AU481663B2 - Aerosol can discharging apparatus - Google Patents

Description

77.538

The invention relates to apparatus for automatically

discharging aerosol insecticide cans in aircraft and in part

icular to apparatus including means to control the time of

discharge of aerosol cans.

World and Australian Health and Quarantine regulations

governing the movement of aircraft require that certain sect

ions of the aircraft which are normally sealed and/or in-

accessible during flight such as the cabin and baggage com-

partment and their contents be fumigated before the aircraft

is fully opened and contents are removed from the section

once the aircraft has arrived at its destination.

Hitherto delays in the removal of baggage and baggage cc

tainers from aircraft have been experienced because in order

to fumigate the aircraft's baggage compartments on landing,

the door to the baggage compartment is opened and the insect

icide or fumigant contained within an aerosol can is manuall

sprayed into the area of the baggage compartment adjacent

the door. The door is then immediately closed for a period

of approximately two minutes before the door is re-opened,

the baggage adjacent the door is removed and the interior of

the baggage compartment is given a further manual spray.

The baggage compartment door is then closed again for a

period of ten minutes before the door is re-opened and the

remainder of the baggage fully unloaded. This procedure

results in lengthy delays in the delivery of airline passen-

gers baggage to the customs halls especially where large

numbers of passengers and a lot of baggage are involved- The abovementioned disadvantages are overcome according

4816(

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to the present invention which provides an aerosol can

discharging apparatus for simultaneously discharging the

contents of two aerosol cans, said apparatus comprising an

elongated body having a central opening therethrough and

concave side walls; a pair of lugs extending from each side

wall at one end of said body; two operating button housings

each comprising a substantially cylindrical wall having an

aperture therethrough, each said housing being positioned at

the other end of said body adjacent a corresponding side

wall with said aperture directed away from said body; two

clamping arms slidably mounted on said body intermediate the

ends thereof, each clamping arm extending across a

corresponding side wall, being slidably movable away from

said body against resilient means secured to said body and

saidclamping arm; each said housing, side wall, pair of

lugs and clamping arm forming an aerosol can locating and

supporting means; a shaft rotatably mounted at said other

end of said body transverse to said central opening, the

ends of said shaft extending beyond said side walls; two

plunger arms each secured to one end of said shaft and

extending over the corresponding operating button housing; a

connecting rod positioned within said central opening and

having one end secured to said shaft, the other end of said

connecting rod being pivotally connected to an indicator

member; said indicator member and connecting rod being

movable from a rest position in which said indicator member

protrudes from said body to a set position to rotate said

shaft from a first shaft position against spring means

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positioned between said shaft and said body into a second

shaft position, in which an aerosol can is insertable within

each said locating and supporting means to locate the

operating button at the top of each can within the housing

of the locating and supporting means facing the aperture in

the housing and in proximity to the corresponding plunger

arm, said indicator member in said set position engaging a

releasable latch mounted within said central body, said

latch retaining said indicator member in said set position

and said shaft in said first position against the action of

said spring means, wherein release of said latch permits

said spring means to move said connecting rod and said indicator member to said rest position and said shaft to

said first position thereby moving each said plunger arm

against the operating button of each said aerosol can to

simultaneously discharge both aerosol cans through said

apertures.

The apparatus of the present invention may typically be

installed in the baggage compartment(s) of an aircraft and

manually loaded with two cans of aerosol insecticide before

the door to the baggage compartment is closed prior to

departure. Preferably a timer is set to discharge the

contents of the can(s) after the baggage compartment doors

have been closed. The discharge may be timed to take place

at any time before the aircraft lands at its destination.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings in which:-

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Fig. 1 shows a front perspective view of the apparatus

with a single can positioned therein;

Fig. 2 shows a plan view of the top of the apparatus

without any cans being positioned therein; and Fig. 3 shows

an end view of the apparatus, some of the components being

shown in broken outline. The apparatus comprises a central body I having a can

locating and supporting means 2 positioned one to each side

thereof. Each can locating and supporting means 2 comprises

a shaped wall portion 3 of the central body 1 which is adapted

to receive the cylindrical surface of an aerosol can 4, a

pair of can supporting lugs 5 and an operating button hous-

ing 6 which surrounds the operating button 7 of the aerosol

can 4. Thenozzle 8 of the aerosol can 4 is positioned in the

desired direction by an opening 9 in the operating button

housing 6.

