Inflatable life saving device

J. W STONER

INFLATABLE LIFE SAVING DEVICE

2,946,484

July 26, 1960

Filed Feb. 25, 1954

Sheets-Sheet 1

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July 26, 1960 j. _w stoner 2,946,484

INFLATABLE LIFE SAVING DEVICE

Filed Feb. 25, 1954 ₂ Sheets-Sheet 2

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United States Patent Office

2,946,484

Patented July 26, 1960

2,946,484

INFLATABLE LIFE SAVING DEVICE

Joseph Warren Stoner, 1714 Eastern Parkway, Schenectady, N.Y.

Filed Feb. 25, 1954, Ser. No. 412,617

Claims. (CI. 222—5)

My invention relates to flotation apparatus for floating articles or persons on liquids, and more particularly to inflatable life-saving devices.

In conventional inflatable life-saving devices, the inflating system is generally manually energized by the conscious act of the drowning person or automatically energized by water pressure or by the dissolving action of the water upon a soluble member. Manually energizable devices have not, however, proven very effective in preventing drownings because the drowning person often becomes panicky and either forgets to try to energize the inflating system or forgets how to do so. Automatically energized devices have likewise heretofore proven to be only partially effective, principally because the automatic energizing systems were not powerful enough or reliable enough in their control action always to produce inflation of the inflatable member, for example, under widely different conditions of water turbidity or temperature or after long periods of non-use. The problem of adequate power and reliability in the control action of the inflation energizing apparatus is particularly difficult of solution where a slight water pressure corresponding to a depth of only a few feet is employed to trigger the apparatus. This is because the inflation energizing apparatus must somehow mechanically amplify this slight water pressure into a force many times greater than the force of such water pressure; and all preferably within a device of limited size, for example, less than a few inches in any dimension. Moreover, the control mechanism must be insensitive to normal vibration and rough handling. The problem of unreliability after long periods of non-use is particularly evident if hygroscopic gas evolving materials such as calcium carbide crystals are used to release the inflating gas. If capsules of compressed gas, such as compressed carbon dioxide, are substituted for such hygroscopic gas evolving materials, conventional automatic energizing systems are not always effective in rupturing the capsule because the extreme reduction in temperature attendant upon the adiabatic expansion of the compressed gas escaping from the capsule often causes the ruptured member quickly to freeze to the capsule and thereby to close the opening through which the gas is escaping.

Accordingly, one object of my invention is to provide an inflatable life-saving device having unusually powerful and reliable inflation energizing apparatus.

Another object of my invention is to provide automatic inflation energizing apparatus which is small and compact, yet rugged enough to withstand rough handling without damage.

An additional object is to provide unusually powerful and reliable inflation energizing apparatus which operates in response to the application thereto of a relatively small fluid pressure corresponding to a water depth of only a few feet, and yet which does not become operative when subjected to moderate vibration or shock such as may often occur in the normal use of life-saving equipment.

A further object of the invention is to provide automatic inflation energizing apparatus which may utilize a 5 compressed gas capsule as its inflating gas producing component without danger that the capsule rupturing member will freeze to the ruptured opening and thus prevent the escape of the gas into the inflatable member.

A still further object is to provide an inflation energiz10 ing device which may also be energized manually as well as automatically and which may be easily reset for reuse. In fulfillment of this latter object, it is another object of my invention to provide an energy storing element for propelling the rupture member with a cocking 15 mechanism and utilize the same manually operable mechanism both to reset the cocking mechanism while storing energy in the energy storing element and to independently energize the device.

In general, the flotation apparatus embodying the in0 vention comprises an inflation energizing device including a member for rupturing a fluid filled container of a gas producing component of the flotation apparatus, and means for propelling this rupture member at high velocity through a cycle of reciprocating motion, whereby the.rupture member momentarily strikes and ruptures the fluid filled container with tremendous force and then immediately rebounds. In accord with further features of the invention a cocking mechanism is provided for in30 itially restraining the propulsion means for the rupture member and a fluid pressure sensitive element is arranged to. operate upon the cocking mechanism at a predetermined fluid pressure in order to release the propulsion means.

