Compact centrifugal air blowers for air cushion supported cargo loading platform

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9567166-B2
Application number	US-201414512127-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2014
Priority date	Oct 10, 2014
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

The present disclosure includes cargo loading systems and components including cargo systems utilizing one or more air cushions to elevate one or more cargo shuttles. Air is delivered to the air cushions by compact centrifugal air blowers. Such compact centrifugal air blowers are designed to provide sufficient power to inflate air cushions, while having a sufficiently short profile.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cargo loading system, for an elongated cargo storage area having a longitudinal axis, comprising:
a cargo shuttle having a frame;
a translation means to at least one of advance or retract the shuttle along the axis;
an air volume located beneath the cargo shuttle; and
a compact centrifugal air blower positioned within the frame of the cargo shuttle and comprising an outlet in fluid communication with the air volume to displace a top surface orthogonal to the axis, a stator integrated into a first heat diffuser, and a magnet concentrically surrounding the stator.

2. The cargo loading system of claim 1 , wherein the compact centrifugal air blower further comprises an impeller concentrically surrounding the stator and physically coupled to the magnet.

3. The cargo loading system of claim 1 , wherein the outlet is perpendicular to the stator.

4. The cargo loading system of claim 1 , wherein the compact centrifugal air blower further comprises an inlet.

5. The cargo loading system of claim 4 , wherein the inlet is perpendicular to the stator.

6. The cargo loading system of claim 4 , wherein the inlet is in fluid communication with the air volume.

7. The cargo loading system of claim 1 , wherein the compact centrifugal air blower pumps air into the air volume at a rate between about 6 kPa and about 70 kPa.

8. The cargo loading system of claim 1 , wherein a height of the compact centrifugal air blower is between about 25 mm and about 50 mm.

9. The cargo loading system of claim 2 , wherein the impeller is concentrically surrounded by a second heat diffuser.

10. The cargo loading system of claim 9 , wherein the second heat diffuser is aluminum.

11. The cargo loading system of claim 1 , wherein the first heat diffuser is aluminum.

Assignees

• Goodrich Corp

Inventors

• Himmelmann Richard

Classifications

• F04D29/441

  especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps · CPC title

• B64D2009/006

  Rollers or drives for pallets of freight containers, e.g. PDU · CPC title

• B65G7/06

  using fluid at high pressure supplied from an independent source to provide a cushion between load and ground {(conveying articles over a flat surface by jets located in the surface B65G51/00)} · CPC title

• F04D25/082

  the unit having provision for cooling the motor · CPC title

• F04D29/444

  Bladed diffusers · CPC title