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US 10,207,839 B2Granted
Flexible configuration system, methods, equipment, and aircraft
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsJohn D. Hearing, Edward A. Froese, Charlotte R. Lin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flexible configuration system, method equipment and aircraft are disclosed. This system may use a pallet that includes a load bearing member; and a pallet data network system carried by the load bearing member. The data network system includes at least one external data connection configured to connect the pallet data network to an external network; and at least one pallet data connection configured to connect the pallet data network to devices, equipment, workstations, or seats carried by the pallet.
Claims20
A method for reconfiguring an aircraft, the method comprising:
- attaching a pallet to a structure of the aircraft, the pallet comprising:
- a pallet-aircraft network connector configured to couple mission equipment to a data network of the aircraft;
- a pallet-aircraft environmental conditioning connector configured to couple the pallet to an environmental conditioning system of the aircraft;
- a pallet-equipment environmental conditioning connector configured to couple the mission equipment to the environmental conditioning system of the aircraft via the pallet;
- a pallet to pallet network connector configured to couple to another pallet to the data network of the aircraft via the pallet;
- and
- a pallet to pallet environmental conditioning connector configured to couple the another pallet to the environmental conditioning system of the aircraft via the pallet;
- and
- connecting at least one of:
- the mission equipment to the data network of the aircraft using the pallet-aircraft network connector;
- the pallet to the environmental conditioning system of the aircraft using the pallet-aircraft environmental conditioning connector;
- or
- the mission equipment to the environmental conditioning system of the aircraft using pallet-equipment environmental conditioning connector.
10 more elements
An aircraft comprising:
- an airframe;
- a data network positioned about the airframe, the data network including a first plurality of connection points;
- an environmental conditioning system positioned about the airframe, the environmental conditioning system including a second plurality of connection points;
- and
- a pallet configured to couple to mission equipment and removably attachable to a structure carried by the airframe, the pallet comprising:
- a pallet-aircraft network connector configured to couple the mission equipment to the data network;
- a pallet-aircraft environmental conditioning connector configured to couple the pallet to the environmental conditioning system;
- a pallet-equipment environmental conditioning connector configured to couple the mission equipment to the environmental conditioning system via the pallet;
- a pallet to pallet network connector configured to couple another pallet to the data network via the pallet;
- and
- a pallet to pallet environmental conditioning connector configured to couple the another pallet to the environmental conditioning system via the pallet.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.