WO2017033033A1

WO2017033033A1 - Safety system for flying vehicles

Info

Publication number: WO2017033033A1
Application number: PCT/HU2016/000054
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nándor DUNAI
Original assignee: Dunai Nándor
Priority date: 2015-08-26
Filing date: 2016-08-24
Publication date: 2017-03-02
Also published as: HUP1600489A2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a safety system for flying vehicles, for securely rescuing the passengers and/or the crew and/or some specific cargo in the flying vehicle in case of an emergency or an accident. The safety system of the present invention is characterized in that the flying vehicle (1) is formed of modular units (7) and comprises means for the controlled separation of the modular units (7) of the flying vehicle (1), furthermore it comprises unit(s) for directing the separated modular units (7), serving as rescue cabins (8), and for allowing the safe landing thereof.

Description

SAFETY SYSTEM FOR FLYING VEHICLES

The present invention relates to a safety system for flying vehicles, for securely rescuing the passengers and/or the crew and/or some specific cargo of the flying vehicle in case of an emergency or an accident.

It is a regrettable fact that - although by this time flying has become a safe means of transportation and shipping - if the crew permanently loses control over the flying vehicle above a certain altitude, those present on board will probably not survive the journey.

The known safety systems applied in flying vehicles serve mainly for the safe rescue of passengers and crew after emergency landing, but in case of an emergency occuring at a certain altitude these systems do not ensure proper rescue for the passengers and crew.

In emergency of some type of military vehicles the crew can leave the flying vehicle using the so called ejector seat. However, in many cases this cannot provide the sufficient safety either, the landing is dangerous and strains the pilot very much, furthermore its use requires a special training.

The publication document RU 144783 (Espacenet Bibliographic data: RU144783 (Ul) - 2014-08-27) discloses a solution in which the body of the aircraft is substantially divided into two main units, one of them containing the cockpit, the forepart of the aircraft and the upper part of the fuselage including the wings, and the other main unit constitutes the lower part of the fuselage including the passenger compartment and the cargo compartment.

According to this solution, in an emergency situation the lower part gets off the upper one and lands with a decelerated movement.

The drawbacks of this solution are as follows:

- it does not concern with the front part of the aircraft, and so the rescue of the pilots,

- it is merely confined to aircrafts transporting passengers,

- the separation and the flying towards the ground are not controlled, it is silent about the stabilization and control of the separated part after its separation,

- it does not provide any solution for protecting the physical integrity of the passengers with further supplementary solutions for the case when the aircraft or the separated unit carrying the passengers suddenly undergoes a significant change in position and orientation, during which the passengers may suffer a severe, even lethal injury if they are not held in their places until landing.

- if after separation but before landing the part carrying the passengers collides with an object, such as a mountain ridge or a building or the like, the passengers are also unsheltered,

- the separation is not controlled, a situation can easily arise where the two separated aircraft parts collide with each other, or in case of accidents where the aircraft disintegrates into several parts, those parts in which people are carried can easily collide with each other as well,

- due to the size of the separating part, safe landing thereof cannot be ensured in every case,

- any incidental damage of the passenger compartment risks the safety of the passengers.

The object of the present invention is to provide a safety system, by means of which the passengers and the crew can safely leave the flying vehicle even at a given flying altitude and can land securely.

The invention is based on the inventive idea that if the structure of the flying vehicle is formed so that it accommodates the passengers as separable modular units, in case of an emergency situation the passengers and the personnel can be rescued without leaving their places occupied in the flying vehicle.

As the protection of people can be achieved through the present invention, so can be that of the specific cargo by preformed compartments. The devices, solutions for rescuing people can be applied for saving animals and objects as well, by means of pre-configured, fixed and stable fastening tools, in special cases even with maintaining permanent temperature, pressure and humidity conditions.

The object of the invention is achieved by providing a safety system, by means of which in case of emergency of flying vehicles, the passengers and/or crew and/or specific cargo thereof can be safely rescued and wherein the safety system is characterized in that the flying vehicle is configured from modular units and it has means for ensuring controlled separation of the modular units of the flying vehicle, furthermore it has unit(s) for directing the separated modular units serving as rescue cabins and for allowing their safe landing.

