US3608848A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Docking mechanism
Assignee: Boeing North American Inc
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Filing: 1968-10-21
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Granted: 1971-09-28
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Expires: 1988-10-21
Abstract
Abstract A mechanism is described for aligning and securing two vehicles and attenuating shock upon impact therebetween. A plurality of wedge-shaped or semipyramidal bumpers are yieldably mounted on one vehicle and adapted to mate with complementary receptacles on the other vehicle. Sloping faces on the wedge-shaped bumpers resolve or redirect impact forces for shock attenuation by a single set of shock absorbers. Docking latches are provided for securing the vehicles together and an assembly latch arrangement is provided for holding the vehicles spaced apart for a minimum heat transfer or alternatively drawing the vehicles together for operation.
Inventors
- 👤 Myron A Cantor
- 👤 Harry S Greenberg
- 👤 Clifford H Parks
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 03:18
CPC Classifications
B; B64; B64G; B64G1/00; B64G1/22; B64G1/64; B64G1/646; B64G1/6462
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
265 words
A docking mechanism for hard docking of vehicles comprising: a passive docking member disposed on said first vehicle; an active docking member disposed on said second vehicle, said active docking member having a portion complementary with said passive docking member for mating therewith, and first latch means for releasably connecting said first and second docking members; shock absorbers disposed for absorbing impact loads between said active and passive docking members; means for holding said first and second vehicles in a spacedapart position and for drawing said active docking member towards the second vehicle to place said first and second vehicles in touching position; latch means for holding said active docking member in the fixed locations relative to said second vehicle; one of said docking members comprising: a plurality of receptacles spaced in a circle around a portion of one of the vehicles; each of said receptacles having a first surface in the form of an approximately triangular segment of a conical surface, said first surfaces of said plurality of receptacles collectively defining a cone; each of said receptacles further having second and third surface portions, each approximately normal to said conical surface, said second and third surfaces converging towards each other to form, with said first surface, a three-cornered pocket or wedge-shaped cavity; and the other of said docking members comprising: a plurality of semipyramidal bumpers spaced in a circle around a portion of the other of said vehicles, said bumpers having surface portions complementary to said receptacles so that said bumpers each mate with a receptacle upon docking of said first and second vehicles.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
265 words
A docking mechanism for hard docking of vehicles comprising: a passive docking member disposed on said first vehicle; an active docking member disposed on said second vehicle, said active docking member having a portion complementary with said passive docking member for mating therewith, and first latch means for releasably connecting said first and second docking members; shock absorbers disposed for absorbing impact loads between said active and passive docking members; means for holding said first and second vehicles in a spacedapart position and for drawing said active docking member towards the second vehicle to place said first and second vehicles in touching position; latch means for holding said active docking member in the fixed locations relative to said second vehicle; one of said docking members comprising: a plurality of receptacles spaced in a circle around a portion of one of the vehicles; each of said receptacles having a first surface in the form of an approximately triangular segment of a conical surface, said first surfaces of said plurality of receptacles collectively defining a cone; each of said receptacles further having second and third surface portions, each approximately normal to said conical surface, said second and third surfaces converging towards each other to form, with said first surface, a three-cornered pocket or wedge-shaped cavity; and the other of said docking members comprising: a plurality of semipyramidal bumpers spaced in a circle around a portion of the other of said vehicles, said bumpers having surface portions complementary to said receptacles so that said bumpers each mate with a receptacle upon docking of said first and second vehicles.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
60 words
A docking mechanism as defined in claim 1 wherein said first latch means comprises: a latching receptacle in the first conical surface of each of one of said docking members; and a latch member on the first conical surface of eaCh of the other of said docking members, each of said latch members connectable to one of said latching receptacles.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
145 words
A docking mechanism having complementary members on first and second vehicles, said mechanism comprising: a plurality of bumpers in the form of semipyramids on said first vehicle; a plurality of receptacles on said second vehicle complementary to said bumpers for mating therewith; means for attenuating docking shock on mating of said bumpers and receptacles, said means for attenuating shock being aligned along a vehicle axis; said bumpers each including an external face in the form of a segment of a cone having an apex cone half angle of approximately 45*, said bumpers each lying on the surface of a common imaginary cone; and a pair of side faces mutually diverging at approximately 90* and being segments of surfaces generated by rays extending from the axis of the common imaginary cone so that said external face and said side faces collectively form an approximately 45* semipyramid.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
145 words
A docking mechanism having complementary members on first and second vehicles, said mechanism comprising: a plurality of bumpers in the form of semipyramids on said first vehicle; a plurality of receptacles on said second vehicle complementary to said bumpers for mating therewith; means for attenuating docking shock on mating of said bumpers and receptacles, said means for attenuating shock being aligned along a vehicle axis; said bumpers each including an external face in the form of a segment of a cone having an apex cone half angle of approximately 45*, said bumpers each lying on the surface of a common imaginary cone; and a pair of side faces mutually diverging at approximately 90* and being segments of surfaces generated by rays extending from the axis of the common imaginary cone so that said external face and said side faces collectively form an approximately 45* semipyramid.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
170 words
A docking mechanism having complementary members on first and second vehicles, said mechanism comprising: a plurality of bumpers in the form of semipyramids on said first vehicle; a plurality of receptacles on said second vehicle complementary to said bumpers for mating therewith; said bumpers including an external face in the form of a segment of a cone having an apex half angle of approximately 45*, said bumpers each lying on the surface of a common imaginary cone; a plurality of fluid shock absorbers aligned with the vehicle structure, each of said bumpers being mounted on at least one of said shock absorbers for motion only in the direction of the vehicle axis; first latch means for securing said bumpers to their respective receptacles; second latch means for arresting stroke of said shock absorbers at a position intermediate between a position with the bumpers fully extended and a position with the bumpers fully retracted; and means for retracting said second latch means for retracting said bumpers and drawing the vehicles together.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
