ES2554842B1 - Occupant protection airbag system for aircraft and other transport vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

Occupant protection airbag system for aircraft and other transport vehicles. # Occupant protection airbag system designed for use in aircraft and transport vehicles of a large number of passengers regardless of the number of seats, which reduces mortality and reduce the damages and injuries that are caused to the users of the vehicle in the course of an accident. For this, the invention consists of three fundamental parts for its operation: one or several control units responsible for discerning trigger situations in addition to maintaining a continuous parameter monitoring, a control line for each control unit used that allows communication of the control unit with the airbag modules and which can have two constructions, and as many airbag modules as necessary according to the capacity of the vehicle.

Description

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DESCRIPTION

Occupant protection airbag system for aircraft and other transport vehicles. Technology Sector

The invention falls within the sector dedicated to the transport of people either by air or other means of transport, more specifically in relation to the safety and protection of the occupants and users of these means of transport by means of airbag devices for the reduction of the mortality and minimization of injuries and damages caused to passengers in the course of an accident of the vehicle used.

State of the art

The airbag devices, among other effects, allow the energy of the crash to dissipate gradually by means of an air cushion, so that the damages and injuries that the occupants of the vehicles can suffer are minimized, even reducing the mortality of accidents in comparison with those situations in which these devices are not available. The numerous benefits derived from the use of these safety devices have been demonstrated over time, these devices being common objects of patents.

Currently, the protection of the occupants of a vehicle by means of airbag devices is practically relegated to small and private vehicles with certain exceptions such as, for example, the airbag integrated in the belt shown in US6957828 and that is used in commercial aviation in some regions of the world Despite this, this system does not have all the advantages that a traditional construction airbag provides in terms of passenger safety and protection with examples such as the smaller volume of the bag, the direction of the deployment of the bag, the non-centralized firing of airbag devices, non-centralized system maintenance ...

That is why it would be desirable to incorporate a fully integrated and modular airbag system that would be able to protect the occupants of a high capacity vehicle for the transport of people effectively, especially in those means of transport that do not count with a protection as complete as that available in conventional private cars, such as in aircraft, buses and other means of transport (mostly characterized by not having seat belts or only having two-point belts) . Therefore, it will be necessary to introduce an airbag system that will guarantee not only the progressive dissipation of the crash energy but also provide a certain retention to the occupant, so that the occupant's body is not projected forward. In this same way, all injuries derived from displacements, impacts or sharp turns in the head and neck area of the passengers are minimized, since it is a critical area in terms of the need for protection during an accident. In addition, this airbag system must be adaptable to current means of transport so that implantation costs are not triggered at the same time as they do not place a greater burden on the work of the personnel in charge of the specific vehicle.

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Brief description of the figures

Figure 1: figure that represents the basic scheme of the components that comprise the control unit of the airbag system.

Figure 2: This figure shows the action of the airbag system control unit on the control line, allowing or not the passage of a control signal to the different modules when the control line is based on a wiring construction .

Figure 3: This figure shows the action of the airbag system control unit on the control line, whether or not a control signal is emitted to the different modules when the control line is based on a wireless construction.

Figure 4: Figure showing the housing of an airbag module and its shape, with the rest of the internal components of the module already assembled inside it.

Figure 5: Figure showing the situation of an airbag module in a seat when it is deactivated and activated.

Figure 6: Figure showing the components of each airbag module.

Figure 7: detail of the central element of the base of the housing of an airbag module.

Figure 8: detail of the manual disabling mechanism that is integrated in the circuit box.

Detailed description of the invention

The present invention relates to a modular airbag system with the ability to adapt to current aircraft and means of transport of passengers regardless of their number of seats, so that it is possible to introduce airbag technology in those means of transport in which no there was a passenger protection solution of this type. This system consists of several fundamental parts: control units, control lines and airbag modules.

Control unit.

The control unit, whose scheme can be seen in Figure 1, consists of a programmable electronic unit of the micro-computer type whose function is to discern in which situations the airbags should be fired as! how to execute the action that triggers the shot. To do this, it uses a series of sensors connected to it (Figure 1, reference 1) that measure acceleration or acceleration and inclination in the different spatial axes. These sensors provide data that is compared with the profiles pre-recorded in the unit, so that when a series of criteria is met between the data experienced during vehicle movement and the pre-recorded profiles, the signal that produces the airbag firing is emitted . As for the mounting of the sensors, they are located in the same compartment (box or closet) in which the control unit is located in order to facilitate an integration of the system into current vehicles minimizing adaptation costs, although it is maintained the possibility of connecting additional external sensors of the same or different types (Figure 1, reference 2) for those situations in which it is desirable, possible action due to the

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use of a unit of the micro-computer type that allows to expand its programming in a simple way.

