Sealant injection systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017008024-A1
Application number	US-201514792540-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 6, 2015
Priority date	Jul 6, 2015
Publication date	Jan 12, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

Sealant injection systems for injecting sealant into a cavity, the sealant injection systems including a sealant dispensing tip having a proximal end portion, a body portion, and a distal end portion that define a continuous channel to an aperture in the distal end portion for dispensing sealant material into a cavity, where the aperture is surrounded by a compressible material.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A sealant dispensing tip, comprising a proximal end portion configured to engage a sealant material dispensing system,
a body portion connected to the proximal end portion, a distal end portion connected to the body portion, a continuous channel being defined through the proximal end portion, body portion, and distal end portion to an aperture provided in the distal end portion for dispensing sealant material into a cavity, and a compressible material surrounding the aperture.

2 . The sealant dispensing tip of claim 1 , wherein the distal end portion has an end face surrounding the aperture, the end face having a linear ridge formed by intersecting planar surfaces.

3 . The sealant dispensing tip of claim 2 , a sectional plane being defined to bisect an upper portion of the channel and to contain the linear ridge, the aperture being located at least mostly on one side of the sectional plane.

4 . The sealant dispensing tip of claim 2 , wherein the planar surfaces form an angle of 80 to 100 degrees.

5 . The sealant dispensing tip of claim 1 , wherein the compressible material is adhered to a face of the distal end portion surrounding the aperture.

6 . The sealant dispensing tip of claim 5 , wherein the compressible material has an opening permitting flow of sealant out of the aperture of the distal end portion into a cavity.

7 . The sealant dispensing tip of claim 6 , wherein the cavity to be filled with sealant has an opening, the aperture in the distal end portion being smaller than the opening to the cavity.

8 . The sealant dispensing tip of claim 7 , wherein the opening in the compressible material is smaller than the opening to the cavity and larger than the aperture in the distal end portion.

9 . The sealant dispensing tip of claim 1 , wherein the compressible material is configured to create a temporary seal around the channel between the distal end portion and a structure adjacent the opening of the cavity.

10 . The sealant dispensing tip of claim 1 , wherein the channel has a progressively and smoothly varying cross-sectional shape that is circular at the proximal end portion and elongate at the distal end portion.

11 . The sealant dispensing tip of claim 1 , wherein the aperture of the distal end portion is elongate.

12 . The sealant dispensing tip of claim 1 , wherein the compressible material has an indentation force deflection of at least about 25% under a compressive force of 5-9 psi (30-60 kPa).

13 . A sealant injection system, comprising
a robot having an end effector that is configured to move a sealant dispenser and to control a flow of sealant to a desired location, a nozzle connected to the end effector, and a tip mounted on the nozzle, the tip having a central channel, an aperture in an end face, and a compressible member adhered to the end face surrounding the aperture.

14 . The sealant injection system of claim 13 , wherein the compressible member has an opening exposing the aperture in the end face.

15 . The sealant injection system of claim 14 , wherein the opening in the compressible member is elongate having a long axis and a short axis, the aperture being symmetrically located relative to the short axis and nonsymmetrically located relative to the long axis.

16 . The sealant injection system of claim 14 , wherein the opening in the compressible member is larger than the aperture in the end face and smaller than a second opening that is in fluid communication with a cavity to be sealed.

17 . The sealant injection system of claim 13 , wherein the robot is configured to position the tip against a surface, and to apply a force on the surface at the tip of at least approximately 5 psi (30 kPa) prior to initiating the flow of sealant through the aperture in the end face.

18 . The sealant injection system of claim 13 , wherein the robot is configured to position the tip against a surface, and to apply a force with the tip against the surface sufficient to compress the compressible member by at least 25% of its uncompressed thickness.

19 . The sealant injection system of claim 13 , wherein the end face of the tip has a linear ridge formed by intersecting planar faces.

20 . The sealant injection system of claim 19 , wherein the aperture is located mostly to one side of the ridge.

21 . The sealant injection system of claim 19 , wherein the aperture is isolated on one side of the ridge.

22 . A method of injecting sealant into a cavity, comprising compressing a compressible element provided on a distal end face of a nozzle tip against a structure adjacent an opening to the cavity, and channeling sealant through the nozzle and tip into the cavity.

23 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the channeling step includes directing the sealant into the cavity opening, where the structure defining the cavity opening is a first wall oriented orthogonally to an adjacent wall.

24 . The method of claim 23 , wherein the channeling step includes directing the sealant into the cavity opening without directing sealant into the adjacent wall.

25 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the compressing step is carried out prior to the channeling step.

26 . The method of claim 23 , wherein the compressing step includes compressing the compressible element provided on the distal end face of the nozzle against the corner structure defined by the first wall and the adjacent wall.

27 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the compressible element has a first and a second planar portions oriented orthogonally to one another, and the compressing step includes applying substantially equivalent force on each planar portion of the compressible element.

28 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the compressible element has first and second planar portions oriented orthogonally to each other, and the compressing step resulting in approximately the same degree of compression for the first and second planar portions of the compressible element.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Weinmann Jake
• Pringle Iv John Walter
• Erickson Chris J

Classifications

• B64C3/26

  Construction, shape, or attachment of separate skins, e.g. panels · CPC title

• B05B12/24

  made at least partly of flexible material, e.g. sheets of paper or fabric · CPC title

• B65D25/40

  Nozzles or spouts (in general B05B) · CPC title

• B05C7/06 Primary

  by devices moving in contact with the work · CPC title

• B64C3/182

  Stringers, longerons · CPC title