Multi-phased evacuation system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11440668-B2
Application number	US-201916595757-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 8, 2019
Priority date	Oct 8, 2019
Publication date	Sep 13, 2022
Grant date	Sep 13, 2022

Abstract

An evacuation system may comprise a first plurality of tubes configured to inflate by an aspirator and pressure cylinder upon deployment from an aircraft. The evacuation system may further comprise a second plurality of tubes coupled to the first plurality of tubes. The second plurality of tubes may be configured to be in deflated state when the evacuation system is in a slide configuration. The second plurality of tubes may be configured to be in an inflated state when the evacuation system is in a raft configuration.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A dual inflation assembly, comprising:
a first plurality of tubes in fluid communication with each other, the first plurality of tubes configured to inflate from a first deflated state to a first inflated state and form a slide configuration of an evacuation system of an aircraft; and
a second plurality of tubes coupled to the first plurality of tubes, the second plurality of tubes in fluid communication with each other, the second plurality of tubes configured to be in a second deflated state in the slide configuration, wherein:
the second plurality of tubes are configured to inflate and form a raft configuration including a support structure comprising the first plurality of tubes and a railing structure comprising the second plurality of tubes, and
the second plurality of tubes are fluidly isolated from the first plurality of tubes.

2. The dual inflation assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a triggering system configured to convert the dual inflation assembly from the slide configuration to the raft configuration.

3. The dual inflation assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a reactant packet disposed within the second plurality of tubes, the reactant packet including a chemically reactive material configured to react to produce a gas and inflate the second plurality of tubes.

4. The dual inflation assembly of claim 3 , further comprising an aspirator coupled to the first plurality of tubes.

5. The dual inflation assembly of claim 3 , further comprising an ignitor coupled to the reactant packet, the ignitor configured to activate the reactant packet and inflate the second plurality of tubes to form a raft configuration.

6. The dual inflation assembly of claim 3 , further comprising a bag disposed in the second plurality of tubes, wherein the reactant packet is disposed within the bag.

7. The dual inflation assembly of claim 3 , further comprising a plurality of reactant packets that includes the reactant packet.

8. An aircraft including an evacuation system, the evacuation system comprising:
a first plurality of tubes;
an aspirator coupled to the first plurality of tubes, the aspirator in fluid communication with a pressure cylinder and configured to inflate the first plurality of tubes from a first deflated state to a first inflated state upon deployment of the evacuation system into a slide configuration;
a second plurality of tubes coupled to the first plurality of tubes;
a reactant packet disposed within the second plurality of tubes, the reactant packet including a chemically reactive material configured to react to produce a gas and inflate the second plurality of tubes from a second deflated state to a second inflated state; and
a sliding surface disposed between the first plurality of tubes and the second plurality of tubes,
wherein the second plurality of tubes are fluidly isolated from the first plurality of tubes and comprise a railing.

9. The evacuation system of claim 8 , further comprising a sliding surface disposed between the first plurality of tubes and the second plurality of tubes.

10. The evacuation system of claim 8 , wherein the second plurality of tubes are in the second deflated state when the evacuation system is in the slide configuration.

11. The evacuation system of claim 8 , further comprising a plurality of reactant packets including the reactant packet.

12. The evacuation system of claim 8 , further comprising a bag disposed within the second plurality of tubes, wherein the reactant packet is disposed within the bag.

13. The evacuation system of claim 8 , further comprising an ignitor coupled to the reactant packet, the ignitor configured to activate the reactant packet upon detachment of the evacuation system from the aircraft.

14. The evacuation system of claim 8 , further comprising a trigger system and a cable assembly, wherein the cable assembly is coupled to the trigger system and the reactant packet.

15. The evacuation system of claim 14 , wherein the trigger system is coupled to the second plurality of tubes.

16. A method of converting a dual inflation assembly of an evacuation system from a slide configuration to a raft configuration, comprising:
receiving, by a processor, a parameter measurement from a sensor;
detecting, by the processor, that a first plurality of tubes of the dual inflation assembly is acting as a flotation device in response to receiving the parameter measurement;
commanding, by the processor, a trigger system to apply a current to a reactant packet disposed in a second plurality of tubes of the dual inflation assembly, the second plurality of tubes coupled to the first plurality of tubes in a first inflated state, wherein the second plurality of tubes inflate from a second deflated state to a second inflated state in response to the current igniting an electrical ignitor of the reactant packet and activating the reactant packet to produce a gas, wherein:
the second inflated state of the second plurality of tubes forms the raft configuration including a support structure comprising the first plurality of tubes and a railing structure comprising the second plurality of tubes, and
the second plurality of tubes are fluidly isolated from the first plurality of tubes.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the reactant packet is disposed within a bag, the bag configured to contain a reacting of a chemically reactive material from the reactant packet.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first plurality of tubes is in the first inflated state prior to activating the reactant packet.

Assignees

• Goodrich Corp

Inventors

• Bahena Daniel
• Haynes Timothy C

Classifications

• B63C2009/042

  inflatable · CPC title

• B64D25/18 Primary

  Flotation gear · CPC title

• B64D25/14 Primary

  Inflatable escape chutes · CPC title

• B63C9/04

  Life-rafts · CPC title