FR3049777A1 - ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR FOR AIRCRAFT FITTING - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an electrical connector 18 adapted to electrically connect a device 14 arranged on the outer surface of the fairing 16 of an aircraft 10, the connector 18 is characterized in that it comprises a tubular sleeve 22 which extends axially from a head 28 adapted to be embedded in a complementary hole 20 formed through said fairing 16, to a body 32 adapted to be arranged inside the aircraft 10, the sleeve 22 defining at least one axial housing 40 passing through and an electrical contact 24 which extends axially in the housing 40 delimited by the socket 22, and which has an outer face 42 adapted to be electrically connected to the external equipment 14 and an inner face 44 adapted to be electrically connected to internal equipment.

Description

The invention relates to an electrical connector adapted to electrically connect equipment arranged on the outer surface of a fairing of an aircraft, to a device arranged inside the aircraft.

More generally, the connector according to the invention is adapted to electrically connect two equipment arranged on either side of a partition.

It is known to provide an aircraft with external equipment that requires an electrical connection, to be supplied with electric power or to be controlled, for example.

Such external equipment may be a device for displaying a light message on the fairing of the aircraft for example, such as the device described in WO-2014174211, or any other element requiring to be electrically connected.

According to the document WO-2014174211, the display device is electrically connected to equipment arranged inside the aircraft, via electrical wires which pass through the fairing of the aircraft through holes provided for this purpose. effect.

Although effective, the holes provided for the passage of the wires may weaken the mechanical strength of the fairing and may potentially require their repair, for example by plugging, in the case of the removal of the equipment located outside the fairing. 'aircraft. The invention aims to overcome this disadvantage and consists in proposing at least one perennial electrical connection point to avoid plugging holes and to avoid damaging the aesthetics of the fairing.

For this purpose, the invention proposes an electrical connector adapted to electrically connect equipment arranged on the outer surface of the fairing of an aircraft, the connector is characterized in that it comprises: a tubular bushing which extends axially from a head adapted to be embedded in a complementary hole formed through said fairing, to a body adapted to be arranged inside the aircraft, the sleeve delimiting at least one through axial housing, - an electrical contact that s extends axially in the housing delimited by the socket, and which has an outer face adapted to be electrically connected to the external equipment and an inner face adapted to be electrically connected to an internal equipment, and - an internal connector which is mounted on the body of the socket removably to attach the connector to the fairing.

The connector according to the invention brings a saving of time for the electrical connection of an external equipment.

In addition, the invention avoids the maintenance steps which consist in resealing the passage holes of the son in the fairing.

The connector also allows a freer choice of location of electrical equipment on the outer face of the fairing.

In addition, the structural impact on the fairing is reduced.

Also, in case of detachment or tearing of the internal equipment, the electrical connection with the internal equipment will not be damaged.

In general, the quality of the installation is reinforced.

According to another characteristic, the internal connection is mounted on the body of the sleeve removably and the connection has: - a bearing face which is adapted to cooperate with the head of the sleeve to axially pinch the fairing of the aircraft and a radial bottom which is adapted to close the sleeve axially and to trap the electrical contact in the housing of the socket.

This feature allows quick and reliable mounting of the connector on the fairing.

Preferably, the inner connector is screwed onto the body of the socket.

According to another characteristic, the electrical contact is mounted to slide axially in said associated housing between a rest position in which the external face of the contact protrudes with respect to the head of the socket and a contact position in which the electrical contact is flush with the head of the socket, the connector having an elastic return element of the electrical contact to its rest position.

The stroke of the contact makes it possible to ensure the electrical contact despite the deformations and manufacturing tolerances of the equipment to be powered and / or the fairing and despite the vibrations in flight.

Preferably, the elastic return element is interposed axially between the bottom of the internal connection and the electrical contact.

In addition, the elastic return element is electrically connected to the internal equipment.

According to another characteristic, the head of the sleeve has a frustoconical shape which is adapted to be housed in said hole made through the fairing of the aircraft, the head of the sleeve being delimited axially by an outer face adapted to flush the surface outer of the fairing.

The flush face of the bushing head limits aerodynamic disturbances.

According to another characteristic, the electrical contact forms a shoulder which is designed to bear axially on a complementary seat delimited by the housing of the tubular bushing, to limit the axial displacement of the electrical contact towards the outside of the aircraft.

According to another characteristic, the socket delimits a plurality of axial housings, and in that the electrical connector comprises a plurality of electrical contacts which each extend axially in one of said housings delimited by the socket, each electrical contact having a suitable outer surface to be electrically connected to the external equipment and an inner face adapted to be electrically connected to the internal equipment.

