant material.

6. The aircraft interior equipment component according to claim 1 , wherein the frame, the hinged joint, the membrane or a reinforcement structure comprises a thermoplastic material selected from a group comprising polyphenyl sulfides, polyether sulfones or polyether ketones.

7. The aircraft interior equipment component according to claim 1 , wherein the frame, the hinged joint, the membrane or a reinforcement structure comprises a material reinforced with glass fibres, basalt fibres, aramid fibres or carbon fibres.

8. The aircraft interior equipment component according to claim 1 , wherein the frame or a reinforcement structure is connected to the membrane by a thermoplastic weld.

9. The aircraft interior equipment component according to claim 1 , wherein a reinforcement structure is in the form of a grid.

10. An aircraft interior equipment component system with:
a first aircraft interior equipment component which is directly fastened to a flexible first connecting element sheet,
a second aircraft interior equipment component which is directly fastened to a flexible second connecting element sheet, wherein the second connecting element sheet is separate from and complementary to the first connecting element, and
a coupling device configured to join the first aircraft interior component to the second aircraft interior component, wherein the coupling device is a separate component to the first and second connecting elements,
wherein the first connecting element and the second connecting element are adapted, upon connection of the first aircraft interior equipment component to the second aircraft interior equipment component, to engage with one another to form a connecting seam which is impermeable to gas.

11. The aircraft interior equipment component system according to claim 10 , wherein at least one further connecting element is fastened to the first aircraft interior equipment component, which further connecting element is adapted, upon connection of the first aircraft interior equipment component to a further aircraft interior equipment component or an aircraft structure, to engage with a complementary connecting element of the further aircraft interior equipment component or the aircraft structure in order to form a connecting seam which is impermeable to gas, or in that at least one further connecting element is fastened to the second aircraft interior equipment component, which further connecting element is adapted, upon connection of the second aircraft interior equipment component to a further aircraft interior equipment component or an aircraft structure, to engage with a complementary connecting element of the further aircraft interior equipment component or the aircraft structure in order to form a connecting seam which is impermeable to gas.

12. The aircraft interior equipment component system according to claim 10 , wherein the first connecting element of the first aircraft interior equipment component or the second connecting element of the second aircraft interior equipment component is formed as a tongue tab of a pressure closure strip or as a groove tab of a pressure closure strip.

13. The aircraft interior equipment component system according to claim 10 , wherein the first connecting element of the first aircraft interior equipment component extends along at least a partial section of an outer periphery of the first aircraft interior equipment component or in that the second connecting element of the second aircraft interior equipment component extends along at least a partial section of an outer periphery of the second aircraft interior equipment component.

14. The aircraft interior equipment component system according to claim 10 , wherein the first aircraft interior equipment component is penetrated by at least one bore which is arranged in an edge region of the first aircraft interior equipment component which adjoins the outer periphery of the first aircraft interior equipment component, with a slot which reaches as far as the outer periphery of the first aircraft interior equipment component extending from the bore, or in that the second aircraft interior equipment component is penetrated by at least one bore which is arranged in an edge region of the second aircraft interior equipment component which adjoins the outer periphery of the second aircraft interior equipment component, with a slot which reaches as far as the outer periphery of the second aircraft interior equipment component extending from the bore.

15. The aircraft interior equipment component system according to claim 10 , wherein the coupling device comprises:
a coupling pin,
a coupling eye which is arranged to receive the coupling pin, and
a sealing disc, in which an opening which can be penetrated by the coupling pin is formed.

16. The aircraft interior equipment component system according to claim 10 , wherein the first connecting element of the first aircraft interior equipment component or the second connecting element of the second aircraft interior equipment component each comprise a gas-impermeable material or of a burn-through-resistant material.

17. The aircraft interior equipment component system according to claim 10 , wherein the first connecting element of the first aircraft interior equipment component or the second connecting element of the second aircraft interior equipment component comprises a thermoplastic material, selected from a group comprising polyphenyl sulfides, polyether sulfones or polyether ketones.

18. The aircraft interior equipment component system according to claim 10 , wherein the first connecting element of the first aircraft interior equipment component is attached to the first aircraft interior equipment componen

Assignees

• Hoetzeldt Stephan
• Airbus Operations Gmbh

Inventors

• Hoetzeldt Stephan

Classifications

• B64C1/061 Primary

  Frames · CPC title

• Y10T403/52

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B64C1/066 Primary

  Interior liners · CPC title

• Y10T403/477

  Fusion bond, e.g., weld, etc. · CPC title

• Y10T428/17

  Three or more coplanar interfitted sections with securing means · CPC title