Soft cover release mechanism for evacuation slides

• US 9,522,738 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2015
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2015
• 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: Schmidt, Ryan, Rautenbach, Helperus Ritzema
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis, Christopher P
• Application Number:
  US14/694,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20160311543A1
• Time in Patent Office: 607 Days
• Field of Search: 244/137.2, 244/137.1, 244/905
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 15/14 of the straight-cylinder type

Abstract

An emergency evacuation assembly may comprise an inflatable slide, a soft cover containing the inflatable slide, a lace holding the soft cover closed, a pin retaining the lace, and a pneumatic actuator configured to release the lace by pulling the pin. In various embodiments, the pneumatic actuator may include a housing, a cylinder disposed within the housing, a plunger disposed within the cylinder, a seal disposed within the cylinder, and a spring disposed within the housing.

Claims

1. An emergency evacuation assembly, comprising:

an inflatable slide;

a soft cover containing the inflatable slide;

a lace holding the soft cover closed;

a pin retaining the lace; and

a pneumatic actuator configured to release the lace by pulling the pin, said pneumatic actuator comprising;

a housing;

a cylinder disposed within the housing;

a plunger disposed within the cylinder;

a seal disposed within the cylinder;

a spring disposed with the housing and configured to apply a force to the plunger; and

an arm coupled to the plunger, wherein the pneumatic actuator is coupled to the pin.

2. The emergency evacuation assembly of claim 1, wherein the lace comprises a daisy chain configuration.

3. The emergency evacuation assembly of claim 1, further comprising a charged tank fluidly coupled to the pneumatic actuator and the inflatable slide.

4. The emergency evacuation assembly of claim 3, further comprising a ball lock fluidly coupled to the charged tank.

5. The emergency evacuation assembly of claim 4, further comprising a panel configured to be released by the ball lock.

6. The emergency evacuation assembly of claim 3, further comprising a manual valve fluidly coupled between the charged tank and the pneumatic actuator.

7. The emergency evacuation assembly of claim 1, further comprising an inlet fluidly coupled to the cylinder between the plunger and the seal.

8. The emergency evacuation assembly of claim 7, wherein the spring and the seal are disposed on opposite sides of the plunger.