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.
Claims20
A method for accessing components inside a compartment of an aircraft, the method comprising:
- identifying a portion of the components for which internal access is desired in which a rack is configured to hold the components and comprises movable rack segments that are movable independently of each other in the rack;
- and
- using a translation mechanism, moving a portion of the movable rack segments relative to another portion of the moveable rack segments inside the compartment of the aircraft such that the internal access to at least the portion of the components identified is provided inside the compartment of the aircraft;
- wherein the rack and the translation mechanism are located inside an equipment bay in the compartment of the aircraft;
- and
- wherein movement of the portion of the moveable rack segments relative to the another portion of the movable rack segments inside the compartment of the aircraft moves the portion of the moveable rack segments into another area inside the compartment of the aircraft other than the equipment bay.
A method for accessing components inside a compartment of an aircraft, the method comprising:
- identifying a portion of the components for which internal access is desired in which a rack located in an equipment bay in the aircraft is configured to hold the components and comprises movable rack segments that are movable independently of each other in the rack and in which a structure associated with the rack is configured to separate the equipment bay in which the rack is located from another area in the compartment of the aircraft and provide a barrier configured to prevent cargo in the another area from moving into the equipment bay;
- and
- using a translation mechanism, moving a portion of the movable rack segments relative to another portion of the moveable rack segments inside the compartment of the aircraft from the equipment bay into the another area inside the aircraft other than the equipment bay such that the internal access to at least the portion of the components identified is provided in the another area inside the compartment of the aircraft;
- wherein the rack and the translation mechanism are located inside the equipment bay in the compartment of the aircraft;
- and
- wherein movement of the portion of the moveable rack segments relative to the another portion of the movable rack segments inside the compartment of the aircraft moves the portion of the moveable rack segments into the another area inside the compartment other than the equipment bay.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.