₃₅ In. one embodiment of the invention the rupture member is propelled through its reciprocating cycle by a high velocity projectile. In another embodiment, the rupture member is propelled through its reciprocating cycle by articulated mechanical linkage preferably including a tog40 gle joint. Where it is desired that the apparatus should not automatically inflate during brief immersions in deep water such as occur during a brief dive, means are also included for delaying the operative response of the fluid pressure sensitive element to a sudden change in fluid 45 pressure.

The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, together with further objects and advantages thereof may best be understood by referring to 50 the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which . . Fig. 1 is a side view of life saving apparatus embodying the invention and illustrating one manner of attaching an inflation energizing device of the invention to an 55 inflatable member such as an inflatable life jacket;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional side view of the inflation energizing device of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is another or front view of the inflation energizing device of Fig. 1 partly sectional along line 3—3 of 60 Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is yet another partly sectional view of the inflation energizing device of Fig. 1 taken along line 4—4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a detail of the cocking ⁶⁵ mechanism of the device of Figs. 1-4;

. Fig. 6 is a side view, partly in section, of an alterna' five high sensitivity cocking mechanism which may be substituted for the cocking mechanism of Fig. 2 in the ₇θ inflation energizing device of Fig. 1;&gt;

Fig. 7 is a side view, partly in section, of another life , saving apparatus embodying the invention;

2.946,484 ³

Fig. 8 is a top view of the inflation energizing device of the apparatus of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the articulated mechanical linkage of the device of Fig. 7 taken along line 9—9 of Fig. 8; ⁵

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the linkage and propulsion mechanism of the device of Fig. 7, taken along line 10—10 of Fig. 9; and

Fig. 11 is an exploded view of the articulated mechanical linkage, propulsion mechanism, and housing there- 10 for helping in describing the assembly of the device of Fig. 7. In the drawings, corresponding components are designated by the same reference numeral.

Referring to Figs. 1-5, flotation life-saving apparatus 10 embodying one form of the invention is shown in 15 conjunction with an inflating means comprising a capsule 11 and an inflation energizing device 12. Capsule 11 is filled with a suitable gas such as carbon dioxide under considerable pressure and removably attached to one end of inflation energizing device 12 by insertion within a ²⁰threaded receptacle 13 of device 12 as shown in Fig. 2. A resilient O-ring 14 is provided within receptacle 12 and bears against the upper neck portion 15 of capsule 11 to prevent gas emitted from the top membrane 16 of capsule 11 from escaping out of apparatus 1ft between the ²⁵walls of capsule 11 and the receptacle 13. An outlet fluid conduit 17 extends laterally within device 12 from the upper end of capsule receptacle 13 to a chamber 18 to which any suitable inflatable member 19 such as a latex balloon or rubberized life jacket may be attached ³⁰through gas inlet tube 20, best seen in Fig. 3. Rupture of membrane 16 of capsule 11 thus allows the compressed gas within capsule 11 to flow freely and rapidly into the inflatable member 19. „_g

In accord with the invention means are provided within the inflation energizing device 12 for rupturing membrane 16 and for moving the rupturing member through a cycle of reciprocating motion whereby it plunges through membrane 16 and then immediately completely withdraws. In device 12 a rupture member 21 is moved through such a cycle of reciprocating motion either manually as a result of the impact of a manually operable piston rod 22 or automatically as a result of the impact of a projectile 23 propelled against rupture member 21 by the force of a strong spring 24 or other suitable en- 45 ergy storing element when the projectile 23 is released from the restraining influence of a cocking mechanism 25 in response to a fluid pressure of predetermined magnitude applied to a triggering fluid pressure sensitive element 26. More specifically, in the apparatus 10 of Figs. 50 1-5, a cylinder 27 is provided having an axial bore 28 opening into a cylindrical axial passageway 29 of smaller diameter communicating between bore 28 and the upper or internal end of receptacle 13. A rupture member 21 with a pointed puncture element 30 at its lower end is 55 inserted as a slidable fit within passageway 29. A resilient washer 31 surrounds the lower end of rupture member 21 above puncture element 30 and bears against the wall of passageway 29 to serve as a gas seal. A disk 32 is attached to or formed integral with the upper por- 60 tion of rupture member 21, and has a diameter slightly smaller than bore 28 so as to ride as a free fit therein. A plurality of small holes 33 are formed in disk 32 near the circumference thereof to permit the easy flow of air between opposite sides of disk 32 upon an axial movement 65 of the disk.

