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US 10,094,165 B2Granted
Water-tight compartment with removable hatch and two-sided gel seal for multiple conduit access
AssigneeAeroVironment, Inc.
InventorsRonald H. Olch, Pavel Belik
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A water-tight or air-tight accessible compartment has a removable hatch sealed at the edge with elastically conformable opposing seals, with elongate communication elements extending into the compartment between the opposing seals, seals conforming to the topology formed between the compartment edge and the elongate communication elements.
Claims18
An accessible compartment in a body of a craft, said body having an exterior body surface, said accessible compartment comprising:
- a side wall and a floor defining a compartment interior, said side wall being transverse to said exterior body surface;
- a compartment shoulder at a top edge of said side wall and comprising a compartment shoulder surface transverse to said side wall, said compartment shoulder surface being depressed below said exterior body surface to define a step surrounding said compartment shoulder;
- at least one elongate communication element adjacent said compartment shoulder and extending into said compartment interior along a direction transverse to said top edge of said side wall;
- a hatch comprising a hatch body having a hatch body edge that is congruent with said step and a hatch shoulder comprising a hatch shoulder surface facing said compartment shoulder surface;
- a first sealing gasket between said compartment shoulder surface and said hatch shoulder surface, said first sealing gasket comprising a conformable material of a conformability corresponding to an exclusion size of a diameter of one of:
- (a) a gas molecule, or (b) a liquid molecule;
- a first fastening structure on said compartment shoulder and a second fastening structure on said hatch shoulder;
- wherein said first sealing gasket has a first side attached to one of:
- (a) said hatch shoulder surface or (b) said compartment shoulder surface, said first sealing gasket further having a second side opposite said first side, said conformable material comprising a first conformable layer, said first sealing gasket further comprising a first non-adhesive layer on said second side covering said first conformable layer;
- wherein said compartment shoulder surface comprises a compartment inner shoulder surface and a compartment outer shoulder surface, said first sealing gasket being attached to said compartment inner shoulder surface, and said first fastener structure comprising fastener holes through said compartment outer shoulder surface adapted to receive respective fasteners;
- wherein said hatch shoulder surface comprises a hatch inner shoulder surface and a hatch outer shoulder surface, said first sealing gasket being attached to said hatch inner shoulder surface, and said second fastener structure comprising fastener holes through said hatch outer shoulder surface, whereby said first and second gaskets are between the compartment and hatch inner shoulder surfaces;
- and
- wherein said compartment inner shoulder surface and said hatch inner shoulder surface are ramped with respect to one another whereby to slope away from one another in a direction away from said compartment interior.
10 more elements
An accessible compartment in a body of a craft, said body having an exterior body surface, said accessible compartment comprising:
- a side wall and a floor defining a compartment interior;
- a compartment sealing surface at a top edge of said side wall;
- at least one elongate communication element adjacent said compartment sealing surface and extending into said compartment interior from a location outside of said compartment interior;
- a hatch body having a hatch sealing surface facing said compartment sealing surface surface;
- a first sealing gasket between said compartment sealing surface and said hatch sealing surface and comprising a first elastically conformable layer, wherein a sloped portion of said compartment sealing surface and a sloped portion of said hatch sealing surface are ramped with respect to each other so as to open away from each other along a direction away from said compartment interior;
- and
- a hatch-to-compartment fastening structure comprising holes in said hatch and holes in said body and fasteners extending through said holes.
4 more elements
An accessible compartment in a body of a craft, said body having an exterior body surface, said accessible compartment comprising:
- a side wall and a floor defining a compartment interior, said side wall being transverse to said exterior body surface;
- a compartment shoulder at a top edge of said side wall and comprising a compartment shoulder surface transverse to said side wall, said compartment shoulder surface being depressed below said exterior body surface to define a step surrounding said compartment shoulder;
- at least one elongate communication element adjacent said compartment shoulder and extending into said compartment interior along a direction transverse to said top edge of said side wall;
- a hatch comprising a hatch body having a hatch body edge that is congruent with said step and a hatch shoulder comprising a hatch shoulder surface facing said compartment shoulder surface;
- a first sealing gasket between said compartment shoulder surface and said hatch shoulder surface, said first sealing gasket comprising a conformable material of a conformability corresponding to an exclusion size of a diameter of one of:
- (a) a gas molecule, or (b) a liquid molecule;
- and
- a first fastening structure on said compartment shoulder and a second fastening structure on said hatch shoulder;
- and
- wherein said body of said craft and said hatch body are formed of a material penetrable by a liquid or by a gas, said compartment further comprising:
- a compartment sealing envelope layer comprising a conformable film covering said side wall and covering said floor;
- and
- a hatch sealing envelope layer comprising a conformable film covering a surface of said hatch surrounded by said hatch shoulder.
10 more elements
An accessible compartment in a body of a craft, said body having an exterior body surface, said accessible compartment comprising:
- a side wall and a floor defining a compartment interior, said side wall being transverse to said exterior body surface;
- a compartment shoulder at a top edge of said side wall and comprising a compartment shoulder surface transverse to said side wall, said compartment shoulder surface being depressed below said exterior body surface to define a step surrounding said compartment shoulder;
- at least one elongate communication element adjacent said compartment shoulder and extending into said compartment interior along a direction transverse to said top edge of said side wall;
- a hatch comprising a hatch body having a hatch body edge that is congruent with said step and a hatch shoulder comprising a hatch shoulder surface facing said compartment shoulder surface;
- a first sealing gasket between said compartment shoulder surface and said hatch shoulder surface, said first sealing gasket comprising a conformable material of a conformability corresponding to an exclusion size of a diameter of one of:
- (a) a gas molecule, or (b) a liquid molecule;
- a first fastening structure on said compartment shoulder and a second fastening structure on said hatch shoulder;
- and
- wherein said compartment shoulder surface and said hatch shoulder surface are ramped with respect to one another so as to slope away from one another in a direction away from said compartment interior.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.