Portable shelters or containers for transportation to and deployment at a remote site are widely known. These shelters/containers are sometimes referred to as mission configurable shelters and are used by the military and others for establishing field offices, field hospitals, barracks, combat shelters, kitchens, mess halls, command posts, disaster relief shelters, decontamination stations, holding cells, communication centers, laboratories, schools, and the like. Portable shelters can be a fixed size or can include one or more expandable and collapsible wall sections that allow the shelter to be selectively collapsed for storage and transportation of the shelter and that can be selectively expanded for deployment of the shelter.
In certain applications, such portable shelters must provide protection against incoming and outgoing electromagnetic interference (EMI) energy. In the modern era, the use of sensitive electronic systems has become very important for industrial, commercial, and military applications. Electronic systems emit electromagnetic signals, and the electrical equipment is susceptible to interference from incoming emissions. Thus, EMI is a growing risk and an issue when numerous electronic systems are in close proximity to each other, as their emissions can interfere with each other, causing damage to the systems or improper operation. Furthermore, EMI is produced by electrical systems such as power transmission lines and even cell towers. Because of the widespread use of power lines and various other EMI emitting devices, EMI is a growing problem for electronic equipment.
Cyber security of electronic equipment is also a growing problem due to bad actors intercepting electromagnetic signals from such equipment as a means to obtain information that was intended to be secure and, thus, steal the information or spy on the transmission of such information. In addition, bad actors can generate and transmit EMI with the intent to destroy or damage important electronic equipment and/or jam important signals and data being transmitted. Thus, a containerized shelter which provides proper EMI protection would be very useful for both industrial and military applications.
In accordance with one aspect of the present development, a portable shelter with electromagnetic interference (EMI) protection includes a plurality of wall panels that are configured to be arranged to define an interior space. The plurality of wall panels include a first wall panel and a second wall panel that each include an EMI protection layer. The first and second wall panels are connected together by at least one of: (i) a hinged connection; (ii) a scissor joint connection. The hinged connection includes an EMI protected hinge that extends along an interface between the first and second wall panels and that includes a first hinge leaf connected to the first wall panel, a second hinge leaf connected to the second wall panel, and a hinge joint that pivotally connects said first hinge leaf to said second hinge leaf. The hinge also includes a flexible EMI protection covering connected to both the first hinge leaf and the second hinge leaf and that extends across the hinge joint along an axial length of the hinge. The scissor joint connection includes a first hook connected to the first wall panel such that a first open channel is defined between the first hook and the first wall panel. The scissor joint connection also includes a second hook connected to the second wall panel such that a second open channel is defined between the second hook and the second wall panel. The scissor joint connection also further includes a first EMI gasket located the first open channel. The first and second hooks are arranged in opposed relation with each other such that part of the first hook is received in the second open channel and part of the second hook is received in the first open channel and the first EMI gasket is compressed in the first open channel between the first and second hooks when the first and second hooks are engaged to connect the first and second wall panels.
In accordance with another aspect of the present development, a shelter includes a first wall panel and a second wall panel. A hinged connection connects the first wall panel to the second wall panel. The hinged connection includes an EMI protected hinge including: a first hinge leaf connected to the first wall panel; a second hinge leaf connected to the second wall panel; and a hinge joint that pivotally connects the first hinge leaf to the second hinge leaf. A flexible EMI protection covering is connected to both the first hinge leaf and the second hinge leaf and extending across the hinge joint along an axial length of the hinge assembly.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present development a shelter includes a first wall panel, a second wall panel, and a scissor joint connection for selectively connecting the first wall panel to the second wall panel. The scissor joint connection includes: a first hook connected to the first wall panel such that a first open channel is defined between the first hook and the first wall panel; a second hook connected to the second wall panel such that a second open channel is defined between the second hook and the second wall panel; and a first EMI gasket located the first open channel. Part of the first hook is received in the second open channel and part of the second hook is received in the first open channel and the first EMI gasket is compressed in the first open channel between the first and second hooks when the first and second hooks are engaged to connect said first and second wall panels to each other.