170 words
A docking mechanism having complementary members on first and second vehicles, said mechanism comprising: a plurality of bumpers in the form of semipyramids on said first vehicle; a plurality of receptacles on said second vehicle complementary to said bumpers for mating therewith; said bumpers including an external face in the form of a segment of a cone having an apex half angle of approximately 45*, said bumpers each lying on the surface of a common imaginary cone; a plurality of fluid shock absorbers aligned with the vehicle structure, each of said bumpers being mounted on at least one of said shock absorbers for motion only in the direction of the vehicle axis; first latch means for securing said bumpers to their respective receptacles; second latch means for arresting stroke of said shock absorbers at a position intermediate between a position with the bumpers fully extended and a position with the bumpers fully retracted; and means for retracting said second latch means for retracting said bumpers and drawing the vehicles together.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
109 words
A docking mechanism as defined in claim 4 wherein said first latch means comprises: a docking latch member, a reversible actuator, and an overcenter linkage interconnecting said docking latch member and said actuator for engaging and disengaging said latch member in response to said actuator; said second latch means comprises: a detent connected to said bumper, and an assembly latch member engageable with said detent at said intermediate position; and said means for retracting comprises: a reversible actuator secured to the vehicle structure, and an overcenter linkage interconnecting said assembly latch member and said actuator for shifting said assembly latch member between said intermediate position and a retracted position.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
184 words
A docking mechanism for hard docking of two vehicles comprising: a plurality of first docking members on a first vehicle; a plurality of second docking members on a second vehicle, said second docking members being complementary to said first docking members for mating therewith; shock absorber means interconnecting each of said docking members with said second vehicle for attenuating impact shocks between said first and second docking members, said shock absorber means being arranged for parallel travel; and said first and second docking members having complementary camming surfaces for redirecting impact shocks due to roll, pitch, yaw and axial translation deviations between said two vehicles into travel of said second docking member in the direction of travel of said shock absorber means; said docking members being arranged in a circular array on each of the vehicles and collectively occupying substantially less than the perimeter of the circular array; and said first docking members each having an externally facing caMming surface in the form of a segment of a cone common to the externally facing camming surface on the other of said first docking members.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
184 words
A docking mechanism for hard docking of two vehicles comprising: a plurality of first docking members on a first vehicle; a plurality of second docking members on a second vehicle, said second docking members being complementary to said first docking members for mating therewith; shock absorber means interconnecting each of said docking members with said second vehicle for attenuating impact shocks between said first and second docking members, said shock absorber means being arranged for parallel travel; and said first and second docking members having complementary camming surfaces for redirecting impact shocks due to roll, pitch, yaw and axial translation deviations between said two vehicles into travel of said second docking member in the direction of travel of said shock absorber means; said docking members being arranged in a circular array on each of the vehicles and collectively occupying substantially less than the perimeter of the circular array; and said first docking members each having an externally facing caMming surface in the form of a segment of a cone common to the externally facing camming surface on the other of said first docking members.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
191 words
Docking apparatus for first and second vehicles having docking peripheries on ends thereof to be joined comprising: a plurality of docking devices spaced about the peripheries of each of the vehicles and shaped to effect coarse alignment of the vehicles upon initial engagement; at least a portion of said docking devices including means for absorbing engagement shock and means for initially latching the devices of the first vehicle to devices of the second vehicle at a spaced-apart distance between said vehicles; means for causing the devices of one of the vehicles to draw the vehicles toward each other and for latching them together at a second, spaced-apart distance between said vehicles; means for further drawing the vehicles together in adjoining relation and locking the vehicles in such a relation; said docking devices each having complementary sets of docking members on said first and second vehicles respectively, one of said docking members in each set comprising an approximately 45* semipyramid; and said means for absorbing engagement shock comprising a pair of shock absorbers interconnecting each of said semipyramids and said first vehicle, said shock absorbers being aligned normal to the docking periphery.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
191 words
Docking apparatus for first and second vehicles having docking peripheries on ends thereof to be joined comprising: a plurality of docking devices spaced about the peripheries of each of the vehicles and shaped to effect coarse alignment of the vehicles upon initial engagement; at least a portion of said docking devices including means for absorbing engagement shock and means for initially latching the devices of the first vehicle to devices of the second vehicle at a spaced-apart distance between said vehicles; means for causing the devices of one of the vehicles to draw the vehicles toward each other and for latching them together at a second, spaced-apart distance between said vehicles; means for further drawing the vehicles together in adjoining relation and locking the vehicles in such a relation; said docking devices each having complementary sets of docking members on said first and second vehicles respectively, one of said docking members in each set comprising an approximately 45* semipyramid; and said means for absorbing engagement shock comprising a pair of shock absorbers interconnecting each of said semipyramids and said first vehicle, said shock absorbers being aligned normal to the docking periphery.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-09-27 | 1975-03-29 | 1975-09-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-09-27 | 1979-03-29 | 1979-09-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-09-27 | 1983-03-29 | 1983-09-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |