US-12618502-B2 - Quick disconnect coupling systems and related methods

Abstract

Quick disconnect devices for high pressure fluid transfer, and associated systems and methods are disclosed. A representative quick disconnect system includes a first connector and a second connector. The second connector can have an opening sized and shaped to receive a first end of the first connector. The second connector can include a poppet positioned to open the first connector when the first connector is connected to the second connector. The second connector can include an inner sleeve moveable between a first position wherein the poppet head forms a fluid-tight seal with the annular seat of the inner sleeve, and a second position wherein the second end portion is open to permit fluid flow through the end portion of the inner sleeve. In some embodiments, the inner sleeve is pressure balanced in every direction.

Inventors

• Randall J. Strauss
• William Goettler

Assignees

• Blue Origin Manufacturing, LLC

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20231115

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A quick disconnect (QD) system for fluid coupling, the QD system comprising: a first connector comprising a piston within a piston chamber to be isolated from fluid after the fluid coupling is established; and a second connector comprising a poppet head to mate against the piston and to enable the fluid coupling to be established for fluid to flow between the first connector and the second connector, wherein at least a mating face and a longitudinal side surface of the poppet head is also within the piston chamber to be isolated from the fluid after the fluid coupling is established.
2. 2 . The QD system of claim 1 , further comprising: a piston housing of the first connector to comprise the piston chamber, the piston chamber to enable the piston to be entirely isolated from the fluid by the piston being entirely within the piston chamber after the fluid coupling is established.
3. 3 . The QD system of claim 1 , further comprising: a piston housing of the first connector to comprise the piston chamber, the piston chamber to enable the mating face and the longitudinal side surface of the poppet head to also be isolated from the fluid by the mating face and the longitudinal side surface being within the piston chamber after the fluid coupling is established.
4. 4 . The QD system of claim 3 , further comprising: a piston wall of the piston chamber to stop the piston from further movement within the piston chamber, with the longitudinal side surface of the poppet head being within the piston chamber.
5. 5 . The QD system of claim 1 , further comprising: an inner sleeve of the first connector to support movement of the piston around the inner sleeve; an indentation of the poppet head to receive part of a piston retainer during a stroke of the piston; and a vent of a piston housing having the piston, the vent to vent at least air from a piston chamber during the stroke of the piston.
6. 6 . The QD system of claim 1 , further comprising: an outer sleeve of the first connector to enable a fluid path around a poppet stem and around piston housing having the piston, the fluid path for the fluid to flow between the first connector and the second connector after the fluid coupling is established.
7. 7 . The QD system of claim 1 , further comprising: a fluid path for the fluid to flow between the first connector and the second connector, the fluid path comprising an outside of a piston housing having the piston of the first connector and comprising an outside of a poppet stem associated with the poppet head of the second connector.
8. 8 . The QD system of claim 1 , further comprising: an inner sleeve of the second connector to be biased against the poppet head by a biasing spring and to open or close a fluid path between the inner sleeve and the poppet head based in part on a movement on the inner sleeve.
9. 9 . A flight-side connector to establish a fluid coupling with a ground-side connector for a launch vehicle, the flight-side connector comprising a piston chamber to isolate: a piston and the piston chamber of the flight-side connector from a fluid after the fluid coupling is established, and at least a mating face and a longitudinal side surface of a poppet head of the ground-side connector, within the piston chamber, from the fluid after the fluid coupling is established.
10. 10 . The flight-side connector of claim 9 , further comprising: a piston housing to comprise the piston chamber, wherein the piston is entirely isolated from the fluid by the piston being entirely within the piston chamber after the fluid coupling is established.
11. 11 . The flight-side connector of claim 9 , further comprising: a piston housing to comprise the piston chamber, wherein the mating face and the longitudinal side surface of the poppet head is isolated from the fluid by the mating face and the longitudinal side surface being within the piston chamber after the fluid coupling is established.
12. 12 . The flight-side connector of claim 9 , further comprising: a piston wall of the piston chamber to stop the piston from further movement within the piston chamber, with the longitudinal side surface of the poppet head being within the piston chamber.
13. 13 . The flight-side connector of claim 9 , further comprising: an inner sleeve to support movement of the piston around the inner sleeve; and a vent of the inner sleeve to vent air from the piston chamber during a stroke of the piston.
14. 14 . The flight-side connector of claim 9 , further comprising: an outer sleeve to enable a fluid path from the ground-side connector and around a piston housing of the piston chamber, the fluid path for the fluid to flow between the flight-side connector and the ground-side connector after the fluid coupling is established.
15. 15 . A ground-side connector to establish a fluid coupling with a flight-side connector for a launch vehicle, the ground-side connector comprising a poppet with a poppet head, the poppet to enable: a piston within a piston chamber of the flight-side connector, the piston chamber and the piston to be isolated from a fluid after the fluid coupling is established, and a mating face and a longitudinal side surface of the poppet head to be within the piston chamber and isolated, within the piston chamber, from the fluid after the fluid coupling is established.
