1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a gas release device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a gas release device that is activated by both fresh and salt water and that can be adjustably mounted upon flotation equipment.
2. Description of the Background Art
The use of pressurized gas release devices for inflating floatation equipment is known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,440 to Miller and U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,128 to Jankowiak et al, which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention and are incorporated herein by reference, describe water-actuated, pressurized gas release devices for inflating flotation equipment, such as life vests that are adapted for use by pilots and seamen.
These devices work well because they are easily worn by a pilot or by a seaman working around water. This ensures that the device will be available should the pilot ever be forced to abandon his aircraft or should the seaman ever fall overboard from a ship. Then, the device will automatically actuate to inflate a flotation device and help save the pilot's or seaman's life. There are other floatation devices in the marketplace that also accept gas pressurized inflating devices, such as rafts. However many of the currently used flotation devices are designed with an interface that is specifically designed to accept only one type of gas pressurized inflation devices.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,346, issued Sep. 15, 1992 to Naab et al., and also subject to assignment to the current assignee and incorporated herein by reference, describes an electromagnetic interference (or “EMI”) protected, water-actuated pressurized gas release device. The EMI protected, water-actuated pressurized gas release device is constructed with a skirt or step that overlaps the interface between the circuit casing and the associated primer casing. The step serves to block the interface between the casings to reduce the possibility of EMI radiation passing along the interface to the electric circuitry. The passage between the battery bore and the electronics cavity is also provided with an EMI filter that is electrically connected between the electronic lead wire and the circuit casing with at least one capacitor to shunt EMI radiation leaking into the circuit casing to ground. These improvements provide the device with a high level of EMI protection in accordance with current government standards.
The above referenced devices all work well for their intended purposes. However, there is a need for a low cost, lightweight, unobtrusive water-actuated pressurized gas release device for general commercial, military and/or individual recreational use which interfaces with a variety of flotation devices, vests, rafts, etc. The device needs to automatically inflate an associated personal flotation device should the person ever be subjected to a potentially life-threatening drowning situation, and the device must provide a manual means of being activated as a backup inflation method should the device fail to automatically inflate or if the user wishes to manually inflate the flotation device before entering the water. It also needs to be easy to wear and unobtrusive and fit a variety of interfaces. This ensures that the pressurized gas release device will be worn at all times and therefore available should the person ever become submerged in fresh or salt water. In addition, the device needs to be reliable but inexpensive to manufacture so that it can be sold as a low-cost, non-reusable water-actuated pressurized gas release device.
The water-actuated, pressurized gas release device of the present invention fits all standard inflatable life vests, life jackets, and life rafts, with a variety of interface means, and can be adapted to connect to conventional pressurized gas cartridges or containers. This makes the device particularly useful to people working on off-shore drilling rigs, on work boats, and in shipyards, as well as to people engaged in construction activities around water, commercial fishing, recreational boating and racing activities and even children, handicapped people or elderly people engaged in activities on or near water. Furthermore, the pressurized gas release device can be manually actuated by a lever connected to the device. Once the device is automatically actuated the piercing pin locks forward. This prevents the device from being re-used because if a new cylinder is screwed into the body the locked forward piecing pin will puncture the cylinder as it is being it tightened. In addition, the device has a firing indicator pin that is visible through the end cap. The firing pin is only actuated after device is automatically triggered.
An advantage of the present device is that it can be easily fitted to any standard inflatable life vests, life jackets, or life rafts.
Another advantage of the present device is that it can be connected to a variety of conventional pressurized gas cartridges or containers with different interfaces.
Yet another advantage of the present device is that it can be connected to the standard pressurized gas cartridges that are typically used for automotive airbags.
Still yet another advantage of the present invention is that it can be connected to inflation equipment via a rotatable ring, whereby the device can be connected in any of a variety of orientations, which adds both to the ease, convenience and acceptability of use as well as broadly useful with many different interfaces.
A further advantage of the present invention is that it can be fitted to a salinity sensor whereby the gas cartridge can be activated in the presence of fresh or salt water.
