Modular adapter plate system
View Patent ↗A modular adapter plate system ( 1 ) for the installation of mission equipment in vehicles with floor panels ( 30 ), particularly for the installation of mission equipment in aircrafts such as helicopters, each plate ( 2 - 8 ) of said system comprising a pair of parallel seat/cargo tracks ( 9, 10 ) interconnected by stiff beam elements ( 11 - 15 ) and lateral flanges ( 16, 40 ) for releasable fixation to the floor panels ( 30 ) and lateral flanges ( 18, 19, 41, 42 ) for releasable interconnection. The invention is also related to a vehicle with said modular adapter plate system ( 1 ).
1. A modular adapter plate system for the installation of mission equipment a rotorcraft having at least one floor panel at least one of rails and anchor points, the system comprising:
one or more modular plates, each plate of the one or more plates including a pair of parallel tracks interconnected by transversal stiff beam elements, cross-linked stiff beam elements and axial stiff beam elements for providing increased stiffness of the parallel tracks, wherein the tracks being provided with lateral flanges with releasable or integrated track fittings for fixation to the floor panels of the rotorcraft, the tracks being provided with at least one of male lateral flanges with pins and female lateral flanges with receptacles for interconnection of the plates to expand at least one of the plates in a lateral direction.
2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the stiff beam elements is provided with attachment points for fixation to the floor panel of the rotorcraft.
3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the stiff beam elements is provided with pins as male elements and at least one of the other transversal, cross-linked and axial stiff beam elements is provided with receptacles as female elements for mating with the male elements thereby interconnecting the tracks of the plates to expand at least one of the plates in an axial direction of the rotorcraft.
4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the lateral flanges are provided with attachment points for track fittings fitted into the anchor points of the floor panel of the rotorcraft.
5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the axial and transversal stiff beam element include respectively at least one axial beams and lateral beams provided with attachment points for the track fittings to be fitted into the anchor points of the floor panels of the rotorcraft.
6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the cross-linked stiff beam elements include at least two stiff beam elements that intersect and are joined at a mid-region.
7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the lateral flanges are either an integral part of the plates or in that the lateral flanges are removable with respect to the plates.
8. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the lateral flanges are attached via one of the pins to receptacles in the plates and the receptacles to fasteners in the plates.
9. A modular adapter plate system for attaching equipment to a floor panel of a rotorcraft, the system comprising:
at least one anchor rail fixed to the floor panel the rotorcraft;
at least two modular plates adapted to be connected together and adapted to be secured along the anchor rail at a plurality of anchor positions in the rotorcraft;
a pair of parallel tracks disposed on each of the modular plates adapted to securely mount cargo along the pair of parallel tracks at a plurality of mounting positions;
a plurality of stiff beam elements extending between and interconnecting the pair of parallel tracks for providing increased stiffness of the parallel tracks;
lateral flanges extend from each of the parallel tracks, the lateral flanges including at least one of male lateral flanges with pins and female lateral flanges with receptacles, wherein the lateral flanges interconnect the two modular plates in a lateral direction; and
track fittings extending through the lateral flanges and connected to the anchor rail to hold the modular plates to the floor panel at one of the plurality of anchor positions,
wherein cargo is adapted to be mounted to the parallel tracks at one of the plurality of mounting positions independent of the anchor position of the modular plates to the floor panel of the rotorcraft, thereby allowing cargo to be installed in the rotorcraft in a wide variety of cargo arrangements.
10. The system according to claim 9 , wherein at least one of the stiff beam elements is provided with an attachment point for fixation to the floor panel of the rotorcraft.
11. The system according to claim 9 , wherein at least one of the stiff beam elements is provided with pins as male elements and at least one of the other stiff beam elements is provided with receptacles as female elements for mating with the male elements thereby interconnecting the tracks of the plates to expand at least one of the plates in an axial direction.
12. The system according to claim 9 , wherein the lateral flanges are provided with attachment points, wherein the track fittings are fixed through the attachment into the anchor rails of the floor panel of the rotorcraft.
13. The system according to claim 9 , wherein the plurality of stiff beam elements include axial beams, lateral beams and cross-linked stiff beam elements extending between the parallel tracks to provide increased stiffness.
14. The system according to claim 13 , wherein the cross-linked stiff beam elements include at least two stiff beam elements such that one of the stiff beam elements intersects another of the stiff beam elements.
15. The system according to claim 9 , wherein the lateral flanges are attached via one of the pins to receptacles in the plates and the receptacles to fasteners in the plates.
16. A modular adapter plate system for attaching equipment to a floor panel of rotorcraft, the system comprising:
at least one anchor rail fixed to the floor panel of the rotorcraft;
at least two modular plates adapted to be connected together and adapted to be secured along the anchor rail at a plurality of anchor positions in the rotorcraft;
a pair of parallel tracks disposed on each of the modular plates adapted to securely mount cargo along the pair of parallel tracks at a plurality of mounting positions;
a plurality of stiff beam elements extending between and interconnecting the pair of parallel tracks for providing increased stiffness of the parallel tracks;
connection elements formed on each of the plates to extend the plates in one of a lateral direction and a axial direction, the connection elements including at least one of a pin and a receptacle; and
track fittings releasably connected to the anchor rail to hold the modular plates to the floor panel at one of the plurality of anchor positions,
wherein cargo is adapted to be mounted to the parallel tracks at one of the plurality of mounting positions independent of the anchor position of the modular plates to the floor panel of the rotorcraft, thereby allowing cargo to be installed in the rotorcraft in a wide variety of cargo arrangements.
17. The system according to claim 16 , wherein at least one of the stiff beam elements is provided with the pins as and at least one of the other stiff beam elements is provided with the receptacle wherein the pin mates with receptacle thereby interconnecting the tracks of the plates to expand at least one of the plates in the axial direction.
18. The system according to claim 16 , further comprising lateral flanges extend from each of the parallel tracks wherein the lateral flanges are provided with the connection elements, wherein the track fittings are fixed through the attachment into the anchor rails of the floor panel of the rotorcraft.
19. The system according to claim 18 , wherein the lateral flanges are attached via one of the pins to receptacles in the plates and the receptacles to fasteners in the plates.
20. The system according to claim 16 , wherein the plurality of stiff beam elements are cross-linked such that one of the stiff beam elements intersects another of the stiff beam elements.