RU2486593C2 - Aviation aerosol device and method of marking accident site - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: physics.

SUBSTANCE: device for aerosol marking of an air crash site by creating a colour spot in contrast with a background consists of an apparatus for determining an emergency situation at certain flight parameters, a low-altitude radio altimeter with an omnidirectional antenna and a self-contained power supply, an aerosol installation comprising a cylinder with a compressed gas and an aerosol paint composition, as well as a valve with an outlet opening which is fitted with a manometer for monitoring the state of the aerosol installation. The method is characterised by use of the device.

EFFECT: longer range of visual detection of an air crash site.

2 cl, 2 dwg

Description

The invention relates to means and methods for designating the location (crash, emergency landing) of an injured aircraft, its crew and passengers in need of emergency assistance, ensuring a reduction in their search time and timely provision of necessary assistance. The preferred field of application of the invention is the aircraft industry (equipping aircraft with aerosol marking devices for the scene of an accident) and the field of aviation search and rescue (searching for injured aircraft, their crews and passengers when using the proposed device and method). A possible field of application of the invention may also be instrumentation in the field of creating emergency alarms for ships and individuals involved in extreme sports: mountaineering, snowboarding, skiing, mountaineering, rafting, paragliding, aeronautics, etc.

A means and method of warning about an emergency (1) are known, characterized in that the invention is based on the installation of an emergency sign object at the scene of an accident based on a tethered ball-probe equipped with a set of signal messages in the form of graphic symbols or an audio device or a radio device.

The disadvantages of this tool and method are their limited scope in applications, in particular, they are unsuitable for indicating the crash site of an injured aircraft, which often during this event is completely destroyed, or a fire occurs at the scene. For other emergencies, marking the scene of the incident with a set of signal messages in the form of graphic symbols placed on a tethered ball probe, or by supplying sound signals from it, may not have a significant effect due to the short range of its visual detection (due to its small size) and recording of sound signals. The placement on the ball probe of the radio transmitting device has little effect on the range of its detection by search forces and means, but significantly complicates the entire structure in comparison with the known emergency radio beacons (2).

There are various constructions of emergency radio beacons (2) designed to indicate the place of an accident and characterized in that their application is based on the propagation in space of radio waves at strictly defined, fixed and listened constantly or occasionally (during search and rescue operations) emergency radio frequencies. The use of such tools in the field of aviation search and rescue, in the practice of other search and rescue services is quite effective, but not enough to comprehensively solve the problem of finding people who are in an emergency and in need of emergency assistance. Emergency beacons and other similar radio devices have a limited operating time, may be outside the signal reception areas by search means, and therefore do not exclude the need for using means or devices based on other physical principles to indicate the scene of an accident.

A known device and method for warning (3), characterized in that they are based on the use of radio tools (radio transmitting and receiving devices) installed on vehicles and traffic control points of vehicles.

This device and method also have a limited scope (intended primarily for installation on land vehicles) and actions (the scope is limited by the range of radio signals received by the device installed on the vehicle traffic control point), and their design is more complicated than the known beacon ( 2).

There is a method of indicating the location of an aircraft after it crashed as a result of an accident (4), characterized in that it is based on the use of an alarm device placed on board an aircraft, which is a tethered aerosonde with a radio beacon mounted in it, detachable from the aircraft at the time of it collisions with the earth's surface or obstacle.

The disadvantages of this invention is the incomplete accounting of all possible emergency situations with the aircraft. An aircraft during a flight may collide not only with the earth's surface or an obstacle on it, but also with another aircraft, and may also collapse in the air. Separation of the aerosonde and the beacon in such a situation from the aircraft will lead to their breakage and will not produce the desired effect. If the aircraft crashes at the crash site, a fire may occur that will destroy the aerosonde and the radio beacon, and therefore the desired effect from their use will not be achieved.

Known means and method of designating the location of the pilot (member of the flight crew) of the aircraft in distress with portable pyrotechnic signaling devices of the PSND-30 type - 30 mm night or day caliber signal cartridges or a mortar type firing mechanism with 15 mm signal cartridges (5), characterized in that they are based on a short-term designation of a disaster site by a signal fire or smoke, which are products of the combustion of a pyrotechnic charge.

