Decompression lock

Abstract

Decompression locks are required in order to achieve a rapid compensation of pressure in case of a sudden increase in pressure in one of two areas which are separated by a pressure tight wall. Decompression locks are used where different pressures in two separate areas have to be compensated rapidly. The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved decompression lock or an improved structural unit with two adjacent decompression locks acting in opposite directions. The improvements include a reduction in weight, simplified installation, a lower number of constituent parts, and a resulting reduction in overall cost.

Description

Adaptations of the invention are shown in the drawings and are described in more detail below.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a single decompression lock according to invention.

FIG. 2 shows a section view of a single decompression lock according to invention as in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3A, FIG. 3B show perspective views in two different directions of a two-part support carriage for the decompression lock according to invention.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a structural unit according to invention with two decompression locks adjacent to one another which act in opposite directions.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a structural unit according to invention for two decompression locks adjacent to one another which act in opposite directions, of which only one is shown.

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the individual parts of the structural unit according to invention as in FIG. 4 with two decompression locks adjacent to one another which act in opposite directions.

FIG. 7A shows a perspective view of a hatch cover with a frame (located in a wall opening) on which structural units according to invention for two decompression locks adjacent to one another acting in opposite directions according to FIG. 4 are arranged.

FIG. 7B shows a perspective view of the hatch cover thrown into the upper area with reference to FIG. 7A.

FIG. 7C shows a perspective view of the hatch cover and frame thrown into the lower area with reference to FIG. 7B.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic section of a hatch cover (located in a wall opening) with single decompression locks in order to illustrate the method of function according to the state of the art.

FIG. 9 shows a schematic section of a hatch cover with frame located in a wall opening in order to illustrate the method of function according to the state of the art, where structural units with two decompression locks adjacent to one another acting in opposite directions are arranged on the frame.

FIG. 10A shows a perspective view of a swivelling locking latch consisting of a plastic-coated metal skeleton.

FIG. 10B shows a perspective view of the metal skeleton of a swivelling locking latch according to FIG. 10A.

Claims

1. A decompression lock which opens when a certain pre-set pressure is exceeded, comprising a) a support carriage on which a swivelling locking latch is arranged and which is longitudinally displaceable in a base part, where the displacement of said support carriage is achieved by pressure acting on slide bevels,b) a leaf spring whose outer end holds said swivelling locking latch in a locked position and releases it when a certain excess pressure is reached, andc) a spring exerting force on said support carriage and causing its displacement,where said decompression lock can be changed from said locked position to an unlocked position or from said unlocked position to said locked position, andwhere, during the change in either position, said support carriage can be displaced temporarily against the force of said spring causing its displacement,characterised inthat said leaf spring has one arm and the outer end of said leaf-spring arm exerts pressure resiliently on said swivelling locking latch and engages releasably in a notch of said swivelling locking latch, or that said leaf spring (1) has two legs (1-1, 1-2) bent at an angle, of which one of the legs (1-1) exerts pressure resiliently on said swivelling locking latch (2) and engages releasably in a notch (K) of said swivelling locking latch (2), and of which a second leg (1-2) serves only to fix said leaf spring in said support carriage (3) and is located in this in such a way that it cannot be displaced or lifted up.

2. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in thatsaid second leg (1-2) of said leaf spring (1) is secured bay against displacement by lateral stops (s1, s2, 3-1, 3-2) and against lifting up by projections (p1, p2) extending over it.

3. Arrangement according to claim 2, characterised in thata retaining leg (1-2) is located between two walls (3-1, 3-2) of said support carriage (3) and is secured laterally towards the edge against lifting up by resilient tappets (p2) formed in the walls and extending over it.

4. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in thatsaid support carriage (3′) is divided into two parts: a first part and an opposite part (3-1′, 3-2′).

5. Arrangement according to claim 4, characterised in thatboth parts of said support carriage (3-1′, 3-2′) are comprised by a wall (W1′, W2′) of said support carriage and that at least one part of said support carriage has spacing elements (d1, d2, d3) for connecting both parts of said support carriage.

6. Arrangement according to claim 5, characterised in thatat least two spacing elements (d1, d2) are provided, said spacing elements (d1, d2) have free ends (e1, e2); said free ends (e1,e2) are received in recesses on an opposite wall of said opposite part of said support carriage.

7. Arrangement according to claim 6, characterised in thatthere is a shoulder (st1, st2) between said free end (e1, e2) of said spacing element (d1, d2) fitting into said recess and the rest of said spacing element, which shoulder abuts said wall (W2′).

8. Arrangement according to claim 5, characterised in thatone of said spacing elements (d1) also forms an axle (A′) for said swivelling locking latch (2′).

9. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in thattwo decompression locks (10, 20) are located adjacent to one another on a base part 30 to act in offset opposite directions (+F +G), where said outer end (12e) of said swivelling locking latch (12) of one decompression lock (10) and said outer end (22e) of said swivelling locking latch (22) of said other decompression lock (20) are offset in relation to one another and point in opposite directions and that a common spring (31) is located between their support carriages (11, 21) exerting pressure to move said support carriages in their displacement direction.

10. Arrangement according to claim 9, characterised in thatsaid spring (31) is a spiral compression spring.

11. Arrangement according to claim 9, characterised in thatsaid spring (31) is located between a first projection (23) on the support carriage side of one decompression lock (20) serving as a stop for its first end (31a) and a second projection on said support carriage side of said other decompression lock (10) serving as a stop for its other end (31b).

12. Arrangement according to claim 9, characterised in thatsaid spring (31) moves in the direction of its compression or extension along its longitudinal axis and is prevented from yielding to the side a) by projections (23n) extending from the stops (23) into the interior of the spring ends, and/orb) by projections located on said sides of the support carriage facing one another, and/orc) by a spring bed (32) located between said support carriages.

13. Arrangement according to claim 12, characterised in thatsaid spring bed (32) has a cavity in the form of a groove.

14. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in thatsaid base part or said support carriage are made of plastic, preferably polyetheretherketone PEEK, or metal, preferably die-cast aluminium.

15. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in thatsaid swivelling locking latch (2*) has a metal skeleton (B*) which is coated with a plastic layer (PL*); said metal skeleton (B*) is more resistant to heat than said plastic layer and that said metal skeleton (B*) is comprised by said swivelling locking latch, which swivels around an axle (A*), applies force to the slide bevels (S*, T*), and engages in position (K*) with said leaf spring, after destruction of said plastic layer by heat.

16. Arrangement according to claim 15, characterised in thatsaid metal skeleton (B*) includes two flat wall elements (B-1*, B-2*) arranged parallel to one another, which are connected with one another by a bridge (ST*) and which have holes (BH1*, BH2*) aligned with one another to receive said swivelling axle,and that edge surfaces (F1*, F2*, F3*, F4*, F5*, F6′) of said wall elements lie on or slightly beneath the surface of the slide-bevel area or on or slightly beneath the surface of the area of an engagement point.