Miscellaneous hardware (e.g. – bushing – carpet fastener – caster – Hinge – Having means to facilitate assembly and disassembly of hinge...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-07
2001-09-04
Mah, Chuck Y. (Department: 3626)
Miscellaneous hardware (e.g., bushing, carpet fastener, caster,
Hinge
Having means to facilitate assembly and disassembly of hinge...
C016S267000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06282751
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to a hinge connection provided at a container of a breathing gas supply unit in an airplane between a container lower part and a container door, which door is fastened pivotably around an axis, at a rear container edge of the container lower part, with a rail section located at the rear container edge wherein individual clamps with hinge pins and insertion openings are made in one piece with the long side of rail section and are arranged such that the hinge pins can be inserted into tongues at the rear container edge and can be pivoted along an axially extending hinge axis.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A breathing gas supply unit for mounting in an airplane has become known from DE 41 40 266 C1. Such breathing gas supply units are arranged in ceiling structures in the passenger compartment of airplanes and are used to supply the passengers with the oxygen needed for breathing in the case of need. The container of the breathing gas supply unit comprises a container lower part, in which a plurality of oxygen masks and an oxygen generator are arranged, and a container door, which is pivotable around an axis and is used to close the container.
Rail sections, which extend in parallel to the pivot axis of the container door and with which the complete breathing gas supply unit can be fastened in a bracket in the ceiling structure of the airplane, are arranged at the front and rear edges of the lower part of the container. The rail sections are used to simplify the mounting of the breathing gas supply unit in the ceiling structure, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, they also facilitate the removal because the complete breathing gas supply unit can be removed from the ceiling structure without tools. Other components in the ceiling structure, hereinafter called panel, are also fastened with rail sections and are arranged directly next to the breathing gas supply unit. Based on the manufacturing and mounting tolerances, a certain height offset between the breathing gas supply unit, and here especially the container door, and adjacent panels is always possible. Since the container door directly adjoins adjacent panels, any dimensional difference impairs the overall optical impression made by the interior space of the airplane. Possible dimensional differences must be eliminated by adjusting the lower part of the container in relation to the container door, which causes high costs.
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of the present invention is to improve the connection of the container door to the lower part of the container such that dimensional differences of the lower part of the container will have only a limited effect on the positioning of the container door in relation to adjacent panels.
According to the invention, a hinge connection is provided at a container of a breathing gas supply unit in an airplane between a container lower part and a container door. The container door is fastened pivotably around an axis, at a rear container edge of the container lower part. A rail section is located at the rear container edge wherein individual clamps with hinge pins and insertion openings are made in one piece with the long side of the rail section and are arranged such that the hinge pins can be inserted into tongues at the rear container edge and can be pivoted along an axially extending hinge axis. The axis is designed as a projection, which is located at a spaced location from at least one of the said hinge pins in the manner of a pin. The projection extends flush with the hinge axis.
The advantage of the present invention is essentially that by arranging the container door directly at the rail section, the hinge pins of the rail section are inserted into straps at the rear edge of the lower part of the container, the tolerance chain is substantially shortened, because both the container door for the breathing gas supply unit and adjacent panels are fastened to the ceiling support structure by means of the rail sections, and the lower part of the container is therefore no longer in the tolerance chain. Compared with this, the container door was connected directly to the lower part of the container by means of projecting folds in the prior-art design, so that the container door was fastened to the rail section via the lower part of the container. Even though the lower part of the container may still have a certain offset in relation to the container door in the solution according to the present invention, this no longer affects possible tolerances between the container door and adjacent panels. The container door in the solution according to the present invention is connected to the rear edge of the container via pin-like projections, which extend flush with the hinge pins of the rail section. Since the lower part of the container is made as a one-piece molding together with the straps receiving the hinge pins, there are mostly only tolerances linked with the tool, which can be monitored by random checking.
Mounting is also simplified due to the connection according to the present invention between the lower part of the container and the container door via the rail section, because the rail section can be used both to fasten the entire container in the ceiling structure and to connect the container door to the lower part of the container in an articulated manner.
It is especially advantageous to provide the projections also between adjacent clamps on the rail section and to arrange a gap for introducing the hinge elements located at the container door between opposite projections. These hinge elements are arranged along the door edge at approximately equally spaced locations such that they can be connected to the projections. By arranging the hinge elements along the rear edge of the door, holes are no longer needed at the lateral edges of the door for the projections of the rail section.
To simplify mounting, it is especially advantageous for the inner width of the clamps and the width of the corresponding tongues to be selected to be such that the rail section is axially displaceable in relation to the rear edge of the container, so that the projections can be introduced by axial displacement of the rail section into holes located at the door of the container and at the hinge elements.
It is especially advantageous to arrange the hinge elements at a hinge strip extending along the door of the container, so that they can be connected to the door of the container in one operation.
It is especially advantageous to provide the hinge pins with a flattened area at least in the area of overlap with the tongues, which said flattened areas substantially simplify the introduction of the hinge pins into the tongues because of the reduction in cross section.
To axially fix the rail section in relation to the door of the container, an elastic locking element, which engages the rail section in the area of the hinge pin, is provided on the inside of the door of the container. It is especially advantageous to make the locking elements in one piece with the hinge strips.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3126120 (1964-03-01), Crate
patent: 5358139 (1994-10-01), Schnoor et al.
patent: 5598997 (1997-02-01), Marquardt
patent: 5816244 (1998-10-01), Aulgur
patent: 41 40 266 C1 (1993-03-01), None
patent: 2389748 (1979-01-01), None
patent: 2621066 (1989-03-01), None
patent: 1319594 (1973-06-01), None
patent: 403183883A (1991-08-01), None
Göke Ralf
Mantey Carsten
Thometschek Roderich
Drager Aerospace GmbH
Mah Chuck Y.
McGlew and Tutle, P.C.
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