Manual trigger mechanism for aircraft emergency slide
By using a non-equilateral lever structure to coordinate the drive rocker arm and the transmission rocker arm, the independent operation of the manual triggering emergency slide inflation device is achieved, solving the problem of easy jamming or loosening of the existing manual triggering mechanism, and improving aircraft safety and installation efficiency.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT CORP OF CHINA LTD
- Filing Date
- 2023-03-13
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-10
AI Technical Summary
The manual triggering mechanism of existing aircraft emergency slides is prone to insufficient pulling force, jamming or loosening of the cable due to operator error during operation, which affects the release of the emergency slide in an emergency and poses a safety hazard.
A manual triggering mechanism is designed, including a drive component, a constraint component, and a manual cable component. The drive rocker arm, constructed with a non-equilateral lever, cooperates with the transmission rocker arm of the existing hatch triggering mechanism. The inflation device is triggered by the manual cable component, ensuring independent operation without affecting the normal operation of the hatch triggering mechanism.
It improved the success rate of emergency slide inflation, enhanced aircraft safety, reduced modification costs and space occupation, and simplified the installation process.
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Figure CN116215836B_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of aircraft passenger cabin equipment. Specifically, the present application proposes a manual trigger mechanism for an emergency slide of an aircraft. BACKGROUND
[0002] For the emergency slide of an aircraft, when it is needed to use, the inflation of the emergency slide needs to be triggered first, and then the emergency slide can be released. Under normal circumstances, the actuating cylinder provided on the cabin door of the aircraft can assist in triggering the inflation of the emergency slide. For example, it is known from CN105383680A (publication date: March 9, 2016) that a pre-position trigger mechanism for an aircraft cabin door emergency slide is achieved by connecting a steel cable through a cabin door mechanism to trigger the slide bag air bottle. The pre-position trigger mechanism for the aircraft cabin door emergency slide is arranged between two cabin doors of the aircraft, and a cabin door side trigger rocker arm, a limiting flange, a torsion rocker arm, a slide pre-position latch and a plug rod are arranged at positions close to the cabin doors, respectively. The limiting flange and the torsion rocker arm are arranged in sequence at the end of the rotating shaft rod from the side of the rotating shaft rod close to the cabin door, and the plug rod is inserted into the end of the rotating shaft rod. A rocker arm member is installed in the middle of the rotating shaft rod, the rocker arm member is connected with a transmission rocker arm, and the transmission rocker arm is fixed to a support to form a lever structure. In the normal pre-position mode, when the cabin door is lifted to a certain position and continues to be lifted, the lever linkage action of the cabin door side trigger rocker arm, the rocker arm member and the transmission rocker arm is used to open the slide bag air bottle, thereby releasing the underwing slide.
[0003] It is known from CN107965218A (publication date: April 27, 2018) that a cabin door quick release lock mechanism includes a lock mechanism assembly, a control pull ring assembly and a steel cable, wherein the lock mechanism assembly is connected with the aircraft body and the cabin door respectively according to the locking function, a plurality of lock mechanism assemblies are connected in series through the steel cable, and then connected with the control pull ring assembly. The control pull ring assembly can realize synchronous unlocking control of the entire cabin door quick release lock mechanism. The use of the mechanism can throw the cabin door away from the aircraft structure during the tail test flight of a small general aircraft, forming an air emergency evacuation channel.
[0004] According to the relevant airworthiness documents, in addition to the existing cabin door trigger mechanism, a means for manually triggering the inflation of the emergency slide is also needed as a backup. When the existing cabin door trigger mechanism fails, the means enables the inflation of the emergency slide to be triggered by manual operation, thereby providing a safety function backup.
[0005] Currently, for this manual backup means, it is usually directly through the crew manually pulling a certain length of the cable to trigger inflation. However, it has been found that in the process of manually pulling the cable, the pulling amount may not be enough due to the operator, and the cable may be stuck or loosened. The above situations will cause the emergency slide chute to fail to start inflation, thereby affecting the release of the emergency slide chute in an emergency, delaying or hindering the evacuation of the crew on board, and ultimately endangering the safety of the crew.
[0006] The field expects to propose a set of manual trigger mechanisms on the basis of the above-mentioned existing cabin door trigger mechanisms in the field, thereby providing a manual trigger backup function and overcoming or at least improving the above-mentioned defects. SUMMARY
[0007] The present application is completed in view of the above technical problems, and aims to provide a manual trigger mechanism for the inflation trigger function of the emergency slide chute on the aircraft, thereby improving the safety of the aircraft.
