Rolling Airbag Ejection Mechanism for Non-Circular Launch Tubes
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ejection systems for items from air or surface vehicles require precise piston and cylinder constructions, leading to high costs, drag, leakage, and incompatibility with non-round tube cross-sections, and are challenging for long ejection strokes.
Innovation Solution
An inflatable device with rolling convolutions, such as airbags, is used to eject items, eliminating the need for pistons and seals, allowing for non-circular tubes and accommodating various projections, and can be telescopic for longer strokes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a piston and cylinder construction is used to maintain a hermetic seal, then sealing reliability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the piston and cylinder components entirely from the ejection system, replacing them with a simplified inflatable bladder mechanism. This extraction of unnecessary components directly reduces device complexity while maintaining the hermetic seal function through the inflatable bladder design, resolving the contradiction between reliability and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a disposable inflatable bladder that is replaced after each use, eliminating the need for complex, expensive, and durable piston-cylinder assemblies. This approach reduces manufacturing costs and device complexity while maintaining reliable sealing during each ejection cycle, addressing the contradiction through cost-effective single-use components.
2Reliability
If a piston and cylinder construction is used to maintain a hermetic seal, then sealing reliability is improved, but drag increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
By removing the piston-cylinder interface that generates significant drag, the patent eliminates this harmful factor. The inflatable bladder design creates minimal friction during expansion and ejection, maintaining seal reliability while dramatically reducing drag forces that impede ejection efficiency.
3Force
If a piston and cylinder construction is used, then ejection force is improved, but compatibility with non-round tube cross-sections is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic inflatable bladder that can adapt its shape to match various tube cross-sections including non-round configurations. This dynamic adaptability allows the system to maintain effective contact and generate sufficient ejection force across different geometries, resolving the contradiction between force generation and geometric compatibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The inflatable bladder design serves multiple functions: it provides ejection force, maintains hermetic seal, and adapts to various tube cross-sections including non-round shapes. This multi-functionality makes the system universally compatible with different tube geometries while maintaining effective ejection force, addressing the contradiction between force and adaptability.
4Reliability
If traditional piston and cylinder construction is used, then ejection reliability is improved, but manufacturing cost and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adopts disposable inflatable bladders that are inexpensive to manufacture and replace. These simple components eliminate the need for precision-machined piston-cylinder assemblies, dramatically reducing manufacturing complexity and cost while maintaining reliable ejection function through each use cycle.
Solution Approach 2:
By extracting the complex piston-cylinder components and replacing them with simple inflatable bladders, the patent significantly simplifies the manufacturing process. The removed components were the primary source of manufacturing difficulty, and their elimination enables easier, faster, and more cost-effective production while preserving ejection reliability.
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 reduces costs, eliminates drag and leakage, and enables ejection of items with projections through non-circular tubes, providing a scalable, reliable, and efficient ejection mechanism.
Implementation Method 1
gas enters the inflatable device to facilitate expansion of the inflatable object
Implementation Method 2
the inflatable object rolls against the tube inner surface as it expands to move and/or eject the item from the tube
Data Source
AI summary
In an embodiment, an ejection mechanism includes an inflatable device with an inflatable object (e.g., a silicone impregnated or other airbag, etc.) that is folded back inwardly on itself into an interior space of the inflatable object (e.g., forming a convolution, etc.) to envelop an item for ejection from a tube. In order to eject the item, gas enters the inflatable device to facilitate expansion of the inflatable object. The tube structure withstands the pressure loading as does the convolution of the inflatable object. Due to the tube limiting the expansion, the inflatable object rolls against the tube inner surface as it expands to move and/or eject the item from the tube. The inflatable device may further include an inflatable object (e.g., one or more airbags, etc.) in a telescopic arrangement with inflatable telescopic or nested stages (or convolutions) to eject or release the item.