Rupture member 21 is mounted upon a resilient support shown in Fig. 2 as a light weight helical spring 34 bearing against the under surface of the radially extending portion of disk 32 and maintained in proper posi- 70 tion within an annular recess 35 concentric with passageway 29. Spring 34 biases the rupture member 21 to a predetermined position and thereby maintains disk 32 in a slightly elevated spaced relation to an internal shoulder 36 of cylinder 27, which shoulder serves to arrest and 75 limit an axial movement of disk 32 and rupture member 21 in the direction of receptacle 13.

When the inflation energizing apparatus 12 is in the cocked position illustrated in Fig. 2, the upper surface of disk 32 bears against or is very slightly spaced from a nut 37 on the lower end of piston rod 22 which rod extends along the axis of bore 28 and a registering axial bore 38 of an upper cylinder 39 threaded to the top of cylinder 27. A link 40 is pivotally connected at one end to the top of piston rod 22 and is pivotally connected at its other end to an off-axis point 41 on a lever 42. Lever 42 is pivoted on a pivot pin 43 located along the axis of the apparatus 12 in spaced relation to the top of piston rod 22 and has a manually operable lever arm 44 extending beyond the circumference of cylinder 39 on the side of pivot pin 43 opposite to that of the linkage pivot point 41. Lever arm 44 is preferably curved downward as shown, to bear against the outer surface of cylinder 39 in order both to minimize the possibility of accidental movement of the arm and to determine the upper limit of the position of rupture member 21 within bore 28; it being appreciated that the upward force of spring 34 may be transmitted through disk 32, piston rod 22, and link 40 to lever 42. As will be more fully explained hereinafter, the linkage comprising lever 44, link 40 and piston rod 22 functions both to enable a manual propulsion of rupture member 21 to rupture the compressed gas capsule 11 and also to enable a manual reset of the automatic propulsion cocking mechanism 25 while at the same time storing energy in the spring 24.

The components of inflation energizing apparatus 12 for automatically propelling rupture member 21 through a cycle of reciprocating motion upon immersion below a predetermined depth of water comprise projectile 23, spring 24, cocking mechanism 25 and fluid pressure sensitive element 26. Projectile 23 is a tubular member surrounding piston rod 22 and freely slidable within bore 28. It has a lower upwardly extending cylindrical cavity 45 having a diameter larger than that of nut 37 and an upper cylindrical cavity 46 which accommodates the lower end of helical spring 24. The upper end of spring 24 is fixedly positioned within an upwardly extending cylindrical cavity 47 formed in the lower end of cylinder 39. Spring 24 has a length when fully extended slightly less than the distance from the top of cavity 47 to the bottom of cavity 46 when projectile 23 is resting upon disk 32. It is preferably a powerful spring capable, for example, of exerting a force of the order of 75 pounds when under compression as shown.

Cocking mechanism 25 is housed within a rectangular chamber 48 laterally projecting from cylinder 27 and includes a release lever 50 and a trigger 51 best seen in Fig. 5. Cocking arm 49 is pivoted at its upper end on pin 52 and has a cocking ledge 53 projecting above projectile 23 and a restraining ledge 54 projecting below projectile 23. Release lever 50 is pivoted on pin 55 and, in its cocked position, has one end bearing against the lower edge portion of cocking arm 49 under the force of a very light spring 56 so as to prevent its rotation under the downward force exerted by spring 24 on projectile 23. The other end of release lever 5ft is attached to trigger 51 and is biased to engage stop 50a by the outwardly projecting force of a spring 57 which is supported upon a split ring partition 58 within a cylinder 59 and bears against the remote end 60 of trigger 51, as best seen in Figs. 2, 3, and 4.

Cemented to end 60 of trigger 51 and tending to exert a lateral force thereon in a direction opposite to that exerted by spring 57 is a resilient diaphragm 61 of a bellows type fluid pressure sensing element 26. Diaphragm 61 is divided into two fluid filled sections 62 and 63 by a supporting partition 64 which has a central opening 65 permitting fluid flow between the two sections. If a time delay is desired before an external fluid pressure applied to section 62 of diaphragm 61 is transmitted

2,046,484 to section 63, central opening 65 is made of small diameter so as to restrict the rate of flow of fluid therethrough to a value commensurate with the desired time delay. A reduction in sensitivity to vibration as well as a slight time. delay is also accomplished by allowing a 5 region of lost motion in the neck 66 of the trigger connection to release lever 50.

