Aircraft oxygen emergency apparatus with quick release box

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9656106-B2
Application number	US-201313928455-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 27, 2013
Priority date	Jun 27, 2013
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

The invention relates to an emergency oxygen supply device for aircraft inhabitants, comprising a container, wherein an oxygen mask is positioned inside said container, a releasable cover and a latch mechanism comprising a latch locking said cover lid. According to the invention said latch mechanism comprises a permanent magnet interacting with a magnetisable element an exerting a magnetic holding force onto said magnetisable element to hold said latch in a locking position, wherein a solenoid is positioned adjacent to the permanent magnet, said solenoid being connected to a control unit said control unit being adapted to receive an opening signal and to provide a current flowing through said solenoid in response to such opening signal, wherein said solenoid is arranged and dimensioned such that the current flowing through said solenoid reduces said magnetic holding force to such a level that the latch is released in a n unlocking position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An emergency oxygen supply device for aircraft inhabitants, comprising:
an oxygen source,
an oxygen mask connected via an oxygen line to said oxygen source,
a container, wherein said oxygen mask is positioned inside said container,
a releasable cover lid mounted to the container to close an opening of said container in a closed position of said cover lid and to open said opening in an open position,
a latch mechanism mounted to said container, said latch mechanism comprising a latch which is switchable from a blocking position wherein said latch holds said cover lid in the closed position to a release position wherein said latch frees the cover lid to move into the open position, wherein the latch mechanically obstructs the cover lid in the blocking position and does not mechanically obstruct the cover lid in the open position,
wherein said latch mechanism comprises a permanent magnet interacting with a magnetisable element and exerting a magnetic holding force onto said magnetisable element to hold said latch in the blocking position, wherein a solenoid is positioned adjacent to the permanent magnet, said solenoid being connected to a control unit,
said control unit being adapted to receive an opening signal and to provide a current flowing through said solenoid in response to said opening signal,
wherein said solenoid is arranged and dimensioned such that the current flowing through said solenoid reduces said magnetic holding force to such a level that the latch is released from the blocking position into the release position,
wherein the latch further comprises a locking element with two legs which define a recess, a lower leg of the two legs having a bottom face which is oriented oblique to a direction of movement of the cover lid for providing a wedge-like effect onto a locking lever,
wherein the locking lever is pivotally mounted in a pivotal coupling to a projection that is integral with the cover lid, a spring being arranged around said pivotal coupling to force said locking lever in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, and
further comprising a reset pin which is connected to the cover lid and extends from the cover lid toward the latch, an upper end of the reset pin being arranged opposite a reset face of the latch, wherein the reset pin is arranged to come into contact with said reset face of the latch when the latch is in the release position the cover lid and is moved from the open position into the closed position, such that the latch moves from the release position to the blocking position when the cover lid is moved from the open position to the closed position.

2. The emergency oxygen supply device of claim 1 ,
wherein said permanent magnet and said solenoid are fixed to a wall of said container and said magnetisable element is fixed to said latch.

3. The emergency oxygen supply device of claim 1 ,
wherein said latch is mounted swivelable to said container.

4. The emergency oxygen supply device of claim 1 ,
wherein said recess is positioned such that an opening force is applied to said latch by a force of gravity on the cover lid, the opening force tending to force said latch into the release position when the latch is in the closed position, wherein said holding force holds the latch in said blocking position against said force of gravity.

5. The emergency oxygen supply device of claim 1 ,
wherein said latch comprises a lever and said magnetisable element is mounted to said lever, wherein said blocking position and said release position of the latch correspond to a blocking position and a release position of said lever, respectively.

6. The emergency oxygen supply device of claim 5 ,
wherein said latch mechanism comprises a spring exerting a spring force onto the lever forcing said lever into the release position, wherein said holding force holds the latch in said blocking position against said spring force.

7. The emergency oxygen supply device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a switch which is actuated by the cover lid in the open position or by the latch in the release position, wherein said switch interrupts the current flow through said solenoid if said switch is actuated.

8. A method of providing oxygen to passenger of an aircraft, the method comprising:
storing an oxygen mask in a container above a passenger seat, said container comprising a cover lid holding said oxygen mask in said container when the cover lid is in a closed position, wherein said cover lid is held in said closed position by a latch in a blocking position, wherein the latch mechanically obstructs the cover lid when the latch is in the blocking position, and
releasing said oxygen mask out of said container by moving said latch in a release position, whereby said cover lid is no longer mechanically obstructed by the latch, such that the cover lid moves from the closed position into an open position, wherein said latch is held in said blocking position by a holding force exerted by a permanent magnet to a magnetisable element mounted to said latch and said latch is moved from the blocking position into the release position by supplying a current to a solenoid and thereby reducing or eliminating the holding force of said permanent magnet,
wherein the latch comprises a locking element having two legs that define a recess, a lower leg of the two legs having a bottom face which is oriented oblique to a direction of movement of the cover lid for providing a wedge-like effect onto a locking lever,
wherein the locking lever is pivotally mounted at a pivotal coupling to a projection which is integral with the cover lid, and a spring is arranged around said pivotal coupling to force said locking lever in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, and
wherein a reset pin is connected to the cover lid and extends from the cover lid toward the latch, an upper end of the reset pin being arranged opposite a reset face of the latch for coming into contact with said reset face of the latch when the latch is in the release position and the cover lid is pushed into the closed position, such that the latch moves from the release position into the blocking position when the cover lid is moved from the open position to the closed position.

9. The emergency oxygen supply device of claim 1 , wherein the latch mechanically interfaces with the cover lid to lock the cover lid in the closed position.

10. The emergency oxygen supply device of claim 1 , wherein the latch mechanically interfaces with the projection of the cover lid in the closed position.

11. The emergency oxygen supply device of claim 1 , wherein the latch being switchable from a blocking position to a release position comprises the latch being movable between a first locking position and a second unlocking position.

Assignees

• Intertechnique Sa
• Zodiac Aerotechnics

Inventors

• Hollm Marco
• Weinmann Hasso
• Westphal Andreas
• Rittner Wolfgang
• MECKES RüDIGER
• Hoffmann Frederik
• Ducos Romain
• Boomgaarden Günter
• Fleczok Benjamin

Classifications

• A62B25/005 Primary

  for high altitude · CPC title

• A62B7/14

  for high-altitude aircraft · CPC title