These and other advantages are provided by a device suitable for general commercial and individual recreational use that is automatically actuated to release gas from a pressurized gas cylinder when immersed in an electrically conductive fluid. In particular, the pressurized gas release device of the present invention has a relatively small size and is of a lightweight construction that does not hinder a person moving about. That way, the device can be worn on a belt or otherwise secured to a person's body as a personal effect and serves to automatically inflate a personal flotation device should the person inadvertently fall into fresh or salt water. The personal flotation device can be a life jacket, a life vest or a personal life raft. The potentially life-threatening drowning situation is thereby averted.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the more pertinent and important features of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood so that the present contribution to the art can be more fully appreciated. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and the specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:
Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
The present invention relates to a gas release device that is adapted to be secured to an inflatable article. The device includes an container, which can be a commercially available gas bottle, a salinity sensor, and an end cap. The salinity sensor operates an electrically fireable primer that serves to release an inflation gas from the container and inflate the article. The end cap includes a cylindrical through hole that accepts a rotatable D-ring. The D-ring is dimensioned to fit over the valve of the inflatable article. The D-ring includes a series of peripheral apertures that can be selectively aligned with a slot to create a fluid passage between the container and valve. The D-ring allows the device to be rotated between different angular positions while maintaining a pneumatic coupling between to the inflatable article and the container. In an alternative embodiment, the D-ring is replaced by a D-shaped keyway.
End cap 28 houses a puncture pin 32 that is employed in rupturing diaphragm 26. Puncture pin 32 is positioned within a passage 34 and is surrounded by a spring 36 that initially keeps pin 32 from contacting diaphragm 26. There are two O-rings on the pin 32 that isolate the combustion gas from the inflation gas. This feature is more fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,440 to Miller. Pin 32 can be urged forwardly against the spring bias either automatically or manually. Automatic actuation is carried out by way of a primer, battery, and a sensor. (38, 42, and 44) When sensor 44 detects sea water, a circuit is completed with battery 42 to fire primer 38. This, in turn, forces the puncture pin 32 to rupture diaphragm 26 and permit the flow of the inflation gas. Alternatively, a cam lever 46 can be manually pivoted by the user to force puncture pin 32 to rupture diaphragm 26. In either case, the inflation gas escapes from container to inflate the attached article. U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,440 to Miller, which is fully incorporated herein, more describes the automatic and manual methods of inflation employed by the present device.
Since the inflation device 20 will be present near sources of intense EMI, such as radar antennas, it is also necessary to protect the sensor from the EMI to prevent damage to the electronics or accidental activation of the inflation device. As a result, the housing may be made from a number of EMI absorbing metallic materials, it may contain an EMI absorbing foil(s), or it may be made from an injection molded plastic containing EMI absorbing materials. A suitable EMI shielding is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,346 to Naab et al, the disclosure of which is fully incorporated herein.
End cap 28 is positioned over forward end 24 of container 22 and includes a lower peripheral skirt 48 that extends down over the upper end 24 of container 22. Skirt 48 can be fitted onto the forward end 24 of container 22 via a threaded connection or by crimping. Ideally, the fitting between skirt 48 and container 22 is air tight so as not to permit the passage of the inflation gas.
End cap 28 includes a cylindrical through hole opening 52 that rotatably receives a D-ring insert 54. D-ring 54 insert permits device 20 to be fitted onto the valve stem of an inflation article. D-ring includes a generally cylindrical outer surface 56. Peripheral grooves are formed upon outer surface 56 and are adapted to receive one or more O-rings. O-rings form a pneumatic seal between D-ring 54 and cylindrical opening 52. The inner opening 58 of D-ring 54 is “D” shaped. This allows D-ring 54 to be fitted over the D-shaped valve stem of a standard Schrader valve (not shown). The inner opening 58 can employ other dimensions and/or shapes to accommodate other types of valve stems.
In accordance with the invention, D-ring 54 is rotatably positioned within cylindrical opening 52. Means are included for locking D-ring 54 at different angular orientations with respect to device 20. In the embodiment depicted in
By rotating D-ring 56 within opening 52, the device 20 can be secured to the inflatable article in one of three different orientations. These orientations generally correspond with an upward, a downward, and a sideward orientations of device 20. However, any number of orientations can be employed according to the needs of a particular inflation device. End cap includes an internal slot 66 that extends between the cylindrical opening 52 and the pierce pin passage 34. Ports 68 within D-ring 54 are brought into registry with slot 66 at each of the locked angular positions: 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°. Thus, whenever D-ring 54 is locked into one of these orientations, a fluid channel is created that extends between diaphragm 26 and the valve stem.
