Deformable closure mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10858126-B2
Application number	US-201715441318-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 24, 2017
Priority date	Feb 25, 2016
Publication date	Dec 8, 2020
Grant date	Dec 8, 2020

Abstract

A deformable closure mechanism for an aperture that may include an aperture seal that has a seal seat between an internal support structure and an external support structure. A barrier structure may be configured to resealably close the aperture, and have a central membrane and a barrier sealed that is inflatable in order to engage the barrier structure with the aperture seal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A deformable closure mechanism, comprising:
a first deformable wall having a first seal structure, the first seal structure further comprising:
a first internal surface;
a first inflatable gasket coupled to the first internal surface;

a second deformable, wall having a second seal structure, the second seal structure further comprising:
a second internal surface; and
second and third inflatable gaskets, configured to be spaced apart from one another and coupled to the second internal surface,

wherein the first deformable wall is configured to be removably coupled to the second deformable wall by overlapping the first internal surface with the second internal surface such that the first internal surface is facing the second internal surface, and inflating the first, second and third inflatable gaskets,
wherein upon inflating, the second and third inflatable gaskets are configured to form a cavity into which the first inflatable gasket expands and interlocks to resealably seal the first deformable wall to the second deformable wall.

2. The deformable closure mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the first deformable wall is configured to be resealably sealed to the second deformable wall upon expansion and interlocking of the first inflatable gasket with the second and third inflatable gaskets, and an application of a tensile stress to the first and second seal structures that urges the first internal surface toward the second internal surface.

3. The deformable closure mechanism of claim 2 , wherein the tensile stress is applied perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the deformable closure mechanism.

4. The deformable closure mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the cavity is a cavity channel extending along a portion of the second deformable wall.

5. The deformable closure mechanism of claim 1 , wherein a selected gasket, from the first, second and third inflatable gaskets, further comprises:
an internal bladder that is inflatable; and
an external sealing surface that encapsulates the internal bladder.

6. The deformable closure mechanism of claim 5 , wherein the internal bladder further comprises:
internal fibers that maintain a design geometry of the internal bladder when inflated.

7. The deformable closure mechanism of claim 6 , wherein the design geometry of the internal bladder imparts an interlockable cross-sectional geometry on the selected gasket.

8. The deformable closure mechanism of claim 1 , wherein upon being expanded to resealably seal the first deformable wall to the second deformable wall, the first inflatable gasket is configured to have a proximal end with a first width coupled to the first deformable wall and a distal end with a second width, greater than the first width, and
wherein upon being expanded, the second and third inflatable gaskets are configured to have proximal ends with third widths coupled to the second deformable wall and distal ends with fourth widths, greater than the third widths.

9. The deformable closure mechanism of claim 8 , wherein when expanded to resealably seal the first deformable wall to the second deformable wall, the distal end of the first inflatable gasket is configured to abut and compresses against the second internal surface, and the distal ends of the second and third inflatable gaskets are configured to abut and compress against the first internal surface.

10. The deformable closure mechanism of claim 9 , wherein when expanded to resealably seal the first deformable wall to the second deformable wall, the distal end of the first inflatable gasket abuts and compresses against the second internal surface.

11. The deformable closure mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the first deformable wall and second deformable wall are portions of an airlock structure.

12. The deformable closure mechanism of claim 2 , wherein the tensile stress results from an internal pressure on an inside surface of the first and second deformable walls being greater than an external pressure on an outside surface of the first and second deformable walls.

13. A deformable closure mechanism, comprising:
a first deformable wall having a first seal structure, the first seal structure further comprising an inflatable channel; and
a second deformable wall having a second seal structure, the second seal structure further comprising a bearing channel,
wherein the bearing channel is configured to be received into the inflatable channel to removably couple the first deformable wall to the second deformable wall.

14. The deformable closure mechanism of claim 13 , wherein when removably coupled to one another, the first deformable wall and the second deformable wall are prevented from moving relative to one another along first and second mutually-perpendicular directions.

15. The deformable closure mechanism of claim 14 , wherein when removably coupled to one another, the first deformable wall and the second deformable wall are slidable along a third direction, mutually-perpendicular to the first and second directions.

16. The deformable closure mechanism of claim 13 , wherein the first deformable wall and second deformable wall are portions of an airlock structure.

17. The deformable closure mechanism of claim 16 , wherein the first deformable wall and second deformable wall are portions of an aperture of the airlock.

Assignees

• Nasa

Inventors

• Doggett William R
• Roach Timothy S
• Valle Gerard D
• Selig Molly M
• Kenner Winfred S
• Jones Thomas C
• Watson Judith J
• Bowman Lynn M
• O'Rourke Mary Jane E
• Yount Bryan C
• Makino Alberto
• Dorsey John T
• Smith Russell W
• Stanfield Clarence E
• Raboin Jasen L

Classifications

• B64G1/66 Primary

  Arrangements or adaptations of apparatus or instruments, not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B64G1/12

  manned · CPC title

• B64G1/10

  Artificial satellites; Systems of such satellites; Interplanetary vehicles (space shuttles B64G1/14) · CPC title

• B64G2001/224

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B64G1/2227

  Inflating · CPC title