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US 8,998,135 B1Granted
Translating equipment rack system
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsAndrew John Bayliss, Stephen T. Brown, Perry Nicholas Rea, Kevin Matthew Retz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method comprising a rack and a translation mechanism. The rack may be configured to hold components. The rack may comprise movable rack segments that are movable independently of each other. The translation mechanism may be configured to move a portion of the movable rack segments relative to another portion of the movable rack segments inside a platform such that internal access to at least a portion of the components is provided inside the platform.
Claims12
An apparatus comprising:
- a rack configured to hold components in which the rack comprises movable rack segments that are movable independently of each other;
- and
- a translation mechanism configured to move a portion of the movable rack segments relative to another portion of the movable rack segments inside a compartment of an aircraft such that internal access to at least a portion of the components is provided inside the compartment;
- wherein the rack and the translation mechanism are located inside an equipment bay in the compartment;
- and
- wherein movement of the portion of the movable rack segments relative to the another portion of the movable rack segments inside the compartment moves the portion of the movable rack segments into another area inside the compartment other than the equipment bay.
3 more elements
An equipment access system for an aircraft comprising:
- a rack located in an equipment bay inside the aircraft and configured to hold components in which the rack comprises movable rack segments that are movable independently of each other in the rack;
- a translation mechanism located in the equipment bay inside the aircraft in which the translation mechanism is configured to move a portion of the movable rack segments relative to another portion of the movable rack segments in which the portion of the movable rack segments is moved into another area inside the aircraft other than the equipment bay such that internal access to at least a portion of the components is provided inside the aircraft and external access to the at least the portion of the components is provided outside of the aircraft and in which the translation mechanism comprises at least one of wheels, tracks, rollers, sliders, arms, rails, hinges, pivot points, and joints associated with the rack and a number of actuators connected to the movable rack segments and configured to move the movable rack segments;
- a connector system attached to the movable rack segments in which the connector system is configured to remain connected to the movable rack segments when the portion of the movable rack segments is moved into the another area inside the aircraft other than the equipment bay;
- and
- a structure associated with the rack in which the structure is configured to separate the equipment bay in which the rack is located from the another area in the aircraft such that the structure provides a barrier configured to prevent cargo in the another area from moving into the equipment bay and in which the structure comprises parts in which each part is associated with a movable rack segment in the movable rack segments.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.