MXPA06005071A - Emergency oxygen or other gas supply system - Google Patents

Abstract

Systems for supplying emergency oxygen or other gases to persons are addressed. The systems may include pod assemblies mounted on fixed-position masts between or adjacent passenger seats or pop-up modules installed within upper portions of seat backs. The pod assemblies and pop-up modules additionally may include other passenger-service equipment. Also optionally included in the systems are modular central gas supplies and alternative oxygen mask designs for passengers.

Description

EMERGENCY OXYGEN AND ANOTHER GAS SUPPLY SYSTEM FIELD D? THE INVENTION This invention relates to systems for supplying gases and more particularly, but not excessively, to systems that provide oxygen in emergencies for passengers on board vehicles such as, but not limited to, commercial aircraft.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The Patent E.Ü.A. No. 4,609,166 to Brennan and 5,154,374 to Beroth, Incorporated in the present invention in their totals by means of this reference, discloses the emergency oxygen supply systems for aircraft. Oxygen generating canisters located under the seat cushions of commercial aircraft seats and oxygen masks placed inside the seat backrests are included in the systems. Since the masks are placed inside the backrests of the seat, access to them is possible only from the backs of the seats, in such a way that passengers are only intended to use the masks that sit in a row behind them. the seats in the lanes are the oxygen generating boats. It is detailed in the patent E.U.A. No. 5,795, 018 for Schumacher, et al, an alternative oxygen supply system for use in aircraft passenger cabins. One version of the system includes a hollow tubular bar associated with each passenger seat and, at least in part, frames its backrest. A head section containing, among other things, both an oxygen mask and an oxygen generator is incorporated into the bar. However, unlike the systems of the Brennan and Beroth patents, the Schumacher patent v018 is designed in such a way that the oxygen mask resides in a particular head section that is accessible to the passenger seat in the associated seat . The Patent E.Ü.A. No. 5,984,415 to Schumacher, et al, the aforementioned car seats that have passenger service units built as columns and adjusted as "seat complement components". According to the Schumacher patent 15, such a component is defined to mean "an independent component of service separate from the seat, but having the ability to fully cooperate with the respective passenger seat for passenger comfort". See Schumacher 415, col. 2, 11.55-58. Each component cooperates with a single seat to house, in a head section also functioning as a privacy protection, "the essential elements of passenger service and comfort such as a reading lamp, a loudspeaker or hearing aids and an oxygen mask. " See id., Col. 4, 11. 39-41 (numbers omitted). An oxygen generator is placed inside a lower section of the component under the armrest. While some embodiments of the column components of the Schumacher patent 15 provide mask access to the passenger seated in the seat associated with the component, other versions provide oxygen masks for passengers seated in a row behind the associated seats. Although other embodiments of the Schumacher patent 15 incorporate masks and oxygen generators within the armrests of the passenger seats. The contents of the Schumacher patent are incorporated in their totalities in the present invention as well as by means of this reference. However, generally, emergency passenger oxygen systems are located in the passenger service units placed in the raised modules of the commercial aircraft. Since they are thus placed, the service units must be configured to conform the space (point) between the rows of the seat and the number of seats in a row, so that each passenger has easy access to an oxygen mask at the moment of deploy for emergency use. This overlap of service units and seat adjustments complicates the design of seating configurations within a vehicle and modifies existing long-life designs. further, since the service units are placed in the raised modules, the lower cabin ceilings are inevitable for use. These lower ceilings impede the entry and exit of the passenger from the respective seats and reduce the amount of storage space and height available for passengers to transit. As a consequence, at least some aircraft manufacturers believe that customer satisfaction is impacted negatively at the time high passenger service units are used. Aircraft manufacturers have also expressed interest in the slimmest seat designs. Therefore, they are reluctant to deploy some of the systems described above, in which the equipment related to oxygen is incorporated into a seat back. Placing the equipment on the back of the seat can be problematic additionally for reasons of structural certification and due to potential accessibility issues that depend on whether the seat is reclined or not, and therefore how.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides, among other things, alternative tank assemblies associated with passenger seats. The assemblies, which do not need to correspond to the seats, may include both the oxygen supply and other equipment used or available for use by passengers. Unlimited examples of such equipment include equipment and in-flight entertainment controls, telephones, seat belt annunciators, reading lights, controls to call the purser, and seat movement controls. Additionally, the assemblies may optionally contain sensing devices to know if a passenger is present or absent from a particular seat, and possibly, the means to communicate verbally with the flight attendants, another cabin crew, and other passengers. Supposedly, since the components of the Schumacher M15 patent, the current tank assemblies avoid any need to locate any elevated passenger service equipment. However, unlike the components of the Schumacher patent 15, the tank assemblies can be placed between the seats, or else they can not be connected to any backrest of the seat. Consequently, it is not necessary to move the tank assemblies (and therefore, it is not necessary to suffer damage by movement) when reclining a seat backrest. Similarly, a single tank assembly placed between the two seats can provide the passenger service equipment for both adjacent seats. Various modalities of tank assemblies are mounted on masts that form the structural elements of the seating sets. The oxygen masks present in the tanks can be deployed through a lid or other door or hatch thereof. Additionally, if desired, tank assemblies may incorporate service doors to facilitate maintenance and replacement of the equipment contained therein. Additionally, the tank assemblies can function as head rests (particularly for the sides of the passenger headboards), although passengers will preferably not be able to rest their heads on any of the doors that unfold the mask.

