IP Library Granted Patent US 9,583,892
Granted Patent B2
US 9,583,892 · App. 14/643,073 · Granted Feb 28, 2017

Aircraft having an avionics system including avionics equipment that has primary lightning protector and is connected in series via wired connection to supplemental lightning protector

Inventor: Bertrand Chatain (Vitrolles, FR)
Assignee: Airbus Helicopters
H01R13/6666B64D45/02H01R13/6616H02H9/04H01R24/20H01R2201/26
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,583,892
App. No.
14/643,073
Granted
Feb 28, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

An aircraft having an avionics system comprising a plurality of avionics equipment and a system of connections, the avionics equipment incorporating protection means for providing protection against indirect effects of lightning, the system of connections including wired connections and connectors between the wired connections. The avionics system has at least one avionics equipment with protection means that are insufficient for providing total protection against the indirect effects of lightning when the equipment is incorporated in the structure, which equipment is connected to at least one connector including a resistor connected in series relative to at least one wired connection secured to the resistive connector.

Claims (31)

1. An aircraft comprising:

a structure;

an avionics system including a plurality of pieces of avionics equipment and a system of connections between the pieces of avionics equipment, the pieces of avionics equipment configured to transmit and receive input and output signals with one another over the system of connections, the system of connections including wired connections connected to the pieces of avionics equipment and connectors secured between the wired connections;

at least one of the pieces of avionics equipment including protection means including at least one semiconductor member for providing protection against indirect effects of lightning;

wherein at least one piece of avionics equipment is referred to as a piece of “insufficiently protected equipment” in that the protection means of the piece of insufficiently protected equipment is insufficient for ensuring that the piece of insufficiently protected equipment is completely protected against the indirect effects of lightning given a predetermined specification relating the integration of the piece of insufficiently protected equipment in the structure; and

wherein each piece of insufficiently protected equipment is connected to at least one connector referred to as a “resistive” connector that includes a resistor arranged in series with the wired connections secured to the resistive connector whereby the resistor supplements the protection against indirect effects of lightning.

2. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the aircraft has predetermined zones for connecting wired connections, and the resistive connectors are arranged in the predetermined zones.

3. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the resistive connector comprises a male member and a female member, the male member being insertable in part and in reversible manner in the female member, and the resistor is arranged in the female member.

4. The aircraft according to claim 3 , wherein the female member has an electrically conductive rear portion and an electrically conductive front portion with a front orifice into which an electrically conductive male contact of a male member is inserted, the resistor being inserted between the rear portion and the front portion so as to be electrically in contact with the rear portion and with the front portion.

5. The aircraft according to claim 4 , wherein the resistor is inserted in an electrically insulating sheath projecting longitudinally from opposite ends of the resistor, the sheath being secured to the rear portion and to the front portion.

6. The aircraft according to claim 5 , wherein the resistor comprises a block of electrically resistive material inserted in the sheath and in contact with the front portion and with the rear portion.

7. The aircraft according to claim 3 , wherein the female member has an electrically conductive rear portion and an electrically conductive front portion having a front orifice into which an electrically conductive male contact of a male member is inserted, the resistor being inserted in the front orifice in order to be interposed between the female member and the male contact, the front portion being secured to the rear portion.

8. The aircraft according to claim 7 , wherein the resistor comprises a bushing pressed against a wall of the front portion defining the front orifice, the bushing being open in order to receive the male contact.

9. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the resistor comprises electrically resistive material.

10. The aircraft according to claim 9 , wherein the material comprises carbon.

11. The aircraft of claim 1 wherein:

the at least one semiconductor member of each piece of avionics equipment includes a diode.

12. An aircraft comprising:

a structure;

an avionics system including a plurality of pieces of avionics equipment and a system of connections between the pieces of avionics equipment, the pieces of avionics equipment configured to transmit and receive input and output signals with one another over the system of connections, the system of connections including wired connections directly connected to the pieces of avionics equipment and connectors secured between the wired connections;

at least one of the pieces of avionics equipment including a semiconductor member for providing protection against indirect effects of lightning;

wherein at least one of the pieces of avionics equipment is referred to as a piece of “insufficiently protected equipment” in that the semiconductor member of the piece of insufficiently protected equipment is insufficient for ensuring that the piece of insufficiently protected equipment is completely protected against the indirect effects of lightning given a predetermined specification relating the integration of the piece of insufficiently protected equipment in the structure; and

wherein, for each piece of insufficiently protected equipment, the connector secured to the wired connection directly connected to the piece of insufficiently protected equipment is referred to as a “resistive” connector in that the resistive connector includes a resistor arranged in series with the wired connection secured to the resistive connector whereby the resistor supplements the protection against indirect effects of lightning.

13. The aircraft of claim 12 wherein:

the semiconductor member of each piece of avionics equipment includes a diode.

14. An avionics system for an aircraft, the avionics system comprising:

a plurality of pieces of avionics equipment, at least one of the pieces of avionics equipment including a semiconductor member for providing protection against indirect effects of lightning;

a system of connections between the pieces of avionics equipment, the system of connections including wired connections connected to the pieces of avionics equipment and connectors secured between the wired connections; and

wherein one of the connectors secured between the wired connections connected between a pair of the pieces of avionics equipment includes a resistor arranged in series with the wired connections secured to the one of the connectors whereby the resistor supplements the protection against indirect effects of lightning for at least one of the pair of the pieces of avionics equipment.

15. The avionics system of claim 14 wherein:

the semiconductor member of each piece of avionics equipment includes a diode.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 13, 2015
From: CHATAIN, BERTRAND
To: AIRBUS HELICOPTERS
Reel/Frame 035630/0359 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 6, 2015
From: OOLUROO LLC
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 035578/0982 →
ASSIGNMENT FOR SECURITY - PATENTS Recorded Apr 16, 2015
From: OOLUROO LLC
To: ABC FUNDING, LLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 035445/0138 →
Priority Claims (1)
FR 14 00667 · Mar 20, 2014 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20150270651A1 · Sep 24, 2015