The main disadvantage of these tools and the corresponding method is the short duration of the action, limited by the burning time of the pyrotechnic product (PSND-30 - 30 s; cartridge "mortar" - 5 s).

There is also known a tool and method (6) for designating the location of a pilot (flight crew member) of an injured aircraft by coloring in bright green color using a special chemical powder substance (fluorescein), which is part of a set of individual emergency rescue equipment for the flight crew, water surface, on which the pilot (crew member) of the injured aircraft is located.

The main disadvantage of this method and means is the possibility of their use only when the pilot (another crew member) is on the water surface, moreover, inactive, or in the snow. The application of such a method and means on land to designate the scene of an accident is fundamentally impossible due to their features.

Known means and method (7) of aerosol marking (using smoke) of the scene of an accident, based on the use of an aerosol installation. However, these means and method provide the designation of the scene of the accident only for a short time, within a few minutes after the accident, which indicates their low efficiency and practical significance.

(1) Information disclosing the essence of the invention.

(1.1) The invention as a technical solution.

The device and method for aerosol marking of the scene of an accident are based on the use of the basic laws of visual detection of objects when they are searched from aircraft (during an aerial visual search of people and objects in distress).

In accordance with the theory of air visual search, its duration is determined mainly by the range of visual detection of an object from the search aircraft. In turn, in accordance with the laws of physics, the range of visual detection of objects from the air is a function of many variables, but the main determinants of it, from which it is directly dependent, are the illumination of the terrain, the transparency of the atmosphere, the geometric dimensions of the object and its contrast against the background of the terrain . The invention is based on a significant increase in the range of visual detection of small objects (which, in fact, are crew members, passengers and fragments or debris of an injured aircraft) by creating on the surface of the water or land and its landscape elements near the location of search objects (crew members, passengers, the most injured aircraft or its debris) contrasting with the surrounding background color spot (for example, bright orange) significant size in (several tens of square meters) by spraying into the atmosphere through a device of the coloring spray composition which, settling on the surface forms a contrast marker stain, continuing on the surface for a long time (up to 30 days). In this case, the coloring matter is released into the atmosphere by a device placed on board an aircraft in distress or in distress, in most cases automatically (without the intervention of crew members) with the determination of the optimum moment of the release of the spraying composition in the current flight situation to create the highest color marker spot on the ground area.

The technical result of the implementation of the proposed device and method for aerosol marking of the scene of an accident will be a noticeable decrease in the number of lengthy (several days) search and rescue operations, a significant reduction in the time of air visual search for an injured aircraft, its crew and passengers due to a significant increase in the range of visual detection of a place accident (crash, landing of an injured aircraft) according to a characteristic painted spot on the ground and the possibility of detecting such a spot even a few (up to 30) days after the accident.

(1.2) The objective of the invention is to develop a device and method for aerosol marking of the scene of an accident, the use of which in practice will significantly reduce the time for air visual search of the injured aircraft due to a significant increase in the range of visual detection of the scene of the accident (crash, landing of an injured aircraft) according to the characteristic colored spot on the ground and the possibility of detecting such a spot after even several (up to 30) days after the accident.

The invention is illustrated by the accompanying diagrams and drawings, which depict:

figure 1 shows a diagram of a device for aerosol marking of the scene of an accident;

figure 2 shows a method of aerosol marking the scene of an accident using an appropriate device.

A device for aerosol marking of the scene of an accident that is stationary located on board an aircraft may structurally consist of the following main elements (Fig. 1):

emergency status determinant (1);

low-altitude radio altimeters (2) with an omnidirectional transceiver antenna (3) and an autonomous power source (4);

aerosol installation (balloon) (5) with an aerosol coloring composition (6), a locking device (7), a spray gun (8) and a manometer (9);

buttons (buttons) (10) for the forced commissioning of an aerosol marking facility for the scene of an accident.

The emergency condition determinant (1) should be an electronic unit that generates a signal to turn on the low altitude altimeter based on determining the moment when at least one of the main flight parameters (altitude; translational flight speed / vertical speed of descent; angles) exits attack or pitch; roll angles, normal, longitudinal and transverse overloads; temperatures in engine compartments and in the cabin or cabin of the aircraft, etc.) or on the command of the crew members a. The current values of the flight parameters can be received on it through the channels of their output from the standard receiver-indicators to the on-board recording devices for these parameters (on-board means of objective control). In this case, the emergency condition determinant should work both from stationary power sources of the aircraft and from an emergency stand-alone power source (battery) in case of complete blackout of the aircraft.

