Rolls-Royce Corporation

Matthew Peter Fitt

David Dowdell

Richard Peace

Paul Broughton

Michael Christopher Willmot

Robin Charles Kennea

Gary Alan Skinner

Oliver George Feaver

Philip Summerfield

A rigid panel is disclosed which has elongate elements embedded therein. The elongate elements may be electrical wires. The rigid panel has a supporting splint embedded therein which is placed between the elongate elements and a rigid structural layer so as to provide protection to the rigid structural layer from the effects of the elongate elements.

Electrical panel

An electrical raft is provided comprising a rigid material having multiple electrical conductors embedded therein. An electrical connector is provided to the raft that has a back-shell which is embedded in the rigid material and which joins to a connector body to enclose a first end of a housing of the connector body. The housing also has a second end at which electrical contacts are provided for connection to another component. The connector body is detachable from the back-shell to electrically disconnect it from the embedded electrical conductors and allow removal of the connector body from the electrical raft. In this way, the connector body may be readily removed, for example for upgrade or repair, while retaining a robust and reliable connection.

Electrical connectors

The present invention provides an electrical raft comprising a rigid material having multiple electrical conductors embedded therein. The electrical raft comprises an electrical connector having a first set of electrical contacts connected to at least one of the electrical conductors, a second set of electrical contacts for electrical connection to another component, and a housing having a first end and a second end. The first set of electrical contacts is at the first end and the second set of electrical contacts is at the second end. The first end of the housing is at least partly embedded in the rigid material, and the second end of the housing is accessible from outside the electrical raft, allowing the electrical raft to be electrically connected to said other component. The electrical connector has a back-shell which sealingly encloses the first end of the housing to prevent ingress of contaminants into the connector.

An electrical raft () is provided that has electrical conductors () embedded in a rigid material (). The electrical raft is provided with an electrical connector (). The electrical connector () is mounted in the electrical raft () at a mounting angle (). The mounting angle is set such that the electrical conductors () can be connected to the electrical connector without having to turn through an angle or a radius of curvature that would subject them to excessive bending stress. Similarly, the mounting angle means that any conductors () that may be connected to the electrical connector () do not have to turn through an angle or a radius of curvature that would subject them to excessive bending stress. Furthermore, mounting the electrical connector () at the mounting angle () may allow the assembled electrical raft () to be more compact.

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Attleborough, United Kingdom

Matthew Peter Fitt