[0008] In order to solve the above technical problems, the inventors propose a manual trigger mechanism for an aircraft emergency slide chute. The aircraft includes an emergency slide chute, an inflation device for inflating the emergency slide chute, and a cabin door trigger mechanism, wherein the cabin door trigger mechanism can trigger the inflation device by pulling the trigger cable to inflate the emergency slide chute, thereby triggering the emergency slide chute. The manual trigger mechanism according to the present application comprises a drive assembly, a constraint assembly and a manual cable assembly, wherein the manual cable assembly comprises at least one manual cable operatively connected to the drive assembly, wherein the drive assembly is configured to be pivotable about a pivot axis to pull the trigger cable to trigger the inflation device to inflate, and wherein the manual trigger mechanism according to the present application is not moved when the cabin door trigger mechanism moves to pull the trigger cable to trigger the inflation device.
[0009] The above-mentioned manual trigger mechanism according to the present application solves the problem of lack of safety backup means for manually triggering the emergency slide chute on the aircraft, improves the safety of the aircraft, and the manual trigger mechanism is configured such that the operation of the existing cabin door trigger mechanism on the aircraft will not drive the manual trigger mechanism to operate. Therefore, the setting of the manual trigger mechanism will not affect the operation of the existing cabin door trigger mechanism.
[0010] In particular, the aircraft inflation device is connected to the transmission arm via the aforementioned trigger cable, and the existing door trigger mechanism triggers the inflation device by rotating the transmission arm to pull the trigger cable. The drive assembly of the manual trigger mechanism according to the present application comprises a drive arm that is pivotable about a pivot axis, and when the drive arm is pivoted about the pivot axis, the drive arm can contact the transmission arm at a certain position, and then abut against the transmission arm and rotate the transmission arm together, thereby pulling the trigger cable. This design enables the manual trigger mechanism to trigger the inflation device by means of part of the components of the existing door trigger mechanism on the aircraft. Therefore, when the proposed manual trigger mechanism is applied to existing aircraft models, the required modification cost and workload are small, and the required installation space is also small.
[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the present application, the drive arm is configured as a non-equal-arm lever. The drive arm configured as a non-equal-arm lever has a first arm and a second arm, the length of the first arm is greater than the length of the second arm, and the manual cable of the cable assembly of the manual trigger mechanism is engaged at the first arm, and the second arm can abut against the transmission arm during the pivoting of the drive arm about the pivot axis of the drive arm, thereby moving the transmission arm together. This arrangement enables the trigger cable and the manual cable to be located at the two ends of the lever in practice. Here, because the force arm on the side of the manual cable is longer, the operator on the aircraft needs to use a relatively small pulling force to operate the manual trigger mechanism by means of the manual cable. Such an arrangement further improves the success rate of triggering the inflation device, improves the safety of the aircraft, and effectively avoids the situation that the inflation device cannot be triggered by the manual trigger mechanism due to insufficient pulling force of the operator, thereby affecting the release of the emergency slide.
[0012] In particular, the drive arm configured as a non-equal-arm lever is configured such that the extension direction of the longer first arm is not parallel to the extension direction of the shorter second arm, and in the rest state of the drive arm, the height at which the free end of the first arm is located is higher than the height at which the free end of the second arm is located. Here, the rest state refers to the situation that no pulling force acts on the drive arm, and only gravity acts on the drive arm. The design of the two free ends of the drive arm being high and low ensures that when the drive arm needs to be pivoted, i.e. when the manual trigger mechanism is operated, there is sufficient space for the drive arm to pivot about the pivot axis of the drive arm, without interfering with the surrounding mechanisms and components.
[0013] Further preferably, when the inflator is triggered, the transmission arm moves upward to pull the trigger cable, and the second arm of the drive arm is arranged below the transmission arm. This design ensures that when the existing door trigger mechanism of the aircraft is in normal operation, i.e. the transmission arm is driven by the door trigger mechanism, the transmission arm will not contact the drive arm during the process of the transmission arm moving upward to pull the trigger cable to trigger the inflator to inflate, and thus the second arm of the drive arm will not be driven to move, thereby ensuring the independence of the movement of the door trigger mechanism in the normal case and the manual trigger mechanism according to the present application, i.e. the movement of the manual trigger mechanism according to the present application will not be caused.
[0014] In a non-limiting embodiment of the present application, the manual cable of the manual cable assembly has a steel wire, and the steel wire is partially sleeved with a sheath along the length direction. The sheath can protect the steel wire from being touched by other parts on the aircraft, and can also guide the movement of the steel wire, constrain the movement track of the steel wire, and strengthen the rigidity of the cable, thereby avoiding the steel wire from being knotted, twisted or tangled when the operator pulls the cable.
