INFLATABLE LIFE-SAVING APPLIANCE

Abstract: An inflatable life-saving appliance, for instance a life jacket, a boat or a float is provided with an inflation assembly (4) comprising a sealed cartridge (5) containing a pressurised gas and a puncturing pin (6) that is influenced by an activation spring (12) to puncture the cartridge (5). The puncturing pin (6) is kept unactivated by a releasable retaining member (15, 17, 18) to which an electrical releasing device is coupled, for instance a safety fuse (21a) that is connected with a coupling circuit (24) which includes two exposed electrodes mounted on the outer side of the life-saving appliance. On immersion of the appliance into water a conductive connection is established between the exposed electrodes (7a, 7b), thereby switching the coupling circuit into in a conductive state for current flow through the releasing device (21a). The retaining member is thereby released and the puncturing pin(6) is influenced by the spring (12) to puncture the cartridge (5), thereby inflating the life-saving appliance. The inflation assembly (4) may be embodied as a separate exchangeable box having a water-proof casing (8) and a valve portion (16) to be connected with a valve mounted in the life-saving appliance.

Description: Inflatable Life-Saving Appliance. This invention relates to an inflatable life- saving appliance having one or more compartments adapted .to be filled with air and comprising an inflation device connected with said compartments, said device including a sealed cartridge containing pressurised gas, a spring- loaded puncturing pin arranged for operative co-opera¬ tion with the cartridge, a releasable retaining member to keep the puncturing pin in an unactivated position against the spring-load and an activation member for au¬ tomatically releasing the retaining member when the device gets into contact with water, thereby causing the puncturing pin to puncture the cartridge by the spring- load. From US patents Nos 1,117,639, 1,367,225, 2,701,886, 3,090,979, 3,143,751, 3,242,514, 3,934,292 and 3,947,908 life jackets are known which are designed in this way so as to obtain an automatic inflation when the wearer of the jacket falls into the water, which is in particular of considerable importance when rescueing disabled, injured, unconscious or shocked persons fallen over board, in case of wreckages and other accidents at sea. In these known life-saving appliances the activa¬ tion member serving to release the retaining member comprises a water-soluble element, e.g. in the form of a gasket or clamping ring which at least partially con¬ sists of water soluble paper and is mounted in direct mechanical connection with the retaining member, the puncturing pin, the activation spring thereof and the pressurised air or gas-filled cartridge so that said members must be accommodated in a compartment open for water inlet when the wearer of the life-jacket falls into the water. Such a structure implies an uncontrollable time delay of the activation in that water shall firstly penetrate into the water-soluble element, following which it takes some time before said element is dissolved. If such a mechanism shall have a reasonable quick effect it is also sensitive to moisture with the risk of being unintentionally activated due to splashes of water or the like. Moreover, the activation is very unsafe in frosty weather as ice settlings may occur which have a directly blocking effect on the movable parts. Without being restricted to life-jackets the pur¬ pose of the invention is to produce an inflatable life- saving appliance of the ' kind - concerned, e.g. a life- jacket or a lifeboat or float where these problems are solved. According to the invention, in order to achieve this, the life-saving appliance is characterized in that an electrically operated releasing device is associated with an anchoring member acting on the retaining member in its unactivated position, said releasing device being connected to a current source via a watertight encap¬ sulated electrical coupling circuit in which two exposed electrodes are accessible from the outside and are so connected in the coupling circuit that an electrically conductive connection between said exposed electrodes caused by immersion into water will cause current to flow through the releasing device for increasing or eli¬ minating the effect of the anchoring device on the re¬ taining member. The design of the activation member with an electrically sensitive releasing device implies that the cartridge provided with the puncturing pin, the acti¬ vation spring and the retaining member may be encap¬ sulated so as not to be subjected to water percolation and possible blocking in frosty weather. The particular coupling circuit with