Modular power charging unit for retrofitting existing aircraft monuments

Abstract

A system for retrofitting a wall of an aircraft monument includes a modular power charging unit and mounting hardware. The modular power charging unit includes a housing containing an electrical port component, a cable harness, and a switch. The housing has a plurality of screw holes and a back panel having an opening through which the cable harness extends. The mounting hardware includes a plurality of threaded inserts, each configured to be inserted into one of a plurality of mounting holes formed in the wall, and a plurality of screws, each configured to extend through a screw hole of the housing and into a threaded insert. The housing is configured to be secured to a first side of the wall so that the entirety of the housing projects outward from the first side and only the cable harness extends through a cable-harness hole formed through a thickness of the wall.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for retrofitting a wall of an aircraft monument that is certified to withstand a load in a range of 1 g-force (g) and 9 g, the system comprising:
 a modular power charging unit comprising a housing containing at least a portion of an electrical port component, a cable harness, and a switch, wherein the housing comprises a plurality of screw holes and a back panel having an opening through which the cable harness extends; and   mounting hardware comprising:
 a plurality of threaded inserts, each configured to be inserted into one of a plurality of mounting holes formed in the wall; and 
 a plurality of screws, each configured to extend through a screw hole of the housing and into a threaded insert, 
   wherein the housing is configured to be secured to a first side of the wall so that the entirety of the housing projects outward from the first side and only the cable harness extends through a cable-harness hole formed through a thickness of the wall.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a grommet surrounding the opening of the back panel, and the grommet has a maximum cross sectional dimension that enables placement of the grommet into a cable-harness hole through the wall, the cable-harness hole having a corresponding maximum cross sectional dimension that preserves the structural integrity of the wall and the aircraft monument. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of threaded inserts has a length less than the thickness of the wall. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the electrical port component comprises a charging interface. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the electrical port component comprises an electrical power outlet. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the modular power charging unit further comprises an indicator light electrically associated with the electrical port component and configured to illuminate only when the modular power charging unit is in a power on state. 
     
     
         7 . A modular power charging unit for mounting to a wall of an aircraft monument that is certified to withstand a load in a range of 1 g-force (g) and 9 g, the modular power charging unit comprising:
 an electrical port component having a power input terminal and a ground terminal;   a cable harness having a power input pin and a ground pin configured to couple to an external power supply;   a manually operable switch electrically interposed between the power input terminal of the electrical port component and the power input pin of the cable harness, the manually operable switch configured to toggle the modular power charging unit between a power on state where the power input pin is electrically coupled to the power input terminal, and an off state where the power input pin is electrically decoupled from the power input terminal; and   a housing containing at least a portion of the electrical port component, the cable harness, and the manually operable switch, the housing configured to be secured to a first side of the wall so that the entirety of the housing projects outward from the first side.   
     
     
         8 . The modular power charging unit of  claim 7 , further comprising an indicator light electrically associated with the electrical port component and configured to illuminate only when the modular power charging unit is in the power on state. 
     
     
         9 . The modular power charging unit of  claim 7 , wherein the electrical port component comprises a charging interface. 
     
     
         10 . The modular power charging unit of  claim 7 , wherein the electrical port component comprises an electrical power outlet. 
     
     
         11 . The modular power charging unit of  claim 7 , wherein the housing comprises a back panel with an opening through which the cable harness extends to place the power input pin and the ground pin outside of the housing. 
     
     
         12 . The modular power charging unit of  claim 11 , wherein the housing is secured to the wall by mounting hardware that extends into mounting holes formed in the wall, which mounting holes extend only partially into the wall, so that the back panel is flush with a surface of the wall. 
     
     
         13 . The modular power charging unit of  claim 11 , wherein the housing comprises a grommet surrounding the opening of the back panel, and the grommet has a maximum cross sectional dimension that enables placement of the grommet into a cable-harness hole through the wall, the cable-harness hole having a corresponding maximum cross sectional dimension that preserves the structural integrity of the wall and the aircraft monument.