US3212111A

US3212111A - Inflatable dinghies

Info

Publication number: US3212111A
Application number: US283912A
Authority: US
Inventors: Reffell Brian Richard Arnold
Original assignee: Walter Kidde Ltd
Current assignee: Walter Kidde Ltd
Priority date: 1962-06-01
Filing date: 1963-05-28
Publication date: 1965-10-19
Anticipated expiration: 1982-10-19
Also published as: GB983046A; DE1235765B; DK104667C

Description

1965 B. R. A. REFFELL 3,212,111

INFLATABLE DINGHIES Filed May 28, 1963 M/I/E/VTOE Brian Richard Arnold ReHcll AffOkA/f) United States Patent 3,212,111 INFLATABLE DINGHIES Brian Richard Arnold Reffell, Southall, Middiesex, England, assignor to The Walter Kidde Company Limited, Northolt, Greenford, England, 'a British company Filed May 28, 1963, Ser. No. 283,912 Claims priority, application Great Britain, June 1, 1962, 21,292/ 62 2 Claims. (Cl. 9-11) The present invention relates to inflatable dinghies and in particular to inflatable dinghies of the type which are secured to the person of an airman in a deflated condition as a personal pack.

There is already known an inflatable dinghy of this type which is provided with means for causing it to unfold automatically on immersion in water so as to open the dinghy out automatically beneath the user and leaving him seated in the dinghy after its buoyancy tube has likewise been inflated automatically.

The unrolling or unfolding of the dinghy is effected by means of a high pressure tube or hose of small section which is secured to the buoyancy tube and to which gas is admitted under high pressure automatically when the dinghy is immersed in water.

In Patent No. 3,080,582 there is described a system for the inflation of a dinghy operating on this principle.

The dinghy itself is provided with a normal peripheral buoyancy tube of relatively large section to which is secured a high pressure tube of relatively small section. The unrolling of the dinghy is effected by inflation of the high pressure tube to a high pressure, say, 100 p.s.i. This causes the high pressure tube to straighten out as far as possible so as to assume a condition of maximum internal volume. The buoyancy tube in the construction described in Patent No. 3,080,582 is inflated by release of gas from storage containers at a predetermined time interval after the initiation of the inflation of the high pressure tube, and, as is usual, only is inflated to a very low positive pressure.

In the system described in the aforementioned patent the buoyancy tube is inflated by admission of gas at points on opposite sides of the dinghy. The purpose of admitting gas at these spaced points was to overcome any tendency of the dinghy to overturn by reason of the two sides of the buoyancy tube becoming unequally inflated before completion of inflation.

Further experience has shown that this expedient is not wholly successful for prevention of such overturning and it has now been discovered that improved results may be obtained by restricting the rate of admission of gas to the bow end of the dinghy in relation to the stern end of the dinghy during inflation. It is found in practice that this permits the dinghy to become squared off beneath the wearer in the water in a more satisfactory manner.

The present invention is applicable to all personal-pack dinghies which are unrolled or unfolded automatically by the admission of gas under high pressure to a high pressure tube secured to a peripheral buoyancy tube, irrespective of whether the buoyancy tube is inflated from the same gas storage container as the high pressure tube or from a different gas storage container from the high pressure tube, as in the system described in Patent No. 3,080,582. The present invention is furthermore applicable irrespective of Whether the high pressure tube is secured to the outer surface or the inner surface of the buoyancy tube.

In accordance with the present invention, the difliculty heretofore encountered is overcome by admitting gas to the buoyancy tube at one or more points at or close to one end of the dinghy and restricting the flow of gas in the buoyancy tube at both sides so that the buoyancy tube between the position or positions of gas entry and the points of restriction become fully inflated before the buoyancy tube becomes inflated towards the other end. In this way the buoyancy tube is evenly in flated at both sides of the dinghy and the risk of the dinghy overturning during inflation of the buoyancy tube is thereby greatly reduced. The restriction in the buoyancy tube is preferably provided by means of a pair of baflles positioned approximately amidships on each side and each consisting of a truncated cone made of a flexible material and secured with its apex directed away from the inflation point.

These cone restrictors may be used at a number of spaced positions along each side of the buoyancy tube, although a single restrictor at approximately the midpoint of each side or branch of the buoyancy tube is generally found to be sufficient to equalise the inflation of the two sides of the buoyancy tube.

In the accompanying drawing, the single figure is a plan view with portions broken away illustrating dinghy constructed in accordance with the present invention.

