Patents Assigned to Zodiac Aerotechnics
  • Patent number: 9004403
    Abstract: The invention is related to a container for a supply unit, in particular an oxygen supply unit and/or a passenger supply unit (PSU), having a container well at least, wherein a container door can be pivotably joint at a container well's edge, in particular pivotable about a hinge at the container well's edge, wherein the container well at least consists of a sheet moulded compound material moulded from a composite of thermoset sheet material based on fiber-reinforced polymer matrices mainly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Zodiac Aerotechnics
    Inventors: Gunter Boomgaarden, Mark Niedostatek, Wolfgang Rittner, Hasso Weinmann, Rudiger Meckes
  • Patent number: 8979194
    Abstract: Passenger seat for a system of passenger seats of an aircraft cabin, comprising: a seat body, an energy harvesting system for providing electrical energy, in particular for use in the passenger seat electrical net and/or aircraft electrical net, wherein an energy harvesting device of the energy harvesting system is provided to the seat body, wherein the energy harvesting device is adapted for capturing from the seat body ambient energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Zodiac Aerotechnics
    Inventors: Gunter Boomgarden, Mark Niedostatek, Wolfgang Rittner, Rüdiger Meckes
  • Patent number: 8978644
    Abstract: The invention relates to a passenger service unit (PSU) for use in an aircraft, comprising a reading light having a light source and a reflector partially enclosing the light source, and an emergency oxygen supply device comprising an oxygen source, a starter unit for releasing oxygen flow from said oxygen source to an oxygen mask, a control unit for controlling oxygen flow rate from said oxygen source to said oxygen mask and an electrical energy storage device like a rechargeable battery pack or a condensator, for providing electrical energy to said control unit and/or said starter unit. According to the invention, the PSU comprises an energy harvesting unit adjacent to or integrated into said reflector of said reading light wherein said energy harvesting unit is electrically connected to said electrical energy storage device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Zodiac Aerotechnics
    Inventors: Wolfgang Rittner, Ruediger Meckes
  • Patent number: 8967537
    Abstract: The invention relates to an arrangement of a plurality of oxygen breathing devices, in particular for providing oxygen to passenger or crew of an aircraft, each oxygen breathing device comprising an oxygen source, wherein oxygen is stored, in particular in chemically bound form or compressed form, an oxygen guiding device for guiding oxygen from the oxygen source to a person. According to the invention, an arrangement of a plurality of oxygen breathing devices is provided, wherein a first one of said plurality of oxygen breathing devices further comprises an integrated transmitter comprising a sender adapted for wireless communication with a receiver of a second one of said oxygen breathing devices and a receiver adapted for wireless communication with a sender of said second oxygen breathing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Zodiac Aerotechnics
    Inventors: Wolfgang Rittner, Rudiger Meckes, Peter Glosekotter, Christoph Bauer
  • Patent number: 8944384
    Abstract: The aircraft refuelling equipment (20) of an aircraft comprises a pipework (22) in which a fuel supply line (13) is connected to a plurality of tank supply lines, fuel tanks connected to tank supply lines of the pipework, first valves (24, 25,26) allowing each fuel tank to be disconnected from the fuel supply line, and at least one captor (30) that provides a signal indicative of a pressure or a flow rate. For each of said first valves, a first valve flow parameter can be estimated, using said captor. The equipment further comprises:—at least one actuator associated with each of said first valves, the actuator allowing adjustment of the opening of the associated first valve; and an electronic control unit (ECU) connected to the respective actuator-first valve assemblies and adapted to regulate an opening of the first ECU valves, using respective first valve flow parameter data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Zodiac Aerotechnics
    Inventors: Nicolas Travers, Antoine Veyrat-Masson
  • Patent number: 8882033
    Abstract: The Invention relates to a passenger cabin emergency oxygen device for an aircraft, comprising at least one electrically driven activation device for activating the emergency oxygen device, at least one energy storage device and a source of electrical energy. Said source of electrical energy and said energy storage device are coupled together for substantially constant energy transmission from the source of electrical energy to the energy storage device at a first energy level, an activation device and a controller are coupled together for signal transmission from the controller to the activation device, said activation device and said energy storage device are coupled together for energy transmission from the energy storage device to the activation device at a second energy level which is higher than the first energy level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Zodiac Aerotechnics
    Inventors: Wolfgang Rittner, Rudiger Meckes, Gunter Boomgaarden, Hasso Weinmann
  • Patent number: 8863744
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate to a stowage box for a breathing mask that includes a frame forming a receptacle for the mask, the frame having an open face for inserting and extracting the mask, and a pneumatic assembly to control the feed of a breathing gas under pressure to the breathing mask. The pneumatic assembly is adapted to close the feed of breathing gas when the mask is inserted into the frame and to open the feed of breathing gas when the mask is extracted from the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Zodiac Aerotechnics
    Inventors: Leopoldine Bachelard, Philippe Gerard
  • Patent number: 8857431
