Ball turret heat sink and EMI shielding

• US 8,559,801 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2011
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aerovironment
• Original Assignee: Aerovironment
• Inventors: Dimotakis, Manolis Pavlos
• Primary Examiner(s): Laballe, Clayton E
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUTLER, KEVIN C
• Application Number:
  US13/220,617
• Publication Number:
  US 20130051778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• Field of Search: 252/512, 361/714, 396 12- 13, 701/16
• US Class Current: 396/12
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/87 Mounting of imaging devices, e.g. mounting of gimbals
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/31 for surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/006 Apparatus mounted on flying objects
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/08 Waterproof bodies or housings
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/02 with scanning movement of lens or cameras

Abstract

A water resistant and electromagnetically shielded turret assembly, suitable for attachment to the undersurface of an unmanned surveillance aircraft. The turret, in its several variations, may contain one or more cameras, and may contain an internal positioning motor, which can be easily accessible for servicing.

Claims

1. A water resistant and electromagnetically shielded turret assembly comprising:

a front shell and a rear shell, either the front shell or the rear shell comprising an o-ring groove, the front shell comprising one or more transparent windows, and the front and rear shells each having an inner and outer surface,

wherein the front shell primarily comprises a first polymer material and is coated on at least the majority of its inner surface with a layer of a first metal composition, and

wherein the rear shell comprises at least a conductive portion comprising a second metal composition;

an electrically-conductive elastomeric o-ring situated in the o-ring groove and in contact with a contact surface of the front shell, and in contact with a contact surface of the rear shell, so as to form a water-resistant seal between the front shell and the rear shell;

wherein the contact surface of the front shell is electrically conductive, said layer being electrically connected with the coated inner surface of the front shell,

wherein the contact surface of the rear shell is conductive and electrically connected to said conductive portion of the rear shell,

wherein the front shell, the o-ring, and the rear shell together comprise a water-resistant enclosure and further comprise an electromagnetic shield; and

at least one camera assembly attached to the inside of the front shell or the rear shell, capable of receiving and recording electromagnetic radiation that passes through at least one of the one or more transparent windows.

2. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising one or more motors for rotating the turret assembly, said one or more motors enclosed by the water-resistant enclosure.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the turret has a generally spherical shape.

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the o-ring has a thermal conductivity at normal operating conditions greater than about 0.50 W/(m·

K).

5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the contact surface of the front shell comprises a continuation of the same coating as the layer of the first metal composition coated on the inner surface of the front shell.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the rear shell primarily comprises a second polymer material, and said conductive portion of the rear shell comprises a layer of the second metal composition coated on the second polymer material.

7. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the second conductive metal composition is substantially the same as the first conductive metal composition.

8. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the second polymer material is of substantially the same composition as the first polymer material.

9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the rear shell primarily comprises a metal.

10. The assembly of claim 9, wherein said metal of the rear shell is anodized so that there is an internal layer of metal covered by a relatively thin anodic layer, and wherein said conductive portion comprises the internal layer.

11. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the layer of the first metal composition is less than about 0.5 millimeter in thickness.

12. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first metal composition is substantially copper.

13. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the layer of the first metal composition is between about 0.07 millimeters and about 0.13 millimeters in thickness.

14. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the rear shell comprises the o-ring groove, the contact surface of the rear shell comprises at least a portion of the surface of the o-ring groove, and the contact surface of the rear shell is part of the outer surface of the rear shell.

15. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the rear shell primarily comprises a second polymer material, and said conductive portion of the rear shell comprises a layer of the second metal composition coated on the second polymer material, and wherein the contact surface of the rear shell comprises a continuation of the same layer of the second metal composition coated on the second polymer material.

16. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of compliant members attached to a first one of said front or rear shell; and

corresponding to each of the compliant members, a plurality of cavities or apertures within the second one of said first or rear shell;

wherein at least a portion of each compliant member engages with its corresponding cavity or aperture, to reversibly lock the front shell in position with the rear shell; and

wherein the rear shell is capable of being removed from the front shell by adding compression or tension to each of the compliant members to disengage said portion of each compliant member from its corresponding cavity or aperture.

17. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a heat sink in contact with the inner surface of the front shell, for conducting thermal energy from the inside surface of the front shell to a location exterior to the turret.

18. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising one or more solid heat conduction channels in contact with the inner surface of the rear shell, for conducting thermal energy from the inside surface of the rear shell to one or more locations outside the turret.

19. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the camera assembly is attached to the inside of the front shell or rear shell via one or more thermally-conductive fasteners, and wherein the camera assembly is configured to generate at least about 1 watt of heat in normal, sustained, continuous operation.

20. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the o-ring has a thermal conductivity greater than about 3 W/(m·

K) at normal operating conditions.

21. The assembly of claim 1, wherein there are at least two camera assemblies, wherein one of the camera assemblies comprises an infrared camera, and another one of the camera assemblies comprises a visible-wavelength camera.

22. A water-resistant turret adapted for mounting to the undersurface of an aircraft, comprising:

a first shell and a second shell, each shell comprising an inside surface and an outside surface, each inside and surface being an electrical conductor;

a camera assembly attached to the inside surface of the first shell or the second shell;

means for reversibly disengaging the first shell from the second shell to access the camera;

means for electrically connecting the inside surface of the first shell to the inside surface of the second shell; and

means for continuously conducting at least 3 watts of heat from the inside surface of the first and/or second shell to one or more locations exterior to the turret while the turret is in operation.