Vacuum volume reduction system and method for a vacuum tube vehicle station

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10220972-B2
Application number	US-201715476963-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2017
Priority date	Mar 31, 2017
Publication date	Mar 5, 2019
Grant date	Mar 5, 2019

Abstract

A vacuum volume reduction system and method for reducing a volume to be evacuated at a vacuum tube vehicle station are provided. The system has a station vacuum tube in an interior of a station wall of the vacuum tube vehicle station. The station vacuum tube has a tube volume. The system has a volume reduction assembly coupled to the station vacuum tube, and a control system for radially moving the assembly to and from a vehicle outer surface of a vacuum transport tube vehicle, to engage around the vehicle outer surface, for loading and unloading of passengers and/or cargo. The system further has door seal(s), an air supply assembly, and a vent-to-vacuum assembly. The system displaces the tube volume between the station wall and the vehicle outer surface, and in turn, reduces a volume to be evacuated at the vacuum tube vehicle station.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vacuum volume reduction system for reducing a volume to be evacuated at a vacuum tube vehicle station, the vacuum volume reduction system comprising:
a station vacuum tube disposed in an interior of a station wall of the vacuum tube vehicle station, the station vacuum tube having a tube volume;
a volume reduction assembly coupled to the station vacuum tube, the volume reduction assembly having a control system for radially moving the volume reduction assembly to and from a vehicle outer surface of a vacuum transport tube vehicle at the vacuum tube vehicle station, to engage around the vehicle outer surface, for loading and unloading of one or more of, passengers and cargo, through one or more vehicle doors of the vacuum transport tube vehicle and through one or more station doors of the vacuum tube vehicle station;
one or more door seals coupled to the station wall, and configured to surround a perimeter of, and to seal, each of the one or more vehicle doors, and to seal off a door cavity having a door cavity volume;
an air supply assembly coupled to the station wall, and configured to supply air to the door cavity; and
a vent-to-vacuum assembly coupled to the station wall, and configured to evacuate the air from the door cavity,
wherein the vacuum volume reduction system displaces the tube volume between the station wall and the vehicle outer surface, and in turn, reduces the volume to be evacuated at the vacuum tube vehicle station.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a door seal control system coupled to the one or more door seals, the door seal control system configured to move the one or more door seals between the station wall and the vehicle outer surface of the vacuum transport tube vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more door seals are deployed from and retracted into a door seal cavity formed in the station wall.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the station vacuum tube is a modular station vacuum tube that is integrated with the volume reduction assembly, to form a modular tube volume reduction assembly configured for installation in the station wall.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a liner element coupled to the interior of the station wall, the liner element disposed between the interior of the station wall and an outer surface of the station vacuum tube.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the volume reduction assembly comprises a plurality of blocks installed in a plurality of cavities longitudinally formed around a circumference of the station vacuum tube, the plurality of blocks configured to move to reduce a gap volume formed between the plurality of blocks and the vehicle outer surface, for the loading and the unloading of one or more of, the passengers and the cargo, through the one or more vehicle doors and through the one or more station doors.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the plurality of blocks are comprised of a compliant material that allows the plurality of blocks to deform to match a shape of the plurality of cavities.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein each of the plurality of blocks is a longitudinal one-piece monolithic structure.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein each of the plurality of blocks comprises an extendable portion that extends to the vehicle outer surface to engage around the vehicle outer surface.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the control system comprises one of, a mechanical actuator control system, a pneumatic actuator control system, a hydraulic actuator control system, or an electrical actuator control system, for controlling movement of the volume reduction assembly.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the control system comprises the mechanical actuator control system comprising one or more worm gears coupled to one or more scissor jacks.

12. The system of claim 6 wherein the plurality of blocks comprise a plurality of extendable blocks.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the air supply assembly is configured to supply air comprising one of, ambient air or compressed air, to the door cavity, before the loading and the unloading of one or more of, the passengers and the cargo, the door cavity positioned between each of the one or more vehicle doors and each of the one or more station doors.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the vent-to-vacuum assembly is configured to evacuate the air comprising one of, the ambient air or the compressed air, from the door cavity, after the loading and the unloading of one or more of, the passengers and the cargo.

15. The system of claim 1 further comprising one or more of, one or more pressure seals coupled to the vacuum transport tube vehicle, a first pressure barrier seal coupled to the station wall and configured to deploy in front of the vacuum transport tube vehicle, and a second pressure barrier seal coupled to the station wall and configured to deploy behind the vacuum transport tube vehicle.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Grip Robert Erik
• Dehaan Mark A
• Vassberg John C

Classifications

• B65B31/04 Primary

  Evacuating, pressurising or gasifying filled containers or wrappers by means of nozzles through which air or other gas, e.g. an inert gas, is withdrawn or supplied · CPC title

• B01D21/2494

  provided with means for the removal of gas, e.g. noxious gas, air · CPC title

• B65D81/2007

  under vacuum · CPC title

• G10H1/46

  Volume control · CPC title

• B65D19/36

  Pallets comprising a flexible load carrier extending between guide elements, e.g. guide tubes · CPC title