This feature allows in particular to connect different types of electrical sources, such as a DC power source and an AC power source.

According to another characteristic, the internal coupling comprises a first subassembly of generally tubular shape which is mounted on the body of the socket removably and a second subassembly which forms the bottom of the internal connection and which delimits a plurality of compartments , each compartment being adapted to close the sleeve axially and to trap the associated electrical contact in the associated housing of the sleeve, and in that the second subassembly is rotatably mounted in the first subassembly.

According to another characteristic, the second subassembly comprises a sleeve which extends axially through a passage of the first subassembly and which cooperates with said passage by form cooperation to couple the first subassembly on the second subassembly. .

According to another characteristic, the connector comprises a fuse which is electrically connected to the internal face of the contact and which makes it possible to open the electrical circuit passing through the connector.

According to another characteristic, the connector comprises a plug which is adapted to close the passage of the internal fitting. The invention also relates to an aircraft equipped with an electrical connector of the type described above, said connector being adapted to electrically connect equipment arranged on the outer surface of the fairing of the aircraft, to a device arranged inside the aircraft. Other features and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the detailed description which follows for the understanding of which reference will be made to the appended drawings in which: FIG. 1 is an overall view which illustrates an aircraft equipped with an electrical connector according to the invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view which illustrates the electrical connector according to a first embodiment of the invention; FIG. 3 is an axial sectional view which illustrates the connector of FIG. 2; - Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of the socket of the connector of Figure 2; FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the electrical contact of the connector of FIG. 2; - Figure 6 is a schematic perspective view of the electrical contact of the connector of Figure 2 according to an alternative embodiment; - Figure 7 is a schematic perspective view of the internal connector of the connector of Figure 2; - Figure 8 is a schematic perspective view of the internal connector of the connector of Figure 2 according to an alternative embodiment; FIGS. 9a and 9b are diagrammatic views in axial section and face respectively, which illustrate an embodiment of the socket of the connector according to a second embodiment of the invention; - Figures 10 to 12 are schematic front views, which illustrate other embodiments of the socket of the connector according to the second embodiment of the invention; FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view which illustrates the internal connection according to the second embodiment of the invention; FIG. 14 is a schematic perspective view illustrating another embodiment of the internal connection according to the second embodiment of the invention; FIGS. 15a, 15b and 15c are perspective views of a connector according to the invention

In the description and the claims, the terms "external" and "internal" or "inside" and "outside" will be used in a nonlimiting manner to distinguish the outer space and the internal space respectively of the aircraft, these spaces being delimited by the fairing of the aircraft.

Likewise, the terms "axial" and "radial" must be understood with reference to the connection axis A represented in FIGS.

Also, for the different embodiments, the same references may be used for identical elements or ensuring the same function, for the sake of simplification of the description.

FIG. 1 shows an aircraft 10 which is equipped with two turbojet engine nacelles, of which one nacelle 12 is visible in FIG.

The nacelle 12 carries an external equipment 14 arranged on the outer surface of the fairing 16 of the aircraft 10, the external element 14 being here a display device 14 of a light message, the displayed message being "LOGO" according to the illustrated example.

By fairing 16 is meant the outer wall, or the envelope, of the aircraft 10 in the broad sense, which includes both the outer wall of a nacelle and the outer wall of a wing of the aircraft 12, for example .

The display device 14 is electrically connected to an internal equipment (not shown), that is to say an internal equipment which is arranged inside the casing formed by the fairing 16, such as a device of FIG. power supply and / or a control device for example. For this purpose, as can be seen in Figures 2 and 3, an electrical connector 18 according to the invention is mounted in a hole 20 formed through the fairing 16 of the aircraft 10, to electrically connect the display device 14 , or any other electrical equipment, to internal equipment.

The connector 18 extends axially along a connection axis A which is generally perpendicular to the fairing 16, the connector 18 essentially comprising a tubular sleeve 22, a movable electrical contact 24 and an internal connector 26.

The bushing 22, illustrated in detail in FIG. 4, extends axially, along the axis A, from a head 28 which is embedded in the hole 20 formed for this purpose, to a cylindrical body 32 arranged at the inside the aircraft 10.

The head 28 of the bushing 22 has a frustoconical shape complementary to the frustoconical shape of the associated hole 20, the head 28 of the bushing 22 being delimited axially by an outer plane face 34 which is flush with the outer surface 36 of the fairing 16 and by one face frustoconical 38 which bears axially on the hole 20.

According to a first embodiment illustrated in Figures 2 to 8, the sleeve 22 defines a through axial housing 40.

