EP-4737769-A1 - COLLAPSIBLE DUST OR CONTAMINANT MITIGATION SOLUTION FOR LINEAR OR AXIAL MECHANISMS

EP4737769A1EP 4737769 A1EP4737769 A1EP 4737769A1EP-4737769-A1

Abstract

A dust mitigation device (200) for protecting mechanisms is provided. The device (200) comprises a plurality of cylindrical, concentric or nesting rings (206-1, 206-2, 206-3, 206-4) configured to correspond to the mechanism intended for protection; a multi-layered membrane (208-1, 208-2, 208-3) interconnected between said concentric or nesting rings (206-1, 206-2, 206-3, 206-4), wherein the membrane includes a composite material; and front and back flange plates (110, 112) attached to terminal junctures of the mechanism, between which the membrane (208) is tensioned; and wherein the concentric or nesting rings (206) and the multi-layered membrane (208) are arranged to enable controlled collapse and extension of the device for effective containment of contaminants.

Inventors

Basic, Goran Jurisa
GAREL, LUCAS DAMIEN

Assignees

MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Inc.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20251030

Claims (15)

A contaminant mitigation device for protecting a mechanism, the mechanism comprising first and second attachment points, the contaminant mitigation device comprising: a plurality of concentric or nesting components; a membrane interconnecting the plurality of concentric or nesting components; wherein the same cross-sectional length of the membrane is provided between each adjacent pair of the plurality of concentric or nesting components, and wherein the length or amount of the membrane is the maximum permitted distance between the adjacent pair of the plurality of concentric or nesting components in an extended configuration; wherein from an outermost concentric or nesting component to an innermost concentric or nesting component each successive concentric or nesting component has a characteristic length or diameter less than a length or diameter of the preceding concentric or nesting component according to the sum of the length or amount of the membrane therebetween and the sum of the width or cross-sectional length of each of the successive concentric or nesting component and the preceding concentric or nesting component; and wherein the length or amount of the membrane provided between each adjacent pair of the concentric or nesting components is less than or equal to the square root of the sum of the square of a vertical distance between the adjacent pair, in the extended configuration, and the square of a horizontal distance between the adjacent pair.
The device of claim 1, wherein each concentric or nesting component is a ring, an oval, or a polygon.
The device of claim 1, wherein each concentric or nesting component has a square or circular cross-section, and wherein the length of the cross-section of each concentric or nesting component is substantially identical.
The device of claim 1, wherein the membrane includes a composite material.
The device of claim 4, wherein the composite material includes a plurality of layers, each layer including one or more of BetaCloth, Kevlar ™ , and Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI).
The device of claim 1, wherein the contaminant is one or more of dust, granular material, powdered material, and particulate material.
The device of claim 6, wherein the dust is lunar dust.
The device of claim 1 further comprising a first flange plate attached to the first attachment point and the outermost component of the plurality of concentric or nesting components and a second flange plate attached to the second attachment point and the innermost component of the plurality of concentric or nesting components.
A method for protecting a mechanism from contamination, the mechanism comprising first and second attachment points, the method comprising: providing a plurality of concentric or nesting components; providing a membrane interconnecting the plurality of concentric or nesting components; wherein the same cross-sectional length of the membrane is provided between each adjacent pair of the plurality of concentric or nesting components, and wherein the length or amount of the membrane is the maximum permitted distance between the adjacent pair of the plurality of concentric or nesting components in an extended configuration; wherein from an outermost concentric or nesting component to an innermost concentric or nesting component each successive concentric or nesting component has a characteristic length or diameter less than a length or diameter of the preceding concentric or nesting component according to the sum of the length or amount of the membrane therebetween and the sum of the width or cross-sectional length of each of the successive concentric or nesting component and the preceding concentric or nesting component; and wherein the length or amount of the membrane provided between each adjacent pair of the concentric or nesting components is less than or equal to the square root of the sum of the square of a vertical distance between the adjacent pair, in the extended configuration, and the square of a horizontal distance between the adjacent pair.
The method of claim 9, wherein each concentric or nesting component is a ring, an oval, or a polygon.
The method of claim 9, wherein each concentric or nesting component has a square or circular cross-section, and wherein the length of the cross-section of each concentric or nesting component is substantially identical.
The method of claim 9, wherein the membrane includes a composite material.
The method of claim 12, wherein the composite material includes a plurality of layers, each layer including one or more of BetaCloth, Kevlar ™ , and Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI).
The method of claim 9, wherein the contaminant is one or more of dust, granular material, powdered material, and particulate material.
The method of claim 9 further comprising providing a first flange plate attached to the first attachment point and the outermost concentric or nesting component of the plurality of concentric or nesting components and providing a second flange plate attached to the second attachment point and the innermost concentric or nesting component of the plurality of concentric or nesting components.