The tank assemblies with fixed positions also provide constant reference points for passengers. In other words, no matter how a seat backrest is reclined, the oxygen mask for the occupant corresponding to the same location will be displayed, allowing the occupant to always know where the mask will be when deployed. Similarly, the deployment of the mask can always be seen by the passenger, again no matter how his seat reclines. Some versions of the invention incorporate the oxygen generating materials within the tank mounting masts. In these configurations, cord fire mechanisms can be used to initiate oxygen generation. Those skilled in the art will recognize, of course, that other different mechanisms may be employed. Alternatively, the oxygen generating apparatus can be centralized within the aircraft or other vehicle. If the apparatus is centralized, lengths of gas supply pipe may be included within the masts to connect, directly or indirectly, the individual oxygen masks to the central supply. Preferably, the pipe ends in the quick connect fittings at the junction between a seat and the floor of the cab, where they can be connected to the central supply. Alternatively still, other chemical or oxygen generators can be deployed throughout the aircraft cabin instead of centralizing them. In some embodiments of the invention consistent with this description, generators may be placed under the seats, preferably adjacent to the floor of the cabin, and connected to the pipe in the mast (or inside or along the frames of the seat) using the same quick connection (or different) fittings. When the gas generators are remote from the masks, an electrical fire mechanism can be used to initiate oxygen flow at the time the mask is activated by a passenger to use it. As mentioned in the present invention, there are also versions of the invention that omit some or all of the tank assemblies (or omit some of their functionality) to favor the oxygen supply equipment mounted on the seat. Unlike the systems of the Brennan and Beroth patents, in which the oxygen masks are deployed rearwardly from the backs of the seat backs, these embodiments utilize the automatic release modules in the upper sections of the seats. When it is necessary to deploy, access to the masks is provided through the automatic detachable handling of the modules, after which they fall forward and backward of the occupants of their corresponding seats. Therefore, in these modalities, a mask is presented within a seat to the occupant's seat (opposite the occupant of a seat in a subsequent row) and deployed to the occupant with the help of gravity. Additional aspects of the invention include innovative central gas supply systems. Particularly useful for large-scale operations of two-engine aircraft (ETOPS), these systems can be used to provide oxygen to passengers for long periods (potentially six minutes or more). In addition, in the systems, multiple oxygen bottles are included in shelves attached in the dedicated compartments whose shape is in accordance with the rules of the cargo baggage compartment. By configuring the systems in this way, it makes them modular and has the ability to be inserted or removed from cargo spaces instead of being placed along the fuselage of an aircraft, as are conventional oxygen boat shelves. Modular compartments can also include connectors that allow easy and quick connection to gas transit and electrical harness piping.

Finally, aspects of the present invention may include novel oxygen masks. Since the tank assemblies and the automatic release modules of the invention can provide limited space in which to house the oxygen masks, the masks can be redesigned advantageously to reduce the space required for storage. In some embodiments, the masks may have parts (particularly nozzles) made of memory material. Consequently, these masks can be compressed for storage, but when deployed, they can return to their original forms. Alternative embodiments can provide nozzles (made of paper or other material) with a metal spring, spiral, or other device designed to cause the nozzles to be extended to the proper shape when deployed. Alternatively or additionally, either or both supply pipes or bags associated with the accordion-shaped masks can be manufactured to facilitate storage in smaller volumes, and if optimized oxygen flow (RFCU) is physiologically possible, it is It also reduces the size of the bag. Therefore, it is an optional non-exclusive object of the present invention to provide systems for supplying emergency oxygen or other passenger gases within a vehicle. It is another non-exclusive optional object of the invention to provide assemblies associated with passenger seats. It is also another non-exclusive optional object of the invention to provide such tank assemblies, in which passenger service equipment such as, but not limited to, can contain oxygen masks. Additionally, it is an optional non-exclusive object of the present invention to provide fixed position masts where the tanks can be mounted, such that the passenger service equipment can be available in the same way for passengers regardless of the orientation of their seats. associates It is also optional non-exclusive object of the present invention to provide modular gas supply systems for vehicles such as aircraft. It is yet another non-exclusive optional object of the present invention to provide the gas supply systems designed to conform the standard luggage compartments of the aircraft. It is an optional non-exclusive object of the present invention to provide the alternative oxygen masks of the passenger by reducing the amount of space required for storage. Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art with reference to the reminder of the text and the figures of this application.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Figure 1A is a front elevational view of exemplary seats illustrating aspects of the present invention. Figure IB is a side elevational view of a seat of Figure IA illustrated in both right and reclined positions (the latter in phantom lines). Figure 2A is a front elevation view of the parts of the seats of Figure IA. Figure 2B is a side elevational view of a part of the seat of Figure 2a illustrated in both right and reclined positions (the latter in phantom lines). Figure 3A is a front elevational view of a portion of an alternative seat illustrating the aspects of the present invention.