The electrical contact 24 has a generally cylindrical shape that extends axially in the housing 40 defined by the sleeve 22, from an outer face 42 of plane contact able to be electrically connected to the display device 14 by an electrical conductor (not shown), to an inner face 44 adapted to be electrically connected to the internal equipment (not shown).

Also, the internal fitting 26 forms a blind nut which is screwed to the body 32 of the sleeve 22 in a removable manner, the connector 26 having a peripheral surface which is adapted to the use of a standard mounting tool or to a clamping by hand.

Similarly, the outer surface of the connector 26 is electrically insulated from the inner surface of the connector 26 to avoid the risk of electrification of an operator handling the device.

The internal connection 26 has a bearing face 46 and a bottom 48.

The axial bearing face 46 of the coupling 26 is adapted to cooperate with the head 28 of the sleeve 22 to axially clamp the fairing 16 of the aircraft 10, so that the fairing 16 is interposed axially between the head 28 of the bushing 22 and the connector 26 as can be seen in Figure 3, to lock the connector 18 on the fairing 16.

A washer 50 can be interposed axially between the fairing 16 and the bearing face 46 of the coupling 26, the washer 50 allowing not to damage the shroud 16 during the tightening of the fitting 26.

The washer 50 is electrically insulated, at least on its face in contact with the fairing 16.

The bottom 48 of the fitting 26, which extends radially, closes the sleeve 22 axially and traps the electrical contact 24 in the associated housing 40.

According to another aspect of the invention, the electrical contact 24 is mounted to slide axially along the connection axis A, in the associated housing 40, between a rest position illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, in which the external face 42 of the contact 24 protrudes axially beyond the outer face 34 of the head 28 of the sleeve 22, and a not shown contact position in which the electrical contact 24 is substantially depressed under the pressure exerted by the external electrical conductor connected to the contact 24.

Also, in its position of contact, the outer face 42 of the contact 24 is flush with the outer face 34 of the head 28 of the sleeve 22.

The stroke of the contact 24 outside the fairing 16 makes it possible to ensure electrical contact with the display device 14, despite any deformations and manufacturing tolerances of the fairing 16 and the display device 14 to be connected, and despite vibrations in flight.

Thus, in case of tearing of the external equipment 14 connected to the contact 24 of the connector 18 according to the invention, the electrical connection with the internal equipment connected by the connector 18 will be preserved from any damage.

To limit the axial stroke of the electrical contact 24 towards the outside, the electrical contact 24 forms a shoulder 52 which bears axially on a seat 54 complementary defined by the housing 40 of the sleeve 22.

Complementarily, the connector 18 comprises a resilient return element which is interposed axially between the bottom 48 of the internal connector 26 and the electrical contact 24, to return the contact 24 to its rest position. The elastic return member may be a coil spring 56, as shown in Figure 3, or a spring blade 58 as can be seen in Figures 7 and 8.

Still according to the first embodiment of the invention, the connector 18 comprises a fuse 60 which is interposed axially between the inner face 44 of the electrical contact 24 and the elastic return element 56, so that the fuse 60 ensures continuity between the contact 24 and the elastic return element 56, as can be seen in FIG.

FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the first embodiment, in which the contact 24 comprises a cylindrical skirt 62 that opens axially towards the inside of the aircraft 10.

The skirt 62 defines an axial slot 64 which cooperates with a pin (not shown) which extends radially from the body 32 of the sleeve 22, to maintain contact 24 within the sleeve 22, while still allowing axial sliding. of the contact 24. Non-limitingly, if the connector 18 is devoid of fuse 60, the contact 24 has an axial length greater than that of the contact 24 designed to cooperate with a fuse, to compensate for the length of the fuse absent, as one can see it in Figure 6.

The electrical connection of the connector 18 according to the invention to the internal equipment to be connected can be realized in several ways.

According to a first connection example illustrated in FIG. 7, a lug (not shown) can be inserted and held between the washer 50 and the bearing face 46 of the internal connection 26, the electrical continuity being ensured by the plane contact between the lug and the rear connector. According to this example, at least part of the bearing face 46 of the connector 26 in contact with the lug has electrical continuity with the spring blade 58.

According to a second connection example not shown, a cable may be connected to the spring blade 58 or any other conductive part of the internal connection 26, this cable coming out from the bottom 48 of the connector 26.

Finally, according to a third connection example illustrated in FIG. 8, the connection 26 has a threaded hole 66 into which an insert 68 is screwed. This insert 68 is electrically connected to the spring blade 58 and allows electrical recovery by example via a screw now a pod (not shown).

