Hose for Conveying Fluid

• US 20170241576A1
• Filed: 09/28/2016
• Published: 08/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Crosslink Technology Holdings Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Icon Polymer Group Limited (Sanders Industries Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pryce, Timothy Denzil, Tan, Calvin
• Granted Patent: US 10,267,439 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/10 Air crafts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/662 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 39/00 Refuelling during flight filling or emptying fuel tanks B64D37/14
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 39/06 Connecting hose to aircraft; Disconnecting hose therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/34 In-flight charging photovoltaics B64U50/31
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 11/127 electrically conducting
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 11/22 Multi-channel hoses
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/77 for flexible printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables or like structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/005 Electrical coupling combined with fluidic coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6683 with built-in sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/26 for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A hose is disclosed for conveying fluids. The hose has a wall defining a fluid carrying tube and a power and/or data transmission cable is integrated into said wall. Also disclosed is a user definable module that is removably attachable to the distal end of a fluid conveying hose. The hose being releasably connectable to a fluid receiving entity to provide fluid to said entity. The fluid conveying hose has a wall defining a fluid carrying tube and a power and/or data transmission cable integrated into that wall. The user definable module is connectable to the cable and has components to measure at least one measurable parameter at the end of the hose and/or provide electrical connection between the cable and said fluid receiving entity for the transmission of data and/or power along the hose via said user definable interface. Also disclosed is a method of configuring a hose for fluid transfer. The method includes the step of selecting a user definable module and attaching the selected module to a distal end of the hose prior to connecting said hose to a fluid receiving entity.

Claims

1-5. -5. (canceled)

19-22. -22.

23. A refuelling hose for air-to-air refuelling, the refuelling hose comprising:

a wall defining a fuel carrying tube and a power and/or data transmission cable integrated into said wall,

wherein the wall comprises an inner fuel carrying tube and an outer protective sheath, wherein the cable is positioned between the inner fuel carrying tube and the outer protective sheath,

wherein the cable is wound around the inner fuel carrying tube to define a helical path along the hose, and

wherein the cable comprises a plurality of spaced insulated wires encased in a sleeve of low friction material to allow movement of the wires relative to the sleeve when the cable is subject to bending.

6. The refuelling hose of claim 23, wherein the hose has a distal end and a user definable module, the user definable module being removably attachable to said distal end and including a connector for electrical connection to said cable.

7. The refuelling hose of claim 6, wherein the user definable module is tubular and surrounds the distal end of the hose.

8. The refuelling hose of claim 6, wherein the user definable module comprises at least one or more components for determining a measurable parameter at the distal end of the hose.

9. The refuelling hose of claim 8, wherein the user definable module comprises at least one of a position sensor, an accelerometer, a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a proximity sensor and a flow rate sensor.

10. The refuelling hose of claim 6, further comprising an intermediate connecting collar, attachable to the distal end of the hose proximal to the user definable module, the collar comprising first electrical terminals to connect the cable to conductors in the collar and second electrical terminals spaced from the first electrical terminals to connect the conductors in the collar to the user definable module.

11. The refuelling hose of claim 10, wherein the conductors in the collar extend from the first electrical terminal in a helical path and terminate at the second electrical terminal in a plane extending substantially at right angles to a longitudinal axis of the hose.

12. The refuelling hose of claim 11, wherein the intermediate collar has an angled cut out that defines a face which is substantially perpendicular to the helical path of the cable, said first electrical terminal being mounted on said face.

13. The refuelling hose of claim 11, wherein the intermediate collar comprises an end face which lies in a plane substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the hose, said second electrical terminal being mounted to said end face.

14. The refuelling hose of claim 6, wherein the user definable module comprises two half tubular portions or shells that are attachable to each other to surround the distal end of the hose.

15. The refuelling hose of claim 14, wherein the user definable module is attachable to the collar.

16. The refuelling hose of claim 10, wherein the user definable module comprises a connector configured to connect to the second electrical terminals, when the user definable module is attached to the distal end of the hose.

17. The refuelling hose of claim 6, wherein a connector extends from the distal end of the hose to receive a probe, the connector extending distally beyond the user defined module.

18. The refuelling hose of claim 17, wherein the user definable module comprises a terminal connector configured to electrically connect to a mating terminal connector on a receiving probe, when the connector is connected to said receiving probe.

24. The refuelling hose of claim 23, wherein the cable is flat and flexible.

25. The refuelling hose of claim 24, wherein the spaced insulated wires are arranged side-by-side within the cable.

26. The refuelling hose of claim 25, wherein the wires are individually insulated in a low friction material.

27. The refuelling hose of claim 26, wherein the low friction material individually insulating the wires comprises fluoropolymer or thermoplastic material.

28. The refuelling hose of claim 23, wherein the low friction material of the sleeve comprises fluoropolymer or thermoplastic material.

29. The refuelling hose of claim 28, wherein an outer surface of the sleeve is bonded to the outer protective sheath.

30. The refuelling hose of claim 29, wherein the outer surface of the sleeve is treated to increase the strength of the bonding between the outer surface of the sleeve and the outer protective sheath.

31. A refuelling hose for air-to-air refuelling, the refuelling hose comprising:

an inner fuel carrying tube;

a reinforcing sheath located radially outward about the circumference of the inner fuel carrying tube;

an outer protective sheath located radially outward about the circumference of the reinforcing sheath;

a flexible power and/or data transmission cable helically wound about the hose between the reinforcing sheath and the outer protective sheath; and

a sleeve encasing the flexible cable, the sleeve manufactured from a fluoropolymer or thermoplastic material,

wherein the flexible cable includes a plurality of insulated wires insulated with a fluoropolymer or thermoplastic material, the insulated wires placed side-by-side in a substantially flat configuration with a space located between adjacent ones of the plurality of insulated wires.

32. The refuelling hose of claim 31, wherein the sleeve includes an outer surface,

wherein the outer surface is bonded to the outer protective sheath, and

wherein the outer surface is treated by a process selected from a group consisting of:

chemical etching, a plasma arc treatment and a custom RF treatment to improve bonding characteristics of the sleeve.