According to a preferred embodiment of the safety system of the present invention, it has unit(s) for separating the modular units, serving as rescue cabins, from the flying vehicle in a controlled way, wherein the modular units are arranged between double-walled transparent walls enclosing the partitioned modular units and integrated in the structural unit of the flying vehicle.

An other embodiment of the safety system of the present invention has unit(s) for separating the modular units, serving as rescue cabins, from the flying vehicle in a controlled way, wherein the modular units are configured in the structural unit of the flying vehicle in a compartment-like manner.

In another embodiment of the safety system of the present invention, a modular unit of the flying vehicle has seats for receiving one or more passengers or the personnel, wherein the seats are provided with extra safety means, and seats function as the seat(s) of the rescue cabin. The seast of the modular unit are provided with a safety belt of at least a 4-point type.

According to a preferred embodiment of the safety system of the present invention, the modular unit(s) separated from the flying vehicle and transformed into rescue cabins are provided with a directing rocket unit, a main rocket unit, a parachute, an on-board computer unit, a transmitter unit, a communication unit, a vertical force- absorbing system, an airbag system and a balloon system.

According to another preferred embodiment of the safety system of the present invention, the separating modular unit(s), serving as rescue cabin(s), is/are provided with a bullet-proof cover and a missile defense unit.

According to a further embodiment of the safety system of the present invention, the separating modular unit, serving as a rescue cabin, is capable of incorporating the entire passenger compartment and the cockpit of the flying vehicle.

A preferred embodiment of the safety system of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings, where

Fig. 1 is a side view of a part of a flying vehicle known in the art,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a part of the flying vehicle of Fig. 1 ,

Fig. 3 a side view of a part of a vehicle provided with the safety system of the present invention,

Fig. 4 a plan view of a part of the flying vehicle of Fig. 3 equipped with the modular units,

Fig. 5 is a front view of a separated unit of the flying vehicle of Fig. 3 in a perspective view,

Fig. 6 shows the separated unit of Fig. 5 without side walls. Figs. 1 and 2 are a plan view and side view ot a part ot an aircraft transporting passengers, respectively.

The frame of the aircraft known in the art is a so called truss, well known in itself, in which the units necessary for transportation of people and cargo and a part of the devices needed for operating the flying vehicle 1 are formed.

The truss is provided with a sheathing forming the outer sheathing of the flying vehicle.

The control of the flying vehicle 1, e.g. an aircraft, takes place from the cockpit located in the forepart 2, the window 6a of which serves for visual observation, primarily for the ground circumstances prior to take off.

The fuselage 3 of the flying vehicle 1 is connected to the forepart 2 and ends in a tail (not shown). The wings 4 are connected to the fuselage 3.

The inner space of the fuselage 3 is divided into two parts and the seats for transportation of passengers are located in the upper part of the fuselage 3 and arranged in rows, whereas in the lower part, the storage parts can be found below the passenger compartment for the baggage of the passengers, on the one hand, and for further baggages as well as for some devices and equipment for operating the flying vehicle, on the other hand.

It is noted that at some flying vehicles the passenger compartment might as well be formed to be multi-level.

The doors 5 and the windows 6 of the passenger compartment are arranged on the fuselage 3, which doors 5, in a normal situation, serve for getting in and out of the flying vehicle, and for leaving it in an emergency situation. The doors 5 can be sealingly closed, and below them, in the fuselage 3, special devices, such as an inflatable rubber chute, etc. are arranged for use in leaving the airplane in emergency.

The seats of the passenger compartment of the fuselage 3 are configured based partly on aspects of comfort, and partly on aspects of security. The seat belts which can be handled, i.e. fastened, released, by the passengers serve for the safety of the passengers.

Figs. 3 and 4 are the side and plan view, respectively, of a part of a flying vehicle provided with a safety system of the present invention.

The frame structure of the flying vehicle 1, which in this case is an aircraft transporting passengers, provided with the safety system of the present invention is also a truss, which includes the forepart 2, the fuselage 3 with the wings and the tail. The doors 5 and the windows 6 are arranged on the fuselage 3. The cockpit is located in the forepart 2.