A low-altitude radio altimeter (2) is designed to determine the true flight altitude of an aircraft and to generate a signal for the operation of an aerosol installation at an altitude of 50-70 m above the terrain. The radio altimeter should have an autonomous power supply (4) in case of complete blackout of the aircraft, ensuring its continuous operation for 25-30 minutes, and an independent omnidirectional transmit-receive antenna (3). The autonomous power supply (4) of the radio altimeter can simultaneously serve as an emergency power source for the emergency condition detector (1).

The aerosol installation (5) can be structurally made in the form of a 10-12 liter air cylinder widespread in aviation, filled with a mixture of compressed (up to about 5-10 kg / cm ² ) air (or other gas) and a liquid coloring composition of bright orange (most contrast to the background of the area) color. As the coloring composition (6), finely dispersed non-freezing (alcohol or other) solution of dry-rubbed oil paints or other chemical composition can be used. The main requirements for it: high adhesiveness (strength of fastening on any surfaces); high light output and contrast; insolubility and high buoyancy in fresh and sea water; resistance to sunlight, atmospheric precipitation in the form of rain and fluctuations in outdoor temperatures up to 30 days; safety for flora and fauna.

The cylinder must have a calibrated outlet (nozzle nozzle) (8) to ensure a normalized emission of the coloring matter into the atmosphere and an electromechanical shutter (7) of the check type, which will open the balloon and provide the output of the coloring aerosol composition (6) into the atmosphere upon receipt of a signal from a radio altimeter . To control the pressure of the working mixture in the cylinder during the operation of the aircraft, it should be equipped with a manometer (9) or other device (for example, a membrane) that provides control of the state of the device.

The button (buttons) (10) for the forced commissioning of aerosol marking installations for the scene of the accident are located in the cockpit at the pilots' workplaces and are intended for the forced (by pressing the button) commissioning of the radio altimeter (2) and subsequent (at an altitude of 50-70 m above the topography) of the automatic (by the radio altimeter signal) switching on the aerosol installation (5).

All elements of the aerosol marking device are interconnected by a direct current circuit, which ensures the inclusion of one or another element of the device. In normal flight situations, this circuit will be de-energized.

The main structural elements of the aerosol marking device for the scene of the accident, namely, an aerosol installation (balloon with a coloring composition), a radio altimeter and its antenna, an autonomous power supply for the radio altimeter, are located close to each other in the rear part of the aircraft body or in another place that is less prone to destruction emergency situations. The outlet (nozzle nozzle) of the cylinder should be brought out of the aircraft skin.

The emergency condition determinant may be located anywhere on the aircraft structure.

The procedure for implementing the method of aerosol marking of the scene of an accident using the proposed device will be as follows.

If during the flight of an aircraft equipped with an aerosol marking device for the scene of an accident, an emergency occurs on board, which will be characterized by the output of at least one flight parameter (angle of attack, overload, altitude, speed, vertical speed of descent, etc.) limits of operational constraints, then at the moment when any flight parameter exceeds the limits of operational constraints, the emergency identifier (1) will generate a signal to turn on ovysotomera small heights (2) from the auxiliary power source (4). The radio altimeter (2) through its omnidirectional antenna (3) will measure the true altitude of the aircraft or (depending on its flight path) its removal to the earth's surface. The omnidirectionality of the antenna (3) will ensure the altimeter is triggered at the required height regardless of the aircraft trajectory (even when flying in an inverted position or along a vertical trajectory).

At a height (or distance to the surface of the earth) of 50-70 m, the radio altimeter (2) will generate an electrical signal to open the shut-off valve (7) of the aerosol unit (5). When the valve (7) is opened, the aerosol mixture (6) under the pressure of compressed air (other gas) in the cylinder (5) through the outlet (spray nozzle) (8) will be released into the atmosphere and settle on the underlying surface, forming a color spot (Fig. 2), which will serve as an easily detectable object when searching for an injured aircraft.

