Cold gas ejector rack
AssigneeMcDonnell Douglas Helicopter Company
InventorThaddeus Jakubowski, Jr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
There is provided a renewable energy source ejector rack for retaining and releasing stores (bombs or the like) on an aircraft, which has on-board pressurization capability, employs a single pressurization system for two or more release mechanisms, and uses air or other clean non-pyrotechnic pressurized gases both as the energy source and energy transfer medium. The aircraft contains a miniature compressor and purification system. Ambient air is filtered, dried and stored as an energy medium. Since the compressor system is onboard, the pressure can be constantly maintained regardless of temperature change. Using purified air eliminates the excessive cleaning burden imposed when using state-of-the-art pyrotechnics, and eliminates the sealing problems associated with hydraulics.
Claims20
A stores ejection system for mounting a Jettisonable store on an aircraft, the stores ejection system using a gas as the source of energy and the transfer mechanism and comprising:
- an on-board source of pressurized non-pyrotechnic gas for providing the source of energy and the transfer mechanism;
- at least one pneumatically-driven release and jettison mechanism for releasably mounting the store;
- and
- an actuation system for the release mechanism, including an accumulator for receiving and storing pressurized gas from said on-board source of pressurized gas at a specified operating pressure, a dump valve, and a controller for actuating the dump valve to an open position responsive to a control signal to release and jettison the store, the dump valve when actuated functioning to permit the pressurized gas in the accumulator to flow to the release mechanism, thereby actuating the release mechanism to jettison the store;
- wherein the on-board source of pressurized gas is adapted to re-pressurize the accumulator in the actuation system whenever the pressure in the accumulator falls a predetermined amount below the specified operating pressure.
A stores ejection system for mounting a jettisonable store on an aircraft, the stores ejection system using a gas as the source of energy and the transfer mechanism and comprising:
- an on-board source of pressurized non-pyrotechnic gas for providing the source of energy and transfer mechanism;
- at least one pneumatically-driven release and jettison mechanism for releasably mounting the store;
- an actuation system for the release mechanism, including an accumulator for receiving and storing pressurized gas from said on-board source of pressurized gas at a specified operating pressure, a dump valve, and a controller for actuating the dump valve to an open position responsive to a control signal to release and jettison the store, the dump valve when actuated functioning to permit the pressurized gas in the accumulator to flow to the release mechanism, thereby actuating the release mechanism to jettison the store, such that the pressurized gas from the on-board source of pressurized gas functions as both the source of energy and as the energy transfer medium for actuating the release mechanism to release and jettison the store.
A stores ejection system for mounting a jettisonable store on an aircraft, the stores ejection system using a gas as the source of energy and the transfer mechanism and comprising:
- a compressor for providing pressurized gas for the source of energy and transfer mechanism;
- a pneumatically-driven release mechanism for releasably retaining and jettisoning the store, comprising a plurality of hooks for releasably retaining the store and a plurality of ejector pistons for forcibly jettisoning the store away from the aircraft when the hooks have been actuated to a release position;
- and
- an actuation system for the release mechanism, the actuation system comprising an accumulator for receiving and storing at a specified operating pressure pressurized gas from the compressor, a store present switch for detecting whether or not a store has been mounted on the release mechanism, an enable valve adapted to be actuated to an open condition for receiving pressurized gas from the compressor to charge the accumulator and a closed condition for preventing the entry of pressurized gas from the compressor into the actuation system, and a dump valve adapted to permit pressurized gas from the accumulator to flow to the release mechanism when actuated to an open position;
- wherein the pressurized gas from the accumulator, when released through the dump valve, actuates the hooks to an open position and simultaneously actuates the ejector pistons to an extended position to thereby release and jettison the store.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.