According to a second embodiment of the invention, represented in FIGS. 9a to 14, the bushing 22 delimits a plurality of axial housings 40, each housing 40 being designed to receive a movable contact 24, in order to ensure a plurality of electrical connections, such as a connection to a continuous network, to a single-phase or three-phase network, or to several networks.

Each housing 40 has a seat 54 which cooperates with a shoulder 52 complementary to the associated mobile contact 24, as described according to the first embodiment.

More particularly, there is shown in Figure 9a a connector 18, according to the second embodiment, comprising a sleeve 22 defining two housings 40 of cylindrical section, two associated mobile electrical contacts 24 which each extend axially in one of the housings 40 of the bushing 22, and an internal connector 70.

Each electrical contact 24 has an outer face 42 adapted to be electrically connected to the external equipment and an inner face 44 adapted to be electrically connected to the internal equipment, as described according to the first embodiment.

FIGS. 10 to 12 show various exemplary embodiments according to the second embodiment of the invention, FIG. 10 illustrating two housings 40 with a D-section, FIG. 11 illustrating four housings 40 of quarter-circle section arranged around the A connection axis, and Figure 12 illustrating six housings 40 of various sections arranged around the axis A connection. It will be understood that according to these examples, each contact 24 has a shape complementary to the shape of the associated housing 40.

As can be seen in FIG. 13, the coupling 70 comprises a first subassembly 70a of generally tubular shape which is screwed onto the body 32 of the sleeve 22 in a removable manner and a second subassembly 70b in a cup which forms the bottom of the internal connector 26 and which delimits a plurality of compartments 72.

Each compartment 72 is adapted to close the bushing 22 axially and to trap the associated electrical contact 24 in the associated housing 40 of the sleeve 22. It will also be noted that the compartments 72 are electrically insulated from each other to avoid any short circuit.

In addition, each compartment 72 comprises a spring blade 58 which provides the electrical connection with the associated contact 24 via a fuse 60.

Also, the second subassembly 70b is rotatably mounted in the first subassembly 70a to allow the first subassembly 70a to be screwed onto the body 32 of the bushing 22 without rotating the second subassembly 70b.

Referring to Figures 9a and 13, the first subassembly 70a defines an axial passage 74 for son 75 electrical connection (visible in Figure 14) and a seat 76 adapted to carry the second subassembly 70b.

Complementarily, the connector 70 comprises an elastic ring 78 arranged in a groove 80 to stop the second subassembly 70b axially.

According to a preferred embodiment, the connector 70 comprises a keying means 82 which cooperates with the sleeve 22 during assembly of the connector 70 and which keeps the compartments 72 of the spring blades in the axis of the movable contacts 24.

Advantageously, as can be seen in Figure 14, the second subassembly 70b of the connector 70 includes a sleeve 84 which extends axially through the passage 74 of the first subassembly 70a.

The sleeve 84 has an annular collar 86 which is adapted to be inserted axially through the passage 74 formed by the first subassembly 70a.

The sleeve 84 is adapted to cooperate with a heat-shrinkable sheath (not shown) which traps the connecting wires 75 and which makes it possible to secure the connection wires 75 to the first subassembly 70a.

The diameter of the sleeve 84 is dimensioned so as to allow the first subassembly 70a to slide along the bundle of connecting wires 75 in order to facilitate assembly and disassembly of the connector 18.

This also allows pre-assembly of the assembly in production, that is to say to provide the connector 70 mounted and wired. The assembly operation of the connector 18 is then only to drill a hole in the fairing, insert the sleeve 22 having the contact 24 and fix the connector 70 on the sleeve 22.

The present description of the invention is given by way of non-limiting example.

In the absence of external equipment to be electrically connected by the connector 18, the heads 28 of bushes 22 and movable contacts 24 can be painted to be totally coincident with the fairing.

The paint is then removed, at least on the mobile contacts 24, at the installation of the external equipment. A conductive paint can also be put in place to avoid this step.

Advantageously, the connector 18 comprises a plug which is adapted to close the internal connector 26 when the connector is not used (that is to say not connected to an electrical system) but is left in place on the fairing of an aircraft. Alternatively there may be a plug replacing the internal connector, as shown in Figure 15c described below

Figures 15a to 15c shows a variant of the connector 18 of Figure 9a. In this variant, the connector 18 comprises a bushing 220 which is integral with one or more fastening tabs, in the example two fastening tabs 222. The fastening tabs 222 each comprise a bore 224 making it possible to fix the bushing 220 on the fairing of an aircraft by means of screw / nut assemblies. As for the previous embodiments described, the internal connector 26 of the connector is screwed onto the sleeve 220.

