Aircraft lavatory emergency oxygen device
AssigneeB/E Aerospace, Inc.
InventorsMichael J. Brumley, Michael W. Veach
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An aircraft emergency oxygen dispensing device includes an oxygen storage vessel having a frangible pressure seal, and a manifold, a pressure regulator, one or more flow control valves connected to the oxygen storage vessel. The manifold includes an initiator for breaking the pressure seal to initiate a flow of oxygen. A flow controller controls the flow control valves to dispense small quantities of oxygen by a pulse oxygen system or a modulated oxygen system based on ambient cabin air pressure. In the pulse oxygen system, the flow controller further controls the flow control valves based on input from at least one breathing mask air pressure sensor that monitors the breathing of a user.
Claims20
An aircraft emergency oxygen dispensing device for use in aircraft cabin to dispense supplemental oxygen suitable for breathing by a user in small quantities, comprising:
- an oxygen storage vessel configured to store gaseous oxygen having suitable purity for breathing, said oxygen storage vessel being sealed by a pressure seal capable of being broken, said pressure seal being configured to seal against flow from said oxygen storage vessel until said pressure seal is broken;
- a manifold connected in fluid communication with said oxygen storage vessel and configured to receive a flow of oxygen from said oxygen storage vessel having a first oxygen pressure, and said manifold including an initiator configured to break said pressure seal to initiate a flow of oxygen from said oxygen storage vessel;
- a pressure regulator connected in fluid communication with said manifold to receive a flow of oxygen from said oxygen storage vessel through said manifold having a first oxygen pressure, said pressure regulator being configured to deliver the flow of oxygen at a second oxygen pressure lower than said first oxygen pressure;
- at least one flow control valve connected in fluid communication with said pressure regulator to receive and meter the flow of oxygen at the second oxygen pressure from the pressure regulator to at least one breathing mask;
- and
- a flow controller connected to said at least one flow control valve, said flow controller being configured to be connected to receive an ambient cabin air pressure signal from an ambient cabin air pressure sensor indicating ambient cabin air pressure in the aircraft, said controller being configured to determine a quantity of oxygen to be provided to the at least one breathing mask to control operation of said at least one flow control valve responsive to the ambient cabin air pressure signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.