Systems and methods for sealing a refrigerated galley of an aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11525622-B2
Application number	US-201916451080-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 25, 2019
Priority date	Jun 25, 2019
Publication date	Dec 13, 2022
Grant date	Dec 13, 2022

Abstract

The present disclosure provides system for sealing a refrigerated galley of an aircraft. The system includes a door, and a seal assembly positioned at a bottom surface of the door. The seal assembly includes (i) a housing coupled to the bottom surface of the door, (ii) a seal positioned at least partially in the housing, wherein the seal is moveable relative to the housing and the door, (iii) a biasing mechanism coupled to the housing and the seal and configured to hold the seal in a relaxed state by applying a biasing force to the seal in a direction away from a floor surface of the refrigerated galley, and (iv) an activation mechanism coupled to the housing. The activation mechanism is configured to transition the seal from the relaxed state to a compressed state in response to a rotation of the door from an open position to a closed position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for sealing a refrigerated galley of an aircraft, the system comprising:
a door having a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, a first side surface, and a second side surface opposite the first side surface; and
a seal assembly positioned at the bottom surface of the door, the seal assembly comprising:
a housing coupled to the bottom surface of the door;
a seal positioned at least partially in the housing, wherein the seal is moveable relative to the housing and the door;
a biasing mechanism coupled to the housing and the seal, wherein the biasing mechanism is configured to hold the seal in a relaxed state by applying a biasing force to the seal in a direction away from a floor surface of the refrigerated galley; and
an activation mechanism coupled to the housing, wherein the activation mechanism is configured to transition the seal from the relaxed state to a compressed state in response to a rotation of the door from an open position to a closed position, wherein a height of the seal is greater in the relaxed state than in the compressed state,
wherein, when the seal transitions to the relaxed state, the seal moves vertically with respect to the door, and
wherein, as the seal transitions from the compressed state to the relaxed state in response to the rotation of the door from the closed position to the open position, a portion of the seal closer to the activation mechanism translates vertically before a portion of the seal further away from the activation mechanism.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the biasing mechanism comprises a leaf spring.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the biasing mechanism comprises a first biasing mechanism, the system further comprising:
a second biasing mechanism coupled to the housing and the seal, wherein the second biasing mechanism is positioned in parallel with the first biasing mechanism.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second seal positioned on the top surface of the door; and
a third seal positioned on the first side surface of the door.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first edge seal positioned between the housing and the seal adjacent a first side of the housing; and
a second edge seal positioned between the housing and the seal adjacent a second side of the housing opposite the first side of the housing, wherein the first edge seal and the second edge seal prevent refrigerated air from exiting the refrigerated galley of the aircraft when the door is in the closed position.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the bottom surface of the door includes a cavity between a front wall and a rear wall of the door, and wherein the housing is positioned at least partially in the cavity.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the activation mechanism comprises:
an actuator pin extending away from the housing; and
a rod coupled to the actuator pin and extending into the housing, wherein the rod is further coupled to the biasing mechanism.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the activation mechanism comprises:
an actuator pin extending away from the housing;
a rod coupled to the actuator pin and extending into the housing;
a first cam component coupled to the rod and positioned within the housing; and
a second cam component coupled to the seal and positioned within the housing, wherein the first cam component is configured to contact the second cam component when the actuator pin is depressed to thereby transition the seal from the relaxed state to the compressed state.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the first cam component comprises a first wedge having a first angled cam surface, and wherein the second cam component comprises a second wedge having a second angled cam surface.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the seal comprises an elastomeric material, a brush material, or a combination thereof.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the housing is moveable relative to the door.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the seal is removably positioned in the housing.

13. A galley for an aircraft comprising:
a refrigerated cart compartment;
a door frame defining a front wall of the refrigerated cart compartment;
a door coupled to the door frame at a hinge, the door having a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, a first side surface, and a second side surface opposite the first side surface; and
a seal assembly positioned at the bottom surface of the door, the seal assembly comprising:
a housing coupled to the bottom surface of the door;
a seal positioned at least partially in the housing, wherein the seal is moveable relative to the housing and the door;
a biasing mechanism coupled to the housing and the seal, wherein the biasing mechanism is configured to hold the seal in a relaxed state by applying a biasing force to the seal in a direction away from a floor surface of the galley; and
an activation mechanism coupled to the housing, wherein the activation mechanism is configured to transition the seal from the relaxed state to a compressed state in response to a rotation of the door from an open position to a closed position, wherein a height of the seal is greater in the relaxed state than in the compressed state,
wherein, when the seal transitions to the relaxed state, the seal moves vertically with respect to the door, and
wherein, as the seal transitions from the compressed state to the relaxed state in response to the rotation of the door from the closed position to the open position, a portion of the seal closer to the activation mechanism translates vertically before a portion of the seal further away from the activation mechanism.

14. The galley of claim 13 , further comprising:
a first edge seal positioned between the housing and the seal adjacent a first side of the housing; and
a second edge seal positioned between the housing and the seal adjacent a second side of the housing opposite the first side of the housing, wherein the first edge seal and the second edge seal prevent refrigerated air from exiting the refrigerated cart compartment of the galley when the door is in the closed position.

15. The galley of claim 13 , wherein the activation mechanism comprises:
an actuator pin extending away from the housing; and
a rod coupled to the actuator pin and extending into the housing, wherein the rod is further coupled to the biasing mechanism, wherein the actuator pin is configured to contact the door frame to thereby transition the seal from the relaxed state to the compressed state.

16. The galley of claim 13 , wherein the activation mechanism comprises:
an actuator pin extending away from the housing;
a rod coupled to the actuator pin and extending into the housing;
a first cam component coupled to the rod and positioned within the housing; and
a second cam component coupled to the seal and positioned within the housing, wherein the actuator pin is configured to contact the door frame to depress the actuator pin and cause the first cam component to contact the second cam component to thereby transition the seal from the relaxed state to the compressed state.

17. The galley of claim 16 , wherein the first cam component comprises a first wedge having a first angled cam surface, and wherein the second cam component comprises a second wedge having a second angled cam surface.

18. The galley of claim 13 , wherein the housing is moveable relative to the door.

19. A method of assembling an aircraft galley with a seal assembly including a housing, a s

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Brown Douglas A
• Schalla James P
• Balvanz Justin W
• Moran Thomas J

Classifications

• B64D11/04 Primary

  Galleys · CPC title

• E06B7/215

  with sealing strip being moved to a retracted position by elastic means, e.g. springs · CPC title

• F25D23/028

  Details · CPC title

• E06B2007/202

  Actuator connected to wing frame · CPC title

• F25D23/087 Primary

  Sealing strips · CPC title