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a breathing mask for aircraft crewmember. The breathing mask includes an on-demand regulator with an inlet connected to a source of breathing gas and an outlet to exhaust the breathing gas. The outlet has an aperture controlled by a movable valve having an open position when the crewmember breathes out and a closed position when the crewmember breathes in. The breathing mask also has a latch member operable by a crewmember to latch the valve in the open position, the latch member including an unlocking member to release the valve when the cabin pressure is below a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Zodiac Aerotechnics
    Inventors: Vincent Gillotin, Michel Malfroy, Remy Schoettel, Patrick Maire
  • Patent number: 8858047
    Abstract: The invention relates to a passenger service unit for an aircraft, comprising at least one light source and at least one passenger air supply device. According to the invention the passenger air supply device is adapted for applying a flow of air to the light source. Furthermore it relates to a method for providing light and fresh air to passenger of an aircraft by providing an air flow from an air supply device and light from a light source to the passenger. The method comprises applying an air flow from said passenger air supply device to said light source for cooling the light source by means of convection. Furthermore the invention relates to a method for assembling a passenger service unit and to an aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Zodiac Aerotechnics
    Inventors: Wolfgang Rittner, Ruediger Meckes, Hasso Weinmann, Guenter Boomgaarden
  • Publication number: 20140290665
    Abstract: Embodiments provide methods for storing a respiratory mask. In one embodiment, the respiratory equipment may include a respiratory mask having a front side and a rear side and a cavity having an opening in the rear side. There may also be provided an inflatable harness adapted to maintain the respiratory mask against the user face, and a storage element comprising a housing In one embodiment, the method may include pulling on the harness on the front side of the respiratory mask in order to place the harness on the respiratory mask in an storage position outside said cavity, and maintaining the harness on the respiratory mask in the storage position and inserting the respiratory mask into the housing of the storage element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2011
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: ZODIAC AEROTECHNICS
    Inventor: Jean-Paul Libis
  • Publication number: 20140255733
    Abstract: Disclosed are fuel cell systems used as power sources aboard aircraft and utilizing catalytic systems. Fuel cell systems can include a fuel cell assembly and a catalyst system. The fuel cell assembly can receive a hydrogen input, receive an oxygen input comprising a fluid having an initial oxygen content, and convert the hydrogen input and the oxygen input so as to yield products, such as water, thermal energy, an oxygen-depleted product comprising the fluid having a second oxygen content lower than the initial oxygen content, and electrical power. The fuel cell assembly can supply any combination of such products to aircraft operational systems. The catalyst system can receive and combust hydrogen from the fuel cell assembly and/or a hydrogen storage vessel, such as to treat exhaust from the fuel cell assembly and/or provide heat for warming water and/or for regulating operating temperatures of fuel cell system components.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2014
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: Zodiac Aerotechnics
    Inventors: Franck Masset, Yannick Brunaux
  • Patent number: 8792470
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for activating and maintaining a plurality of separate and distanced functional units in an aircraft cabin. According to the invention, a wireless network comprising a plurality of nodes is initialized, wherein each node is associated with a device wherein said initializing comprises associating each node a sending time slot within a time frame using a TDMA synchronization scheme, wherein each node is active to send signals during its sending time slot and is active to receive signals during a first set of time slots comprising a number of time slots of said frame, wherein the sending time slot of a node is different from the sending time slots of at least a plurality of its neighbored nodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Zodiac Aerotechnics
    Inventors: Wolfgang Rittner, Rudiger Meckes, Peter Glosekotter, Gunter Boomgaarden
  • Patent number: 8704181
    Abstract: The invention relates to an ice detection device and method for detecting ice on an aircraft in flight. The device includes a transmitter which emits a first and a second radiation in the direction of a reflective surface, these two radiations respectively being within a first wavelength band and a second wavelength band; and a receiver which captures the reflected radiations. The transmitter and said receiver are fixed on an external surface of the aircraft. Then a computer determines the presence or absence of ice as a function of the intensity of the captured radiations. The reflective surface is located outside the boundary layer of the aircraft during flight and includes a heating/cooling device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Zodiac Aerotechnics
    Inventors: Manuel Thorez, Laurent Paszkiewicz
  • Patent number: 8695598
    Abstract: The invention relates to an oxygen breathing device, in particular for cockpit crew member of an aircraft, comprising a pressurized oxygen source for storing pressurized oxygen, an oxygen mask, adapted to fit to nose and mouth of a person to be supplied with oxygen from the pressurized oxygen source, an oxygen supply line connecting the pressurized oxygen source with the oxygen mask, a pressure regulator/safety valve coupled in the oxygen supply line to selectively open or shut off oxygen flow from the pressurized oxygen source to the oxygen mask and/or to control pressure of said oxygen supplied to the oxygen mask.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Zodiac Aerotechnics
    Inventors: Wolfgang Rittner, Rudiger Meckes