Avalanche Airbag System Flow Restrictor Gas Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing airbag systems for avalanche situations require significant amounts of pressurized gas to inflate the airbag, leading to bulky and heavy pressure gas cylinders that are inefficient in terms of volume and weight.
Innovation Solution
The airbag system employs a flow restrictor to reduce the inlet gas pressure at the ejector, allowing it to draw in more ambient air and inflate the airbag with approximately 40% less pressurized gas, using a smaller and lighter pressure gas cylinder, and incorporates a single-stage ejector for simplified design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a traditional ejector system is used to inflate the airbag, then the airbag can be inflated with ambient air, but the amount of pressurized gas required is still significant, leading to bulky and heavy pressure gas cylinders
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by introducing a flow restrictor that modifies the pressure parameters of the gas flow entering the ejector. By restricting the flow and creating a pressure differential, the system can draw in more ambient air with less pressurized gas, thereby reducing the quantity of pressurized gas needed and the weight of the pressure gas cylinder.
Solution Approach 2:
The flow restrictor acts as an intermediary component between the pressure gas cylinder and the ejector. It mediates the gas flow by creating a controlled restriction that enables more efficient use of the pressurized gas, allowing the ejector to吸入 more ambient air and reducing the overall pressurized gas consumption.
2Quantity of substance
If a traditional ejector system is used to inflate the airbag, then the airbag can be inflated with ambient air, but the amount of pressurized gas required is still significant, leading to bulky pressure gas cylinders
Solution Approach 1:
The flow restrictor changes the pressure and flow rate parameters of the gas entering the ejector, creating conditions that maximize ambient air intake. This parameter modification allows the system to achieve the same airbag inflation with less pressurized gas, reducing the volume of the pressure gas cylinder.
Solution Approach 2:
The flow restrictor serves as an intermediary that optimizes the interaction between the pressurized gas and the ejector mechanism, enabling more efficient gas utilization and reducing the volume requirements for the pressurized gas storage.
3Reliability
If more pressurized gas is carried to ensure adequate airbag inflation, then the airbag can be reliably inflated, but the system becomes heavier and more cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The flow restrictor modifies the gas flow parameters to create optimal conditions for the ejector to function efficiently. By controlling the pressure differential and flow rate, the system reliably draws in sufficient ambient air to inflate the airbag while using less pressurized gas, thereby improving portability without sacrificing reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The flow restrictor acts as a mediating component that ensures reliable airbag inflation by optimizing the gas flow to the ejector, while simultaneously reducing the amount of pressurized gas needed, thus improving the ease of operation and portability of the overall system.
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
This solution results in a more efficient gas usage, reducing the volume and weight of the pressure gas cylinder while maintaining the airbag's inflated volume, enhancing portability and usability in avalanche scenarios.
Implementation Method 1
The flow restrictor serves to drop the inlet gas pressure at the ejector such that the ejector operates more efficiently, i.e., is able to draw in a greater volume of ambient air into the combined gas stream provided to the balloon
Implementation Method 2
The ejector receives the pressurized gas from the pressure gas cylinder when the valve is opened and uses the pressurized gas to draw in ambient air to create a gas stream for inflating the airbag that is a combination of gas from the pressure gas cylinder and the drawn-in, ambient air
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is directed to an airbag system that a user can deploy to reduce the chances of being buried in an avalanche or if buried, likely being buried near the surface, thereby improving the user's chances of surviving the experience. In one embodiment, the airbag system is comprised of an inflatable balloon, a pressure gas cylinder for holding a pressurized gas that is used in inflating the balloon, a valve that can be placed in a closed state to retain a pressurized gas in the pressure gas cylinder or an open state in which pressurized gas is released from the pressure gas cylinder. The system further comprises an ejector that operates to use pressurized gas received from the pressure gas cylinder and ambient air to inflate the balloon. Also part of the system is a flow restrictor that is located to receive pressurized gas from the pressure gas cylinder before the ejector receives the gas. A harness supports the noted elements of the system adjacent to an individual's body.