Systems and methods for retaining removable panel when deploying evacuation system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10494109-B2
Application number	US-201615148632-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 6, 2016
Priority date	May 6, 2016
Publication date	Dec 3, 2019
Grant date	Dec 3, 2019

Abstract

Systems and methods for evacuation systems are provided. A evacuation system for an aircraft may include a packboard, an inflatable, a blow-out panel for the packboard, and a plurality of straps coupled to the blow-out panel. A first strap is coupled between an inner surface of the blow-out panel and the packboard and a second strap is coupled between the inner surface of the blow-out panel and the inflatable. The first strap is coupled to the blow-out panel in close proximity to a first edge of the blow-out panel and the second strap is coupled to the blow-out panel in close proximity to a second edge of the blow-out panel, the first edge being positioned opposite the second edge of the blow-out panel. The blow-out panel may be retained to the evacuation system after the inflatable is deployed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An evacuation system for an aircraft, comprising:
a packboard;
an inflatable configured to be packed into the packboard;
a blow-out panel for the packboard, the blow-out panel having an outboard surface comprising an air-flow surface and having an inner surface;
a first strap coupled to the inner surface of the blow-out panel and to the packboard; and
a second strap coupled to the inner surface of the blow-out panel and to the inflatable,
wherein the first strap is coupled to the blow-out panel in close proximity to a first edge of the blow-out panel and the second strap is coupled to the blow-out panel in close proximity to a second edge of the blow-out panel, the first edge is positioned opposite the blow-out panel from the second edge.

2. The evacuation system of claim 1 , further comprising a third strap coupled between the blow-out panel and the packboard.

3. The evacuation system of claim 2 , wherein the first strap is located in close proximity to a first corner of the blow-out panel and the third strap is located in close proximity to a second corner of the blow-out panel.

4. The evacuation system of claim 3 , wherein the second strap is located between 25% and 75% of a distance between a third corner of the blow-out panel and a fourth corner of the blow-out panel.

5. The evacuation system of claim 1 , further comprising a third strap is coupled between the blow-out panel and the inflatable.

6. The evacuation system of claim 5 , wherein the second strap is located in close proximity to third corner of the blow-out panel and the third strap is located in close proximity to a fourth corner of the blow-out panel.

7. The evacuation system of claim 6 , wherein the first strap is located between 25% and 75% of a distance between a first corner of the blow-out panel and a second corner of the blow-out panel of the blow-out panel.

8. The evacuation system of claim 6 , further comprising a fourth strap is coupled between the blow-out panel and the packboard.

9. The evacuation system of claim 8 , wherein the first strap is located in close proximity to a first corner of the blow-out panel and the fourth strap is located in close proximity to a second corner of the blow-out panel.

10. The evacuation system of claim 4 , wherein the second strap is coupled to an outboard portion of the inflatable in response to the inflatable being in a fully deployed position.

11. A method for retaining a blow-out panel to an evacuation system comprising:
attaching a first end of a first strap to an inner surface of the blow-out panel in close proximity to a first edge of the blow-out panel;
attaching a second end of the first strap to a packboard in close proximity to a second edge of the blow-out panel, wherein the first edge is positioned opposite the blow-out panel from the second edge;
attaching a first end of a second strap to the inner surface of the blow-out panel; and
attaching a second end of the second strap to an inflatable.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising providing at least one of the first strap, the second strap, the blow-out panel, the packboard, or the inflatable.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the attaching the second end of the second strap to the inflatable comprises attaching the second end to an outboard portion of the inflatable.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the attaching includes at least one of sewing, adhering, coupling via a fastener, or coupling via a shackle.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising,
attaching a first end of a third strap to the blow-out panel; and
attaching a second end of the third strap to the packboard.

16. An evacuation system for an aircraft comprising:
an inflatable;
a packboard for the inflatable;
a plurality of straps;
a blow-out panel coupled between the inflatable and the packboard via the plurality of straps, the plurality of straps including at least a first strap and a second strap,
wherein the at least one first strap is coupled between an inner surface of the blow-out panel and the packboard and the at least one second strap is coupled between the inner surface of the blow-out panel and the inflatable;
wherein the first strap is coupled to the blow-out panel in close proximity to a first edge of the blow-out panel and the second strap is coupled to the blow-out panel in close proximity to a second edge of the blow-out panel, the first edge being is positioned opposite the blow-out panel from the second edge of the blow-out panel; and
the blow-out panel is configured to suspend between an outboard portion of the inflatable and the packboard in response to the inflatable deploying to a fully deployed position.

17. The evacuation system of claim 16 , wherein the packboard is located above a wing of the aircraft.

18. The evacuation system of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of straps comprises at least one of wire, cable, webbing rope, string, or tape.

19. The evacuation system of claim 16 , wherein the second strap is coupled between the inner surface of the blow-out panel and an outboard portion of the inflatable in response to the inflatable deploying to a fully deployed position.

20. The evacuation system of claim 16 , wherein the first strap and the second strap are pulled taught in response to the inflatable deploying to the fully deployed position.

Assignees

• Goodrich Corp

Inventors

• Schmidt Ryan
• Larner William Tad

Classifications

• B64D25/14 Primary

  Inflatable escape chutes · CPC title

• B64D25/08 Primary

  Ejecting or escaping means · CPC title