[0015] In a non-limiting embodiment of the present application, the manual cable is guided through the connecting piece and the base of the constraint assembly. The base has a boss, and the connecting piece is fixed below the boss. The connecting piece is configured to keep the sheath of the steel wire of the manual cable below the boss. This makes the manual cable in the space between the boss and the drive assembly only have the bare steel wire, and since the drive assembly needs to pivot in this space, the absence of the sheath avoids the interference of the sheath with the pivoting movement of the drive assembly.
[0016] Preferably, the boss of the constraint assembly is saddle-shaped. The height of the saddle part of this design can be adjusted according to the length relationship between the bare section of the steel wire in the manual cable and the section of the steel wire with the sheath.
[0017] Therefore, the present application provides a manual trigger mechanism which has a light weight, occupies a small space, can be applied in a complex on-board environment, has a high adaptability, does not interfere with the triggering movement of the existing door trigger mechanism itself in the normal case, and can use part of the components of the existing door trigger mechanism, has a simple movement, and can save the modification cost and time on the aircraft. The manual trigger mechanism according to the present application is thus separated from the existing door trigger mechanism in function and combined with the existing door trigger mechanism in use components. In addition, the manual trigger mechanism according to the present application does not need to be specially customized and developed, thereby shortening the development cycle and reducing the development cost.
[0018] The present application further provides an airplane comprising an emergency slide, an inflating device for inflating the emergency slide, a hatch trigger mechanism capable of triggering the inflating device to inflate the emergency slide, and the manual trigger mechanism according to any one of the above-mentioned solutions. In the airplane, the manual trigger mechanism backs up the hatch trigger mechanism to achieve the triggering function.
[0019] The present application further provides a method for triggering the inflating device to inflate the emergency slide of an airplane by means of the manual trigger mechanism according to any one of the above-mentioned solutions. The method is simple to operate and requires less of the operator, thereby improving the safety of the airplane. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0020] The above and other features of the present application will be further clarified by the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0021] Figure 1 Fig. 1 shows a front perspective view of a manual trigger mechanism for an emergency slide of an airplane according to an embodiment of the present application.
[0022] Figure 2 Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a part of the manual trigger mechanism shown in Fig. 1. Figure 1
[0023] Figure 3 Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the part of the manual trigger mechanism shown in Fig. 2 from another angle. Figure 2
[0024] Figure 4 Fig. 4 shows an exploded perspective view of a drive assembly of the manual trigger mechanism shown in Fig. 1. Figure 1
[0025] Figure 5 Fig. 5 shows a front view of the drive assembly.
[0026] Figure 6 Fig. 6 shows a sectional view taken along the line A-A shown in Fig. 1. Figure 5
[0027] Fig. 7 shows a sectional view taken along the line B-B shown in Fig. 1. Figure 7 Figure 5 Fig. 8 shows a sectional view taken along the line C-C shown in Fig. 1.
[0028] Figure 8 Figure 5 Fig. 9 shows a constraint assembly of the manual trigger mechanism shown in Fig. 1 in an exploded perspective view.
[0029] Figure 9 Fig. 10 shows a constraint assembly of the manual trigger mechanism shown in Fig. 1 in a perspective view. Figure 1
[0030] Fig. 11 shows a constraint assembly of the manual trigger mechanism shown in Fig. 1 in a perspective view. Figure 10 Figure 1 The manual cable assembly of the manual trigger mechanism is shown.
[0031] List of reference numerals in the attached diagram:
[0032] 11. Rotary shaft
[0033] 12-link
[0034] 13. Transmission rocker arm
[0035] 14 Trigger the cable
[0036] 3. Driver Components
[0037] 31 Drive rocker arm
[0038] 311 First Arm
[0039] 3111 (First arm) Free end
[0040] 3111L (side of the free end of the first arm)
[0041] 3111R (side of the free end of the first arm)
[0042] 312 Second Arm
[0043] 3121 (the free end of the second arm)
[0044] 3121L (side of the free end of the second arm)
[0045] 3121R (side of the free end of the second arm)
[0046] 313 Transition Section
[0047] 32 First Axis
[0048] 321 First Axis Safety Pin
[0049] 322 First shaft washer
[0050] 323 First Shaft Bushing
[0051] 324 First Axis Rotary Shaft
[0052] 3241 End of the first shaft
[0053] 33 Second Axis
[0054] 331 Second Axis Safety Pin
[0055] 332 Second Shaft Nut
[0056] 333 Second Shaft Shoulder Bushing
[0057] 334 Second Shaft Protective Bushing
[0058] 335 second axle washer
[0059] 336 second axle rocker bushing
[0060] 337 second axle bolt
[0061] 34 third axle
[0062] 341 third axle safety pin
[0063] 342 third axle washer
[0064] 343 third axle bushing
[0065] 344 third axle pivot
[0066] 3441 end of third axle pivot
[0067] 35 base
[0068] 4 restraint assembly
[0069] 41 base
[0070] 411 boss (of base)
[0071] 4111 through opening (of boss of base)
[0072] 412 base portion
[0073] 42 restraint bolt
[0074] 421 through hole
[0075] 43 fastener peg
[0076] 44 connector
[0077] 441 boss (of connector)
[0078] 4441 through opening (of boss of connector)
[0079] 45 nut bushing
[0080] 46 restraint nut
[0081] 5 manual cable assembly
[0082] 51 joint (of first manual cable)
[0083] 52 joint (of second manual cable)
[0084] 53 wire (of first manual cable)
[0085] 54 wire (of second manual cable)
[0086] 55 (First manual cable) sheath
[0087] 56 (Second manual cable) sheath
[0088] 57 (First manual cable) connector
[0089] 58 (Second manual cable) connector
[0090] 59 (First manual cable) handle
[0091] 60 (Second manual cable) handle
[0092] C1 First manual cable
[0093] C2 Second Manual Cable
[0094] M is a manually triggered mechanism. Detailed Implementation
[0095] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the invention, which are illustrated and described in the accompanying drawings. Although the invention will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that this specification is not intended to limit the invention to these exemplary embodiments. Rather, the invention is intended to cover not only these exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents, and other embodiments that may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
[0096] For ease of interpretation and precise definition in the appended claims, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “inner,” and “outer” are used to describe features with reference to their location in the embodiments shown in the figures.
[0097] The following is combined with Figures 1 to 10 Describes a manually triggered mechanism for an emergency slide used in an aircraft.
[0098] Figure 1 The perspective view, viewed from the front, generally shows the device for inflating the emergency slide, including a manually operated trigger mechanism M for the emergency slide, which includes a door trigger mechanism for normal use. The door trigger mechanism of the emergency slide includes a pivot rod 11, a connecting rod 12, a transmission rocker arm 13, a trigger cable 14, and... Figure 1 The inflation device, not shown, is used to supply air to the emergency slide; for example, it is an air cylinder. In this embodiment, one end of the trigger cable 14 (not shown) is connected to the switch of the inflation device.
[0099] In case of a need for inflating the emergency slide, the hatch trigger mechanism is usually activated by means of an unshown actuating cylinder acting on the swivel lever 11. The swivel lever 11 is connected to a transmission rocker 13 by means of a link 12, the end of which is engaged with a trigger cable 14 in the form of a steel cable. With the movement of the swivel lever 11, the link 12 is brought to move downward, in turn pulling the trigger cable 14 upward by means of the transmission rocker 13, thereby opening the switch of the inflator device, starting the inflation, and in turn triggering the emergency slide. Here, the upward pulling of the trigger cable 14 in the clockwise direction triggers the inflation.
[0100] When the above-mentioned hatch trigger mechanism fails to trigger the inflation by means of the actuating cylinder to finally pull the trigger cable 14 upward, the triggering of the emergency slide is affected. In this case, the crew member needs to trigger the inflator device by means of the manual trigger mechanism M to inflate the emergency slide, thereby triggering the emergency slide.
[0101] The manual trigger mechanism M comprises a drive assembly 3, a restraint assembly 4, and a manual cable assembly 5, wherein the manual cable assembly 5 comprises two manual cables C1, C2. The two manual cables C1, C2 are engaged to the drive assembly 3 via the restraint assembly 4. A user of the manual trigger mechanism M can pull any one of the manual cables to bring the transmission rocker 13 of the existing hatch trigger mechanism to operate by means of the drive assembly 3, in turn pulling the trigger cable 14 to trigger the inflator device to inflate the emergency slide. As Figure 1 can be seen, a part of the manual cables C1, C2 is arranged substantially parallel to the existing trigger cable 14, and both are located at the two ends of the drive assembly 3, respectively.
[0102] The manual trigger mechanism M is configured such that its triggering movement can replace the triggering movement of the hatch trigger mechanism actuating cylinder to bring the transmission rocker 13 to move via the swivel lever 11 and the link 12, in turn pulling the trigger cable 14 upward, which will be further explained below in connection with Figures 2 to 10 .
[0103] Firstly referring to Figures 2 to 8 , the drive assembly 3 of the manual trigger mechanism M comprises a drive rocker 31. Referring to Figure 5 , in the shown embodiment, the drive rocker 31 is configured as a non-equal-arm lever, comprising a longer first arm 311, a shorter second arm 312, and a transition portion 313 connecting the first arm 311 and the second arm 312, wherein the extension directions of the first arm 311 and the second arm 312 are not parallel. As Figure 5 shown, the first arm 311 extends horizontally, while the second arm 312 extends downward at an angle with the vertical direction. Figure 5 The state of the drive rocker 31 shown in
[0104] AsFigure 4 , Figure 5 As can be seen, the drive rocker arm 31 is connected to the base 35 via a second shaft 33 in the form of a short shaft. The base 35 supports the drive rocker arm 31, allowing the drive rocker arm 31 to pivot around the second shaft 33.
[0105] When the drive rocker arm 31 is pulled downward by the manual cable C1 or C2 of the manual cable assembly 5 and pivots around the second axis 33, it rotates clockwise around the pivot axis. As a result, the free end 3111 of the first arm 311, located at the higher position, moves downward, while the free end 3121 of the second arm 312, located at the lower position, moves upward. Here, since the height of the free end 3111 of the first arm 311 in its resting state is higher than the level of the free end 3121 of the second arm 312, this ensures that the second arm 312 of the drive rocker arm 31 drives the transmission rocker arm 13 upward to pull the trigger cable 14 to the required pull height. It also ensures that the drive rocker arm 31 does not contact the pivot rod 11 when pivoting clockwise around the second axis, thus preventing the pivoting motion of the drive rocker arm 31 from being interrupted by interference from the pivot rod 11.
[0106] In this embodiment, although the first arm 311 is longer than the second arm 312, in order to ensure that the first arm 311 extends as horizontally as possible as possible in the resting state, the second arm 312 is designed to prevent the first arm 311 from falling downwards. This is achieved through torque balance, for example by adjusting the thickness of the second arm 312 that drives the rocker arm 31, or by other means of adjusting the weight of the second arm 312.
[0107] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 As can be seen, the drive rocker arm 31 has a third shaft 34 at the free end 3111 of the first arm 311 for engaging the manual cables C1 and C2 from the manual cable assembly 5; a second shaft 33, mentioned above, is provided at the transition part 312, which serves as a pivot shaft and a connector to the base 35; and a first shaft 32 is provided at the free end 3121 of the second arm 312 for driving the transmission rocker arm 13 to move together when the drive rocker arm 31 pivots. Figure 6 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 The connection and installation at the first axis 32, the second axis 33 and the third axis 34 are shown in sectional views.
[0108] For the first axis 32, combined with Figure 2It is known that in the resting state, the second arm 312 of the drive rocker arm 31 is positioned below the transmission rocker arm 13. When the hatch triggering mechanism is operating normally, the transmission rocker arm 13 is driven by the connecting rod 12 to rotate clockwise, and it will not contact the second arm 312 of the drive rocker arm 31. Therefore, the triggering action of the hatch triggering mechanism will not drive the movement of the manual triggering mechanism M. This ensures that the setting of the manual triggering mechanism M does not affect the normal operation of the hatch triggering mechanism. On the other hand, when the trigger cable 14 is pulled by the manual triggering mechanism M, specifically, the drive rocker arm 31 pivots around the pivot axis 33 clockwise, driving the second arm 312 of the drive rocker arm 31 to move upward until the first shaft 32 located at the free end 3121 of the second arm 312 abuts against the transmission rocker arm 13. Then, the first shaft 32 pushes the transmission rocker arm 13 to continue moving upward clockwise, thereby pulling the trigger cable 14, opening the inflation device switch, starting the inflation of the emergency slide and triggering the emergency slide.
[0109] Reference Figure 6 The illustration shows the installation of the first shaft 32 at the free end 3121 of the second arm 312 of the drive rocker arm 31. The second arm 312 of the drive rocker arm 31 has an open portion at its free end 3121. This open portion has two side portions 3121L and 3121R. The first shaft 32 is received in this open portion as a short shaft. Specifically, the first shaft 32 is formed by a first shaft pivot 324 passing through the open portion, a first shaft washer 322 sleeved on the first shaft pivot 324, a first shaft bushing 323, and a first shaft safety pin 321. The first shaft bushing 323 is located between the two side portions 3121L and 3121R of the free end 3121 of the second arm 3122, that is, within the open portion, while the first shaft washer 322 is located outside the open portion, axially outside the side portion 3121L in the illustrated embodiment. A first shaft safety pin 321 is also provided at the smaller diameter end 3241 of the first shaft 324 to prevent the first shaft 324 from accidentally dislodging from the opening. A first shaft washer 322 is inserted between the first shaft safety pin 321 and the side portion 3121L. The first shaft safety pin 321 is locked by bending after being inserted into the end 3241. This process is known in the art and will not be described further here.
[0110] For the second axis 33, refer to Figure 7 This illustrates the case where the drive rocker arm 31 is supported at the base 35 by means of a second shaft 33 serving as a pivot axis. (See diagram below.) Figure 7As can be seen, the second shaft 33 is mainly composed of a second shaft bolt 337 which passes through the driving rocker arm 31 and the base 35. Starting from the head of the second shaft bolt 337, the second shaft bolt 337 is sequentially sleeved with a second shaft washer 335, a second shaft protection bushing 334, a second shaft nut 332 and a second shaft safety pin 331 in the axial direction, wherein the second shaft safety pin 331 is arranged at the end of the second shaft bolt 337 to prevent the second shaft 33 from being accidentally pulled out. In addition, in order to protect and support the second shaft protection bushing 334, the second shaft rocker arm bushing 336 and the second shaft shoulder bushing 333 are also sleeved outside the second shaft protection bushing 334 in the radial direction.
[0111] For the third shaft 34, reference is made to Figure 8 wherein the mounting of the third shaft 34 at the free end 3111 of the first arm 311 of the driving rocker arm 31 is shown. In combination with Figure 4 As can be seen, similarly to the second arm 312, the longer first arm 311 is also formed with an open part at its free end 3111. The open part has two side parts 3111L and 3111R. The third shaft 34 is received in the form of a short shaft in the open part. Specifically, the third shaft 34 is formed by a third shaft rotating shaft 344 which passes through the open part, a third shaft washer 342 which is sleeved on the third shaft rotating shaft 344, a third shaft bushing 343 and a third shaft safety pin 341, wherein the third shaft bushing 343 is located between the above-mentioned two side parts 3111L and 3111R, i.e. in the open part, while the third shaft washer 342 is arranged outside the open part, here outside one side part 3111L of the open part, and wherein a third shaft safety pin 341 is further arranged at the end 3441 of the third shaft rotating shaft 344 which has a smaller diameter, to prevent the third shaft rotating shaft 344 from being undesirably pulled out of the open part. The third shaft washer 342 is inserted between the third shaft safety pin 341 and the side part 3111L.
[0112] By comparison Figure 6 and Figure 8 It can be found that for the third shaft 34, the gap between the third shaft bushing 343 and the two side parts 3111L, 3111R of the open part of the first arm 311 is larger than the gap between the first shaft bushing 323 and the two side parts 3121L, 3121R of the open part of the second arm 312. The above-mentioned larger gap is used for the engagement of the cable joints 51, 52 of the two manual cables C1, C2 of the manual cable assembly 5 with the third shaft rotating shaft 344.
[0113] Finally, in combination with Figure 9 and Figure 10 the manual cable assembly 5 for the user to manipulate the manual trigger mechanism M is described, as well as the constraint assembly 4 which constrains and guides the movement trajectory of the manual cables C1, C2 in the manual cable assembly 5.
[0114] AsFigure 9 The base 41 of the constraint assembly 4 is shown as a whole in the shape of a saddle, which is connected to other fixtures on the machine body by means of bolt fasteners. The base 41 can be obtained by machining. The saddle-shaped base 41 has a boss 411 and a base portion 412, the boss 411 being connected to the base portion 412 by two legs. In the embodiment shown, the boss 411 is higher in height from the base portion 412, but the height value and the aspect ratio of the height relative to the span between the two legs can be designed according to actual needs to adapt to the transition position between the bare steel wire section and the sheathed steel wire section in the manual cable C1, C2. The configuration of the bare steel wire section and the sheathed steel wire section in the manual cable C1, C2 will be described in detail below in connection with the description of the manual cable assembly 5. Figure 10 The configuration of the bare steel wire section and the sheathed steel wire section in the manual cable C1, C2 will be described in detail below in connection with the description of the manual cable assembly 5.
[0115] The upper surface of the boss 411 of the base 41 is used to mount fastening nails 43. The connecting piece 44 of the constraint assembly 4 is fixed to the base 41 by means of the fastening nails 43. The boss 411 is also provided with a through opening 4111. The boss 441 of the connecting piece 44 is shaped to match the shape of the through opening 4111 of the boss 411, and the boss 441 of the connecting piece 44 is provided with two through openings 4411, as can be seen in the figure, for the manual cable C1, C2 to pass through.
[0116] In the two through openings 4411, a constraint bolt 42 and a constraint nut 46 threaded with the constraint bolt 42 are respectively arranged, and a nut bushing 45 can also be arranged in the constraint nut 46. The constraint bolt 42 is provided with a through hole 421 penetrating in the axial direction. In use, the manual cable C1, C2 of the manual cable assembly 5 passes through the through opening 4411 in the connecting piece 44, which is guided and constrained by the through hole 421 of the constraint bolt 42, the nut bushing 45, and the constraint nut 46. Then, the joint provided at the end of the bare steel wire section of the manual cable C1, C2 is connected to the drive assembly 3. The connecting piece 44 and the constraint bolt 42, the constraint nut 46, and the nut bushing 45 cooperate to ensure the guidance of the manual cable C1, C2 on the one hand, and to ensure that the sheath outside the steel wire in the manual cable C1, C2 is kept below the upper surface of the saddle-shaped base 41, so that the sheath of the steel wire remains stationary when the steel wire in the manual cable C1, C2 moves.
[0117] Figure 10The manual cable assembly 5 is shown in Fig. 1. The manual cable assembly 5 is directly manipulated by the user of the manual trigger mechanism M. In the embodiment shown, the manual cable assembly 5 comprises two manual cables C1, C2 in the form of steel cords. The first manual cable C1 has a connector 51 at one end and is connected to a handle 59 via a connector 57 at the other end. The steel cord of the first manual cable C1 is divided into two sections, a first section comprising bare steel cord 53 and a second section comprising a sheath 55 around the steel cord 53. Similarly to the first manual cable C1, the second manual cable C2 has a connector 52 at one end and is connected to a handle 60 via a connector 58 at the other end. The steel cord of the second manual cable C2 is also divided into two sections, a first section comprising bare steel cord 54 and a second section comprising a sheath 56 around the steel cord 54. The first sections of the manual cables C1, C2 are also referred to herein as "bare steel cord sections" and the second sections are referred to as "sheathed steel cord sections".
[0118] The ratio between the sections of the steel cord of the manual cables C1, C2 that are sheathed and the sections that are bare can be adjusted as desired. The manual cables C1, C2 are provided with a sheath around part of the steel cord because in the space in which the manual cables C1, C2 are arranged, in the embodiment shown the space below the upper surface of the boss 411 of the saddle-shaped base 41, there can also be other mechanisms and components. The sheaths 55, 56 are provided in order to ensure that the steel cord of the manual cables C1, C2 is guided in its movement in the limited space and does not come into contact with these other mechanisms and components, and in order to prevent the steel cord from kinking and twisting. As regards the space above the saddle-shaped base 41, as described above, the bare steel cords 53, 54 of the manual cables C1, C2 are joined via the connectors 51, 52 to the third shaft 34 at the free end 3111 of the first arm 311 of the drive rocker 31. In this space, since the drive rocker 31 needs to pivot, no other parts, including sheaths, should be present in this space that could interfere with the pivoting of the drive rocker 31. On the other hand, the user of the manual trigger mechanism M can bring the transmission rocker 13 into operation by means of the drive assembly 3 by pulling on either of the manual cables. If a sheath were also provided for the steel cords 53, 54 in this space, the other manual cable, which is not being pulled on by the user, would be deformed under the action of the drive assembly 3 and would come into contact with the sheath, causing friction and compression. Therefore, no sheath is provided for the steel cords 53, 54 in this section. Without the sheath, the movement of the manual cables C1, C2 in this section is also smoother.
[0119] With such a design configuration, when the user manipulates the manual trigger mechanism M by means of the handle 59 or 60, the steel wires 53, 54 of the corresponding manual cable C1 or C2 are in motion, while the sheaths 55, 56 of the steel wires are stationary. For the segmented design of such manual cables, the control and guidance of the transition between the first and second sections of the manual cable C1, C2 by the connecting piece 44 of the restraint assembly 4 ensures smooth movement of the steel wires 53, 54 in the manual cable C1, C2.
[0120] At the other end of the manual cable C1, C2, it is connected to the handle 59, 60 respectively pointing to the left and right of the hatch.
[0121] In the embodiment shown, since the aircraft to which the manual trigger mechanism M is applied has two doors on the single side wing, the manual cable assembly 5 comprises two manual cables C1, C2.
[0122] In an embodiment not shown, the manual cable assembly can also comprise more or less cables. For example, if the aircraft has only one hatch on the single side wing, the manual cable assembly can only comprise one manual cable.
[0123] In the embodiment shown, from the drive assembly 3, the manual cable C1, C2 first extends vertically downward, then extends obliquely, so that the main part of the manual cable C1, C2 is approximately parallel to the trigger cable 14. When the user pulls the manual cable C1 or C2, the force applied is approximately obliquely downward, which facilitates the operator to pull the manual cable.
[0124] Finally, the method of triggering the emergency slide using the manual trigger mechanism M in the case that the inflatable device cannot be triggered by the hatch trigger mechanism to trigger the emergency slide is explained:
[0125] a) manually pulling the handle 59 of the first manual cable C1 or the handle 60 of the second manual cable C2;
[0126] b) moving the steel wire 53 of the first manual cable C1 or the steel wire 54 of the second manual cable within the sheath 55 or 56, thereby pulling the connector 51 or 52 at the end of the manual cable C1 or C2 downward;
[0127] c) pivoting the drive rocker 31 clockwise about the second shaft 33;
[0128] d) the first shaft 32 provided at the end of the second arm 312 of the drive rocker 31 abuts against the transmission rocker 13 and drives it to continue to rotate upward in the clockwise direction;
[0129] e) the transmission rocker 13 pulls the flexible trigger cable 14 connected thereto upward, thereby triggering inflation and triggering the emergency slide.
[0130] The manual trigger mechanism for the emergency slide of the aircraft according to the present application is designed as a clutch. When the door trigger mechanism of the aircraft itself is able to trigger the emergency slide normally, the manual trigger mechanism is not affected. When the manual trigger mechanism is needed to trigger the inflation, the manual trigger mechanism triggers the emergency slide through the aforementioned mechanism.
[0131] In the aforementioned clutch design of the present application, the design of the driving rocker is similar to a seesaw. The clutch design makes the space of the trigger cable and the manual cable as consistent as possible. This can advantageously save space, and if the components of the existing trigger cable and the manual cable are different in the space, the mechanism needs to be added in other space, and a gap needs to be reserved between the moving mechanism and the static structure, which needs more space. This situation will disadvantageously reduce the available design space in other areas. The manual trigger mechanism of the present application avoids this situation, so that the existing door trigger mechanism and the manual trigger mechanism can be integrated in an area, saving installation space.
[0132] The present application can freely combine each embodiment or appropriately deform, omit each embodiment within the scope thereof.
Claims
1. A manual trigger mechanism for an emergency slide of an aircraft, wherein, The aircraft comprises an emergency slide, an inflation device for inflating the emergency slide, and a door trigger mechanism, wherein the door trigger mechanism comprises a transmission rocker, a trigger cable which is joined at an end of the transmission rocker, and a swivel lever which is connected to the transmission rocker by means of a link, by means of which swivel lever the transmission rocker can be swiveled in order to pull the trigger cable in order to trigger the inflation device, characterized in that the manual trigger mechanism comprises a drive assembly, a restraint assembly and a manual cable assembly, wherein the manual cable assembly comprises at least one manual cable, wherein the at least one manual cable is operatively connected to the drive assembly, wherein the drive assembly is configured to be pivotable about a pivot axis in order to pull the trigger cable in order to trigger the inflation device, and the drive assembly comprises a drive rocker which is arranged to be pivotable about the pivot axis, which drive rocker can abut against the transmission rocker and swivel the transmission rocker together in order to pull the trigger cable when the drive rocker is pivoted, and wherein the manual trigger mechanism is arranged such that the manual trigger mechanism is not moved when the door trigger mechanism is moved in order to trigger the inflation device.
2. The manual trigger mechanism of claim 1, wherein, The drive rocker is configured as a non-equal-arm lever, wherein the drive rocker has a first arm and a second arm, the first arm has a greater length than the second arm, the at least one manual cable is joined at the first arm, and the second arm can abut against the transmission rocker when the drive rocker is pivoted.
3. The manual trigger mechanism of claim 2, wherein, The first arm extends in a direction which is not parallel to the direction in which the second arm extends, and in a rest state of the drive rocker, in which only the force of gravity acts on the drive rocker, the free end of the first arm is at a higher level than the free end of the second arm.
4. The manual trigger mechanism of claim 3, wherein, When the inflation device is triggered, the transmission rocker is moved upward in order to pull the trigger cable, characterized in that the second arm of the drive rocker is arranged below the transmission rocker.
5. The manual trigger mechanism of claim 4, wherein, The manual cable of the manual cable assembly has a steel wire, and the steel wire is only partially sheathed in the length direction with a sheath.
6. The manual trigger mechanism of claim 5, wherein, The manual cable is guided through a connecting piece and a base of the restraint assembly, wherein the base has a boss, the connecting piece is fixed below the boss, and the sheath of the steel wire of the manual cable is held below the boss by means of the connecting piece.
7. The manual trigger mechanism of claim 6, wherein, The boss is saddle-shaped.
8. An aircraft comprising an emergency slide, an inflation device for inflating the emergency slide, a door trigger mechanism which can trigger the inflation device to be inflated, and a manual trigger mechanism according to one of claims 1 to 7.
9. A method for triggering an emergency slide of an aircraft by means of a manual trigger mechanism according to one of claims 1 to 7.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
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