초록 ▼

An apparatus and method for airplane deployment over water of survival kit apparatus is provided. A pair of deflated, inflatable rafts are contained in a rigid container shell having a removable tail cone. A stabilizer drogue may be used to longitudinally stabilize the container prior to tail cone r

An apparatus and method for airplane deployment over water of survival kit apparatus is provided. A pair of deflated, inflatable rafts are contained in a rigid container shell having a removable tail cone. A stabilizer drogue may be used to longitudinally stabilize the container prior to tail cone release and assist with the tail cone removal after release. The tail cone is mechanically released and removed from the container shell at a predetermined time after deployment from an aircraft, thereby pemitting the container shell contents to be removed. The life rafts are contained in the container shell so that one life raft having associated with it an aerodynamic brake is released after the tail cone has been removed, with the container and second life raft continuing their trajectory downwards. The rope joining the two life rafts is continuously payed out as the first left raft falls to the water and the container with the second life raft therein continues its trajectory. The second life raft is removed from the container shell mechanically after the container shell contacts the surface of the water. The apparatus and method of the invention results in the pair of inflated rope-joined life rafts being deployed on the water surface at spaced locations.

대표청구항 ▼

An air deployable survival kit apparatus comprising: (a) an outer, rigid container shell having an aerodynamic design to enable its being dropped from an airplane, the shell including a hollow body, a nose cone secured thereto and a tail cone releasably secured thereto; (b) means attached to the she

An air deployable survival kit apparatus comprising: (a) an outer, rigid container shell having an aerodynamic design to enable its being dropped from an airplane, the shell including a hollow body, a nose cone secured thereto and a tail cone releasably secured thereto; (b) means attached to the shell to release the tail cone from secured position on the body of the container shell after deployment; (c) individual survival kit elements packaged within the shell to be released through the tail cone end thereof when opened, the elements being packaged within the shell body in a predetermined manner as follows: (i) a first survival kit package comprising a first deflated, inflatable life raft, inflation means therefor actuable a predetermined time after the first survival kit package has left the shell body, package means releasably enveloping the life raft and inflation means and an aerodynamic brake means secured to the package means to slow the vertical descent of the first survival kit package when it has left the shell body after air deployment of the survival kit apparatus, the first survival kit package being normally positioned within the shell body at its end adjacent the tail cone; (ii) a second survival kit package comprising a second deflated, inflatable life raft, inflation means therefor actuable a predetermined time after the first survival kit package has left the shell body, and package means releasably enveloping the second life raft and inflation means, the second survival kit package being normally positioned within the shell body at its end near the nose cone; (iii) a rope deployment package normally positioned within the shell body between the first and second survival kit packages, the rope deployment package comprising a coil of buoyant rope of predetermined length, uncoilable from one end, a package means releasably enveloping a major portion of the rope coil, the end of the rope from which the rope coil is uncoiled being secured to the second life raft and the other end of the rope being secured to the first life raft.