Modular rack for mounting avionics equipment

A modular rack for mounting avionics equipment, comprising:

• an upper rectangular frame including a plurality of upper frame legs connected by at least one upper node connector;
• a lower rectangular frame including a plurality of lower frame legs connected by at least one lower node connector, the lower rectangular frame including at least one lower mount fitting, the lower mount fitting being configured for selective engagement with a relatively stable surface of an aircraft;
• and
• a plurality of struts, each strut extending between at least one upper node connector and at least one lower node connector, each strut being at least partially formed of an electrically conductive carbon fiber composite material and each strut including at least one flange extending substantially orthogonal to that strut, the flange including a plurality of mounting holes to allow avionics equipment to be directly mounted to the rack;
• wherein at each corners of the at least one of the upper and lower rectangular frames includes an inner cavity enclosed within a tubular cross-section thereof, and the modular rack includes one retractable lifting handle at each of said corners, each of the lifting handles being separately and substantially retracted into the inner cavity of a respective one of the corners of the at least one of the upper and lower rectangular frames when the lifting handle is in a stowed position, and each of the lifting handles extending laterally from at least one of the upper and lower rectangular frames when the lifting handle is in a deployed position.

A method of mounting avionics equipment in an aircraft, the method comprising the steps of:

• forming a modular rack from an upper rectangular frame, a lower rectangular frame, and a plurality of struts interconnecting the upper rectangular frame and the lower rectangular frame, each strut being at least partially formed of an electrically conductive carbon fiber composite material and each strut including at least one flange extending substantially orthogonal to that strut, the lower rectangular frame including at least one lower mount fitting, the lower mount fitting being configured for selective engagement with the aircraft;
• directly mounting at least one item of avionics equipment to the rack;
• attaching the rack to a relatively stable surface in the aircraft;
• and
• creating at least one electrically conductive grounding path from the avionics equipment, through the rack and via at least one lower mount fitting, to the aircraft providing at each corners of the at least one of the upper and lower rectangular frames with an inner cavity enclosed within a tubular cross-section thereof and providing one retractable handle at each of said corners configured for lifting the rack, each of the lifting handles being separately and substantially retracted into the inner cavity of a respective one of the corners of the at least one of the upper and lower rectangular frames when the lifting handle is in a stowed position, and each of the lifting handles extending laterally from at least one of the upper and lower rectangular frames when the lifting handle is in a deployed position;
• and manually moving the rack into the aircraft through manipulation of at least one of the handles.

A modular rack for mounting avionics equipment, comprising:

• an upper rectangular frame;
• a lower rectangular frame including at least one lower mount fitting;
• at least one lower mount fitting includes a mounting stud and a two-piece bushing, each piece of the bushing being tubular in cross-section and extending longitudinally through at least a portion of the tubular cross-section of the lower rectangular frame, each piece of the bushing extending collinearly with the other piece of the bushing to form a tubular bore extending entirely longitudinally through the tubular cross-section of the lower rectangular frame, the mounting stud extending longitudinally through the tubular cross-section of the lower rectangular frame and being at least partially located within the tubular bore of the two-piece bushing, the two-piece bushing completely spacing the mounting stud from contact with the lower rectangular frame;
• at each corners of one of the upper and lower rectangular frames includes an inner cavity enclosed within a tubular cross-section thereof;
• a plurality of retractable lifting handles, each of the lifting handles being separately and substantially retracted into the inner cavity of a respective one of the corners of the at least one of the upper and lower rectangular frames when the lifting handle is in a stowed position, and the each of the lifting handles extending laterally from at least one of the upper and lower rectangular frames when the lifting handle is in a deployed position;
• a plurality of struts interconnecting the upper rectangular frame and the lower rectangular frame, each strut being at least partially formed of an electrically conductive carbon fiber composite material and each strut including at least one flange extending substantially orthogonal to that strut, the flange including a plurality of mounting holes to allow avionics equipment to be mounted to the rack;
• and
• at least one electrically conductive grounding path for grounding avionics equipment mounted to the rack, the grounding path extending from the avionics equipment, through the rack and via at least one lower mount fitting of the lower rectangular frame, to an aircraft.