In FIG. 15c, the internal connector 26 has been replaced by a plug 260. This plug 260 is screwed in place of the internal connector 26 when the connector is not in use, which allows it to be left in place with the plug. security required. In this case, it will also be possible to replace the electrical contacts 40 with replacement elements of similar shape, but having a distance between the shoulder 52 and the free end of the contact 24 diminished, to prevent the contacts 24 an unused connector does not protrude from the fairing surface (especially to limit induced drag). These replacement elements may for example be made of a non-conductive material.

Claims (14)

1. An electrical connector (18) adapted to electrically connect equipment (14) arranged on the outer surface of the fairing (16) of an aircraft (10), the connector (18) is characterized in that it comprises: - a tubular sleeve (22) extending axially from a head (28) adapted to be embedded in a complementary hole (20) formed through said fairing (16) to a body (32) adapted to be arranged at a the interior of the aircraft (10), the bushing (22) delimiting at least one axial housing (40) passing through it, - an electrical contact (24) extending axially in the housing (40) delimited by the bushing (22). ), and which has an outer face (42) adapted to be electrically connected to the external equipment (14) and an inner face (44) adapted to be electrically connected to an internal equipment, and - an internal connection (26) which is mounted on the body (32) of the socket (22) removably to secure the connect (18) on the fairing (16). 2. Connector (18) electrical according to claim 1, characterized in that the connector (26) is mounted on the body (32) of the sleeve (22) removably and the connector has: - a bearing surface (46) which is adapted to cooperate with the head (28) of the sleeve (22) to axially pinch the fairing (16) of the aircraft (10), and - a bottom (48) radial which is adapted to close the bushing (22) axially and to trap the electrical contact (24) in the housing (40) of the socket (22). 3. Electrical connector (18) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connector (26) internal is screwed on the body (32) of the sleeve (22). 4. Connector (18) electrical according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact (24) is mounted to slide axially in said housing (40) associated between a rest position in which the outer face (42) of the contact (24) protrudes from the head (28) of the socket (22) and a contact position in which the electrical contact (24) is flush with the head (28) of the socket (22), the connector (24) 18) comprising an elastic return element (56, 58) of the electrical contact (24) towards its rest position. 5. Connector (18) electrical according to claims 4 and 2, characterized in that the elastic return element (56, 58) is interposed axially between the bottom (48) of the connector (26) internal and the contact (24) electric. Electrical connector (18) according to claim 4, characterized in that the elastic return element (56, 58) is electrically connected to the internal equipment. Electrical connector (18) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the head (28) of the sleeve (22) has a frustoconical shape which is adapted to be accommodated in said hole (40) formed through the fairing (16) of the aircraft (10), the head (28) of the sleeve (22) being delimited axially by an outer face (34) adapted to be flush with the outer surface (36) of the fairing (16). Electrical connector (18) according to Claim 4, characterized in that the electrical contact (24) forms a shoulder (52) which is designed to bear axially on a seat (54) complementary defined by the housing (40). the tubular sleeve (22) for limiting the axial displacement of the electrical contact (24) towards the outside of the aircraft (10). Electrical connector (18) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bushing (22) delimits a plurality of axial housings (40), and in that the electrical connector (18) has a plurality of contacts. (24) which each extend axially in one of said housings (40) delimited by the socket (22), each electrical contact (24) having an outer face (42) adapted to be electrically connected to the external equipment (14). ) and an inner face (44) adapted to be electrically connected to the internal equipment. Electrical connector (18) according to claim 9, characterized in that the internal connector (26) comprises a first subassembly (40a) of generally tubular shape which is mounted on the body (32) of the socket (22). removably and a second subassembly (40b) which forms the bottom of the inner connector (26) and delimits a plurality of compartments (72), each compartment (72) being adapted to close the bushing (22) axially and to trapping the associated electrical contact (24) in the associated housing (40) of the socket (22), and in that the second subassembly (40b) is rotatably mounted in the first subassembly (40a). Electrical connector (18) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second subassembly (70b) comprises a sleeve (84) which extends axially through a passage (74) of the first subassembly. assembly (70a) and cooperating with said passage (74) by shape cooperation to couple the first subassembly (70a) to the second subassembly (70b). 12. Connector (18) electrical according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a fuse (60) which is electrically connected to the inner face (44) of the contact (24) and which opens the electrical circuit passing through the connector (18). 13. Electrical connector (18) according to claim 11, characterized in that it comprises a plug which is adapted to close the passage (74) of the first subassembly (70a). 14. Aircraft (10) equipped with an electrical connector (18) according to any one of the preceding claims, said connector (18) being adapted to electrically connect equipment (14) arranged on the outer surface of the fairing (16) of the aircraft (10) to equipment arranged inside the aircraft (10).