The aerosol can 4 is held in position by a clamping arm

which is slidably mounted in a tube 11. The clamping arm

is biassed by spring 11A(Fig. 2) which urges the clamping

arm 10 towards the central body I thereby holding the aerosol

can against the shaped wall portion 3 of the central body 1. In order to insert the aersol can 4 into the can locat-

ing and supporting means 2, the clamping arm 10 is manually

moved away from the central body I against the action of spring 11A,the operating button 7 of the aerosol can 4 is

passed between the can supporting lugs 5 and the clamping

arm 10 and into the operating button housing 6. The base

of the aerosol can 4 is then positioned on the can

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supporting lugs 5 and the clamping arm 10 released to secure

the aerosol can 4 in position through the action of spring

11A. The aerosol can 4 may be removed from the apparatus by

the reverse procedure. The operating button 7 of each aerosol can 4 is able

to be depressed, and the contents of the can 4 thereby

emptied, by a plunger arm 12 secured one to each end of a

shaft 15 pivotally mounted in brackets 14 located on the cen-

tral body 1. The shaft 13 passes through and is secured to

one end of a connecting rod 15. The connecting rod 15 passes

through the centre of the central body I and has a substant-

ially U-shaped indicator 16 pivotally mounted at the other

end thereof. The shaft 13 is urged by tension spring 17 to rotate relative to the central body I in the direction shown

in Fig. 3 by arrow A, the tension spring 17 being interposed

between the central body 1 and a pin 18 secured to the connect-

ing rod

The U-shaped indicator 16 has an axle 19 located at one

end thereof and a retaining link 20 at the other end thereof.

A pair of rollers 21 are rotatably mounted one at each end

of the axle 19. The rollers 21 each abut a roller surface 22 formed on members 22A secured to the central body 1. A latching member 23 is pivotally mounted in the central body

I and has a latch 24 at one end and triggering lever 25 at

the other end. A return spring 26 abuts the latching member 23 adjacent the latch 24 and urges the latch 24 towards the

indicator 16 and thereby urges the triggering lever 25 into

abutment with a solenoid 27 mounted within the central body

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1. The solenoid 27 has permeable armature 28 slidably mounted armature therein, energization of the solenoid 27 drawing the

28 further into the solenoid 27, contacting the triggering of return lever 25 and moving the latch 24 against the action

spring 26.

In order to set the apparatus prior to use the indicator the dashed 16 is manually moved to the position indicated by spring 17 and lines in Fig. 3 against the action of tension 24 with re- retained in that position by engagement of latch

taining link 20. The abovementioned movement of indicator 16 by the moves the connecting rod 15 to the position indicated arms 12 in dashed lines in Fig. 3 thereby moving the plunger With the an anti-clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 3. cans 4 may plunger arms 12 retained in this position aerosol 2 be inserted into the can locating and supporting means above. and secured therein by clamping arms 10 as described (not The apparatus is triggered by a conventional timer

illustrated)which causes a current to flow in solenoid 27 28 against thereby energizing solenoid 27, moving the armature return the triggering lever 25, moving the latch 24 against the latch spring 26, disengaging the retaining link 20 from

24 and thus allowing the indicator 16 and connecting rod

to move under the action of tension spring 17.

Thus when the apparatus is triggered, connecting rod 3 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow A in Fig. lines and achieves the position indicated by the dot and dash

As connecting rod 15 moves, rollers 21 of the in Fig. 3. the members indicator 16 roll over the roller surfaces 22 of

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221 thereby pivoting indicator 16 in a clockwise direction

as seen in Fig. 3 until the position indicated by dot and

dash lines in Fig. 3 is achieved, at which position the

indicator 16 is clear of the central body 1 and therefore is

able to be easily seen.