Description

Technical Field The following relates generally to dust or contaminant mitigation solutions, and more particularly to dust or contaminant mitigation solutions for linear or axial mechanisms. Introduction Space exploration activities, such as in lunar environments, present a variety of unique challenges. One such challenge is the presence of dust or other contaminants or particulates that may affect the operation of linear or axial mechanisms such as axial joints. This is particularly important where the ability to clean the axial joint is impossible or impractical. Further, in many cases, such axial joints are part of robotic systems, which means that any dust or contaminant mitigation solution should be able to work in the absence of human intervention. In planetary exploration operations, robots and robotic interfaces are exposed to a plethora of abrasive dust types which, over time, can substantially diminish the duration of mission operations and the overall lifespan of the mission. Specifically, axial mechanisms are prone to an exponential increase in dust ingress with each movement, as the geometry of the mechanism is altered during motion. For example, the surface area of an axial joint changes during actuation. Conventional axial seals for protecting such axial joints, particularly where the seal cannot scrape against a shaft (e.g., lunar regolith, which is too abrasive and electrostatically charged for scraping), are fixed at both ends of a cavity and have a flexible body whose movement or behavior cannot be safely assumed. For example, if such a flexible body is made out of continuous soft fabric, the flexible body may become pinched in a mechanism and torn. Such a flexible body may further become caught in a translating mechanism and a range of motion thereof may be interfered with. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved dust or contaminant mitigation solution that overcomes at least some of the disadvantages of existing approaches. Summary A contaminant mitigation device for protecting a mechanism is provided. The mechanism includes first and second attachment points. The contaminant mitigation device includes a plurality of concentric or nesting components, a membrane interconnecting the plurality of concentric or nesting components, the same cross-sectional length of the membrane being provided between each adjacent pair of the plurality of concentric or nesting components, and the length or amount of the membrane being the maximum permitted distance between the adjacent pair of the plurality of concentric or nesting components in an extended configuration. From the outermost component to the innermost component, each successive concentric or nesting component has a characteristic length or diameter less than a length or diameter of the preceding concentric or nesting component according to the sum of the length or amount of the membrane therebetween and the sum of the width or cross-sectional length of each of the successive concentric or nesting component and the preceding concentric or nesting component. The length or amount of the membrane provided between each adjacent pair of the concentric or nesting components is less than or equal to the square root of the sum of the square of a vertical distance between the adjacent pair, in the extended configuration, and the square of a horizontal distance between the adjacent pair. Each concentric or nesting component may be a ring, an oval, or a polygon. Each concentric or nesting component may have a square cross-section. Each concentric or nesting component may have a circular cross-section. The length of the cross-section of each concentric or nesting component may be substantially identical. The membrane may include a composite material. The composite material may include a plurality of layers, each layer including one or more of BetaCloth, Kevlar™, and Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI). The contaminant may be one or more of dust, granular material, powdered material, and particulate material. The dust may be lunar dust. The device may further include a first flange plate attached to the first attachment point and an outermost component of the plurality of concentric or nesting components and a second flange plate attached to the second attachment point and an innermost component of the plurality of concentric or nesting components. A method for protecting a mechanism from contamination is provided. The mechanism includes first and second attachment points. The method includes providing a plurality of concentric or nesting components, providing a membrane interconnecting the plurality of concentric or nesting components, the same cross-sectional length of the membrane being provided between each adjacent pair of the plurality of concentric or nesting components, and the length or amount of the membrane being the maximum permitted distance between the adjacent pair of the plurality of concentric or nesting components in an extended configurat