Referring also to
The walls C1-C6 of the main body B of the container C are typically defined from sheets of steel or aluminum and thus provide EMI protection. For the expanded regions ER1,ER2, at least the first and second end walls 12,14, the side wall 16, and the top and bottom walls 18,20, and all joints therebetween, are EMI protected as described below to eliminate or at least attenuate incoming and outgoing EMI sufficiently to avoid the above-noted problems caused by EMI. If desired, the shelter 10 may also include one or more EMI protected windows 17 disposed in any one or more of the walls 12,14,16,18,20 as shown in
As shown in
At least the walls W (12,14,16,18,20) of the expanded regions ER1 and ER2 can comprise a layered or sandwich-type (laminate) rigid or at least semi-rigid composite material wall panel 80 as shown in
If desired, the foil 84 can be covered on its exposed face with a protective layer or coating 90 of a durable, wear-resistant, water-proof material for protection from damage caused by equipment, foot traffic, cleaning liquids, and environmental contaminants. In the illustrated embodiment, at least some of the wall panels 80 comprise a protective layer 90 comprising a gelcoat layer which can be, e.g., an epoxy or unsaturated polyester resin thermoset polymer coating or similar gelcoat layer that forms a hard durable surface that resists wear, protects the foil layer 84, and is non-permeable to water to allow for washing. The protective layer 90 can include an embossed or otherwise textured surface or applied coating 92 to provide non-skid characteristics and can be tinted or coated with a desired color.
In other embodiments, the core member 82 of the wall panel 80 may be made of other types of suitable materials, including one or more layers of different materials. These materials can include, e.g., fiber reinforced materials (carbon, aluminum or aramid fiber reinforced plastic materials), as well as thermally insulative materials such as rigid foam, or other materials such as corrugated non-metallic materials, wood, metal, and others. What is desirable for such wall panels is that they have a high strength-to-weight ratio, provide corrosion resistance, have a high stiffness-to-weight ratio, are chemically inert, have a high durability potential and good rigidity.
The illustrated expanded regions ER1,ER2 of the shelter 10 each include at least one or more hinged connections between adjacent wall panels W such as the hinged connection H (
In one embodiment, as shown in
It should be recognized that the electrical conductivity of the EMI protection covering V allows EMI induced electrical currents to be conducted across the hinge joint GJ from the first leaf G1 to the second leaf G2 which, in turn, allows such electrical currents in the respective foil layers 84 of the wall panels W (16,20) to be conducted across the hinge G such that a Faraday cage is defined by the walls W and the hinge G. In particular, the EMI protection covering facilitates electrical conduction of the EMI induced electrical currents across any air gaps in the hinge joint GJ.
The illustrated expanded regions ER1,ER2 of the shelter 10 also include at least one or more sliding joint or scissor joint connections S (
The sliding joint S further comprises a flexible, electrically conductive EMI gasket T located in at least one and preferably in each channel 54 and extending continuously and coextensively with the channel 54, i.e., the gasket T extends along the hook J continuously for the entire length of the joint S. In the illustrated embodiment, a first EMI gasket T is located in and extends continuously and coextensively with the first channel 54a, and a second EMI gasket T is located in and extends continuously and coextensively with the second channel 54b. As noted, while two gaskets T are shown, it is possible to provide a joint S with only a single gasket T, i.e., either the first or second EMI gasket T. The gasket T can be adhesively secured and/or fastened to the first leg 50 and/or second leg 52. When the sliding joint S is completed as shown in
The sliding joint (scissor joint) connections as shown in
The gaskets T can be EMI metal mesh gaskets of circular, oval, rectangular, or other suitable cross section to accommodate many different attenuation and mounting requirements encountered in EMI shielding applications. Thus, for example, the gaskets T can be rectangular, round, oval, round with a fin or double round in order to ensure that enclosures or other equipment will be EMI sealed appropriately. In one embodiment, the gaskets T can be made of a knitted wire mesh with the material of the gaskets being made of, for example, a nickel-copper alloy, such as Monel, a ferrous alloy, such as a tin-steel combination or a beryllium copper alloy.
In the preceding specification, various embodiments have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto, and additional embodiments may be implemented, without departing from the broader scope of the invention as set forth in the claims that follow. The specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded in an illustrative rather than restrictive sense.
This application claims priority from and benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 63/308,467 filed Feb. 9, 2022, and the entire disclosure of said provisional application is hereby expressly incorporated by reference into this specification.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20230255008 A1 | Aug 2023 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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63308467 | Feb 2022 | US |