Ballistic rotary actuator

Claim 1

IN A PILOT EJECTION SYSTEM INCLUDING A SEAT FOR ACACCOMMODATING A PILOT, STRAP MEANS FIXED AT ONE END TO THE FORWARD LOWER PORTION OF SAID SEAT AND EXTENDING REARWARDLY AND THEN UPWARDLY IN AN INFLIGHT POSITION TO ENGAGE BETWEEN THE SEAT AND A PILOT SITTING THEREIN, AND A ROTARY ACTUATOR FIXED TO THE REARWARD UPPER PORTION OF SAID SEAT AND HAVING THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID STRAP MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED THEREWITH FOR EFFECTING SEPARATION OF THE PILOT AND SEAT DURING EJECTION BY RAPIDLY REELING IN SAID STRAP MEANS INTO A SUBSTANTIALLY TAUT CONDITION BETWEEN THE ONE END THEREOF FIXED TO THE FORWARD LOWER PORTION OF THE SEAT AND THE OTHER END THEREOF OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID ACTUATOR, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING SAID ACTUATOR INCLUDING AN ELONGATED ANNULAR HOUSING MEMBER, A HEAD MEMBER, SEALINGLY ENGAGED TO ONE END OF SAID HOUSING MEMBER, A REEL ROTATABLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING MEMBER AT A POSITION ADJACENT SAID HEAD MEMBER RECEIVING ONE END OF SAID STRAP MEANS SO THAT THE LATTER CAN BE WOUND ON SAID REEL IN RESPONSE TO ROTATION OF SAID REEL IN ONE DIRECTION, SAID HOUSING MEMBER HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID REEL FOR RECEIVING THE STRAP MEANS EXTENDING FROM SAID REEL THERETHROUGH, SAID HEAD MEMBER AND SAID REEL HAVING COAXIAL OPENINGS EXTENDING THERETHROUGH, AN ELONGATED RIGID STRUCTURE FIXEDLY SECURED TO SAID HEAD MEMBER AND EXTENDING AXIALLY THEREFROM WITHIN SAID HOUSING MEMBER THROUGH THE COAXIAL OPENINGS OF SAID HEAD MEMBER AND SAID REEL, SAID ELONGATED RIGID STRUCTURE INCLUDING A CYLINDRICAL PORTION ADJACENT SAID HEAD MEMBER DEFINING A CHAMBER FOR RECEIVING A BALLISTIC CHARGE CAPABLE OF CREATING GASES UNDER PRESSURE UPON IGNITION AND A PORTION OF NON-CIRCULAR EXTERIOR CROSS-SECTION EXTENDING THEREFROM TOWARD THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID HOUSING MEMBER, END CLOSURE MEANS SEALINGLY CLOSING THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID HOUSING MEMBER, SAID HOUSING MEMBER HAVING MEANS DEFINING AN INTERIOR CYLINDRICAL SURFACE EXTENDING FROM SAID END CLOSURE MEANS TOWARD SAID REEL, A PISTON MOUNTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING MEMBER WITH ITS PERIPHERY IN SEALING RELATION TO THE INTERIOR SURFACE THEREOF FOR AXIAL MOVEMENT FROM A POSITION ADJACENT SAID END CLOSURE MEANS AWAY FROM THE LATTER TOWARD SAID REEL, SAID PISTON AND SAID END CLOSURE MEANS DEFINING WITH THE PORTION OF THE INTERIOR CYLINDRICAL SURFACE OF SAID HOUSING MEMBER EXTENDING THEREBETWEEN AN EXPANSIBLE PRESSURE CHAMBER, SAID PISTON HAVING A CENTRAL OPENING THEREIN RECEIVING THE NON-CIRCULAR PORTION OF SAID ELONGATED RIGID STRUCTURE, A HOLLOW PISTON ROD DISPOSED WITHIN SAID HOUSING MEMBER IN SURROUNDING RELATION TO SAID ELONGATED STRUCTURE HAVING ONE END SEALINGLY SECURED TO SAID PISTON ROD FOR AXIAL MOVEMENT THEREWITH, SAID PISTON ROD EXTENDING FROM SAID PISTON WITHIN THE AXIAL OPENING IN SAID REEL AND HAVING AN INTERIOR CYLINDRICAL SURFACE SLIDABLY ENGAGED ON THE CYLINDRICAL PORTION OF SAID ELONGATED RIGID STRUCTURE IN SEALING RELATION THEREWITH, SAID PISTON AND PISTON ROD INCLUDING A SLIDING CONNECTION WITH THE NON-CIR CULAR PORTION OF SAID ELONGATED RIGID STRUCTURE PREVENTING FREE RELATIVE ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID ELONGATED RIGID STRUCTURE AND SAID PISTON ROD DURING THE AXIAL MOVEMENT OF THE LATTER WITH SAID PISTON, SAID ELONGATED RIGID STRUCTURE INCLUDING A PASSAGE EXTENDING FROM SAID CHARGERECEIVING CHAMBER THROUGH THE NON-CIRCULAR PORTION THEREOF IN COMMUNICATING WITH SAID EXPANSIBLE PRESSURE CHAMBER FOR COMMUNICATING THE GASES UNDER PRESSURE CREATED IN SAID CHARGE-RECEIVING CHAMBER WITH SAID EXPANSIBLE PRESSURE CHAMBER TO EFFECT AXIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID PISTON AND PISTON ROD IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM SAID END CLOSURE MEANS, AND MEANS ACTING BETWEEN THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID PISTON ROD AND THE SURFACE DEFINING THE AXIAL OPENING IN SAID REEL FOR EFFECTING A ROTARY MOVEMENT OF SAID REEL IN A DIRECTION TO WIND SAID STRAP MEANS THEREON IN RESPONSE TO THE AXIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID PISTON ROD AWAY FROM SAID END CLOSURE MEANS.