Evacuation Slide Readiness Gate for Safe Aircraft Egress
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial aircraft evacuation slides in transonic truss-braced wings do not provide a stable horizontal surface for evacuees due to the wing truss obstructing the exit path, and there is a risk of disrupting the inflation sequence if evacuees exit before the slide is fully deployed.
Innovation Solution
An inflatable evacuation slide with a readiness indicator gate that moves from an unready to a ready position, indicating when the slide is fully inflated and safe for use, using inflatable arms or webbing that retract when the slide is fully inflated, ensuring evacuees wait until the slide is ready.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the slide is deployed quickly during evacuation, then evacuation speed is improved, but the risk of disrupting inflation sequence increases if evacuees exit before slide is ready
Solution Approach 1:
The readiness indicator gate provides visual feedback to evacuees about the slide's inflation status. The gate moves between unready and ready positions, allowing evacuees to see whether the slide is fully inflated and safe to use, preventing premature exit that would disrupt the inflation sequence.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary indication of readiness status before evacuees attempt to use the slide. The readiness indicator gate is positioned to be visible to evacuees waiting to exit, providing advance information about whether the slide is ready for use, ensuring proper inflation sequence completion before evacuation begins.
2Ease of operation
If the readiness indicator gate is always visible, then evacuees can easily determine slide readiness, but the indicator may obstruct the exit path when the slide is not ready
Solution Approach 1:
The readiness indicator gate is designed to be dynamic, moving between different positions based on slide readiness status. When the slide is not ready, the gate is positioned to indicate unready status while minimizing obstruction. When the slide is ready, the gate moves to a position that provides clear visibility of readiness while clearing the exit path for evacuees.
Solution Approach 2:
The gate operates in multiple spatial dimensions or positions rather than remaining fixed. It can move laterally or vertically to different positions that correspond to ready and unready states, allowing it to provide visibility information while clearing the exit path when appropriate.
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 provides a stable horizontal surface for evacuees and prevents premature exit, ensuring the slide inflates correctly by visually indicating readiness, thus enhancing safety and efficiency during aircraft evacuations.
Implementation Method 1
an inflatable slide body attachable to the aircraft and configured to inflate in response to an evacuation event
Implementation Method 2
the readiness indicator gate is movable from an unready position during inflation of the inflatable slide body, thereby indicating the inflatable slide body is not ready for use, to a ready position thereby indicating readiness of the inflatable slide body
Data Source
AI summary
Example aircraft and aircraft evacuation slides and related methods are disclosed herein. An example evacuation slide assembly for an aircraft disclosed herein includes an inflatable slide body attachable to the aircraft and configured to inflate in response to an evacuation event, and a readiness indicator gate supported by the inflatable slide body, wherein the readiness indicator gate is movable from an unready position during inflation of the inflatable slide body, thereby indicating the inflatable slide body is not ready for use, to a ready position thereby indicating readiness of the inflatable slide body for user egress from the aircraft onto the inflatable slide body.