The main differences that this new system maintains regarding the control unit with the current systems are the following:

1- The control unit is not limited by the number of seats with which the vehicle on which it is mounted. To do this, unlike traditional control units, the trip is not executed directly by supplying a voltage current to the detonation cables, but the activation of the airbags is carried out allowing the passage of a control signal, with energy requirements much smaller than those that would be necessary to execute the shot directly from the unit (it must be taken into account that the system has been designed for means of transport that have a large number of seats), through a control line (Figure 1 , reference 3).

This is why the use of one or more control units per vehicle is allowed depending on the desired situation.

2- The control unit allows remote switching off or on (via wiring or wireless signal) for the use of several control units through a small modification in its programming. This allows the remaining control units to be started or shut down remotely by operating the main control unit. In this way, each control unit operates independently of the rest in terms of values recorded by its own sensors (which allows a better precision in firing in especially long vehicles in which the firing times must vary between the front and rear of the same ) but keep a synchronized on and off.

3- The trip profiles of the control unit can be of the type of trip due to the exceeding of values registered by the sensors to the pre-recorded ones in the configuration (trip by exceeding the threshold value), trip by the exceeding of pre-recorded values in a space of time or trip by differences between peaks of values collected by the sensors. This customization is possible due to the use of a type of "intelligent" control unit, of the micro-computer type, which allows a different programming for each means of transport while maintaining the same airbag system. For this same reason, the control unit allows a variable and programmable time synchronization regarding the execution of the firing order and the moment of reading the trigger values on the sensors.

4- The control unit has a continuous monitoring system of the accelerations experienced in the vehicle, so that they can be extracted from it in a simple and periodic way in a removable solid medium of the memory card type in order to analyze the values obtained by the sensors as! how to make the improvements that are considered convenient in the firing profiles with the new data obtained (Figure 1, reference 4). Finally, these records are useful in the event of the accident, since they allow for a series of data to help clarify the causes of the accident. These registers comprise the values recorded by the as! as the date and

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exact time of its obtaining and will be carried out continuously and continuously every few thousandths of a second, that is, even if the trip occurs in real time (with the synchronization times estimated in the programming of the control unit) the annotations of the values experienced by the sensors, it is carried out from time to time established during the entire operating time of the system.

5- The control unit allows unattended operation by the personnel operating the vehicle, also allowing the system to be disconnected when it is not necessary, such as outside the takeoff and final approach and landing phases of an aircraft. In this way, the system can remain in operation during the entire movement of the vehicle or only in those situations in which its operation is desired. To do this, the cabinet or box in which the control unit is housed will, at the very least, have an on / off button, with an energization switch on the unit and with a pair of colored LED-type lighting devices. green and red (Figure 1, reference 5). This ensures operation in which the operator of the vehicle only has to operate the power switch for the system to start operation (at the initial start-up it is not necessary to press the ignition button but only to supply power to the unit, which facilitates the ignition of additional control units). This correct operation will be evident with the green LED on. To turn off the control unit (and therefore disable the operation of the airbag system), it is only necessary to press the shutdown button so that the control unit interrupts its operation and turns off properly ("stand by"). To completely disconnect the system when the vehicle is not operated, the power supply is removed from the control unit when it has been properly shut down. While the green LED informs about the correct functioning of the unit, the red LED should only light up in case of malfunction, remaining off in any other situation.

6- The control unit allows its maintenance and updating in a simple way by means of a USB port or similar (Figure 1, reference 6), action possible once again by the type of unit used.

Control line.

By control line, or control lines depending on the installation of one or more control units in the vehicle, reference is made to the part of the system that is responsible for producing and transmitting the airbag activation control signal to each airbag module A control line is available for each control unit and group of airbags controlled by it. This control line can have two constructions depending on the way in which the control signal is transmitted: by wiring or by wireless signal.

1- The control line based on a wiring construction (Figure 2) consists of a source that generates the control current and a wiring that joins the source with the airbag modules so that the circuit remains initially open. At the moment when the control unit distinguishes a trigger situation, it acts on the control line allowing the circuit to close, so that the control signal reaches each airbag module. This control signal will influence

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the trigger circuit of each module allowing the firing of each of the airbag modules.