The rotating D-ring 54 can be positioned to fit the LPU 9, LPU-23, LPU-21, MK1 Flight Deck, LPU-36, and LPU-38, and all other military life preservers that have the standard Schrader valve. During actuation the inflation pressure is retained by o-rings about the periphery of the D-ring.
In operation, device is fitted onto the Schrader valve on the inflation article. Device 20 is then rotated about D-ring 54 to a desired orientation. As device 20 is rotated, D-ring 54 remains secured over the Schrader valve 62. Device can then be locked at one of the four angular orientations 0°, 90°, 180°, or 270°. At each of these orientations, a port 68 within D-ring is aligned with the internal slot 66 to create a fluid path “F.” Path “F” extends from container 22, through diaphragm 26, through the pierce pin passage 34, through slot 66, through port 68, through the valve stem 62, and into the article to be inflated. This fluid path “F” permits the inflation fluid to inflate the article once diaphragm 26 is broken. In the preferred embodiment, the connection between valve stem 62 and D-ring 54 is fluid tight. In addition, a gasket is provided on either side of the D-ring 54 to prevent blow by of the inflation gas.
Thereafter, if the crewmember comes into contact with seawater sensor completes a circuit to allow the battery 42 to charge up. The circuit then sends a pulse of energy to trigger primer 28. This, in turn, urges pierce or puncture pin 32 forwardly to rupture diaphragm 26 to create fluid path “F” and inflate the article.
Alternatively, the crewmember can manually inflate the article. To manually operate, a lanyard is pulled which rotates the cam lever 46. As the cam lever 46 rotates contact with the driver creates a force that moves the pierce pin 32 forward. Again, this ruptures diaphragm 26 to create fluid path “F” and inflate the article.
Various alternative embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in
To manually actuate inflator 72, cam lever 46 is pivoted, whereby piecing pin 32 penetrates diaphragm 26. Thereafter, gas exits through slot passage 66. Slot 66 has the benefit of slowing the flow and cooling the gas. Thereafter, the gas passes through the aligned D-ring port 68 and into the Schrader valve stem 62. Note there is no spring to hold back piercing pin. But there is a step in the bore that holds the o-ring on the piercing pin to resist any premature downward movement.
The automatic actuation of inflator 72 is next described. Once device 72 is immersed in water, sensor 44 is triggered. This, in turn, closes a circuit, whereby 12 v batteries charge up a capacitor in the circuit. The voltage discharges through a connector to a primer or initiator 38. Once initiator 38 fires, combustion gas funnels down to rupture diaphragm 26. This releases helium/argon gas from the container 22. This gas exits into end cap (or manifold), exits through orifice or passage 66 in end cap. The gas then passes through an aligned port 68 in D-ring 54, and into Schrader valve 62.
Keyway assembly 74 is removably positioned within a corresponding rectangular aperture 82 within end cap 28. Keyway assembly 74 can be inserted into aperture 82 in any of four different orientations. These orientations are positioned at 90° angles to one another. By changing the orientation of keyway assembly 74 within recess, the relative position between the gas inflation device 20 and Schrader valve 62 can be changed. This, in turn, permits device to be reoriented with respect to the article being inflated.
The present disclosure includes that contained in the appended claims, as well as that of the foregoing description. Although this invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Now that the invention has been described,
This application claims priority to, and is a continuation of provisional application Ser. No. 61/382,271 filed on Sep. 13, 2010 and entitled “Water Actuated Pressurized Gas Release Device.” The contents of this application are fully incorporated herein for all purposes.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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4024440 | Miller | May 1977 | A |
4413805 | Green et al. | Nov 1983 | A |
4482333 | Geri et al. | Nov 1984 | A |
4768128 | Jankowiak et al. | Aug 1988 | A |
5148346 | Naab et al. | Sep 1992 | A |
5640997 | Reed et al. | Jun 1997 | A |
7118437 | Bradley et al. | Oct 2006 | B1 |
7444891 | Chadwick et al. | Nov 2008 | B1 |
8721379 | Becnel | May 2014 | B2 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20120073677 A1 | Mar 2012 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61382271 | Sep 2010 | US |