The pressure sensing element 26 is maintained in a proper position covering the mouth of cylinder 59 by a protective cover 67 threaded to the end of cylinder 59 10 and containing a plurality of apertures 68 to permit the flow of fluid against section 62 of flexible diaphragm 61.

It will be appreciated from the above description of cocking mechanism 25 that shock-type or vibrational forces which act upon cocking arm 49 release arm 50 15 and trigger 51 in directions parallel to the axis of the inflation energizing device 12 will have little tendency to affect the cocked position of the mechanism or to release projectile 23. Only those forces which act upon cocking mechanism 25 in directions substantially per- 20 pendicular to the axis of device 12 have any appreciable tendency to induce movement of cocking arm 49 and permit the release of projectile 23. Such perpendicular forces must, however, be equal to the force exerted by diaphragm 61 upon trigger 50 as a result of an applied 25 external fluid pressure sufficient to release cockiiig arm 49. Since trigger 51 is resiliently mounted, both by virtue of spring 57 and flexible diaphragm 61 and has the added cushion of the lost motion connection 66, shock type vibrations of the entire apparatus 10, even in directions 30 perpendicular to the axis thereof, are not easily transmitted to the release lever 50. Consequently, the inflation energizing device 12 is practically immune from energization by minor spurious shocks or vibrations such as may occur during normal use of such life-saving equip- 35 ment.

The fluid pressure which must be applied to diaphragm 61 in order to energize cocking mechanism 25 and to release projectile 23 must be sufficient to overcome the force which spring 57 exerts upon trigger 51 in a radially ⁴⁰outward direction as well as the excess of force exerted in one direction by spring 56 on release lever 5® over that exerted in an opposite direction by projectile 23 under the force of main spring 24. These forces are quite substantial despite the use of levers 49 and 5® with the re- 45 suit that, as a practical matter, the cocking mechanism 25 may be reliably energized only by fluid pressures applied against diaphragm 61 greater than 2 pounds per square inch, corresponding to a water depth greater than 4 feet. ₅₀

Where it is desired to actuate the inflation energizing device 12 with fluid pressures less than 2 pounds per square inch, corresponding to water depths less than 4 feet, a more sensitive cocking mechanism 7®, illustrated in Fig. 6, is preferably substituted for the cocking mecha- 55 nism 25 of Figs. 1-5. Sensitive cocking mechanism 70 comprises a cocking arm 71, a first release lever 72, and a trigger lever 73, one end of which has a projecting ledge 74 under which one end of release lever 72 may be cocked. Two interacting resetting arms 75 and 76 go journalled on the pivots of cocking arm 71 and trigger lever 73 respectively, are provided for impelling both the cocking arm 71 and the release lever 72 into their respective cocked positions, in a manner more fully to be described hereinafter. Wire springs 77 and 79 are 65 respectively arranged to bias cocking arm 71 and trigger lever 73 into their cocked positions. Spring 78 serves to bias the release lever 72 to its released position. An actuating pin 80 is substituted for trigger 51 of cocking mechanism 75. 70

In the operation of life-saving apparatus 1® of Figs.

1-5, the inflation energizing device 12 is first manually set into its automatic cocked position by rotatably elevating lever arm 44 of lever 42 to its maximum height and then forcing the arm 44 back to its normal position 75 against the side of cylinder 39 all while receptacle 13 is empty, in other words, before capsule 11 is threaded within the receptacle 13 or while capsule 11 is intentionally withdrawn from the receptacle. During the initial few degrees of elevation of arm 44 rupture member 21 is forced by the consequent movement of the toggle joint comprising link 40 and piston rod 22 through a downward cycle of reciprocating motion which would puncture the top membrane 16 of capsule 11 if the capsule was fully threaded within receptacle 13. During the further elevation of arm 44, piston rod 22 is raised until nut 37 meets the under surface of projectile 23 and carries the projectile 23 upward against the force of spring 24 thereby storing energy therein. As projectile 23 is elevated it bears against ledge 53 of cocking arm 49, thereby rotating cocking arm 49 until restraining ledge 54 extends beneath projectile 23 and release lever 50 is pivoted into its cocking arm restraining position under the force of spring 56.

If the more sensitive cocking mechanism 70 of Fig. 6 is substituted for cocking mechanism 25 of Figs. 1-5, the elevation of projectile 23 enforces rotation of interacting reset arms 75 and 76 which move cocking arm 71 and release lever 72 into their respective cocked positions. This is accomplished when projectile 23 is moved into engagement with ledge 53 to rotate reset arm 75 and thereby rotate reset arm 76 to engage the pin 76a carried thereby with release lever 72 and enforce the rotation of lever 72 into its cocked position as shown in Fig. 6 against the bias of spring 78.

When resetting lever arm 44 is lowered back to its normal position, rupture member is once again moved through a downward cycle of reciprocating motion by the reciprocation of piston rod 22, but since capsule 11 is not within receptacle 13, this has no effect. Projectile 23 is restrained from downward propulsion under the force of spring 24 by cocking arm 49 of mechanism 25 or cocking arm 71 of mechanism 70.

Capsule 11 is then threaded within receptacle 13 and the life-saving apparatus 10 is prepared for manual or automatic energization. Manual energization is simply accomplished by again elevating lever arm 44 of lever 42 which, as described above, drives rupture member 21 through a downward cycle of reciprocating motion which ruptures the top membrane 16 of capsule 11 and allows the compressed gas within the capsule to escape through conduit 17 into inflatable member 19. Automatic energization is accomplished whenever the fluid pressure applied to the external surface of diaphragm 61 is sufficient to trigger the cocking mechanisms 25 or 70 and thus release projectile 23 to strike rupture member 21; with great force and at high velocity under the propulsion of spring 24. Upon striking rupture member 21, projectile 23 recoils and rupture member 21 is propelled with correspondingly great force and high velocity’ through a downward cycle of reciprocating motion and then returns to a normal resting position with puncture element 21 in slightly elevated spaced relation to the upper' surface of ruptured membrane 16 as a result of the upward biasing force of spring 34. Since the extended length of main spring 24 is made less than the distance from the top of cavity 47 to the top of the released projectile 23 when the projectile strikes disk 32, the spring 24 does not prevent the recoil of projectile 23 or the rebound of rupture member 21 under the upward force of spring 34. Membrane 16 of capsule 11 is thus ruptured by rupture member 21 and the compressed gas within capsule freely spurts without restriction into the inflatable member 19 through conduit 17.

Referring now to Figs. 7-11, I have shown another inflation energizing device 85 for life saving apparatus embodying the invention in which a rupture member 86 is propelled through a cycle of reciprocating motion under ’ the influence of a powerful spring 87 by means of articulated mechanical linkage including a gear train 88 and a ’

2,946,484 it is shot upward at very high velocity and with great force by spring 87 and carries actuating rod 99 and attached rack 100 therewith. The resulting high velocity linear movement of rack 100 is transmitted and trans5· formed by gear 97 and toggle 89 into a corresponding high velocity reciprocation of rupture mepiber 86 which forcibly punctures capsule 11 and immediately completely withdraws as the toggle 89 is forcibly straightened and immediately unstraightened upon rotation of gear 97 by IO the rack 100.

It will thus be seen that I have provided life saving apparatus having an unusually powerful and reliable automatic inflation energizing device which also may be manually energized if desired and may be reset for re₁₅ peated use. The rupture of the inflating gas producing component is accomplished at high velocity so that there is no possibility that rupture will not occur, and the rupture member is completely withdrawn immediately so that no freezing or sticking to the gas producing compo20 ncnt can occur. The automatic energization of the apparatus results solely from an application of water or other fluid pressure and reliably occurs regardless of the cleanliness or turbidity of the fluid involved. In addition the cocking mechanism is constructed and arranged so 25 that moderate vibration and shock does not actuate the automatic inflation system.

Although I have described my invention in connection with a fluid filled container in the form of a compressed gas capsule as the gas producing component, it will be „θ appreciated that other gas producing components such as a combination of a rupturable water-filled container and adjacent calcium carbide crystals may be used instead. It is also to be understood that although I have described specific preferred embodiments of the invention, many „ modifications may be made and I intend by the appended ⁰ claims to cover all such modifications as fall within the true scope and spirit of the invention.