Flight activated anti-G valve (FAAGV)

• US 5,277,693 A
• Filed: 01/04/1993
• Issued: 01/11/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Air Force
• Original Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Air Force
• Inventors: Potor, George, McCollor, Donald G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kamm, William E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lacyk, John P.
• Application Number:
  US08/000,348
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 600/19-20, 2/2.1 A, 2/6, 251/129.03, 137/39, 137/51
• US Class Current: 600/19
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 10/00 Flight suits helmets in general A42B3/00; breathing helmets A62B18/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0777 With second control

Abstract

A conventional mass-spring inertially controlled anti-G suit valve is modified by adding a first electrically actuated solenoid over the mass and valve spindle and a second electrically actuated solenoid over an anti-G suit exhaust port added to the modified anti-G suit valve. The first solenoid can override the inertial valve to begin filling the anti-G suit before acceleration begins. The second solenoid controls a piston to control the exhaust from the anti-G suit to achieve more precise control over the pressure inside the anti-G suit than previously possible. This precise control allows realization of other improvements suggested by the prior art which need precise control of anti-G suit pressures. Pressure transducers can be added to the anti-G suit to provide a feedback signal to a valve controller for the two solenoid valves. The feedback control loop allows the use of less expensive cost, less accurate solenoid valves.

Claims

1. An anti-G suit valve system for controlling the delivery of pressurized air from a pressurized air supply to an anti-G suit, comprising:

(a) inertially actuated first valve means for controlling the flow of pressurized air to the anti-G suit;

(b) electrically actuated second valve means for controlling the flow of pressurized air to the anti-G suit;

(c) electrically actuated third valve means for controlling the exhaust of pressurized air from the anti-G

2. The anti-G suit valve system of claim 1, wherein the electrically actuated second valve means is operatively interconnected with the first valve means so that the second valve means, when electrically actuated, will override the inertial control of the first valve means and, when not electrically actuated, will not interfere with the inertial control of the first valve means.

3. The anti-G suit valve system of claim 1, wherein the electrically actuated third valve means is normally open.

4. The anti-G suit valve system of claim 1, wherein the electrically actuated third valve means comprises:

(a) a solenoid having a plunger;

(b) a first bore for passage of the plunger;

(c) a second bore, for passage of pressurized air, intersecting the first bore;

(d) a piston positioned inside the first bore;

(e) a spring positioned inside the first bore on the opposite side of the piston from the plunger; and

,

(f) wherein the solenoid, the piston and the spring are positioned so that, at rest, the spring holds the piston away from the intersection of the first and second bores; and

, so that actuation of the solenoid will move the plunger against the piston, moving the piston against the spring, and will move the piston against the spring to block the intersection of the first and second bores.

5. The anti-G suit valve system of claim 1, further comprising:

(a) a controller for both the second and the third valve means; and

,

(b) feedback control means for measuring the pressure inside the anti-G suit and using that measured pressure as an input to the controller.

6. A method for controlling delivery of pressurized air from a pressurized air supply to an anti-G suit, comprising the steps of:

(a) controlling with a first valve means the flow of pressurized air to the anti-G suit; and

,

(b) simultaneously controlling with a second valve means the exhaust of pressurized air from the anti-G suit.

7. The method for controlling delivery of pressurized air to an anti-G suit according to claim 6, further comprising overriding the operation of inertially actuated valve means for controlling the flow of pressurized air to the anti-G suit.

8. The method for controlling delivery of pressurized air to an anti-G suit according to claim 6, further comprising measuring the pressure inside the anti-G suit and using that measurement as a feedback control input to a controller for the first and second valve means.