Vehicle Panel Movable Window Emergency Egress Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle panels with jettisonable doors face issues with unwanted jettisoning during normal use and deformation in accidents, which can hinder emergency exit mechanisms, and conventional sliding windows are small and obstructive to crew visibility.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle panel with a movable window that includes guide means and release mechanisms allowing manual detachment from the body, enabling the window to function as both a conventional and emergency exit, even in deformed states, with large transparent surfaces and dual rail systems for secure operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a jettisonable door or panel is provided for emergency exit, then emergency egress capability is improved, but the risk of unwanted jettisoning during normal use increases
Solution Approach 1:
The emergency exit system is segmented into a fixed panel body and a movable window that can be independently detached. The window is divided from the panel structure, allowing the window to be jettisoned as a separate component while the panel remains intact, thereby enabling emergency egress without risking unwanted complete panel jettisoning.
Solution Approach 2:
Guide means are introduced as intermediary elements between the window and the panel body. These guide means include retention features that normally hold the window in place but can be released to allow detachment. The guide means act as a controlled intermediary mechanism that prevents accidental release while enabling intentional emergency egress.
2Area of stationary object
If conventional small sliding windows are used on jettisonable panels, then crew visibility is obstructed, but the structural complexity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The window is designed to perform multiple functions: it serves as a conventional sliding window for normal operation (providing ventilation and visibility) and simultaneously functions as an emergency exit component that can be detached from the panel. This multi-functionality allows a large transparent surface to serve both aesthetic/operational purposes and emergency egress purposes without requiring separate structures.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a movable window is added to the panel for dual functionality, then emergency egress capability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide means for guiding window movement and the release mechanisms for emergency detachment are merged into a single integrated system. The same guide features that enable smooth window sliding during normal operation also serve as the retention and release mechanisms for emergency egress. This merging eliminates the need for separate complex mechanisms, achieving dual functionality with minimal additional complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle panel (2) having a body (3) that extends longitudinally and in elevation, said body (3) having a movable window (10) and guide means (15) for guiding movement of said window (10) relative to the body (3), said window (10) having a frame (11) within which there is a transparent surface (12). The window (10) includes release means (30) for manually releasing the window (10) from the body (3) in order to provide an emergency exit, the release means (30) co-operating with the guide means (15).