Patent ID: 7540142

Claim:
An auxiliary power unit (APU) compartment multiple air inlet system, comprising: an APU compartment having a ram air inlet opening formed therein, the ram air inlet opening configured to receive a flow of ram air; an APU intake duct mounted within the APU compartment and having an inlet in fluid communication with the ram air inlet opening; a compartment cooling duct mounted within the APU compartment and having an inlet in fluid communication with the ram air inlet opening; a hinge rotationally mounted on the compartment cooling duct and including a valve section that extends across the compartment cooling duct adjacent the compartment cooling duct inlet; an inlet door mounted adjacent the ram air inlet opening and coupled to the hinge, the inlet door moveable between (i) a closed position, in which the inlet door at least substantially seals the ram air inlet opening and thereby at least inhibits the flow of ram air into the APU intake duct inlet and the compartment cooling duct inlet, and (ii) an open position, in which the inlet door unseals the ram air inlet opening and thereby allows the flow of ram air into the APU intake duct inlet and the compartment cooling duct inlet; and an actuator coupled to the inlet door and operable to selectively move the inlet door between the open position and the closed position, wherein the valve section defines a valve that at least substantially seals the compartment cooling duct inlet when the inlet door is in the closed position, and unseals the compartment cooling duct inlet when the inlet door is in the open position.