With the safety system of the present invention, a plurality of modular units are formed in the flying vehicle which function as rescue cabins, and which in emergency allow for the passengers to leave the flying vehicle while staying in their seats.

The flying vehicle shown in Fig. 3 comprises a plurality of modular units 7, which can be separated from the structure of the flying vehicle. According to Fig. 3 each modular unit 7 is formed as an individual unit of the flying vehicle 1 which comprises the platform below the passenger compartment, the machine sheathing defining the passenger compartment as well as the doors 5 of the fuselage 3.

The arrangement of the modular units 7, i.e. the division of the flying vehicle, is shown in Fig. 4.

It should be noted that although Fig. 4 illustrates only a part of the aircraft, the modular units 7 are formed in the whole flying vehicle.

The modular units 7 constitute parts of the structure of the flying vehicle 1, which are separated from each other by double-walled transparent panels preferably made of plexi. For sealing a modular unit before an emergency separation, movable partition walls and operating devices thereof are arranged between the transparent walls of the flying vehicle 1 , preferably below the part of the passenger compartment of the fuselage 3 of the flying vehicle 1.

The configuration of the modular units 7 and the operation thereof will be described in detail later on.

The safety system of the present invention and the operation thereof are detailed as follows.

In case of emergency, the flying vehicle, for example an aircraft transporting passengers, comes to a permanently uncontrollable state, then it starts to fall down. The rescue of human beings is of primary importance.

In the first step of the rescue, one or more entitled persons activate the safety system, which in the second step, starts the formation of the rescue cabins, i.e. it activates the partition walls.

The partition walls convert the modular units 7 into rescue cabins 8 in such a manner that the modular units 7 are sealingly separated from each other by the partition walls rising within the space between walls of the double-walled transparent panel. Inside each double-walled transparent panel, two partition walls moving in parallel are inserted, said inserted walls constituting the respective walls of the adjacent modular units 7, and in the third step, the controlled separation of the rescue cabins formed from the modular units is started.

It is important that in the moments around the separation, the incidental but avoidable further sources of danger should be eliminated as much as possible, thereby in case of a commercial airplane or any other flying vehicle with side wings, the side wings should not collide with the rescue cabins during their separation. The solution of this problem will be described later, at the description of the configuration of the rescue cabins.

As a fourth step, the separated rescue cabins begins to descend, and then lands with the passengers therein.

Returning to the configuration of the rescue cabins 8, they are formed from the modular units 7 of the flying vehicle 1, said modular units being arranged in the fuselage and transformed into closed units, i.e. rescue cabins, by the operation of the partition walls.

It should be noted that the inner passenger compartment of the flying vehicle 1 may be formed to be compartment-like, wherein the wall of a compartment is formed in a double-walled manner. In this case the moving partition walls can be omitted, since each compartment constitutes a modular unit 7 by itself, and the wall of the compartment itself forms the wall of the modular unit 7. Furthermore, the door of the compartment also forms the door of the rescue cabin, said door getting closed sealingly and automatically before the separation.

Such a rescue cabin 8 can be seen in Fig. 5, which has been formed from a modular unit 7 of Fig. 4.

The top side and one of the lateral sides of rescue cabin 8 are defined by a part 3 a of the fuselage 3 of the flying vehicle 1. The lower part 9 is composed of the platform of the passenger compartment of the flying vehicle 1 , whereas its back wall 10, front wall 11 and side wall 12 ' are formed by the partition walls of the modular unit 7 of the flying vehicle 1.

The door 13 allowing exitting from the rescue cabin 8 is formed in the side wall 12. Regarding that among the modular units 7 there are ones which include the door 5 of the flying vehicle 1, in this case the door 13 presented here corresponds to the door 5 of the flying vehicle 1, which is arranged on the sheathing of the flying vehicle 1. Since the side wall 12 is formed by the partition wall belonging to the modular unit 7 and the door 13 is integrated within it, the door 13 is configured so that it can be opened or broken after the rescue cabin 8 has landed. The rescue cabin 14 is also provided with directing rocket units 14 and a main rocket unit 15, the primary functions of which are to ensure the controlled separation of the rescue cabins 8.

