B/e Aerospace, Inc.

Rockwell Collins, Inc.

Alvin S Bartolome

George T Franck, Iii

Patrick G Jarvis-Shean

Eric Johannessen

Arthur Loic Dibeton Tchakounte

Matthew Dunn

Andre Hessling

George T Iii Franck

In a preferred embodiment, a composite panel with a smooth outer surface, ready for painting with or without addition of primer, may be created by constructing a panel layup assembly upon a mold, the panel layup assembly including a composite panel having a core and a resin formulation, and a release film between the mold and the composite panel, where a smooth release surface of the release film is in contact with the composite panel upon construction; initiating curing of the composite panel at a first temperature within a lowermost ten percent of a curing temperature range of the resin formulation; continuing curing of the composite panel at a second temperature above the lowermost ten percent of the curing temperature range; and completing curing of the composite panel at a third temperature below the second temperature.

Panel with paint ready surface

An integrated aircraft lighting and display panel includes high-density arrays of micro-scale light-emitting diodes (LED) set into a flexible printed circuit board (PCB). The PCB and LED arrays may be set into structural layers corresponding to overhead panels, side panels, bin panels, divider panels, doorway panels, or other interior structural panels of the aircraft. The LED arrays may be activated by a controller to provide cabin lighting, indicate aircraft signage, display high-resolution image or video graphics, or any simultaneous combination of all three. The panel may have a translucent or transparent decorative outer skin which may mimic the outward appearance of wood, stone, bamboo, or other decorative materials while the integrated lighting and display panels are inactive. Highly reflective core materials, such as an aluminum core in a honeycomb pattern, may guide the luminous output of the LED arrays through the outer skin.

Integrated micro-LED luminous aircraft panel

An integrated aircraft lighting and display panel includes high-density arrays of micro-scale light-emitting diodes (LED) set into arrays (e.g., linear, two-dimensional, freeform) to form tiles, the LED tiles combined and interconnected to form LED panels conformable to any interior surface within an aircraft cabin. The PCB and LED arrays may be set into structural layers corresponding to overhead panels, side panels, bin panels, divider panels, doorway panels, galley and monument panels, or other interior structural panels of the aircraft. The LED arrays may be activated by an onboard video processor and local panel-level controllers to provide cabin lighting, indicate aircraft signage, display high-resolution image or video graphics, or simultaneously blend any combination thereof, either on command or in response to detected conditions.

Integrated aircraft signage, lighting, and display system

A composite panel is constructed by preparing a panel assembly layup including a first prepreg layer having reinforcement material, a first layer of a resin formulation upon a first outer surface, and a second layer of the resin formulation upon an opposing outer surface, where the first layer is thinner than the second layer, and the first layer is presented toward a mold. The layup includes a core layer directly abutting the second layer. They layup includes a second prepreg layer having a first layer of the resin formulation upon a first outer surface, and a second layer of the resin formulation upon an opposing outer surface, where the first layer is thinner than the second layer, and the second layer directly abuts the core layer. The panel assembly is cured in the mold.

Composite sandwich panel with differential resin layers

A method for curing a composite panel, including the steps of inserting a Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene release film into a mold, and curing the panel using a cold-in/cold-out process at a lowermost temperature within the panel's temperature curing range. The process further includes the use of a twice smoothed caul sheet, where the smoothing includes a coarse sanding and a fine sanding.

Honeycomb sandwich panel paint ready surface

A composite panel includes a honeycomb core sandwiched by a pair of skins that are attached directly to the core with no separate adhesive layer. The skins are impregnated with a resin material that is unevenly distributed between first and second surfaces, and direct contact is established between the surfaces with the greater resin distribution and the core, reducing weight and eliminating the manufacturing step of incorporating an adhesive layer therebetween.

Growing community of inventors

Eastvale, CA, United States of America

Alvin S Bartolome