HELICOPTER VENTILATION ARCHITECTURE WITH MIXING CHAMBER

Abstract

The invention concerns a helicopter ventilation architecture, said helicopter comprising at least two avionics bays (112a, 112b) comprising electronic equipment (116a, 116b) to be ventilated, said architecture comprising, for each avionics bay, an air inlet (120a, 120b) allowing outside air to enter the avionics bay in order to ventilate said avionics bay, and an air outlet (124a, 124b), allowing the air ventilating the avionics bay to exit the avionics bay, characterised in that the ventilation architecture further comprises a mixing chamber (134), connected to the air outlets, configured to receive the air originating from all the avionics bays, at least one air duct (138a, 138b), connected to the mixing chamber and to an outlet (130a, 130b) for discharging the air to the outside, and at least two fans (128a, 128b), arranged and distributed in the air duct or ducts.

Claims

1. Helicopter ventilation architecture, said helicopter comprising at least two avionics bays comprising electronic equipment to be ventilated, said architecture comprising, for each avionics bay: an air inlet, allowing outside air to enter the avionics bay to ventilate said avionics bay, an air outlet, allowing air ventilating the avionics bay to exit the avionics bay, wherein the ventilation architecture further comprises: a mixing chamber, connected to the air outlets, configured to receive air originating from all the avionics bays, at least one air duct connected to the mixing chamber, and to an air evacuation outlet to the outside, at least two fans, arranged and distributed in the air duct(s).

2. Helicopter ventilation architecture according to claim 1, wherein it comprises two air ducts, each air duct comprising at least one fan.

3. Helicopter ventilation architecture according to claim 1, wherein it comprises one single air duct, said single air duct comprising said at least two fans.

4. Helicopter ventilation architecture according to claim 1, wherein it comprises, among the fans, at least one fan supplied with alternating voltage and at least one fan supplied with direct voltage.

5. Helicopter ventilation architecture according to claim 1, wherein it further comprises a smoke evacuation duct of the helicopter, connected to the mixing chamber.

6. Helicopter, comprising at least two avionics bays comprising electronic equipment wherein it comprises a ventilation architecture of said avionics bays according to claim 1.

Description

5. LIST OF FIGURES

[0047] Other aims, features and advantages of the invention will appear upon reading the following description, given only in a non-limiting manner, and which refers to the appended figures, wherein:

[0048] FIG. 1 is a schematic, cross-sectional view of a helicopter comprising a ventilation architecture according to the prior art,

[0049] FIG. 2 is a schematic, cross-sectional view of a helicopter comprising a ventilation architecture according to a first embodiment of the invention,

[0050] FIG. 3 is a schematic, cross-sectional view of a helicopter comprising a ventilation architecture according to a second embodiment of the invention.

6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0051] The following embodiments are examples. Although the description refers to one or more embodiments, this does not necessarily mean that each reference concerns the same embodiment, or that the features apply only to one single embodiment. Single features of different embodiments can also be combined to provide other embodiments. In the figures, the scales and the proportions are not strictly respected, and this, for purposes of illustration and clarity.

[0052] FIG. 1 schematically represents, in a cross-section, a helicopter 10 comprising two avionics bays, a first avionics bay 12a and a second avionics bay 12b, ventilated by a ventilation architecture according to the prior art. The helicopter is symbolised by fuselage pieces 14a and 14b.

[0053] The avionics bays 12a, 12b comprise electronic and/or electric equipment 16a, 16b to be ventilated, each supplied by a supply 18a, 18b.

[0054] To ventilate the avionics bays, the ventilation architecture comprises, for each avionics bay 12a, 12b, an air inlet 20a, 20b allowing the entry of the outside air in the bay, represented by an arrow 22a, 22b.

[0055] The outside air enters in the bay and ventilates the electronic equipment 16a, 16b, and emerges from each bay 12a, 12b at the level of an air outlet 24a, 24b as represented by the arrow.

[0056] The circulation of the air is made thanks to four independent fans per bay: [0057] a first assembly 28a comprising four fans, of which two fans 28aa and 28ab supplied with alternating voltage, typically 115V, and two fans 28ac and 28ad supplied with direct voltage, typically 28V; [0058] a second assembly 28b comprising four fans, of which two fans 28ba and 28bb supplied with alternating voltage, typically 115V, and two fans 28bc and 28bd supplied with direct voltage, typically 28V.

[0059] The air passed through by these fans is evacuated to the outside respectively by a first air evacuation outlet 30a for the air ventilating the first avionics bay 12a and a second air evacuation outlet 30b for the air ventilating the second avionics bay 12b, as represented by the arrows 32a and 32b.

[0060] The ventilation architecture according to the invention aims to reduce this number of fans. To do this, FIG. 2 schematically represents, in a cross-section, a helicopter 100a each comprising electronic and/or electric equipment 116a, 116b supplied by one supply 118a, 118b per bay, and equipped with a ventilation architecture according to a first embodiment of the invention.

[0061] As in the prior art, the ventilation architecture comprises, for each bay, an air inlet 120a, 120b and an air outlet 124a, 124b, the air ventilating the first avionics bay 112a according to the path represented by the arrows 122a and 126a, and the air ventilating the second avionics bay 112b according to the path represented by the arrows 122b and 126b.

[0062] According to the invention, the ventilation architecture comprises a mixing chamber 134 connected to the air outlets 124a and 124b and thus receiving air originating from the two avionics bays 112a, 112b. The mixing chamber 134 thus pools the air originating from the two avionics bays 112a, 112b. A first duct 136a connects the air outlet 124a of the first avionics bay 112a to the mixing chamber 134, and a second duct 136b connected the air outlet 124b of the second avionics bay 112b to the mixing chamber 134.

[0063] The air entered in the mixing chamber 134 is rejected to the outside at the level of at least one evacuation outlet thanks to at least one air duct. Here, two air ducts 138a, 138b connect the mixing chamber 134 to two air evacuation outlets 130a, 130b, allowing air to return to the outside as represented by the arrows 132a and 132b.

[0064] The ventilation of the air of the avionics bays 112a, 112b is ensured by at least two fans, here four fans, divided into two assemblies of fans: [0065] a first assembly 128a comprising two fans, a fan 128aa supplied with alternating voltage (typically 115V), and a fan 128ab supplied with direct voltage (typically 28V); [0066] a second assembly 128b comprising two fans, a fan 128ba supplied with alternating voltage (typically 115V), and a fan 128bb supplied with direct voltage (typically 28V).

[0067] The suctioning is thus pooled, the two fan assemblies each allowing the ventilation of two avionics bays 112a, 112b thanks to the mixing chamber 134.

[0068] In this embodiment, the mixing chamber 134 is also connected to an additional duct allowing another suctioning or ventilation function, for example here a smoke evacuation duct 140 in case of fire in the helicopter.

[0069] FIG. 3 schematically represents, in a cross-section, a helicopter comprising a ventilation architecture according to a second embodiment of the invention.

[0070] This second embodiment is similar to the first embodiment described in reference to FIG. 2, excluding the fact that the ventilation architecture comprises a mixing chamber 134 arranged as close as possible to the first avionics bay 112a and directly connected to the air outlet 124a of it, and that the ventilation architecture comprises one single air duct 138.

[0071] Thus, the fans 228 of the ventilation architecture are grouped together in the single air duct 138. In particular, the ventilation architecture comprises at least two fans, here three fans 228, of which two fans 228a and 228b supplied with alternating voltage (typically 115V) and a fan 228c supplied with direct voltage (typically 28V).

[0072] The fans 228 are thus grouped together in the same place, which facilities the maintenance thereof.

[0073] A smoke evacuation duct can also be added to this embodiment, connected to the mixing chamber, as well as any other additional duct which could carry out additional suctioning or ventilation functions thanks to the fans and to the mixing chamber.