Evacuation Slide Lighting System for Directional Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current evacuation slides in aircraft lack effective guidance and illumination, leading to hesitation and reduced evacuation flow rates, especially in dark conditions, due to the absence of clear visual cues for evacuees.
Innovation Solution
An evacuation slide equipped with a light signal generating device that emits a fan-shaped light beam parallel to the escape route, providing clear direction and obstacle avoidance, even in varying orientations, and featuring redundant lighting elements for reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If evacuation slides are equipped with light signal generating devices to improve guidance and orientation, then evacuee confidence and flow rates are enhanced, but device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting system is segmented into multiple independent light signal generating devices distributed along the evacuation slide. Each device emits light in a specific direction to provide localized guidance, allowing the system to achieve comprehensive coverage while maintaining modular simplicity and ease of installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces light beams as an intermediary medium to convey evacuation direction information. The light signals act as a mediator between the evacuation slide structure and evacuees, providing intuitive visual guidance without requiring complex mechanical or electronic interaction systems.
2Loss of information
If light beams are extended further in parallel direction than perpendicular direction to indicate evacuation direction, then guidance clarity is improved, but illumination coverage of the immediate escape area is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting system uses multiple segmented light sources positioned at different locations along the evacuation slide. Each light source provides directional guidance in its local area, and the combined effect of multiple segments achieves both directional indication and comprehensive illumination coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the evacuation slide are equipped with light sources having different emission characteristics tailored to their specific functions. Light sources near the top emphasize directional guidance along the slide, while those near the bottom provide broader illumination of the escape route, creating local optimization for each zone.
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
The solution enhances evacuee confidence and flow rates by providing intuitive guidance and obstacle identification, reducing the risk of injuries and pile-ups, particularly in dark conditions, while maintaining functionality despite varying slide orientations.
Implementation Method 1
The light signal generating device is adapted to emit at least one light beam onto the escape route
Data Source
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AI summary
An evacuation slide (10) comprises a sliding face (12) having a top end portion (14) adapted to be positioned adjacent to an exit of a region to be evacuated, and a bottom end portion (16) adapted to be positioned adjacent to an escape route (18) leading away from the region to be evacuated and being arranged at a lower height than the region to be evacuated. A light signal generating device (38) is adapted to irradiate at least one light beam (40) onto the escape route (18) which extends further in a direction parallel to a center line (C) of the escape route (18) than in a direction perpendicular to the center line (C) of the escape route (18) so as to indicate a predefined evacuation direction along the escape route (18).