In the event of a catastrophic situation in flight on board an aircraft (for example, as a result of a collision with another aircraft, exposure to natural factors, or destruction of a weapon) leading to its complete destruction, the aerosol marking device for the scene of an accident will work according to the following scheme.

If the aircraft wiring is destroyed and the emergency identifier (1) is cut off from standard power sources, this will serve as a signal to turn on the radio altimeter (2) and connect it to an autonomous power source (4). Even with the complete destruction of the aircraft, but without damaging the main elements of the aerosol marking device for the scene of the accident and the electrical circuits between them, it will work according to the standard scheme: at an altitude of 50-70 m above the terrain, the radio altimeter (2) will command the shut-off valve (7) ; the aerosol composition (6) under the pressure of compressed air through the nozzle of the sprayer (8) will be released into the atmosphere and settle on the underlying surface, forming a color marker spot on it. In this case, terrain marking will occur in the area of the fall of the tail of the aircraft, where the aerosol marking device was located. And even with a large scatter of other fragments of the aircraft in distress, it will be much easier to detect it using the marker spot created on the ground.

If an emergency occurs during a flight that is not related to the flight parameters exceeding operational limits, for example, there will be severe smoke in the cockpit or its depressurization, in which the pilots will decide to perform an emergency landing outside the aerodrome, then the device will operate as follows.

When the pilots make a decision to perform an emergency landing outside the aerodrome, when none of the flight parameters exceeds operational limits, they are forced to perform an approach approach at an altitude of 500-600 m by pressing the button (10) to turn on the aerosol marking device for the accident site, bring it into action. Pressing the button (10) will generate a signal to turn on the radio altimeter (2) and its power from an autonomous source (4). When the aircraft reaches a height of 50-70 m above the terrain, the radio altimeter (2) will signal to open the shut-off valve (7) of the aerosol installation (5). When the valve (7) is opened, the aerosol composition (6) under pressure of compressed air will be pushed through the outlet (nozzle of the atomizer) (8) into the atmosphere and, settling on the surface of the earth or water, will form a marker spot.

In this case, even if the crew performs a successful emergency landing of the aircraft outside the aerodrome, an additional sign of distress will be formed - a marker spot on the surface of the earth (water), which will greatly facilitate the search for this aircraft.

1. RU 2132571 C1, 1999.06.27.

2. RU (RUPATABRU) 2306576 A, 2007.09.20;

RU (RUPATABRU) 2256932 A, 2005.07.20;

RU (RUPATABRU) 2157546 A, 2000.10.10;

RU (RUPATAP) 2006137667 A, 2008.05.10;

RU (RUPMAB) 88455 A, 2009.11.10;

RU (RUPMAB) 55997 A, 2006.08.27;

RU (RUPMAB) 53451 A, 2006.05.10;

RU (RUPATABRU) 2013 783 A, 1994.05.30;

RU (RUPM_NEW) 88455 A, 2009.11.10.

3. RU 2003130219 A, 2005.04.27.

4. RU 2003101688 A, 2004.07.27.

5. Parachute and emergency rescue training. Textbook. M .: Military Publishing, 1988 .-- p. 2018.

6. Parachute and emergency rescue training. Textbook. M .: Military Publishing, 1988 .-- p.202.

7. UK patent 755408, 08/22/1956.

Claims (2)

1. Aerosol marking device for the scene of an accident, permanently placed on board the aircraft and designed to indicate the place of its crash or emergency landing and the location of its crew and passengers in the event of a disaster, by creating on the surface of the earth or water near the crash site of the emergency landing of the injured aircraft color, contrasting with respect to the background spot, consisting of a determinant of an emergency for certain flight parameters, low-altitude radio altimeter an omnidirectional antenna and an autonomous power source, the aerosol apparatus comprising a cylinder of compressed gas and spray the coloring composition, as well as with an outlet valve, which is equipped with a pressure gauge for monitoring the status of the aerosol system. 2. The method of aerosol marking of the scene of an accident, intended to indicate the place of a crash or emergency landing outside the aerodrome of the injured aircraft, its crew and passengers, which consists in creating on the surface of the earth or water near the location (crash, emergency landing) of the injured aircraft , its crew and passengers, color contrasting with the surface of the earth and objects located on it or with the surface of the water color spot, clearly visible from air, characterized in that the creation of a color marker spot on the ground is carried out by the device according to claim 1.

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