Figure 3B is a side elevation view of the seat portion of Figure 3A. Figure 4 is a perspective view of the part of another exemplary seat of the present invention. Figure 5 is a perspective view of an exemplary modular central gas supply system of the present invention. Figure 6 is a view of an exemplary emergency oxygen mask of the present invention. Figure 7 is a view of an exemplary emergency oxygen mask of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The parts of Figures 1A-B and 2A-B of the group of seats 10 consistent with the aspects of the present invention are described. As shown in these figures, group 10 comprises seats 14 (denoted 14A and 14B), each designed for a single human occupant. However, those skilled in the art understand that group 10 may contain fewer or more seats 14 than those illustrated in Figures 1-2. Each of the seats 14A and 14B may include the components common to the seats currently in use in vehicles (particularly commercial aircraft). With reference to the seat 14A, for example, it may include the backrest of the seat 18A, the bottom part of the seat 22A, and optionally at least one armrest 26A. It is also detailed in Figures 1-2 that for the seat 14A is the head 30A, (extended rearward), the tray table 32 A, and leg assembly 34a designed for the annex to the floor F of an aircraft or other cabin . Similarly, the seat 14B may include a part or all of the backrest of the seat 18B, bottom of the seat 22B, armrest 26B, head 30B, a tray table (not shown), and leg assembly 34B (of which only parts are shown). Additionally, if the group 10 comprises more than one seat 14, then some optional components may be shared such as (but not limited to) the armrest 26C between the seats 14. Figures 1-2 further show the assembly of the tank 38 and mast 42 , aspects of the present invention. The mast 42 positioned between the seats 14 A and 14B is shown; in this configuration, you may want to consider it common, or shared, by the 14 A-B seats. Although the mast 42 can be connected to one or both of the seat backrests 18A and 18B, preferably it is not connected to any, so that its position remains fixed regardless of whether the seat backrests 18A and 18B are reclined or straight (e.g. see Figures IB and 2B). Likewise, the mast 42 can be connected to other parts of the seats 14A and 14B or, alternatively, directly connected to the F floor. Mounted, or otherwise, attached to the mast 42, is the tank assembly 38. The tank assembly 38 may include the door 46, typically (but not necessarily) hinged to facilitate its remaining opening when appropriate. Various passenger service equipment including (but not necessarily limited to) one or more emergency oxygen masks 50 can be incorporated into tank assembly 38. When emergency oxygen is required for occupants of seats 14A and 14B, for example , the door 46 is opened - preferably automatically - and (at least) and two of said masks 50 are deployed. Alternatively, the tank assembly 38 may contain two doors 46, one for each occupant of the seats 14A and 14B , with at least one mask 50 positioned behind each door 46. Preferably, any of the doors 46 opens to the braking of the plane of the right seat backrests 18A and 18B, so that the masks 50 are immediately accessible to the occupants of seats 14A and 14B. In this configuration, a hatch or service door could possibly be provided on the rear of the tank assembly 38. (However, if the tank assembly 38 is intended to provide the 50 seat cover occupants 14A masks and 14B, any of the doors 46 can be advantageously opened to the back of the mast 42 and any service door present to the front or to the side of the mast 42) can be opened. In a version of the mast 42 illustrated in Figs. 2 AB, one or more chemical oxygen generators 54 may be incorporated within the mast 42. By doing so, the amount of tubing necessary to provide the fluid connection between a generator 54 and the corresponding ones is reduced. More expensive 50. Placing the generator 54 inside the mast 42 also reduces the possibility of a passenger inadvertently contacting the generator 54 and either burned by the heat generated by it or preventing its operation. Figures 3A-3B show the module 58 installed in an upper section of the seat backrest 18 of the seat 14. The module 58 can be used as an alternative for the assembly of the tank 38 to supply an oxygen mask 50 for the seat occupant 14 When emergency oxygen is required, the module 58 is designed to detach it from within the backrest of the seat 18, releasing a mask 50 for the occupant of the seat 14. The module 58 may include a door, if desired, although said door is not necessary due to the location ( hidden) of module 58 before using it. As shown in Figure 3B, the mask 50 is designed to release forward from the plane of the backrest of the seat 18 to be available to the occupant of the seat 14. However, again, reversing the release design, if desired, could access the mask 50 instead of a seat occupant behind the seat 14. Figure 4 details an alternative location for the oxygen generator 54. As shown in Figure 4, the generator 54 can be incorporated into the leg assembly 34, with the pipe 62 connecting the generator 54 to the masks 50, either through the mast 42 (if present) or along or within a seat frame 14. This location of the generator 54 is useful in particular if ( 1) the automatic peel-off module 58 is used and (2) the generation of seat-by-seat oxygen is desired. However, it may be necessary to use some kind of heat cover to avoid, or reduce the risk of, heat-related injuries for passengers. Conceptually illustrated in Figure 5, the modular central gas supply equipment 66. Conventionally, associated equipment and oxygen bottles are installed on the shelves and held with multiple fasteners along the fuselage of an aircraft. In this configuration, the additional design activity may be required to isolate and ventilate the shelves in a satisfactory manner. Conversely, the shelves of the cylinder 70 of the equipment 66 can be placed in a compartment 74 in the form of standard equipment compartments (LD3). The shelves 70 can additionally integrate the required distribution equipment (electric flow control units and distribution conductors under the floor, for example). Therefore, if a manufacturer or operator of a particular aircraft desires the centralized oxygen supply, the equipment 66 can be easily installed within a cargo compartment. If the central oxygen supply is not necessary, equipment 66 can not simply be installed, it can be removed (if it has already been installed), or it can be disconnected from the supply lines but has not been removed (if it has already been installed). Figure 6 shows the possible modifications to the assembly of the mask 78, which includes the mask 50, to facilitate its storage in smaller space than that conventionally used. For example, the fluid supply pipe 82, could have an accordion design (similar to many conventional telephone cords) in case it is required to reduce the storage space. The bag 86 could possibly have an accordion or pleat design for the same reason. Alternatively or additionally, the mask 50 could be modified to produce the mask 50A shown in Figure 7, in which a wire or other spiral 86 (or equivalent structure similar to the spring) is used to deflect the mask 50A to its fully extended position ( illustrated in Figure 7) to use it. When stored, by contrast, the mask 50 can be compressed only by reducing the deviation of the spiral 86. The foregoing is provided to illustrate, explain and describe the exemplary embodiments and certain benefits of the present invention. Modifications and adaptations to the described and illustrated embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and can be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.