As mentioned before, it is of utmost importance that the accidental collisions of the rescue cabins 8 must be avoided during their separation. This is solved by the use of the directing rocket units 14 and the main rocket unit 15 located on the rescue cabin 8.

This can be achieved in such a way that prior to the rocket-driven controlled separation of the rescue cabins 8, the fuel is expelled out of the fuel tanks contained in the wings by means of compressed air, then the sequence of separation is started with separating the wings first, thereby the wings are not likely to collide with the rescue cabins even if the aircraft is rotating around its own axis. Subsequently, the rescue cabins 8 are separated in such a manner that on the basis of data coming from the transmitters located in the flying vehicle 1 and from the transmitter of each rescue cabin, the on-board computer units execute software analyses. Every rescue cabin 8 has an on-board computer unit. Based on these computations the given rescue cabin, by using relative positioning, controls its own rocket control unit for separation depending on the ideal direction of separation, thereby minimizing the chance that the rescue cabins collide with each other or with other parts of the aircraft. At activation of the safety system, the communication unit of each rescue cabin is also brought into operation to transmit distress radio signals and GPS co-ordinates along with their unique identifiers so that they could be found by the rescue teams as soon as possible.

The descent and landing of the rescue cabin 8 are assisted by a parachute 16, the directing rocket unit 14, the on-board computer unit 17 located in the lower part of the rescue cabin 8, as shown in Fig. 6, and the main rocket unit 15. After the separation of the rescue cabin 8, it takes up an ideal vertical position and emits strong light and sound signals downwards to warn any living being capable of changing it position so that they can escape from below the rescue cabin 8 in due time.

It should be noted that the ideal vertical position for descending can be taken in three manners: either by means of the directing rocket unit 14 and the main rocket unit 15, or by means of two subsequently opening parachutes, wherein the first parachute, which is smaller than the second one, brings the rescue cabin into a vertical position in addition to making the decelaration more even, and wherein the bigger second parachute slows down the descent, or by means of a combination of the two above- mentioned possibilities.

Several persons can be accomodated in a rescue cabin 8. As shown in Fig. 6, three seats 18 are side by side. The number of seats 18 and thus the number of persons to be rescued in the rescue cabin 8 depend on the configuration of the flying vehicle, the distribution of the modular units 7 and the position of the partition walls. For secure descending and landing of the persons sitting in the seats 18, the seat belts may differ from the common seat belts, as mentioned before. Preferably, the seat belts are of at least the four-point type.

A seat belt of at least the four-point type is useful before the separation as well, since it keeps people in their seats in case of an emergency. Further characteristics of the rescue cabins 8 are that they are made of a massive, enhanced hit-proof material, they have their own rocket-drive for the separation phase, they are provided with outer balloons (having fibre reinforcement) and have an inner airbag system, which can be put into readiness at separation. The outer airbags with fiber reinforcement, which does not thwart the operation of the rocket drives, are inflated on the lateral side of the rescure cabins from the time when the cabins take their ideal vertical position. This is beneficial in the case of an unexpected collision during landing, for example, when prior to getting into a steady position, the rescue cabin 8 bumps against a mountain ridge. In such case the inner airbags are also inflated.

In the lower part of the rescue cabin 8, beside the on-board computer unit 17, a vertical force-absorbing system is also arranged, which can be of spring-type, fluid- filled type or airspring type. At landing the vertical force-absorbing system allows gradual deceleration and the force-absorbing system is formed so that on the basis of the characteristics of the arising force, the on-board computer unit 17 determines which medium the rescue cabin 8 arrives into. Thereby if it can be foreseen on the basis of the preliminary data that the rescue cabin 8 will arrive in water, then the on-board computer unit 17 activates the inflatable balloon built in the lower part of the rescue cabin, which will keep the rescue cabin 8 on the surface of the water until the rescue team arrives.

