Inflation system

• US 5,738,305 A
• Filed: 02/22/1995
• Issued: 04/14/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The B.F.Goodrich Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Goodrich Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Pruitt, Christopher Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Barefoot, Galen L.
• Application Number:
  US08/393,101
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• Field of Search: 244/137.2, 244/905, 417/348, 417/405, 415/198.1, 193/25 R, 182/48
• US Class Current: 244/137.2
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 1/20 by making use of sliding-ropes, sliding-poles or chutes, e.g. hoses, pipes, sliding-grooves, sliding-sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 25/14 Inflatable escape chutes

Abstract

An inflation system for use in inflating an inflatable foldable escape slide or foldable container for use in evacuating personnel from an aircraft, platform or other device in cases of emergencies. The slide has a gas source such as a bottle member having pressurized fluids therein or as a solid fuel propellant which upon actuation directs pressurized fluids to a turbocharger fastened onto the escape slide or foldable container. The turbocharger has a turbine at one end of a shaft driven by the pressurized fluids to drive such shaft that has a plurality of centrifugal compressors mounted on the other end of the shaft whereby the exhaust fluids from the turbine and the pressurized gas resulting from the driving of the compressors unite to inflate the escape slides or foldable container.

Claims

1. An inflation system comprising an inflatable foldable escape slide for use in the evacuation of passengers in an emergency from an aircraft, an opening in said escape slide, a bottle member containing pressurized fluids mounted on said escape slide, said bottle member having a discharge opening, a housing mounted on said escape slide, a bottle member containing pressurized fluids mounted on said escape slide, said bottle member having a discharge opening, a housing mounted on said escape slide, a turbine means keyed to a central shaft for rotation in said housing, said housing cooperative with said turbine means to provide an inlet means and an outlet means for said turbine means, said outlet means being connected to said opening of said escape slide, said inlet means operatively connected to said discharge opening of said bottle member, centrifugal compressor means keyed to said central shaft for rotation in said housing, said housing having air intake means communicating with said compressor means, said housing having passageway means spaced from said inlet means of said turbine means operatively interconnecting the pressurized output of said compressor means to said opening to direct pressurized air to said escape slide to augment the pressurized fluids from said outlet means, and said turbine means via said central shaft drives said compressor means upon actuation of said bottle member to release pressurized fluids therefrom.

2. An inflation system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said compressor means is a plurality of first stage compressors.

3. An inflation system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said turbine means has impeller means for directing the pressurized fluids from said bottle member radially inwardly on said impeller means towards said outlet means to rotate said shaft means that also drives said compressor means.

4. An inflation system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said compressor means is a plurality of paired back-to-back separate compressors.

5. An inflation system as set forth in claim 4 wherein each of said back-to-back compressors are first stage centrifugal compressors.

6. An inflation system as set forth in claim 5 wherein said turbine means is provided with an impeller and radially extending blades for impingement by pressurized air at about up to 3000 pounds per square inch from said discharge opening of said bottle member.

7. An inflation system for inflating an airplane escape slide comprising an inflatable escape slide for evacuating passengers in an emergency from an aircraft, an opening in said escape slide, a power source mounted on said escape slide and operative upon actuation to provide pressurized air at 3000 pounds per square inch, a housing mounted on said slide, turbine means keyed to a central shaft in said housing, conduit means interconnecting said power source to said turbine to deliver said pressurized air directly from said power source to rotate said turbine, an air outlet opening in said housing receiving the pressurized air from said turbine, passageway means connecting said outlet opening to said opening on said escape slide for directing said pressurized air to said escape slide, centrifugal compressor means spaced axially from said turbine means and keyed to said central shaft for rotation thereby, said compressor means having a plurality of first stages only, said housing having inlet means for directing ambient air to said compressor means, outlet means in said housing for directing pressurized air from said compressor means to said passageway means to inflate said escape slide, and one way valve means mounted in said passageway means adjacent said opening to direct pressurized air from said passageway means through said opening to said escape slide.

15. An inflatable system as set forth in claim 7 wherein air from said compressor means considered as secondary air to said air from said turbine considered as primary air is in the ratio of at least four to one of secondary air to primary air.

18. An inflatable system as set forth in claim 7 wherein air from said compressor means defining secondary air to said gases from said gas source considered primary gas is in the ratio of at least 3 to 1.

8. An inflation system comprising an inflatable escape slide for use in the evacuation of passengers in an emergency from an aircraft, an opening in said escape slide for receiving air to inflate said escape slide, a housing mounted on said escape slide, turbine means mounted for rotation in said housing, an air inlet opening and an air outlet opening in said housing connected to said turbine means, passageway means connecting said outlet opening to said opening in said escape slide for directing pressurized air from said turbine means to said escape slides, a power source operative upon actuation to supply pressurized fluids to said inlet opening of said turbine means to drive said turbine means, centrifugal compressor means spaced axially from said turbine means and journaled in said housing for rotation solely by said turbine means, said turbine means having a plurality of radially disposed impellers that direct said pressurized fluids radially inwardly toward the central axis of said turbine means to effect rotation of said turbine means, inlet means in said housing for directing ambient air to said compressor means, outlet means in said housing for directing pressurized air from said compressor means to said opening in said escape slide to inflate said escape slide, and drive means interconnecting said turbine means to said compressor means for rotating said compressor means when said turbine means is rotated by pressurized air from said power source.

9. An inflation system as set forth in claim 8 wherein said centrifugal compressor means is a plurality of centrifugal first stage compressors and said turbine means is a centripetal turbine.

10. An inflation system as set forth in claim 9 wherein said compressor means are a plurality of paired back to back compressors.

11. An inflation system comprising an inflatable escape slide, an opening in said escape slide, a conduit being fastened to said opening, a gas source mounted on said escape slide operative upon actuation to supply pressurized gas, a housing member mounted on said escape slide, a turbine member mounted in said housing, said turbine member having a rotor with circumferentially spaced blades keyed to a shaft that extends throughout said housing, said turbine member having an inlet means, said gas source having an outlet means operative upon actuation to direct pressurized fluid to said inlet means to impinge on said blades and rotate said blades and said rotor, said rotor having vanes to direct the pressurized air from said blades into said conduit for movement into said opening of said inflatable escape slide, centrifugal compressor means mounted in said housing and keyed to said shaft for rotation therewith, said housing having air intake means for directing ambient air toward said compressor means, said compressor means having impeller means to direct said ambient air axially inwardly along lines parallel to the axis of said shaft and thence radially outwardly along said impeller to the outermost portion of said compressor means, said compressor means operative upon rotation to compress air from said air intake means and direct such pressurized air into said conduit for movement into said opening of said escape slide to pressurize said inflatable escape slide.

12. An inflation system as set forth in claim 11 wherein said centrifugal compressor means is a plurality of axially aligned centrifugal fluid flow compressors.

13. An inflation system as set forth in claim 12 wherein each centrifugal compressor has said impeller means in back to back locations to direct air from said intake means radially outwardly.

14. An inflation system as set forth in claim 13 wherein said air from said compressor means draws secondary air into said inflatable escape slide container with an augmentation ratio of over 2.5 to 1 of secondary gas to primary gas from said.

16. An inflatable system as set forth in claim 13 wherein said gas source is a bottle member containing pressurized inflating fluid, and air from said compressor means defining secondary air to said air from said bottle member defining primary air is in the ratio of at least 2.5 to 1.

17. An inflatable system as set forth in claim 13 wherein said gas source is a solid fuel propellant.