16. 16 . The ground-side connector of claim 15 , further comprising: an inner sleeve to be biased against the poppet head by a biasing spring, wherein a fluid path between the inner sleeve and the poppet head is either opened or closed by a movement associated with the biasing spring.
17. 17 . The ground-side connector of claim 15 , further comprising: an outer sleeve; an inner sleeve; a biasing spring; and a poppet sleeve, the poppet sleeve to support the poppet and to support a biasing spring between the outer sleeve and the inner sleeve, the biasing spring to bias the inner sleeve against the poppet head.
18. 18 . The ground-side connector of claim 15 , further comprising: features to mate the ground-side connector with a pivot adapter, the pivot adapter to tilt, rotate, or translate with respect to a retaining ring to limit damage from movement after the fluid coupling is established.
19. 19 . The ground-side connector of claim 18 , wherein the pivot adapter is to provide the fluid for the fluid coupling with the flight-side connector, based in part on a further fluid coupling between the pivot adapter and the ground-side connector.
20. 20 . The ground-side connector of claim 18 , further comprising: an outer sleeve comprising a tapered opening, the tapered opening to receive and retain the flight-side connector.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS Any and all applications for which a foreign or domestic priority claim is identified in the Application Data Sheet as filed with the present application are hereby incorporated by reference under 37 CFR 1.57. For example, this application is a continuation that is related to and that claims the benefit of priority from allowed U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/682,864, filed Feb. 28, 2022, which in turn claims the benefit of priority to and is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/898,317, filed Jun. 10, 2020, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,262,014, both entitled “QUICK DISCONNECT COUPLING SYSTEMS AND RELATED METHODS,” the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein and form a part of this specification for all purposes. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure is directed generally to quick disconnect couplings, and associated systems and methods. BACKGROUND Rockets have been used for many years to launch human and non-human payloads into orbit. Such rockets delivered the first humans to space and to the moon, and have launched countless satellites into the Earth's orbit and beyond. Such rockets are used to propel unmanned space probes and more recently to deliver structures, supplies, and personnel to the orbiting international space station. In order to reach orbit, rockets and other launch vehicles must be provided with fuel, hydraulic fluid, coolant, and/or other fluids, many of which are transferred and stored at very high pressures. One challenge associated with transferring high-pressure fluid to the rockets is avoiding fluid leaks at the connections between the rockets and fluid sources (e.g., tanks). Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to addressing this and other challenges. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a partially schematic, side elevation view of a representative rocket, a fluid source, and a quick disconnect system connecting the rocket to the fluid source. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of a first connector of a quick disconnect system configured in accordance with embodiments of the present technology. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of a second connector of a quick disconnect system configured in accordance with embodiments of the present technology. FIG. 4A is an end view of the first connector of FIG. 2 mated with the second connector of FIG. 3. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional side view of the first and second connectors of FIG. 4A, taken along cut-plane A-A of FIG. 4A when a poppet of the second connector first contacts a piston of the first connector. FIG. 4C is the cross-sectional side view of the first and second connectors shown in FIG. 4B, at a point when an abutment sleeve of the second connector first contacts an outer housing of the first connector. FIG. 4D is a close-up cross-sectional side view of the first connector of FIG. 2, taken along the cut-plane B-B of FIG. 4A. FIG. 4E is the cross-sectional side view of the first and second connectors shown in FIG. 4B, when an inner sleeve of the second connector first abuts the abutment sleeve. FIG. 4F is the cross-sectional side view of the first and second connectors shown in FIG. 4B, when the first connector is fully coupled with the second connector. FIG. 5A is an end view of another first connector of a quick disconnect system configured in accordance with embodiments of the present technology. FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional side view of the first connector of FIG. 5A, taken along cut-plane C-C of FIG. 5A. FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional side view of the first connector of FIG. 5A, taken along cut-plane D-D of FIG. 5A. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of another second connector of a quick disconnect system configured in accordance with embodiments of the present technology. FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional side view of the first connector of FIGS. 5A-5C and the second connector of FIG. 6 at a point when a poppet of the second connector first contacts a piston of the first connector. FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional side view of the first and second connectors shown in FIG. 7A, at a point when an outer flange of an inner sleeve of the second connector first contacts an outer housing of the first connector. FIG. 7C is a cross-sectional side view of the first and second connectors shown in FIG. 7A, at a point when the first connector is fully coupled with the second connector. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Embodiments of the technology disclosed herein are directed generally to quick disconnect systems for providing fluid connections between two or more fluid vessels. For example, the quick disconnect systems disclosed herein can be used to fluidly connect fluid systems on and/or in a launch vehicle to an external fluid source. The quick disconnect systems disclosed herein can include both ground-side and flight-side connectors configured to couple and decouple with each other. One or both of the ground-side and flight-si