Tank support assembly for a vehicle
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsRyan Fraser Willmot, Jeffery Scott Anderson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A tank support assembly for a vehicle includes a vehicle structure and a storage tank assembly. The storage tank assembly is held in place relative to the vehicle structure via a magnetic support system. The magnetic support system includes tank magnets affixed to the storage tank assembly and structure magnets affixed to the vehicle structure. The tank magnets interact with the structure magnets to passively provide repulsive magnetic forces that constrain movement of the storage tank assembly relative to the vehicle structure without the tank magnets mechanically engaging the structure magnets.
Claims20
A tank support assembly for a vehicle comprising:
- a vehicle structure;
- and
- a storage tank assembly held in place relative to the vehicle structure via a magnetic support system, wherein the magnetic support system includes tank magnets affixed to the storage tank assembly and structure magnets affixed to the vehicle structure, wherein the tank magnets interact with the structure magnets to passively provide repulsive magnetic forces that constrain movement of the storage tank assembly relative to the vehicle structure without the tank magnets mechanically engaging the structure magnets.
A tank support assembly for a vehicle comprising:
- a vehicle structure including a plurality of structure magnets affixed thereto;
- and
- a storage tank assembly oriented along a height axis between a top end thereof and a bottom end thereof that is opposite the top end, the storage tank assembly including a plurality of tank magnets affixed thereto, the tank magnets including a top magnet affixed along the top end of the storage tank assembly and a bottom magnet affixed along the bottom end of the storage tank assembly, wherein the top magnet and the bottom magnet interact with corresponding structure magnets located above the top magnet and below the bottom magnet, respectively, to passively provide repulsive magnetic forces that support and suspend the storage tank assembly along the height axis relative to the vehicle structure without the tank magnets mechanically engaging the structure magnets.
A method for supporting a storage tank assembly in a vehicle comprising:
- loading cryogenic fluid into a tank of a storage tank assembly within a vehicle structure of a vehicle;
- and
- suspending the storage tank assembly relative to the vehicle structure via a magnetic support system, the magnetic support system including tank magnets affixed to the storage tank assembly and structure magnets affixed to the vehicle structure, wherein the tank magnets interact with the structure magnets to passively provide repulsive magnetic forces that suspend the storage tank assembly relative to the vehicle structure without the tank magnets mechanically engaging the structure magnets.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.