This application claims priority to foreign Patent Application No. DE 10 2009 012 424.1, filed on Mar. 10, 2009, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present invention relates to a cargo hold floor of an aircraft.
Disclosed in EP 1 646 558 B1 are a cargo hold floor and a method for the installation thereof wherein the cargo hold floor is constructed of modules that are built outside the aircraft. This is illustrated schematically in associated
Embodiments of the present invention advantageously provide a cargo hold and a method for the construction thereof to the effect that simplified installation of the floor modules is facilitated.
In one embodiment, a cargo hold floor for a cargo hold of an aircraft comprises panels or similar two-dimensional elements for the attachment of roller elements, ball elements, locking bar elements, PDUs or similar functional elements, floor beams or similar support elements which support the two-dimensional floor elements wherein the floor elements are permanently joined to the support elements to make pre-fabricated floor modules and the floor modules are installable in the aircraft, whereby for supporting the floor modules on and joining the floor modules to a body or a skin of the aircraft, separate load-bearing elements are provided which before the floor modules are installed in the aircraft are joinable to the body or skin of the aircraft and when the floor modules are installed in the aircraft are joinable to the support elements.
In another embodiment, a method for the installation of a cargo hold floor in an aircraft comprises building of floor modules outside the aircraft, installation of load-bearing elements in the aircraft, introduction of individual floor modules into the aircraft, and joining of the floor elements to the load-bearing elements.
Advantageously, the load-bearing elements—unlike those described in the printed document cited above—are installable in the aircraft without restricting the space available to the installation staff. This makes installation significantly easier.
Collision-free installation is still possible particularly when the floor modules are not of a flat construction, as shown in
Preferably the load-bearing elements comprise position compensating elements which enable tolerance compensation particularly in the aircraft's longitudinal direction. This makes installation even easier.
The load-bearing elements may be designed as individual posts which can be joined to a floor module after its introduction, in particular to its support elements that run transverse to the aircraft's longitudinal axis. Alternatively, it is also possible to combine such load-bearing elements into groups, particularly into a single group such that the load-bearing elements can be handled consistently. This also makes installation work easier and can also contribute towards an increase in stability.
Moreover, it is advantageous if the load-bearing elements have a structure which strengthens them after joining to the support elements. This must be ensured particularly if the load-bearing elements are combined into a group. As a result, the support elements of the modules may be of a less solid and thus also lighter design.
The invention will be explained subsequently in greater detail on the basis of embodiments.
The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout.
Already in the aircraft in this diagram are load-bearing elements 30 attached using lower joining devices 31 to outer skin 11 of the aircraft. The load-bearing elements 30 comprise a plurality of elongate posts. Each post has a length between a lower end of the post and an upper end of the post. The plurality of posts includes posts having different lengths. The upper ends of the load-bearing posts are generally linearly aligned with one another for the receipt of a floor beam of a floor module.
After placing floor module 20 onto the upper ends of load-bearing elements 30 (see
Another significant advantage of this arrangement is that if superstructure 22 of floor module 20 is very tall then introduction of conventionally built floor modules 5 into the cargo hold is only possible to a limited extent or only permits lower superstructures 22.
The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification, and, thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and, accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to that fall within the scope of the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2009 012 424 | Mar 2009 | DE | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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7967251 | Wood | Jun 2011 | B2 |
20040016846 | Blackwell-Thompson et al. | Jan 2004 | A1 |
20060231681 | Huber et al. | Oct 2006 | A1 |
20080173755 | Benthien | Jul 2008 | A1 |
20100140396 | Guering | Jun 2010 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
19720224 | Oct 1998 | DE |
1 646 558 | Apr 2006 | EP |
1714868 | Oct 2006 | EP |
2005012083 | Feb 2005 | WO |
2006051235 | May 2006 | WO |
2007057411 | May 2007 | WO |
Entry |
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European Search Report (ESR) for related application No. EP 10155893.0, Jul. 19, 2010. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20100230535 A1 | Sep 2010 | US |