Inflatable Telescoping Bridge Seals for Airtight Passenger Boarding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing passenger loading bridges suffer from poor sealing, allowing substantial airflows into concourses, which impose significant heating and cooling demands on environmental systems, increase energy consumption, and affect passenger comfort due to their complex construction and frequent openings.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating expandable and retractable weather seals around the telescoping structures of passenger loading bridges, forming airtight joints between concentric structures using inflatable bladders and a compressed air system to maintain sealing during movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If telescoping structures with multiple joints are used to enable loading bridge movement and articulation, then adaptability and ease of operation are improved, but sealing performance deteriorates due to gaps and joints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible inflatable seals positioned at telescoping joints and rotatable joints. These seals consist of flexible membranes that can deform to accommodate structural movements while maintaining sealing integrity. The inflatable nature allows the seals to expand and contract with the joint movements, preventing air leakage while preserving the full range of articulation motion.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes pneumatic inflation systems to activate the seals at various joints. Compressed air is introduced into inflatable chambers located at telescoping joints and rotatable joints, causing the seals to expand and form tight barriers. This pneumatic mechanism allows dynamic sealing adjustment - seals inflate when joints are stationary to prevent leakage, and can deflate or compress when joints are moving to accommodate articulation.
2Ease of operation
If gate doors are kept open for extended periods to facilitate passenger boarding and deplaning, then ease of operation is improved, but energy consumption increases due to uncontrolled airflows
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements flexible weather seals along the loading bridge envelope, including at gate door interfaces. These seals create airtight barriers that remain effective even when doors are open for extended periods, preventing uncontrolled air exchange between the conditioned concourse and unconditioned exterior environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate airlock chambers and sealed transition zones between the concourse and exterior environments. These intermediary spaces allow passenger flow while maintaining pressure differentials and preventing direct air exchange, thereby reducing the energy burden on environmental control systems during extended door operations.
3Reliability
If multiple seals are installed at telescoping and rotatable joints to improve sealing performance, then air leakage is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sealing functions into integrated seal assemblies. For example, seals at telescoping joints are designed to simultaneously address air leakage, accommodate axial movement, and resist radial loads. This merging of functions reduces the number of separate components needed while maintaining comprehensive sealing performance across all joint types.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent develops universal seal designs that can be applied across different joint configurations (telescoping, rotatable, fixed). The inflatable seal modules are designed with multi-functionality, serving as both primary sealing barriers and secondary structural elements that can accommodate various degrees of freedom. This universality simplifies the overall system by using standardized components throughout the loading bridge structure.
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 solution provides a substantially airtight seal, reducing uncontrolled airflows and minimizing energy consumption and improving passenger comfort by enhancing the sealing efficiency of loading bridges.
Implementation Method 1
a compressed air system to maintain sealing during movement
Implementation Method 2
expandable and retractable weather seals around the telescoping structures... using inflatable bladders
Data Source
AI summary
The telescoping joints (110,114) of an articulating aircraft passenger boarding bridge are sealed airtight by an expandable seal (202) in the overlapping and concentric portion between the outer circumference of an internal structure (106) and the interior circumference of an external structure (108). The preferred embodiment is an inflatable bladder (202) with an air outlet (412) and an air inlet (406) to accept compressed air. The bladder (202) expands to seal the gap between the concentric structures when the telescoping structures are immobilized and deflate to allow movement of the telescoping structures. The embodiment may be comprised of a plurality of expandable seals geometrically shaped to form a whole seal.