The dinghy shown in the drawing is a conventional one-man dinghy carried as a personal pack and is intended for the head and shoulders of the occupant to be at the bow end and for his feet to be at the stern end.

The dinghy comprises a buoyancy tube 1 and a floor 2. A small-diameter high-pressure tube 3 is secured to the outer surfaces of the buoyancy tube 1. The tube 3 is provided with a means for inflating it to a high pressure automatically when it is immersed in water, but is not shown herein since it forms no part of the present invention.

The buoyancy tube 1 is inflated from a gas storage container 4. The release of gas from the storage container 4 is initiated in a suitable manner, such as that described in detail in Patent No. 3,080,582, and is preferably initiated after the dinghy has been completely unfolded by infiation of the high pressure tube 3. Gas from the storage container 4 enters the buoyancy tube 1 at an admission point 5 and commences to inflate the buoy ancy tube 1 which is still flattened. When the occupant is to sit with his head at the bow end and his feet at the stern end, the admisison point 15 is at about the midpoint of the stern.

At approximately the middle of each side or branch of the buoyancy tube 1, there is secured a restrictor 6 which consists of a truncated cone of rubber or rubberized fabric. The aperture at the apex of each restrictor 6 is preferably quite substantial, since the function of the restrictor is to check the flow of gas into the forward part of the buoyancy tube 1 so as to ensure that both sides of the buoyancy tube to the rear of the restrictors 6 is fully inflated before extensive inflation of the forward part of the buoyancy tube can take place at either side. To achieve this result, it is necessary that there be only a very slight pressure drop across the restrictors 6.

The restrictors 6 may be secured in the buoyancy tube by stitching or by means of adhesives or any other suitable means. The conical restrictors are readily collapsed to a substantially flat condition when the dinghy is folded up and stowed within a pack cover in the manner conventional for personal pack dinghies.

I claim:

1. An inflatable dinghy adapted to be carried on the person of an airman comprising a peripheral buoyancy tube having bow and stern ends and sides in gas flow communication, a high pressure tube secured to said buoyancy tube for the purpose of unfolding the dinghy automatically on the admission of gas under high pres sure to said high pressure tube, means for admitting gas to said buoyancy tube at the mid-point of one said end of the dinghy to introduce gas into both said sides of said buoyancy tube, and flow restricting means positioned in said buoyancy tube at corresponding positions at each side of the dinghy about midway between the ends thereof to ensure complete inflation of said buoyancy tube between said gas admission point and said restricting means before substantial inflation of said buoyancy tube beyond said restricting means takes place.

2. An inflatable dinghy according to claim 1 wherein each restricting means is constituted by a truncated cone of flexible material having an opening at the apex thereof and being secured inside said buoyancy tube, the apex 11/58 Manhart 911.1 3/63 Reflell 92 FOREIGN PATENTS 504,897 12/54 Italy. 887,940 1/ 62 Great Britain. 891,300 3/62 Great Britain.

FERGUS S. MIDDLETON, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. AN INFLATABLE DINGHY ADAPTED TO BE CARRIED ON THE PERSON OF AN AIRMAN COMPRISING A PERIPHERAL BUOYANCY TUBE HAVING BOW AND STERN ENDS AND SIDES IN GAS FLOW COMMUNICATION, A HIGH PRESSURE TUBE SECURED TO SAID BUOYANCY TUBE FOR THE PURPOSE FO UNFOLDING THE DINGHY AUTOMATICALLY ON THE ADMISSION OF GAS UNDER HIGH PRESSURE TO SAID HIGH PRESSURE TUBE, MEANS FOR ADMITTING GAS TO SAID BUOYANCY TUBE AT THE MID-POINT OF ONE SAID END OF THE DINGHY TO INTRODUCE GAS INTO BOTH SAID SIDES OF SAID BUOYANCY TUBE, AND FLOW RESTRICTING MEANS POSITIONED IN SAID BUOYANCY TUBE AT CORRESPONDING POSITIONS AT EACH SIDE OF THE DINGHY ABOUT MIDWAY BETWEEN THE ENDS THEREOF TO ENSURE COMPLETE INFLATION OF SAID BUOYANCY TUBE BETWEEN SAID GAS ADMISSION POINT AND SAID RESTRICTING MEANS BEFORE SUBSTANTIAL INFLATION OF SAID BUOYANCY TUBE BEYOND SAID RESTRICTING MEANS TAKES PLACE.