Portal chamber for entering or exiting a gravity chamber of a habitation module while the gravity chamber rotates

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10059469-B2
Application number	US-201614992965-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 11, 2016
Priority date	Jan 11, 2016
Publication date	Aug 28, 2018
Grant date	Aug 28, 2018

Abstract

A habitation module with a gravity chamber that rotates to provide an artificial gravity environment. In one embodiment, a portal chamber is installed adjacent to the gravity chamber and configured to rotate about the same axis. The portal chamber includes a brake mechanism to stop the rotation of the portal chamber, a first access opening for a crew member to pass between an interior of the habitation module and the portal chamber while rotation of the portal chamber is stopped, an engagement mechanism that engages the gravity chamber to rotate the portal chamber about the axis at a speed of the gravity chamber, and a second access opening for the crew member to pass between the portal chamber and the gravity chamber while the portal chamber rotates at the speed of the gravity chamber.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A habitation module, comprising:
a gravity chamber configured to rotate about an axis to simulate a gravitational force within the gravity chamber; and
a portal chamber adjacent to the gravity chamber and configured to rotate about the axis;
the portal chamber includes:
a brake mechanism configured to stop the rotation of the portal chamber about the axis;
a first access opening for a crew member to pass between an interior of the habitation module and the portal chamber while rotation of the portal chamber is stopped;
an engagement mechanism configured to engage the gravity chamber to rotate the portal chamber about the axis at a speed of the gravity chamber, and configured to disengage from the gravity chamber; and
a second access opening for the crew member to pass between the portal chamber and the gravity chamber while the portal chamber rotates at the speed of the gravity chamber.

2. The habitation module of claim 1 wherein:
the engagement mechanism includes an actuator device configured to apply pressure with a friction pad to a surface of the gravity chamber to engage the gravity chamber, and configured to reduce the pressure with the friction pad to the surface of the gravity chamber to disengage from the gravity chamber.

3. The habitation module of claim 2 wherein:
the actuator device of the engagement mechanism is configured to gradually increase the pressure with the friction pad to the surface of the gravity chamber to gradually accelerate rotation of the portal chamber to the speed of the gravity chamber.

4. The habitation module of claim 1 further comprising:
a lock mechanism configured to secure the portal chamber to the gravity chamber.

5. The habitation module of claim 4 wherein:
the lock mechanism is positioned on the portal chamber so that the lock mechanism interlocks with the gravity chamber when the second access opening of the portal chamber is directly adjacent to an access opening of the gravity chamber.

6. The habitation module of claim 5 wherein:
the second access opening of the portal chamber includes a door configured to open only when the lock mechanism is interlocked with the gravity chamber.

7. The habitation module of claim 1 wherein:
the portal chamber includes an inner cylindrical structure and compartments that extend from the inner cylindrical structure in opposing directions; and
an interior of the compartments are hollow to form a corridor through which crew members are able to move.

8. The habitation module of claim 1 wherein:
the gravity chamber is annular and includes:
a first inner cylindrical structure;
a first outer cylindrical wall; and
opposing first side walls that connect the first outer cylindrical wall and the first inner cylindrical structure.

9. The habitation module of claim 8 wherein:
the gravity chamber is hollow between the first inner cylindrical structure, the first outer cylindrical wall, and the first side walls; and
an inner surface of the first outer cylindrical wall is lined with a material for an exercise track.

10. The habitation module of claim 8 wherein:
the gravity chamber includes a plurality of partitions that extend radially from the first inner cylindrical structure to the first outer cylindrical wall between the first side walls to define compartments within the gravity chamber.

11. The habitation module of claim 8 wherein:
the portal chamber is annular and includes:
a second inner cylindrical structure;
a second outer cylindrical wall; and
opposing second side walls that connect the second outer cylindrical wall and the second inner cylindrical structure.

12. The habitation module of claim 11 wherein:
the portal chamber is hollow between the second inner cylindrical structure, the second outer cylindrical wall, and the second side walls for an exercise track; and
the gravity chamber includes a plurality of partitions that extend radially from the first inner cylindrical structure to the first outer cylindrical wall between the first side walls to define compartments within the gravity chamber.

13. The habitation module of claim 8 wherein:
the gravity chamber includes a divider orthogonal to the axis that divides the gravity chamber into a first annular sub-chamber and a second annular sub-chamber;
the first annular sub-chamber is hollow between the first inner cylindrical structure, the first outer cylindrical wall, a first one of the first side walls, and the divider for an exercise track; and
the second annular sub-chamber includes a plurality of partitions that extend radially from the first inner cylindrical structure to the first outer cylindrical wall, and between a second one of the first side walls and the divider to define compartments within the second annular sub-chamber.

14. The habitation module of claim 1 further comprising:
support bearings for attaching the portal chamber to the habitation module;
wherein the habitation module has a hull that defines an outer diameter of the habitation module, and a cylindrical core member encapsulated by the hull that extends through a center of the habitation module.

15. The habitation module of claim 14 wherein:
the support bearings each include an inner race attached to the cylindrical core member of the habitation module, and an outer race attached to the portal chamber.

16. The habitation module of claim 14 wherein:
the support bearings each include an outer race attached to an inner surface of the hull, and an inner race attached to the portal chamber.

17. The habitation module of claim 14 wherein:
the support bearings each include an inner race attached to an outer surface of the hull, and an outer race attached to the portal chamber.

18. A method of accessing a gravity chamber of a habitation module, the method comprising:
rotating a gravity chamber about an axis to simulate a gravitational force within the gravity chamber;
rotating a portal chamber about the axis adjacent to the gravity chamber;
disengaging an engagement mechanism of the portal chamber from the gravity chamber, wherein the engagement mechanism mechanically couples the portal chamber to the gravity chamber to impart rotation;
stopping the rotation of the portal chamber about the axis with a brake mechanism for a crew member to enter the portal chamber through a first access opening from an interior of the habitation module; and
engaging the gravity chamber with the engagement mechanism of the portal chamber to rotate the portal chamber about the axis at a speed of the gravity chamber for the crew member to pass through a second access opening of the portal chamber to an access opening of the gravity chamber.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:
locking the portal chamber to the gravity chamber with a lock mechanism when the second access opening of the portal chamber is directly adjacent to the access opening of the gravity chamber.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein engaging the gravity chamber with the engagement mechanism comprises:
applying pressure with a friction pad to a surface of the gravity chamber to engage the gravity chamber.

21. A method of exiting a gravity chamber of a habitation module, the method comprising:
rotating a gravity chamber about an axis to simulate a gravitational force within the gravity chamber;
rotating a portal chamber adjacent to the gravity chamber by engaging the gravity chamber with an engagement mechanism of the portal cham

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Dharmaraj Raju
• Engle James Michael

Classifications

• B64G1/12 Primary

  manned · CPC title

• B64G1/60

  Crew or passenger accommodations · CPC title

• B64G1/465

  for controlling gravity · CPC title