2- The control line based on a wireless construction (Figure 3) works similarly to the previous construction so that only the need for wiring is eliminated. This is especially useful in those means of transport in which the mass that incorporates the use of the airbag system developed here is a critical factor, as in the case of aviation. For this, a wireless signal transmitter is connected to the control unit as well as a series of receivers integrated in each airbag module. When the trip is necessary, the control unit issues through the transmitter the firing order, which is received by each module and activates their operation.

Airbag module

The airbag modules consist of a series of components housed in a housing so that they constitute a compact and complete module, with all its components integrated in it. The design of this housing focuses on reducing its thickness as much as possible, so that an airbag module with a larger surface area but smaller depth is obtained (Figure 4). This design is mainly focused on granting a great advantage in terms of the location of the modules, since they can be housed not only in traditional spaces but also allow their accommodation in the back of the seats (Figure 5), allowing the desired protection of the occupants traveling in the means of transport mentioned above.

The main differences presented by these modules with respect to traditional constructions are the following:

1- The design of the module geometry is based on reducing the thickness of the module as much as possible, even if the surface of the module is increased by said design criteria.

2- The integration of all the necessary components in a single module of easy assembly and replacement allows to greatly reduce the maintenance times of the system. This design allows an immediate interchangeability and replacement of the modules so that it is only necessary to unscrew the fasteners that hold the module attached to the anchor structure and disconnect the module connector to disassemble it without the need for additional operations. At this time, another module can be installed in an analogous way so that the internal revision of each module is carried out in a separate place and outside the vehicle. This design gives great advantages over the airbags that can be found in current vehicles (difficult access and replacement), especially in terms of the use of the system in the air transport of people since it minimizes the time used for maintenance in the interior of the aircraft. The modules can be replaced in a short period of time to subsequently perform maintenance work in a hangar or space prepared for the occasion. In the case of land transport means, the times in which the vehicle cannot be operated by maintenance are also minimized.

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3- The design of the module housing includes in one of its lateral faces or in the rear face one or several elements located asymmetrically so that the module assembly is prevented in an incorrect position (example of a possible non-exclusive solution of others in reference 1 of Figure 4).

4 - The design of the module fixed to the structure that supports it allows it to be attached to both a flat and a curved surface. This allows the module to be fixed to a surface:

to. Flat, placing perforated cylinders in the rear holes with an internal diameter slightly larger than the fixing element used and of the same material as the housing, so that the fixing element that holds the module to the element to which it is anchored does not maintain any play with the anchor surface by the largest diameter of the rear holes.

b. Curve, as in the case of the central structural element of an aircraft seat, by using internally threaded cylindrical bolts with an external diameter equal to the rear holes of the module. These bolts are fixed to the surface to which the module is to be anchored, the module fixing elements being screwed to them using the internal thread of the bolts. In this way, the module is in contact with the curved structural element of the seat in its central rear part and in four additional anchor points (threaded bolts fixed to the seat). In order to improve this fixed to this type of curved elements (cases in which greater contact surface is desired), it is possible to use an additional component in the back part of the module that joins the bolts located in the same straight line of form that the flat geometry of the module be adapted to the curvature of the structural element of the seat.

This design of the module anchors allows great versatility in terms of its location in the passenger transport vehicle in which the system is to be introduced, regardless of the support surface as well as its material.

5 - The module integrates in its front part an access for a key of disabling the system as well as an opening that allows to know with the naked eye through a color code if the module is disabled or not (references 2 and 3 of Figure 4 ). This allows the crew to know the status of each module as well as to disable, through the use of the proprietary and personalized key, the modules that require it to remain empty or in the case of incompatibility with the profile of the passenger who occupies the seat, for example, in the case where the seat is occupied by a pregnant woman.

6- The energy needs of each module are covered by a rear connector that receives the electrical current that the module needs to operate from the systems (previously adapted with minor modifications) that are initially available to the transport medium, such as the onboard entertainment system in the case of aviation or sockets for

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electrical appliances in rail vehicles. In the event that the system consists of a control line based on a wiring construction, this rear connector will have a greater number of pins (for the electric current and for the control signal). If this electric current cannot be obtained from the systems already available in the vehicles, an additional installation must be carried out to supply it.

The components that make up the airbag module described above appear in the

Figure 6 and are the following:

1- Base of the housing (Figure 6, reference 1), referring with this nomenclature to the back of the housing or to which the different internal components are fixed. This component can be structurally reinforced internally through the use of nerve type elements or braces. In addition, this element incorporates the holes and flanges necessary for fixing the internal components of the module. In the case of using hybrid or pyrotechnic inflators, the central element that supports the fixing of the components maintains a play in its cylindrical part with the inflator, so that the inflator does not remain in direct contact with the housing. In addition, this element of the housing can have holes that allow better ventilation of the residual heat after firing the airbag (detail in Figure 7).

2- Circuit box (Figure 6, reference 2), inside which the module trip circuit is located. This consists of one or more capacitors that are automatically charged by the current supplied through the module's rear connector. When the control signal is received from the control line and indicates that a trigger situation occurs, the circuit is closed, allowing the discharge of the capacitors through the detonator element of the inflator, which initiates the chain reaction which causes the bag to be filled with the gas generated in the inflator. The branch of the circuit through which the capacitor is discharged remains open or closed by the switch operated by the key of the manual disabling mechanism (enlargement in Figure 8) through the hole located in the housing for such use, so that if the crew deactivates a particular module, its operation is prevented, although the rest of the modules are activated, since the control signal reaches all the modules.

3- Separator (Figure 6, reference 3). The separator is an element made of thermally insulated aluminum at its back (the one that does not remain in contact with the bag) that fulfills two fundamental functions. On the one hand, the bag of the rest of the internal components of the module is secured so that it is deployed in the desired direction and without interference with any other internal element of the module while, due to its construction, it behaves as a heat sink so that the residual heat of the inflator after system activation is evacuated to the outside of the seat. This element (together with the play of the housing element with the above-mentioned inflator) allows the inflator (in the case of using hybrid or pyrotechnic inflators) not to remain in direct contact with the housing.

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4- Inflator (Figure 6, reference 4), or element that generates the gas that inflates the airbag bag. The inflator will consist of a commercial inflator element in order to reduce costs and can be of the pyrotechnic, hybrid or stored gas type (in which case several inflators can be used if required by the lower gas that this type of inflator supplies). According to the inflator used, the internal geometry of the module may vary to accommodate all components, although the elements of which the system consists do not vary.

5- Inflator gaskets (Figure 6, references S and 6), which embrace the bag filling duct so as to ensure that no gas is lost during filling.

6- Bag (Figure 6, reference 7), high volume and construction and materials similar to those used conventionally. The design of the bag must be such that it allows the energy of the shock to dissipate progressively while producing a retention effect on the occupant. The volume of the bag must be high and must be fixed together with its geometry so that a retention of the passenger is obtained that must be set in a specific margin of movement of the body of the occupant forward and in a turn of certain degrees of the torso forward to determined depending on the means of transport, in this way the displacements and turns of the users are minimized, reducing the probability of suffering injuries to the neck and other parts of the body while preventing the impact against the elements in front of the users. The design of the bag and the arrangement and inclination of its filling duct and braces allows the airbag to be integrated into slightly inclined surfaces, such as the backrest of a seat.

7- Closing the carcass (Figure 6, reference 8), referring with this nomenclature to the part of the carcass that closes the base and that is visible to the vehicle user. In this part the holes of the manual disabling mechanism are distinguished, the tear-off membrane by a preformed seam that allows the exit of the bag as well as the holes for the module fixing elements. Likewise, on its inner face, the housing closure has protrusions that serve as a stop to the separator, so that deformation of this element during the deployment of the airbag is prevented.

8- Joints, which do not constitute a fundamental element in terms of the operation of the device but that help reduce games between the airbag module and the seat in which it is housed while avoiding the noise caused by the vibration of these parts . As an example of joints, a first one can be mentioned between the base and the housing closure, a side that wraps around the entire airbag module laterally and a rear one. Whether or not these elements are mounted will depend on the means of transport, the desired setting and the corresponding mounting requirements.

Example of application of the invention

The described invention is further illustrated by the following examples, which are not intended to be limiting of scope:

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Example 1

There is a small aircraft consisting of two rows of seats with the capacity to accommodate 40 passengers in addition to the space reserved for the crew. System implantation is performed obtaining the following configuration:

- Installation of a control unit in a small cabinet housed in the cabin.

- Disposition of a control line based on a wiring construction. The source that generates the control current is also located in the cabin so that the control unit acts on it through two relays (or similar elements in terms of operation, both mechanical and electronic) located redundantly, of so that initially the passage of the control current through the wiring is not allowed. If a trigger situation is detected, the two relays will allow the control current to pass to each airbag module, even if one of the two relays fails.

- 38 airbag modules are available in the available seats so that a current output of the onboard entertainment system in each module has been previously adapted for charging the trip circuit capacitors. In the two front seats, the two remaining airbag modules are mounted on the vertical panels that separate the part of the cabin dedicated to the passage from that of the crew.

This example can also be valid for a bus or microbus, incorporating the necessary sockets for the operation of the modules if necessary.

Example 2

There is a large-sized aircraft for the transport of passengers whose configuration has been modified to obtain a maximum density of seats inside. For this, the fuselage has been divided into three cabin sections configured in groups of two seats per side and a third central seating group consisting of 4 seats per row, leaving the entire row composed of 8 seats. This provision allows the 240 seats of the aircraft to be divided into groups of 80 per cabin section. The system is implanted, obtaining the following configuration:

- Installation of a main control unit in a small cabinet housed in the cabin, this control unit controls both the first cabin section as well as the switching on and off of the subsequent control units. The second control unit (with its sensors and other elements included in its corresponding closet) is integrated in a closet or luggage rack between the first and second cabin section, responsible for firing the 80 seats corresponding to said section. We proceed in the same way with the third section.

The system is switched on and off through the control unit operated by the pilots. Any action initiated in the first control unit is reproduced in the second and third (whose programming will have been modified accordingly for this purpose).

- Provision of three independent control lines for each group of seats based on a wireless construction to reduce the mass added with the implantation of the system.

-Disposition of the airbag modules in the seats, being placed in the first rows in the bulkheads or vertical surfaces available with the necessary and necessary modifications.

5 This example can be equally valid for a system implantation in a rail-type vehicle (using control lines based on both wireless signal and wiring) by installing a control unit and control line for each car.

Claims (9)

5 10 fifteen twenty 25 30 35 40 Four. Five fifty 1. Occupant protection airbag system for aircraft and other means of transport of high occupancy consisting of three separate fundamental parts and independent own functions (control units, control lines and airbag modules), characterized by being able to contain one or more of a control unit and control line associated therewith depending on the number required by the means of transport in which the airbag system is implanted, and so that each control unit controls a certain number of airbag modules through its own sensors and trip profiles through the control line associated with it, the control units, control lines and airbag modules being differentiated elements with their own functions, which allows the incorporation of additional control units (with their corresponding line of control and group of airbag modules associated) with its own operation and discernment of a situation of activation of the ai rbag 2. Airbag system in which, when it contains more than one control unit according to what is stated in claim 1, the control units are independent of each other except for being slaves of a control unit that acts as the principal in relation to turning on and off the system, having only to turn on / off the system in one unit so that the rest turn on / off automatically. 3. Airbag system whose control unit or units, according to claims 1 and 2, consist of an electronic unit whose design allows a variable programming according to the means of transport (without modifying the invention described here depending on the different types of vehicles) as! as scalable, and that is not limited to a maximum number of airbags since the detonation voltage is not provided from it, but its main function is to distinguish between firing or non-firing situations (through its programming and information that it collects from a series of sensors that are housed next to it or that connect to it through an available port for the connection of external sensors), allowing or preventing the control signal from propagating through the control line . 4. Airbag system, according to claim 3, whose control unit or units are characterized by including a removable storage medium that allows to extract the data recorded by the sensors continuously when the system is in operation (for analysis and improvement of the system) and that they also have a maintenance port and a series of switches and visual devices that allow a controlled and unattended operation by the operators of the vehicle during the entire duration of the operation of the vehicle or only in its most critical phases . 5. Airbag system which, according to claim 1, has one or more control lines consisting of a source that generates the control signal and a mode of transmission thereof, which can be by wired or wireless means. When the control signal is transmitted to the airbag modules, these are activated, without this signal being the energy that directly activates the airbag. 6. Airbag system whose airbag modules, for the development of their own function in the system, according to claim 1, consist of an internal system that allows them to store energy from the facilities of the transport medium (such as the system on board entertainment) without this entailing an energy deficit for the means of transport and whose operation allows to use that stored energy to activate the airbag when they receive the control signal. 7. Airbag system that, according to claims 1 and 6, is adapted to those 5 means of transport that do not themselves have a system from which to obtain the energy supply necessary for the operation of the airbag modules. 8. Airbag system whose design of the airbag modules as independent elements with their own function, as expressed in claim 1, allows the 10 interchangeability of the airbag modules in the different positions of the vehicle as well as the direct extraction of the same through some fixing elements, which allows a quick replacement of the modules for a later revision outside the means of transport (reducing times of maintenance). This interchangeable design also prevents incorrect assembly of the modules in the housings by means of the module's own geometry, which prevents their insertion into an erroneous position. 9. Airbag system whose interchangeable airbag modules, according to claims 1 and 8, are characterized by having a manual disabling system that allows to interrupt the operation of the airbag module without affecting the rest of the 20 system