Flexible Joint for Atmospheric Diving Suits
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current atmospheric diving suits (ADS) utilize rotary joints that limit maneuverability, result in awkward postures, and require complex maintenance due to sliding or rotating seals, which are prone to failure and increase fatigue.
Innovation Solution
A flexible membrane joint system supported by an endo or exoskeleton with a constant volume design, eliminating the need for seals and using multi-layered membranes for redundancy, and a pivot mechanism that counteracts pressure forces without hydraulics, allowing for more natural movement and reduced stress on pivots.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If rotary joints with sliding or rotating seals are used, then the joint can maintain structural integrity, but the seals are prone to failure and require complex maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the seal component entirely from the joint system. By using a flexible membrane instead of rigid components with sliding or rotating seals, the design extracts the problematic seal element while maintaining the joint's ability to contain pressure and allow movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a flexible membrane to replace the rigid rotary joint with seals. This thin film structure allows for movement while maintaining structural integrity and pressure containment without requiring any sealing mechanisms, thus eliminating the complexity and failure points associated with traditional seals.
2Ease of operation
If rotary joints are positioned at various angles to enable movement, then the diver can move arms, but the movement is abnormal and causes fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from fixed-angle rotary joints to a dynamically flexible membrane joint that can adapt to natural human movement patterns. The flexible membrane allows for continuous range of motion without the discrete angular positions required by rotary joints, enabling more natural and less fatiguing arm movements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the joint from fixed angular positions to continuous flexible movement. By allowing the joint to flex through a continuous range of motions rather than discrete angles, the system accommodates natural human kinematics and reduces the physical strain on the diver.
3Force
If hydraulic balance mechanism is used to limit rotational resistance, then resistance at depth is reduced, but the system requires complicated tubing, valving and reservoir adding bulk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the hydraulic balance mechanism entirely from the joint system. By using a flexible membrane design, the system eliminates the need for hydraulic tubing, valving, and reservoirs, thereby removing the bulk associated with these components while still managing rotational resistance through the membrane's inherent flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible membrane joint is self-regulating and does not require external hydraulic systems to manage resistance. The membrane's physical properties and geometry naturally accommodate pressure changes and movement resistance, allowing the joint to function autonomously without complicated hydraulic infrastructure.
4Device complexity
If single-layer membrane is used, then the design is simpler, but the diver is vulnerable if the membrane barrier is breached
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a multi-layered membrane structure where multiple membrane layers are nested within each other. This nested configuration provides redundancy, ensuring that if one layer is breached, the remaining layers continue to provide protection, thereby enhancing diver safety without significantly increasing overall structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-layered membrane design provides beforehand cushioning by having backup protective layers in place before any potential breach occurs. This preventive approach ensures that the diver is protected even if one membrane layer fails, as the other layers remain intact and functional.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The flexible joint system enhances maneuverability, reduces fatigue, improves reliability, and maintains ease of movement at maximum diving depth by providing redundancy and minimizing maintenance needs, while maintaining flexibility and safety under severe hydrostatic loading.
Implementation Method 1
The axial support structure includes pivoting portions enabling the joint to flex and the flexible membrane to contract on the inside of the bend and expand by an equal or near equal amount on the outside of the bend resulting in a constant volume joint
Implementation Method 2
A pivot mechanism that counteracts pressure forces without hydraulics
Data Source
AI summary
A constant volume flexible joint system includes a flexible membrane for coupling across a joint and spaced radial support ribs fitted to the membrane. Axial support structures are coupled to the spaced radial support ribs preventing axial deformation of the joint due to a differential pressure. The axial support structure preferably include pivoting sockets and blocks enabling the joint to flex and the flexible membrane to contract on the inside of a bend and expand by an equal or near equal amount on the outside of the bend resulting in a constant volume joint that requires low or no torque throughout the bending motion.