Claims (16)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION Having described the present invention, it is considered as a novelty and, therefore, the content of the following is claimed as a priority: CLAIMS

1. - A vehicle seat assembly comprises: (a) a seat that has a backrest; and (b) means, partially or completely positioned within the backrest of the seat or entering a container adjacent to the seat, to supply emergency oxygen to the occupant of the seat.

2. - A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the emergency oxygen supply means comprises an oxygen mask.

3. A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the container is disconnected from the back of the seat.

4. A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that the seat backrest is reclinable and the container remains fixed in place when the seat is reclined.

5. - A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the container is connected, directly or indirectly, to the backrest of the seat.

6. A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 5, further comprising a mast to which the container is mounted.

7. A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 2, further comprising a second oxygen mask, partially or completely positioned within the container for supplying emergency oxygen to an occupant of an adjacent seat.

8. A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the emergency oxygen supply means is placed partially or completely within the backrest of the seat and comprises: (a) an automatic releasable module; and (b) an oxygen mask housed within the module.

9. A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 6, further comprising an oxygen generator within the mast.

10. A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that the container is adjacent to both the seat and the adjacent seat.

11. A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that the module, when used, allows the oxygen mask to fall forward and down towards the occupant.

12. A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the vehicle is an aircraft. 13.- An emergency oxygen mask assembly comprises: (a) an emergency oxygen mask; and (b) a rolled oxygen supply line connected directly or indirectly to the mask. 14. An emergency oxygen mask assembly comprises: (a) an emergency oxygen mask; (b) an oxygen supply line directly or indirectly connected to the mask; (c) a folded breathing bag connected directly or indirectly to the mask. 15. An emergency oxygen mask comprises: (a) a breathing nozzle; and (b) means for either compressing the nozzle to store or expand the nozzle for use. 16.- An emergency oxygen supply system for a passenger plane that has a loading platform, the system comprises: (a) a compartment configured for installation on the loading platform; (b) at least one oxygen tank in the compartment; and (c) means for providing fluid communication from the oxygen tank to an aircraft occupant.