Electronic systems are commonly employed in both land vehicles and aircraft, as well as marine vehicles, all of which are herein referred to as simply vehicles. These electronic systems are generally packaged into one or more chassis, each chassis being rigidly mounted to a support frame or shelf which is rigidly attached to the vehicle. For more sophisticated systems, a plurality of electronic chassis are installed on the vehicle and are electrically accessed and/or interconnected through electrical cables having end connectors which are electrically connected to a mating chassis connector.
After such electronic systems are properly electrically connected, the systems may then be functionally tested. However, the functional testing provides no indication as to the reliability of the fastening of the electronic chassis to the support frame. If such chassis are not properly fastened to the support frame, the chassis may be dislodged from the support frame when the vehicle is subjected to any of a variety movements including rotation, translation, shock and vibration. In turn, such movements may have deleterious effects to the overall electronic systems due to electronics failure caused by the chassis being dislodged and/or the potential for disengagement of the mating connectors.
The importance of the integrity of the mating of the electrical connectors and the fastening of the chassis to the support frame is of paramount importance, particularly in aircraft. This is so because the aircraft is subjected to yaw, pitch and roll movements in flight, and severe shock and vibration, particularly during landings and take off. Movement of the chassis including the inertial sensors may disrupt the on-line navigation system caused by a change in the precise alignment of the inertial sensors relative to the support frame. Since safety requirements are extremely important for aircraft, both commercial and military, there is a long felt need for providing a system for enhancing the reliability of chassis installations in aircraft, as well as other vehicles.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds