Aircraft emergency egress system

Claim 2

A vehicle emergency egress system comprising: at least one explosive cutting assembly for explosively forming an opening in the body of said vehicle; one explosive initiator assembly per each explosive cutting assembly, wherein each explOsive initiator assembly is positioned adjacent an explosive cutting assembly for detonating said explosive cutting assembly; at least one manually actuated firing handle; a junction box comprising a housing and a block slidably mounted in said housing, said block having an initiator side and a handle side; one elongated mechanical actuating linkage per each explosive initiator assembly, wherein each said linkage is connected at one of its ends to an explosive initiator and at the other of its ends to said initiator side of said block; and one elongated mechanical actuating linkage per each firing handle, wherein each said linkage is connected at one of its ends to a handle and at the other of its ends to said handle side of said block.

Claim 3

The vehicle egress system of claim 1 wherein there are at least two of said firing handles.

Claim 4

A vehicle emergency egress system, as defined in claim 2, wherein said vehicle is an aircraft.

Claim 5

An aircraft emergency egress system as defined by claim 3 wherin said explosive initiator assembly comprises: a firing pin housing; a firing pin slidably disposed in said firing pin housing; an initiator body mounted on one end of said firing pin housing; percussion primer explosive charge in said initiator body positioned to be struck and detonated by said firing pin upon sliding movement thereof in one direction in said firing pin housing; spring means mounted in said firing pin housing and bearing against said firing pin; and a sleeve extending slidably into said firing pin housing and releasably engaging one end of said firing pin for retracting said firing pin against said spring means as said sleeve is pulled from said firing pin housing, said sleeve being connected to one end of said remote control mechanical actuating linkage for sliding movement in said firing pin housing when said firing handle is pulled.

Claim 6

An aircraft emergency egress system as defined in claim 3 wherein said mechanical actuating linkage comprises a flexible cable including: a flexible sheath; and a core wire slidably mounted in said flexible sheath and having one of its ends connected to said firing handle for sliding movement in said flexible sheath when said firing handle is pulled; and wherein said explosive initiator assembly comprises: spring loaded firing pin means; a sleeve releasably connected at one end to said firing pin means, and having a second end detachably connected to the other end of said core wire; and means for automatically disengaging said sleeve from said firing pin means after said core wire has moved relative to said sheath a predetermined distance.

Claim 7

An aircraft emergency egress system as defined in claim 3 wherein said mechanical actuating linkage comprises a flexible cable including: a flexible sheath; and a core wire slidably mounted in said flexible sheath and having one of its ends connected to said firing handle for sliding movement in said flexible sheath when said firing handle is pulled; and wherein said firing handle is characterized in having a ''''safe'''' position in which said handle cannot be pulled in a reciprocating movement to pull said core wire, and an ''''armed'''' position in which said handle can be pulled in a reciprocating movement to pull said core wire, and said handle is rotatable between said ''''safe'''' and ''''armed'''' positions about an axis extending parallel to the direction of the pulling movement of said handle; and wherein said explosive initiator assembly comprises: a firing pin releasably connected to the end of said core wire opposite its end connected to said firing handle; a percussion primer charge positioned adjacent the firing pin in the path of movement thereof; and housing means having the firing pin movably mounted therein for movement toward and away from the percussion primer charge, and including means facilitating detachable securement of The housing means to an aircraft with said percussion primer charge located adjacent said explosive closure cutting assembly.

Claim 8

An aircraft emergency egress system as defined in claim 3 wherein said explosive closure cutting assembly comprises: a receptor housing adapted for securement to an aircraft and having a threaded bore in one side thereof; and explosive booster charges mounted in said receptor housing adjacent said threaded bore; and wherein said explosive initiator assembly comprises: a firing pin housing having one end threaded into said threaded bore, and having an elongated bore extending thereinto from said one end; a firing pin slidably mounted in said elongated bore; and a percussion primer explosive mounted in said elongated bore adjacent said explosive booster charges and in the path of sliding movement of said firing pin.

Claim 9

An aircraft emergency egress system as defined in claim 3 wherein said explosive initiator assembly comprises: a firing pin housing adapted for quick detachable securement to said explosive closure cutting assembly; elongated bore means extending through said firing pin housing and opening adjacent said explosive closure cutting assembly; firing pin means movably mounted in said bore means in said firing pin housing and including: an elongated firing pin; and a firing pin sleeve releasably connected to one end of said firing pin; spring abutment means in said bore means intermediate the length thereof; a firing pin spring in said bore means bearing against said spring abutment means and said firing pin means to resiliently resist movement of said firing pin away from said explosive closure cutting assembly when said firing pin housing is secured to said explosive cutting assembly; a percussion primer explosive charge positioned in said bore means between said firing pin and said explosive cutting assembly when said firing pin housing is secured to said explosive closure cutting assembly; a wire constituting a part of said actuating linkage and having an end connected to said sleeve for reciprocating said firing pin means in said bore means against the bias of said spring; and means for automatically releasing said sleeve from said firing pin when said firing pin means has been reciprocated to a releasing location in said elongated bore means.

Claim 10

An aircraft emergency egress system as defined in claim 8 wherein said explosive closure cutting assembly comprises: a receptor housing adapted for securement to an aircraft and having a threaded bore in one side thereof threadedly receiving said firing pin housing; and explosive booster charges mounted in said receptor housing adjacent said percussion primer explosive charge.

Claim 11

An aircraft emergency egress system as defined in claim 8 and further characterized to include a ball secured to said wire adjacent said end thereof and removably positioned in a slot in said sleeve to detachably couple said sleeve to said wire whereby said sleeve may be independently connected to said firing pin without the connection of said wire thereto.

Claim 12

An aircraft emergency egress system as defined in claim 8 wherein said means for automatically releasing said sleeve from said firing pin comprises at least one ball positioned partly in an opening in said sleeve and partly in a groove in said firing pin, and retained in said position by rolling contact with said bore means whereby when said balls are free of confinement by said bore means, said sleeve is disengaged from said firing pin.

Claim 13

An aircraft emergency egress system as defined in claim 9 and further characterized as including a hollow initiator body detachably mounted on said firing pin housing adjacent said explosive booster charges and containing said percussion primer explosive charge.

Claim 14

An aircraft emergency egress system as defined in claim 8 wherein said firing handle is connected to a second end of said wire for pulling Said wire along its longitudinal axis when said handle is pulled in one direction.

Claim 15

An aircraft emergency egress system as defined in claim 13 wherein said firing handle is characterized in having a ''''safe'''' position in which said handle cannot be pulled in said one direction, and an ''''armed'''' position in which said handle can be pulled in said one direction, and said handle is rotatable between said ''''safe'''' and ''''armed'''' positions.

Claim 16

An aircraft emergency egress system as defined in claim 8 wherein said actuating linkage is further characterized in including a flexible sheath enclosing said wire and detachably connected to said firing pin housing.

Claim 17

An aircraft emergency egress system comprising: a plurality of spaced explosive closure cutting assemblies for explosively forming a plurality of spaced openings in the fuselage of an aircraft; a plurality of explosive initiator assemblies each positioned adjacent one of said explosive closure cutting assemblies for detonating the respective explosive cutting assembly; a junction box including: a housing; and a slide block slidably mounted in the housing; a plurality of first elongated mechanical actuating linkages each connected at one of its ends to one of said explosive initiator assemblies and each connected at its other end to said slider block; a plurality of spaced manually actuated firing handles; and a plurality of second elongated mechanical actuating linkages each connected at one of its ends to one of said manually actuated firing handles and at its other end to said slider block.

Claim 18

An aircraft emergency egress system comprising: a plurality of spaced explosive closure cutting assemblies for explosively forming a plurality of spaced openings in the fuselage of an aircraft; a plurality of explosive initiator assemblies each positioned adjacent one of said explosive closure cutting assemblies for detonating the respective explosive cutting assembly; a junction box including: a housing; and a slide block slidably mounted in the housing; a plurality of first elongated mechanical actuating linkages each connected at one of its ends to one of said explosive initiator assemblies and each connected at its other end to said slider block; a plurality of spaced manually actuated firing handles; and a plurality of second elongated mechanical actuating linkages each connected at one of its ends to one of said manually actuated firing handles and at its other end to said slider block.

Claim 19

An aircraft emergency egress system as defined in claim 16 wherein each of said elongated mechanical actuating linkages comprises: a flexible sheath; and a wire slidable in said flexible sheath and having an end connected to said slider block.

Claim 20

An aircraft emergency egress system as defined in claim 17 wherein said slider block is further characterized in including: a plurality of elongated ball slots in the block adjacent one side thereof and each extending toward an opposite side of the block, and a plurality of ball apertures in the block adjacent said opposite side thereof; and wherein said egress system is further characterized in including: a ball secured to the end of each wire in each of said second mechanical actuating linkages which is connected to said slider block, each of said balls being positioned in one of said elongated ball slots at the end of the respective ball slot in which it is located which is nearest said one side of said slider block; and a ball secured to the end of each of said wires in each of said first mechanical actuating linkages which is connected to said slider block, each of said second mentioned balls being positioned in one of said ball apertures.

Claim 21

An aircraft emergency egress system as defined in claim 16 wherein said housing includes a pair of opposed, substantially parallel side walls bearing against opposite sides of said slider block and guiding the slider block in linear movement as it slides in said housing.

Claim 22

An aircraft emergency egress system comprising: a plurality of spaced explosive closure cutting assemblies for explosively forming a plurality of spaced openings in the fuselage of an aircraft; a plurality of explosive initiator assemblies each positioned adjacent one of said explosive closure cutting assemblies for detonating the respective explosive closure cutting assembly; a manually actuated firing handle; and mechanical linkage means connected between said firing handle and each of said explosive initiator assemblies for mechanically simultaneously detonating said explosive initiator assemblies when said manually actuated firing handle is pulled, wherein said mechanical linkage means comprises a plurality of first wires each having one end connected to one of said explosive initiator assemblies; a rigid Block secured to the second ends of said first wires; and a second wire having one end secured to said firing handle and having a second end connected to said right block at a point on the block such that when said firing handle is pulled, said second wire is pulled in a direction to pull said first wires an equal distance with respect to said explosive initiator assemblies.

Claim 23

An aircraft emergency egress system comprising: a plurality of spaced explosive closure cutting assemblies for explosively forming a plurality of spaced openings in the fuselage of an aircraft; a plurality of explosive initiator assemblies each positioned adjacent one of said explosive closure cutting assemblies for detonating the respective explosive closure cutting assembly; a manually actuated firing handle; and mechanical linkage means connected between said firing handle and each of said explosive initiator assemblies for mechanically simultaneously detonating said explosive initiator assemblies when said manually actuated firing handle is pulled, wherein said mechanical linkage means comprises a plurality of first wires each having one end connected to one of said explosive initiator assemblies; a rigid Block secured to the second ends of said first wires; and a second wire having one end secured to said firing handle and having a second end connected to said right block at a point on the block such that when said firing handle is pulled, said second wire is pulled in a direction to pull said first wires an equal distance with respect to said explosive initiator assemblies.

Claim 24

An aircraft emergency egress system as defined in claim 20 and further characterized as including: a plurality of said firing handles spaced from each other; and a plurality of said second wires, each having one end attached to a different one of said firing handles and each having its second end slidably connected to said right block for sliding movement toward the points of securement of said first wires to said block when said block is pulled by pulling one of said second wires, said second wires having their end portions adjacent their second ends extending parallel to each other.

Claim 25

An aircraft emergency egress system as defined in claim 20 and further characterized as including a housing slidingly receiving said rigid block and guiding said block in reciprocating, sliding movement in said housing when any of said second wires are pulled.