US 11,873,111 B2
Fuel cell protection system
Timothy Brian Carr, Fort Worth, TX (US); Douglas Howard Hamelwright, Grapevine, TX (US); and Joshua Andrew Emrich, Grapevine, TX (US)
Assigned to Textron Innovations Inc., Providence, RI (US)
Filed by Textron Innovations Inc., Providence, RI (US)
Filed on Jan. 7, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/143,387.
Prior Publication US 2022/0212550 A1, Jul. 7, 2022
Int. Cl. B64D 37/32 (2006.01); B60L 50/72 (2019.01); B64C 27/00 (2006.01); B64D 37/02 (2006.01)
CPC B64D 37/32 (2013.01) [B60L 50/72 (2019.02); B64C 27/00 (2013.01); B64D 37/02 (2013.01); B60L 2200/10 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A fuel cell protection system, comprising:
an aircraft fuselage having an inner surface and an outer surface;
an attachment point mounted on the outer surface;
an aircraft fuel cell spaced apart from the inner surface; and
a rigid plate positioned between the inner surface and the aircraft fuel system, the plate dimensioned and sized to cover a region impacted, penetrated or deformed by the attachment mount during a crash and spaced apart from the inner surface to create an empty void space, spacing the aircraft fuel cell apart from the inner surface, the void space configured to accept all or a portion of the attachment mount.