The above described novement of the connecting rod

pivots shaft 15 in its-bearings 14 and therefore moves

plunger arms 12 in a clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 3

thereby depressing the operating button 7 of each aerosol

can 4 and discharging its contents. The connecting rod

and indicator 16 remain in the position indicated by dot and

dash lines in Fig. 5 until the apparatus is manually set

again as described above. The timer need only supply a pulse

of current to the solenoid 27 to momentarily energize the sol-

enoid, since once latch 2'8 disengages retaining link 20 the

indicator 16 moves freely under the action of tension spring

17. Return spring 26 moves the latching member 23 in a clockwise direction to regain the position indicated by

dashed lines in Fig. 3.

This movement of the indicator 16 provides an easy visual

verification that the apparatus has functioned correctly and

that the contents of the aerosol cans have been discharged

as desired.

On arrival at the aircraft's destination the door to the

baggage compartment is opened and the indicator 16 observed

to confirm that the apparatus has been triggered. The indica-

tor 16 is pushed into the retracted iosition thereby resetting

the apparatus for use again. The discharged cans are then

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means 2 and removed from the can locating and supporting

checked to cee that they are empty. of the appa- The foregoing describes only one embodiment modifications may ratus of the present invention and various the scope of the in- be made thereto without departing from may be triggered either vention. In particular the apparatus depending upon the electrically, as shown, or mechanically the movement of the type of timer preferred. If desired micro-switches incorp- clamping arms 10 may be used to operate timer to provide an orated in a control circuit and/or the as the cockpit of an indication at a remote position, such loaded with new aerosol aircraft, that the apparatus has been

cans.

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TIE CLALMS DEFNING THE LNNTbUION ARE AS FOLLOWS-- 1. Aerosol can discharging apparatus for simultaneously

discharging the contents of two aerosol cans, said apparatus

comprising an elongated body having a central opening there-

through and concave side walls; a pair of lugs extending

from each side wall at one end of said body; two operating

button housings each comprising a substantially cylindrical

wall having an aperture therethrough, each said housing

being positioned at the other end of said body adjacent a

corresponding side wall with said aperture directed away

from said body; two clamping arms slidably mounted on said

body intermediate the ends thereof, each clamping arm

extending across a corresponding side wall, being slidably

movable away from said body against resilient means secured

to said body and said clamping arm; each said housing, side

wall, pair of lugs and clamping arm forming an aerosol can

locating and supporting means; a shaft rotatably mounted at

said other end of said body transverse to said central

opening, the ends of said shaft extending beyond said side

walls; two plunger arms each secured to one end of said

shaft and extending over the corresponding operating button

housing; a connecting rod positioned within said central

opening and having one end secured to said shaft, the other

end of said connecting rod being pivotally connected to an

indicator member; said indicator member and connecting-rod

being manually movable from a rest position in which said

indicator member protrudes from said body to a set position

to rotate said shaft from a first shaft position against

77.5 38

shaft and said body in- spring means positioned between said aerosol can is to a second shaft position, in which an and supporting means to insertable within each said locating top of each can within locate the operating button at the means facing the the housing of the locating and supporting

aperture in the housing and in proximity to the

member in said set corresponding plunger arm, said indicator mounted within said position engaging a releasable latch in central body, said latch retaining said indicator member said first position 'said set position and said shaft in means, wherein release of against the action of said spring to move said connecting said latch permits said spring means rest position and said rod and said indicator member to said moving each said shaft to said first position thereby of each said plunger arm against the operating button both aerosol cans aerosol can to simultaneously discharge

through said apertures. claimed in claim I 2. Aerosol can discharging apparatus as is mounted in said wherein a solenoid having an armature and energization of central opening adjacent said latch, said latch to said solenoid moves said armature against

release same. claimed in claim 2 3. Aerosol can discharging apparatus as is controlled by a wherein the energization of said solenoid

timer. as 4. Aerosol can discharging apparatus substantially

described with reference to the drawings.

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77. 538 ns

Dated this 2nd day of tlarch, 1977.

QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED,

By its Patent Attorneys,

ARTHUR S. CAVE CO.

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FIG. 1.

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4 81,6 6 3

77.538

FIG 3

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