Patent Application
20140060545
This application claims priority to and benefit of European Patent Application No. 12183217.4 filed on Sep. 5, 2012, the contents of which are incorporated herein by this reference.
The invention relates to an apparatus for ejecting an oxygen mask, comprising a housing provided with a housing opening and having a housing cover which can be moved between a closed position in which the housing opening is covered at least in sections by the housing cover, and an open position, an oxygen mask disposed inside the housing, in the closed position, and an ejector strap having one end which is connected to the housing cover.
Apparatuses for ejecting oxygen masks are known from aviation, in particular, for example in aircraft. If the cabin in the passenger cabin of an aircraft drops, it is imperative that an oxygen mask be ejected from the housing, so that the passenger can put on the oxygen mask promptly after the pressure drop in order to be supplied with oxygen. The housing is generally disposed near the head of the passenger. It is therefore desirable, for the safety of the passengers and the crew members of an aircraft, that the oxygen masks be ejected from the housing in a particularly reliable manner.
Within that context, the object of the present invention is to specify an improved apparatus for ejecting an oxygen mask.
This object is achieved, according to the invention, by an apparatus of the kind initially specified, in which the ejector strap co-operates in the closed position with a side of the oxygen mask which faces away from the housing cover, such that the oxygen mask is ejected from the housing by the housing cover moving into the open position.
It was not realized until the invention that, in prior art apparatuses for ejecting oxygen masks, an ejector strap is attached to both the housing and to the housing cover. When the housing cover is in the opened state, the ejector strap was tensioned to such an extent that the oxygen mask was ejected from the housing. When the ejector device was used improperly, for example by untrained personnel, the ejector strap was often placed loosely between the housing cover and the oxygen mask when closing the housing cover, with the result that the ejector strap was unable to perform its ejector function when the housing cover moved into the open position, i.e., the oxygen mask was left lying or hanging inside the housing.
These disadvantages are overcome by the present invention, i.e., due to the ejector strap no longer being connected to the housing, it is unmistakeably clear to an operator how the ejector strap has to be arranged when closing the housing cover (e.g., after testing the apparatus), namely in such a way that the ejector strap can co-operate in the closed position of the housing cover with a side of the oxygen mask facing away from the housing cover. Reliable ejection of the oxygen mask from the housing is thus achieved with the present invention.
The expression “housing” in the context of the present invention should preferably be understood to mean a substantially cuboidal housing made of plastic, for example, and which is embedded in an element of the passenger cabin, for example in the seat in front, or in a unit above the passenger. In the context of the present invention, a “housing opening” may be understood to mean that a flat side of the cuboidal housing is open, i.e., the side has no housing wall. The expression “housing cover” can further be understood in the context of the present invention to mean a wall made of plastic, with a wide side having an area that is substantially identical to the area of the opening. The oxygen mask is preferably an oxygen mask of the kind that is generally used in passenger aircraft.
The expression “ejector strap” is preferably to be understood in the context of the present invention to mean a strap consisting of a textile material.
According to a preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention, the ejector strap engages at least partially behind a side of the oxygen mask facing away from the housing cover. Co-operation between the ejector strap and a side of the oxygen mask facing the housing cover is thus provided in a particularly simple form.
According to another preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention, the ejector strap engages at least partially behind a side of the oxygen mask facing away from the housing cover by means of a pouch in the ejector strap. The pouch is preferably formed in an end region of the ejector strap. The ejector strap preferably has a length that is favorable for ejection of the oxygen mask.
It is further preferred that the ejector strap be formed, in the closed position, by the end which is connected to the housing cover, a transitional section extending from said end along one side, preferably above the oxygen mask, an engagement section extending from the transitional section along a side facing away from the housing cover, and an end section extending from the engagement section along another side, preferably underneath the oxygen mask. It is further preferred that the ejector strap includes a lateral section extending laterally along the ejector strap between the engagement section and the end section. The pouch is preferably formed by the engagement section, the end section and the lateral section.
In yet another preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention, the housing cover is pivotable between the closed position and the open position. This should be understood in such a way that the housing cover is connected at one end of the housing cover by means of a hinge to the housing, in particular to an edge of the housing opening. The housing cover is flipped open by pivoting from the closed position to the open position, or flipped shut from the open position to the closed position.
A preferred embodiment of the invention shall now be described with reference to the attached Figures, in which:
In the state shown in
Each of oxygen masks 12 and 13 is assigned a respective ejector strap 20, 22. Ejector strap 20, 22 is fixedly connected at one end 25, 27 to housing cover 5. Ejector strap 20, 22 extends above oxygen masks 12, 13 from said end and then downward on the side of oxygen masks 12 and 13 facing away from housing cover 5. In other words, from end 25, 27 of ejector band 20, 22, a transitional section 29, 31 of ejector strap 20, 22 runs above oxygen masks 12, 13. An engagement section 33, 35 of ejector strap 20, 22 extends from said transitional section 29, 31 along one side of oxygen masks 12 and 13 facing away from housing cover 5. From engagement section 33, 35, an end section 37, 39 of ejector band 20, 22 extends partially underneath oxygen masks 12, 13. Finally, a lateral section 41, 43 of ejector band 20, 22 extends laterally along the ejector strap between engagement section 33, 35 and end section 37, 39. The engagement section, end section and the lateral sections form a pouch 45, 47 in the ejector band 20, 22.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12183217.4 | Sep 2012 | EP | regional |