The rescue cabins 8 are sealingly closed, therefore after arriving in the water they remain on the water surface. The inflatable balloon is still needed, should the rescue cabins 8 be damaged due to any unexpected event during landing. Because of their sealed closure, however, the rescue cabins 8 need oxygen supply, which can be provided by means of on-board oxygen cylinders.

In case of passengers who enjoy special protection, the rescue cabins may be made to be bullet-proof and may be provided with a missile defense system. If after the controlled separation, some fuel still remains for the rocket drive of the rescue cabin, that can be utilized for decreasing the force of the impact at landing. However, the onboard computer has to take this option into account when determining the landing medium. The determination of the landing medium is facilitated by horizontal and vertical movement-sensors too.

As mentioned before, the shape of the modular units 7 formed in the flying vehicle and the number of persons placed therein depend on the type, the configuration, etc. of the flying vehicle.

In the above example, the safety system was presented for a flying passanger transportation vehicle, in particular a commercial airplane. The subject-matter of the invention, however, is not limited to the presented embodiment. It is obvious for a person skilled in the art how to build the safety system of the present invention into any other type of flying vehicle.

The advantages .of the safety system of the present invention are:

- the security of flying and the security of rescue work of passenger and/or crew and/or specific cargo can be increased in emergency,

- it can be applied in any flying vehicles,

- it is suitable for rescuing passengers of a spacecraft in emergency,

- its application does not require any specific training, therefore even children and impaired persons can use it.

The present invention has been devised for the protection of the life and physical integrity of people using a flying vehicle, with keeping the survival chance of the users of the flying vehicle in view when the flying vehicle is about to fall down, but without taking any responsibility for the falling machine parts and for any damage incidentally occuring at the landing of the rescue cabins (capsules). The activation of the system and its consequences are the sole responsibility of the entitled person(s) on board, with taking the environmental factors into consideration. LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

1 flying vehicle

2 forepart

3 fuselage

3a part

4 wing

5 door

6 window

6a window

7 modular unit

8 rescue cabin

9 lower part

10 back wall

11 front wall

12 side wall

13 door

14 directing rocket unit

15 rocket unit

16 parachute

17 on-board computer unit

18 seat

19 transmitter unit

Claims

1. A safety system for flying vehicles, for safe rescue of the passengers and/or crew and/or specific cargo of the flying vehicle in case of an emergency, characterized in that the flying vehicle (1) is formed of modular units (7) and comprises means for the controlled separation of the modular units (7) of the flying vehicle (1), and further comprises one or more units for directing the separated modular units (7), serving as rescue cabins (8), and for allowing the safe landing thereof.

2. The safety system according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises unit(s) for separating the modular units (7) from the flying vehicle (1) in a controlled way to form the rescue cabins (8), wherein the modular units (7) are arranged between duble-walled transparent panels defining the partitioned modular units (7) and being integrated in the structural unit of the flying vehicle (1).

3. The safety system according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises unit(s) for separating the modular units (7) from the flying vehicle (1) in a controlled way to form the rescue cabins (8), wherein the modular units are configured in the structural unit of the flying vehicle (1) in a compartment-like manner.

4. The safety system according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that it comprises seat(s) (18) for the passengers and the personnel in the modular unit(s) (7) of the flying vehicle (1), said seat(s) being provided with extra safety means and further being formed also as the seat(s) of the rescue cabin.

5. The safety system according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that the seat(s) (18) are provided with a safety belt of at least the four-point type.

6. The safety system according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that the modular unit(s) (7) separated from the flying vehicle and transformed into rescue cabins (8) are provided with a directing rocket unit (14), a main rocket unit (15), a parachute (10), an on-board computer unit (17), a transmitter unit (19), a communication unit, a vertical force-absorbing system, an airbag system and a balloon system.

7. The safety system according to any one of claim 1-6, characterized in that the separating modular unit(s) (7), serving as the rescue cabin(s) (8), are provided with a bullet-proof cover and a missile defense unit.

8. The safety system according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that the separating modular unit (7), serving as a rescue cabin (8), is capable of incorporating the entire passenger compartment and the cockpit of the flying vehicle (1).