ENERGETIC EVACUATION SLIDE

• US 20190061960A1
• Filed: 08/25/2017
• Published: 02/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Goodrich Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Goodrich Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: McEwen, Jim
• Granted Patent: US 10,640,219 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 25/14 Inflatable escape chutes
• CPC Class Codes: C06C 9/00 Chemical contact igniters; Chemical lighters
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3044 where the computing system component is the mechanical casing of the computing system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3004 to perform operations on memory

Abstract

An evacuation system may comprise an evacuation slide comprising an inflatable portion; and a reactant packet disposed within the inflatable portion including a chemically reactive material configured to produce gas and inflate the evacuation slide.

Claims

1. An evacuation system, comprising:

an evacuation slide comprising an inflatable portion; and

a reactant packet disposed within the inflatable portion including a chemically reactive material configured to react to produce a gas and inflate the evacuation slide.

2. The evacuation system of claim 1, wherein the inflatable portion comprises at least two longitudinal tubes spanning between a fuselage end and a surface end of the evacuation slide, and a cross tube, wherein the at least two longitudinal tubes are in fluid communication with the cross tube.

3. The evacuation system of claim 1, further comprising a trigger system and a cable assembly, wherein the cable assembly is coupled to the trigger system and the reactant packet.

4. The evacuation system of claim 3, wherein the cable assembly is coupled to the evacuation slide within a cable tunnel disposed in the inflatable portion of the evacuation slide.

5. The evacuation system of claim 1, wherein the reactant packet is a first reactant packet, and the evacuation system further comprises a second reactant packet disposed within the inflatable portion, wherein the second reactant packet comprises a second chemically reactive material configured to react and produce a second gas.

6. The evacuation system of claim 5, further comprising a timer, wherein the first reactant packet and the second reactant packet are configured to activate a delay duration apart.

7. The evacuation system of claim 5, further comprising a sensor at least one of coupled to or disposed proximate to the evacuation slide configured to take a parameter measurement of a parameter surrounding the evacuation slide, wherein the evacuation system is configured to initiate activation of at least one of the first reactant packet or the second reactant packet based on the parameter measurement.

8. The evacuation system of claim 7, wherein the sensor is a position sensor configured to detect an orientation of the evacuation system, wherein the evacuation system is configured to activate at least one of the first reactant packet or the second reactant packet based on the orientation.

9. The evacuation system of claim 7, wherein the sensor is a pressure sensor configured to measure a pressure of the evacuation slide, wherein the evacuation system is configured to activate a first of the first reactant packet and the second reactant packet, and subsequently activate a second of the first reactant packet and the second reactant packet based on the pressure.

10. The evacuation system of claim 7, wherein the sensor is a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature at least one of in or proximate to the evacuation slide, wherein the evacuation system is configured to stagger activation of a first of the first reactant packet and the second reactant packet and a second of the first reactant packet and the second reactant packet based on the temperature.

11. The evacuation system of claim 5, further comprising a processor in electronic communication with a trigger system;

and a tangible, non-transitory memory configured to communicate with the processor, the tangible, non-transitory memory having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

detecting, by the processor, a deployment of the evacuation system; and

commanding, by the processor, the trigger system to activate the first reactant packet and react the chemically reactive material to produce gas to inflate the evacuation slide.

12. The evacuation system of claim 11, further comprising a sensor coupled to the evacuation slide, wherein the sensor is in electronic communication with the processor and is configured to measure a parameter of the evacuation slide during inflation, wherein the parameter is at least one of temperature or pressure, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, by the processor, a parameter measurement from the sensor; and

commanding, by the processor, the trigger system to activate the second reactant packet in response to the receiving the parameter measurement.

13. The evacuation system of claim 1, wherein the chemically reactive material comprises a solid material.

14. A method of inflating an evacuation slide of an evacuation system, comprising:

activating a first reactant packet disposed in the evacuation slide;

reacting a chemically reactive material in the first reactant packet in response to the activating the first reactant packet, producing a gas; and

inflating the evacuation slide with the gas.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the activating the first reactant packet comprises:

commanding, by a processor, a trigger system to apply a current to the first reactant packet;

applying the current to the first reactant packet via the trigger system; and

igniting an electrical ignitor comprised in the first reactant packet in response to the applying the current to the first reactant packet,

wherein the reacting the chemically reactive material in the first reactant packet is in response to the igniting the electrical ignitor.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving, by a processor, a parameter measurement from a sensor in response to the reacting the chemically reactive material, wherein the sensor is at least one of coupled to or disposed proximate to the evacuation slide.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

activating a second reactant packet disposed in the evacuation slide in response to the receiving the parameter measurement;

reacting a second chemically reactive material in the second reactant packet in response to the activating the second reactant packet, producing a second gas; and

further inflating the evacuation slide with the second gas.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising preventing, by the processor, activation of a second reactant packet disposed in the evacuation slide in response to the receiving the parameter measurement.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising detecting, by the processor, that a delay duration has lapsed after the activating the first reactant packet, and activating a second reactant packet in response to the detecting that the delay duration has lapsed.

20. An aircraft, comprising:

a fuselage;

an emergency exit door coupled to the fuselage; and

an evacuation system at least one of coupled to or proximate the emergency exit door, wherein the evacuation system is coupled to the fuselage,

wherein the evacuation system comprises;

an evacuation slide comprising an inflatable portion;

a first reactant packet disposed within the inflatable portion including a chemically reactive material configured to produce gas and inflate the evacuation slide; and

a second reactant packet disposed within the inflatable portion including a chemically reactive material configured to produce gas and inflate the evacuation slide;

wherein the evacuation system is configured to stagger activation of the first reactant packet and the second reactant packet based on at least one of a time interval, an orientation of the aircraft, a pressure inside the inflatable portion, or a temperature at least one of in or proximate to the evacuation slide.