Rotorcraft Environmental Enclosure With Drip Loop Connector
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rotorcraft systems face challenges in protecting electrical, hydraulic, and pneumatic connections as they pass through the vehicle's outer skin, leading to potential contamination and inefficiencies due to the close coupling of flight control inputs and aerodynamic characteristics, which require more complex wiring and fluid systems.
Innovation Solution
An enclosure system is designed to mount connectors in a way that creates a drip loop and angled connector surfaces to prevent fluid ingress, with a cover that seals the access opening and secures lines through a shell opening, using weatherproof connectors and materials resistant to environmental conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If connectors are placed at the point where lines pass through the vehicle wall, then connection efficiency is improved, but protection from environmental contaminants deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The connector assembly is segmented into multiple components: the enclosure body, the connector, and the cover. This segmentation allows the connector to remain accessible for connections while the enclosure provides protective isolation from environmental contaminants.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector is nested within the enclosure, which itself is mounted on the vehicle wall. This nested arrangement allows the connector to be positioned at the wall penetration point for efficient connections while being protected by the enclosing structure.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the enclosure is sealed to protect connections, then protection from contaminants is improved, but access for maintenance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is designed to be removable, transforming the enclosure from a static sealed structure to a dynamic one that can open for maintenance and close for protection. This dynamic feature resolves the contradiction between sealing and accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover is extracted as a separate removable component from the main enclosure body. This extraction allows the cover to be removed for maintenance access while the main enclosure remains in place to provide continuous protection when the cover is installed.
3Ease of operation
If connectors are exposed at the wall surface, then ease of connection is improved, but fluid ingress risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The enclosure is installed beforehand to create a drip loop configuration that prevents fluid from reaching the connector. This preliminary protective action counteracts the potential harmful effect of fluid ingress before it can occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The enclosure acts as an intermediary structure between the external environment and the connector. It provides a protective interface that allows connections to be made while preventing direct exposure to fluids and contaminants.
Data Source
AI summary
An enclosure including a bottom side having a pass through opening, a connector surface having one or more connector openings, a first side adjacent to the connector surface, and a second side having at least a portion of an access opening, where the first side, the second side, the connector surface and the bottom side bound an interior cavity. The enclosure further includes one or more connectors, each of the one or more connectors disposed in a respective connector opening of the one or more connector openings and extending from the interior cavity, through the connector surface, and a cover attached to an exterior surface of at least the second side, the cover covering the access opening.