Overhead Emergency Equipment Receptacle with Protruding Pull Element
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Solution Overview
Problem
In large vehicles like passenger aircraft, ensuring easy access to emergency equipment items like life vests while preventing theft is challenging due to their concealed storage, which is laborious to inspect and monitor, especially in reconfigurable cabins.
Innovation Solution
A device featuring receptacles positioned above passenger seats with access openings and a pulling element that protrudes when the closure element is opened, allowing easy retrieval of emergency equipment items without aligning each receptacle directly above a passenger seat, and a remote-controlled locking mechanism for simultaneous opening in emergencies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If life vests are stored in open storage compartments underneath passenger seats, then passengers can easily access them, but theft monitoring becomes difficult and inspection is laborious
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves the storage location from underneath the seat (horizontal dimension) to above the seat (vertical dimension). This dimensional change allows passengers to access life vests by reaching upward while maintaining visibility and security monitoring capabilities, resolving the contradiction between accessibility and theft prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a receptacle with closure element as an intermediary between the life vest and the passenger. This intermediary structure provides controlled access while maintaining security, allowing easy retrieval through the closure mechanism while preventing unauthorized removal and enabling monitoring.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If receptacles are positioned above passenger seats with closure elements, then theft prevention is improved, but accessibility during panic situations may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the critical access function from the closure element itself and places it on the pulling element. The pulling element protrudes when the closure is opened, providing a separate, easily graspable component that can be pulled even in panic situations, while the closure element remains secured against unauthorized opening.
Solution Approach 2:
The pulling element is pre-positioned to protrude automatically when the closure element is opened, preparing the life vest for immediate retrieval. This preliminary action ensures that the most critical access function is already prepared and visible before the passenger needs to act, reducing response time during emergencies.
3Adaptability or versatility
If receptacles are arranged in reconfigurable cabins, then adaptability is improved, but alignment with passenger seats becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the receptacle system to serve multiple functions: it can be positioned above any passenger seat regardless of configuration, provides secure storage, enables easy access, and maintains visibility. This universal design allows the same receptacle structure to work in various cabin configurations without requiring complex alignment adjustments.
Data Source
AI summary
A device is provided for storing at least one emergency equipment item. The device includes, but is not limited to at least one receptacle that is positioned above passenger seats and respectively provided with an access opening and at least one closure element for closing the access opening. In order to provide simpler access, at least one emergency equipment item is held in the receptacle and connected to a pulling element that protrudes from the access opening when the closure element is opened. The closure element may be opened and closed by means of a remote-controlled locking mechanism on the receptacle.