Sleeve for a pair of wiring harnesses
An aircraft with a folding wing tip arrangement and first and second wiring harnesses extending between a fixed wing and a wing tip device is disclosed. It is desirable to transfer power and/or data into a folding wing tip, which presents challenges such as repeated exposure to potentially harsh environmental conditions, with movement, and/or with changes in tensional loads. The wiring harnesses include a plurality of conductors and are arranged to transmit electrical power and/or data to the wing tip device. The sleeve includes two channels to receive the harnesses, the position of the channels being fixed, relative to one another, such that the harnesses are held apart.
1 . An aircraft comprising a wing, the wing comprising a fixed wing and a wing tip device moveably mounted at a joint at an end of the fixed wing, wherein the wing tip device is moveable about the joint between: (i) a flight configuration for use during flight, and (ii) a ground configuration for use during ground-based operations, wherein in the ground configuration, the wing tip device is moved relative to the fixed wing such that an span of the wing is reduced,
wherein the aircraft comprises a first wiring harness and a second wiring harness, the first and second wiring harnesses extending between the fixed wing and the wing tip device, and each of the first and second wiring harnesses comprising a plurality of conductors arranged to transmit electrical power and/or data to the wing tip device,
and wherein the first and second wiring harnesses are received in a protective sleeve, the sleeve comprising a first channel in which the first wiring harness is received and a second channel in which the second wiring harness is received, a position of the first channel is fixed, relative to the second channel, such that the first and second wiring harnesses are held apart,
wherein the plurality of the conductors of the first wiring harness comprises a high voltage conductor, arranged to transmit a high voltage supply,
wherein the plurality of the conductors of the second wiring harness comprises a low voltage conductor arranged to transmit a low voltage supply, and
wherein the first wiring harness and the second wiring harness are spaced apart and extend parallel to each other.
2 . The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the sleeve is formed from a single piece of material and the first and second channels are integrally formed within the sleeve.
3 . The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein each channel is substantially circular in cross-section.
4 . The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the sleeve comprises a webbing region, the webbing region extending between the first and second channels and providing an air gap therebetween, and arranged to hold the channels in the fixed position relative to one another.
5 . The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the sleeve is arranged such that the first wiring harness is spaced apart from the second wiring harness by less than 75 mm.
6 . The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein each channel is defined by a wall surrounding the respective wiring harness, the wall having a wall thickness of at least 2 mm.
7 . The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the sleeve comprises a first slit extending along a length of the first channel and a second slit extending along a length of the second channel, the sleeve resiliently deformable to open the slits, such that the sleeve can be removed from the first and second wiring harnesses by opening the first and second slits around the respective first and second wiring harnesses.
8 . The aircraft according to claim 7 , wherein the slits are located on underside of the sleeve.
9 . The aircraft according to claim 7 , wherein the sleeve comprises a first pair of closure tabs on either side of the first slit, and a second pair of closure tabs on either side of the second slit, the closure tabs of each pair are held together to close the respective slit.
10 . The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the aircraft comprises a sleeve guide located above the sleeve, and wherein the sleeve guide is configured to constrain movement of the sleeve such that the sleeve bends about the sleeve guide during movement of the wing tip device from the flight configuration to the ground configuration.
11 . The aircraft according to claim 10 , wherein when the wing tip device is in the flight configuration, the sleeve is urged against the sleeve guide.
12 . The aircraft according to claim 10 , wherein the aircraft comprises a second sleeve guide, the second sleeve guide being located below the sleeve and wherein in the flight configuration the sleeve is urged against the second sleeve guide.
13 . A wing assembly for the aircraft according to claim 1 , the wing assembly comprising a second fixed wing and a second wing tip device moveably mounted at a second joint at an end of the second fixed wing, the second wing tip device moveable about the second joint between the flight and the ground configurations,
wherein the wing assembly comprises a third wiring harness and a fourth wiring harness, the third and fourth wiring harnesses extending between the second fixed wing and the second wing tip device, and each of the third and fourth wiring harnesses comprising a plurality of conductors arranged to transmit electrical power and/or data to the second wing tip device,
and wherein the third and fourth wiring harnesses are received in a second protective sleeve, the second protective sleeve comprising a third channel in which the third wiring harness is received and a fourth channel in which the fourth wiring harness is received, a position of the third channel is fixed, relative to the fourth channel, such that the thin and fourth wiring harnesses are held apart.
14 . An aircraft comprising a wing, the wing comprising a fixed wing and a wing tip device moveably mounted at a joint at an end of the fixed wing, wherein the wing tip device is moveable about the joint between: (i) a flight configuration for use during flight, and (ii) a ground configuration for use during ground-based operations, wherein in the ground configuration, the wing tip device is moved relative to the fixed wing such that an span of the wing is reduced,
wherein the aircraft comprises a first wiring harness and a second wiring harness, the first and second wiring harnesses extending between the fixed wing and the wing tip device, and each of the first and second wiring harnesses comprising a plurality of conductors arranged to transmit electrical power and/or data to the wing tip device,
wherein the first and second wiring harnesses are received in a protective sleeve, the sleeve comprising a first channel in which the first wiring harness is received and a second channel in which the second wiring harness is received, a position of the first channel is fixed, relative to the second channel, such that the first and second wiring harnesses are held apart and extend largely-parallel to each other, and
wherein the aircraft comprises a first sleeve guide and a second sleeve guide offset horizontally from the first sleeve guide.
15 . An aircraft comprising a wing, the wing comprising a fixed wing and a wing tip device moveably mounted at a joint at an end of the fixed wing, wherein the wing tip device is moveable about the joint between: (i) a flight configuration for use during flight, and (ii) a ground configuration for use during ground-based operations, wherein in the ground configuration, the wing tip device is moved relative to the fixed wing such that an span of the wing is reduced,
wherein the aircraft comprises a first wiring harness and a second wiring harness, the first and second wiring harnesses extending between the fixed wing and the wing tip device, and each of the first and second wiring harnesses comprising a plurality of conductors arranged to transmit electrical power and/or data to the wing tip device,
wherein the first and second wiring harnesses are received in a protective sleeve, the sleeve comprising a first channel in which the first wiring harness is received and a second channel in which the second wiring harness is received, a position of the first channel is fixed, relative to the second channel, such that the first and second wiring harnesses are held apart, and
wherein the aircraft comprises a first sleeve guide and a second sleeve guide each including an outer arcuate surface in contact with the sleeve during movement of the wing tip device from the flight configuration to the ground configuration.