US 4,375,877 AGranted

Escape slide stowage and deployment system

AssigneeThe Boeing Company

InventorThomas H. Shorey

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Abstract

A self-contained emergency evacuation system of the type including an inflatable escape slide is disclosed wherein a packboard and three hinged together deployment links form the system stowage pack which is secured to the floor of an aircraft adjacent to an upwardly and outwardly swinging emergency door. As the door opens, a deployment lanyard that is connected between a door-mounted arming and deployment mechanism and the upper portion of the stowage pack tips the stowage pack out of the aircraft door, with the deployment lanyard being automatically released as the stowage pack begins to fall under the force of gravity. Since the first of the three hinged together deployment links is hinged to the system base plate and swings into contact with the door sill region, the two other deployment links and packboard swing arcuately out of the aircraft. When the packboard begins to swing apart from the third deployment link, which is hinged to the upper edge of the packboard, an inflation lanyard is placed under tension. This operates valves that permit compressed air to flow from two compressed gas cylinders to turbine-type air fans that are mounted to the packboard bottom panel. Ambient air, entrained by the turbine-type air fans, rapidly inflates the escape slide as the packboard and lower deployment link swing into contact with the aircraft. A girt, which is formed in the upper end of the escape slide and encompasses a girt bar that is mounted to and contained in the first deployment link, comes under tension as inflation occurs to thereby stabilize the escape slide during the final phase of deployment and use.

Claims16

Dependent claims

An apparatus for stowing an inflatable escape slide on the floor adjacent the sill region of an elevated door and deploying said escape slide through the opening formed when said door is opened, said apparatus comprising:

base means positionable adjacent said door opening and securable to said floor;
deployment means including a plurality of substantially rectangular deployment links and a packboard having at least a bottom panel and a rear panel extending upwardly therefrom, said plurality of deployment links being hinged together to form a set of serially connected deployment links, the upper boundary of said packboard rear panel and the forward boundary of said base means being hinged to the oppositely disposed ends of said set of serially connected deployment links with said packboard being positionable on said base means with said set of serially connected deployment links extending between said upper boundary of said packboard rear panel and said forward boundary of said base means to define a storage space for said escape slide when it is in a deflated condition, said deployment means further including girt bar means, said girt bar means being installed in a manner which allows movement with one of said deployment links and being attachable to the upper end of a deflated escape slide placed in said storage space;
and,
deployment actuation means for urging the assemblage of said packboard and said deployment links outwardly through said door opening by tipping said assemblage about said hinge between said forward boundary of said base means until said packboard exits said door opening and swings downwardly therefrom and into a position wherein said serially connected set of deployment links and said packboard rear panel extends downwardly from said door opening with said packboard bottom panel extending outwardly therefrom;
and,
means for initiating inflation of said escape slide when said assemblage of said packboard and said deployment links is at a predetermined position of said downward swinging movement from said door opening to said position in which said deployment links and said packboard rear panel extend downwardly.

3 more elements

An emergency evacuation system for stowage on the floor adjacent an elevated door and for deployment of an inflatable escape slide from the sill region of said door, said emergency evacuation system comprising:

a base plate having a forward boundary edge, said base plate being securable to said floor adjacent said sill region of said door;
a packboard having at least a bottom panel and an upwardly extending rear panel;
first, second and third substantially rectangular deployment links, said first deployment link including a recess and being dimensioned to extend from said forward boundary edge of said base plate to a position outward of said door sill;
a first hinge connected between said forward boundary edge of said base plate and a first edge of said first deployment link;
second and third hinges, said second hinge being connected between a second edge of said first deployment link and a first edge of said second deployment link, said third hinge being connected between a second edge of said second deployment link and a first edge of said third deployment link;
a fourth hinge connected between a second edge of said third deployment link and the upper boundary edge of said packboard rear panel;
and
an elongated grit bar for encirclement by a girt formed in the upper end of said escape slide, said girt bar being mounted in said recess in said first deployment link, to allow said girt bar to move with said first deployment link as it is extended outward of said door sill.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.