US4093021A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Instrument and panel cooling apparatus
Assignee: Boeing Co
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Filing: 1975-12-29
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Granted: 1978-06-06
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Expires: 1995-12-29
Abstract
Abstract In the disclosed aircraft instrument and panel cooling apparatus, each instrument is cooled uniformly and efficiently by air flowing through a plurality of small orifices which surround the large apertures in which the instruments are mounted. The orifices are preferably closely spaced around the instrument apertures with a distance between orifices of the order of two to four orifice diameters and located within a range of up to six orifice diameters from the instrument case so as to provide a plurality of cooling streams of air which tend to coalesce to provide a uniform and tailored sheet of air for maximum cooling efficiency.
Inventors
- 👤 Kenneth Dale Groom
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 12:08
CPC Classifications
B; B64; B64D; B64D13/00; B64D13/06; B64D2013/0603; B64D2013/0614; Y; Y02; Y02T; Y02T50/00; Y02T50/50
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
105 words
A method of cooling an enclosed instrument panel and an instrument in an aperture in said panel comprising: inducing flow of a plurality of individual jets of cooling air near the face end of said instrument; providing spacing for and directing each of said individual jets of cooling air in a direction perpendicular to the face of said instrument in a manner for forming a cooling air flow path comprising a sheet a short distance from said panel and close enough to said aperture so that said sheet attaches to a surface of said instrument; and exhausting said cooling air from said enclosed instrument panel.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
105 words
A method of cooling an enclosed instrument panel and an instrument in an aperture in said panel comprising: inducing flow of a plurality of individual jets of cooling air near the face end of said instrument; providing spacing for and directing each of said individual jets of cooling air in a direction perpendicular to the face of said instrument in a manner for forming a cooling air flow path comprising a sheet a short distance from said panel and close enough to said aperture so that said sheet attaches to a surface of said instrument; and exhausting said cooling air from said enclosed instrument panel.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
157 words
A method of cooling closely spaced, longitudinally elongated instruments having longitudinally extending surfaces disposed in an instrument panel array having an enclosed volume comprising: inducing cooling airflow through a plurality of small orifices surrounding each of said instruments to thereby form a plurality of jets of airflow around each instrument; spacing apart said jets of airflow by spacing apart said orifices with a distance between orifices of the order of two to four orifice diameters and positioning said orifices surrounding each of said instruments within a range of up to six orifice diameters from each of said instruments so as to direct said plurality of jets of airflow onto said longitudinally extending surfaces of each of said longitudinally elongated instruments thereby causing said plurality of jets surrounding each of said instruments to coalesce into a single sheet of air surrounding each of said instruments and thereafter becoming turbulent; and, exhausting said cooling air from said enclosed volume.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
157 words
A method of cooling closely spaced, longitudinally elongated instruments having longitudinally extending surfaces disposed in an instrument panel array having an enclosed volume comprising: inducing cooling airflow through a plurality of small orifices surrounding each of said instruments to thereby form a plurality of jets of airflow around each instrument; spacing apart said jets of airflow by spacing apart said orifices with a distance between orifices of the order of two to four orifice diameters and positioning said orifices surrounding each of said instruments within a range of up to six orifice diameters from each of said instruments so as to direct said plurality of jets of airflow onto said longitudinally extending surfaces of each of said longitudinally elongated instruments thereby causing said plurality of jets surrounding each of said instruments to coalesce into a single sheet of air surrounding each of said instruments and thereafter becoming turbulent; and, exhausting said cooling air from said enclosed volume.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
90 words
The combination of an instrument panel having a rear side and at lease one instrument having an instrument case, said instrument panel comprising a wall forming at least one large aperture for receiving said at least one instrument and forming a plurality of small orifices distributed close to and around said at least one aperture, and means to provide an air flow path through said orifices coalescing into a sheet surrounding said instrument case, then becoming turbulent, thereby improving heat transfer between said air flow path and said instrument case.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
90 words
The combination of an instrument panel having a rear side and at lease one instrument having an instrument case, said instrument panel comprising a wall forming at least one large aperture for receiving said at least one instrument and forming a plurality of small orifices distributed close to and around said at least one aperture, and means to provide an air flow path through said orifices coalescing into a sheet surrounding said instrument case, then becoming turbulent, thereby improving heat transfer between said air flow path and said instrument case.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
35 words
The combination according to claim 3 wherein said means to provide an airflow path through said orifices provides air jets extending from each of said orifices spreading at an included angle of about 20 degrees.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
32 words
The instrument panel of claim 3 wherein said orifices are distributed around said aperture in a region within one to six orifice diameters of the edge of said at least one aperture.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
21 words
The instrument panel of claim 5 wherein said orifices are spaced apart a distance of from two to four orifice diameters.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
46 words
The combination of claim 1, wherein said at least one aperture comprises a plurality of large, essentially rectangular apertures positioned in a matrix pattern; and wherein said orifices are located around the outer periphery of said matrix pattern and also in single rows between said apertures.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
62 words
The apparatus of claim 7 in which the centerlines of said orifices located around the outer periphery of said matrix pattern are spaced from said outer periphery by a distance approximately equal to the diameters of said orifices and the spacing between said apertures in said matrix pattern is approximately twice the diameters of said orifices in single rows between said apertures.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
51 words
The apparatus of claim 3 in which said means to provide airflow comprises: an enclosure attached to the rear side of said panel, thereby defining instrument accommodation volume; means for housing a plurality of instruments; an exhaust passage connected to said accommodation volume; and an exhaust fan connected to said passage.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
28 words
The apparatus of claim 9 in which said instrument accommodation volume means comprises: the structure to which said panel is attached; and top, bottom, and rear cover plates.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
22 words
The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said wall forming said aperture and said orifices is located within said instrument accommodation volume means.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1981-06-05 | 1981-12-05 | 1982-06-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1985-06-05 | 1985-12-05 | 1986-06-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1989-06-05 | 1989-12-05 | 1990-06-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |