Air Mobility Escape Portion with Integrated Airbag
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Solution Overview
Problem
In air mobility, passengers face extreme injury due to the inability to safely escape and land on the ground during emergency situations, as existing technologies do not provide a reliable means for rapid and safe evacuation from airborne vehicles.
Innovation Solution
An air mobility system with an escape portion mounted to the lower end of a seat, which forms part of the air mobility floor, allowing for rapid separation and downward fall, equipped with an airbag or parachute, boosting portions, and a battery-powered system for emergency bailout, including seat position adjustment and location transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an escape portion is integrated into the air mobility floor to enable rapid passenger evacuation, then passenger safety during emergency bailout is improved, but the structural complexity and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The air mobility is divided into separable components: the escape portion (containing seat and airbag) can be independently separated from the main body. This segmentation allows the escape portion to be ejected independently during emergency, enabling rapid passenger evacuation without compromising the integrity of the entire air mobility system.
Solution Approach 2:
The escape portion including the seat and airbag is extracted as a separate ejection unit from the main air mobility structure. During emergency bailout, this extracted escape portion is rapidly separated and ejected from the air mobility, allowing passengers to escape while minimizing the complexity of the ejection mechanism by only requiring separation capability rather than complete system disassembly.
2Speed
If the escape portion is rapidly separated from the air mobility floor during emergency bailout, then the speed of passenger evacuation is improved, but the force and stress on coupling mechanisms increase
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling protrusion is pre-positioned within the coupling groove before emergency occurs. The coupling mechanism is already engaged and prepared, so during emergency bailout, rapid separation can be achieved without requiring complex real-time coupling/decoupling operations, reducing the peak force required for separation while maintaining high evacuation speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The airbag is pre-inflated or pre-positioned within the seat before emergency bailout. When the escape portion is rapidly separated and ejected, the airbag provides immediate cushioning protection to the passenger, absorbing the separation force and impact stress, thereby enabling high-speed evacuation while protecting against the harmful effects of separation forces.
3Reliability
If airbags and parachutes are stored in the seat for emergency deployment, then passenger protection during landing is improved, but the volume and weight of the seat structure increase
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag is nested within the seat structure, and the parachute is stored within or attached to the seat assembly. This nesting arrangement allows the protective devices to be compactly integrated into the seat volume, providing landing protection without significantly increasing the external dimensions or weight of the seat beyond what is necessary for the escape portion functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The seat serves multiple functions: it provides passenger seating during normal operation, stores the airbag for impact protection, and houses the parachute for aerial deceleration. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate structures for each function, optimizing the use of seat volume and weight while providing comprehensive passenger protection during emergency bailout and landing.
4Ease of operation
If boosting portions are added to facilitate escape portion separation, then the ease of operation for emergency bailout is improved, but the device complexity and power requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The boosting portions utilize the existing weight of the escape portion and gravitational force to facilitate separation during emergency bailout. Rather than requiring complex powered ejection mechanisms, the system leverages the natural downward force of gravity acting on the escape portion mass, combined with the release of coupling constraints, to achieve rapid separation. This self-service approach improves ease of operation while minimizing additional device complexity and power requirements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables passengers to rapidly and safely escape from air mobility during emergencies by forming part of the air mobility floor, reducing injury risk and facilitating safe landing with the aid of airbags and parachutes, while minimizing damage through controlled separation and power supply.
Implementation Method 1
the seat may be configured such that the airbag or the parachute stored therein may be operated during falling
Implementation Method 2
An air mobility system with an escape portion mounted to the lower end of a seat, which forms part of the air mobility floor, allowing for rapid separation and downward fall, equipped with an airbag or parachute
Data Source
AI summary
An air mobility may include a seat in which an airbag or a parachute is stored; and an escape portion configured to support the seat mounted to the escape portion, coupled to the air mobility to form part of the air mobility, and configured to enable a passenger to perform an emergency bailout with the seat to an outside of the air mobility when the escape portion is separated from the air mobility.