the exposed electrodes may be constructed in the manner known per se from DK patent No. 146,334 and be dimensioned so that activation is only effected when immersed into water, whereby the risk of unintentional release is considerably reduced. The releasing device which may be a safety fuse can have a short time of activation so as to obtain an improved security of a quick automatical inflation of the life- saving appliance when necessary. In the following, the invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings, in which Fig. 1 as an embodiment of a life-saving appli¬ ance according to the invention illustrates a life- saving jacket, Fig. 2 an embodiment of an inflation device, Fig. 3 a modification of an electrical activation circuit of the inflation device, and Figs 5 to 7 further embodiments of the inflation device. In the life-saving jacket illustrated in Fig. 1 as a non-restricting embodiment compartments 1 and 2 encapsulated between airtight outer and inner layers are in connection with an inflation device 4 secured to the outerside of the jacket, for instance in a pocket 3. In the illustrated embodiment the inflation device 4 is designed as a separate, exchangeable box which through a valve not shown is in connection with the compartment 1 and as explained in the following includes a water-proof casing so that it is shielded against water penetration. As a consequence, the life-saving jacket can be re-used by exchange of the inflation device. The inflation device 4 includes a sealed car¬ tridge 5 containing pressurised gas, for instance liquid carbon dioxide, and a spring-loaded puncturing pin 6 as well as a releasable retaining member to keep the pin 6 in its unactivated position against the spring-load. The retaining member is released by means of an electrical activation circuit of which Fig. l^only shows two ex¬ posed electrodes 7a and 7b extending to the outer sur¬ face of the assembly so that they are easily accessible for water contact in case the wearer of the jacket falls into the water. Fig. 2 illustrates the water-proof casing 8, in which the puncturing pin 6 is positioned opposite a breakable cover 9 on the cartridge 5. The puncturing pin 6 is at its pointed end 10 provided with a collar 11 forming an abutment for one end of an activation spring 12, the other end of which abuts against a transversal wall 13 with a bore 14 forming a guide for the pin 6. In the portion located above the wall 13 the pin 6 is pro¬ vided with an end stop 15. As mentioned, the casing 8 comprises a valve por¬ tion 16 to be connected with a valve portiion (not shown) secured to the upper layer of the jacket for passage of the gas contained in the cartridge 5 when inflating the jacket. The retaining member keeping the pin 6 in the illustrated unactivated position comprises roller mem¬ bers 17 in the form of balls or cylindrical rollers lo¬ cated between the end stop 15 of the pin and the upper side of the wall 13 and having such a diameter that the edge of e.g. the circular end stop 15 abuts against the roller members 17 on the side facing the pin 6 with re¬ spect to a line parallel to the pin through the axis of the roller members. The roller members 17 are kept in place in this position by a yoke 18 having a downwardly bent edge abutting against the roller members 17 at abutting points which are closer to the transversal wall 13 than the abutments for the end stop 15. The yoke 18 is kept in place by an anchoring device 19 which at its one end is pivotally connected with the casing 8 through a wire 20. In the illustrated embodiment the yoke 18 is at its other end connected with the casing 8, i.e. the wall 13, through a releasing device in the form of an electrically coήduσging wire 21 of which at least a por- tioin 21a constitutes an electrical safety fuse. Supply lines 22 and 23 are connected to the electrical activa¬ tion circuit 24 illustrated in Fig. 4 and accommodated in a compartment of the casing 8. In the modified embodiment in Fig. 3 the roller members 17' of the retaining member are kept in place between the end stop 15' of the pin 6' biased by the sptring 12' and the transversal wall 13' in the casing 8' by means of lateral stop members 25, the lower ends of which are located at the edge of a depression in the wall 13'. The lateral stop members 25 are in the illu-' strated unactivated position kept in parallel with the pin 6' by an electrically conducting wire connection 26 of which at least a portion 27 constitutes a safety fuse. As illustrated in Fig. 4, the exposed electrodes 7a and 7b shown in Fig. 1 and the releasing device 21a, 27, respectively, in this case constituted by a safety fuse, form part of an electrical activation circuit formed as a transistor coupling device having a struc¬ ture which in principle is known from Danish patent spe¬ cification No. 146,334 in connection with a current supply unit for a signal source in the form of a buoy or an emergency lantern at sea. . The releasing device 21a, 27 is connected to the output electrode of a controlled semi-conductor element, in this case the collector of a transistor 28, whose collector-emitter circuit is connected to the terminals of a battery 29. The base of the transistor 28 is con- nected through a resistor 30 to the emitter of a tran¬ sistor 31- the base of which is connected, on the one hand, to one terminal of the battery 29 through a resistor 32 and, on the other hand, to one of the exposed electrodes 7a, 7b, while the other of these electrodes is connected to the opposite terminal of the battery 29. The battery 29 is preferably a lithium cell which is characteristic by affording a higher voltage and having a greater energy capacity than ordinary dry cells. The controlled semi-conductor element may instead of the transistor 28 illustrated in Fig. 4 for instance be a tyristor. When there is no conductive connection between the exposed electrodes 7a and 7b the transistors 31 and 28 are non-conductive and the current flow through the releasing device is blocked. When the electrodes 7a, 7b are immersed into water the ohmic reistsance between the electrodes is lowered so much that the transistor 31 and thus also the transistor 28 become conductive and allow current to flow through the safety fuse 21a, 27 which will then quickly fuse thereby releasing the blockage of the puncturing pin 6, 6', as the spring-loaded pin will press the roller members 17, 17' outwardly as soon as the yoke 18 is deblocked or the blockage of the la¬ teral stop members 25 is eliminated. Subsequently, the pointed end of the pin 6, 6' is pushed into the cover 9 of the container 4 to effect puncturing thereof. Instead of the safety fuse shown in Figs 2 and 3 an electro-magnet 33 may as shown in-Fig". 5 be used as releasing device, said electro-magnet being so position¬ ed with respect to a permanent magnet 34 which in the unactivated position secures the retaining member, that the action of the permanent magnet 34 on the retaining member is eliminated by activation of the electro-mag¬ net. In an embodiment corresponding to the one illu¬ strated in Fig. 1 the permanent magnet 34 may as shown in Fig. 5 be annular and surrounded coaxially by the electro-magnet 33 and the anchoring device 19' for the yoke 18' may be connected with an armature 35 secured by the magnet 34, said armature being released by activation of the electro-magnet 33. Instead of the roller members shown in Figs 2, 3 and 5 the elements - which in their unactivated position are kept in place between the end stop 37 of the punc¬ turing pin 36 and the firm support 38 - may as shown in Figs 6 and 7 comprise two resilient pins 39 and 40 mounted on respective sides of the puncturing pin 36 beneath the end stop 37, said pins being connected at one end by means of a clamp 46 and being biased in a di¬ rection away from each other. At the opposite end the resilient pins 38 and 40 are in their unactivated position fastened to each other by a thread or string 42 made from an inflammable or fusible material, for instance nylon, said string be¬ ing mounted in immediate heat transfer connection with the safety fuse 43 releasable by means of the coupling circuit.

Claims: S PATENT CLAIMS 1. An inflatable life-saving appliance having one or more compartments (1, 2) adapted to be filled with air and comprising an inflation device (4) connected with said compartments, said device including a sealed cartridge (5) containing pressurised gas, a spring- loaded puncturing pin (6, 6', 36) arranged for operative co-operation with the cartridge (5), a releasable re¬ taining member to keep the puncturing pin (6, 6' , 36) in an unactivated position against the spring-load and an activation member for automatically releasing the retaining member when the device gets into contact with water, thereby causing the puncturing pin (6, 6', 36} to puncture the cartridge by the spring-load, characterized in that an electrically operated releasing device (21a, 27, 33, 43) is associated with an anchoring member (19, 21; 19' , 34, 35, 42) acting on the retaining.member (18, 18*, 25) in its unactivated position, said releasing device being connected to a current source (29) via a watertight encapsulated electrical coupling circuit (31, 28) in which two exposed electrodes (7a, 7b) are access¬ ible from the outside and are so connected in the coupling circuit that an electrically conductive connec¬ tion between said exposed electrodes (7a, 7b) caused by immersion into water will cause-current to flow through the releasing device (21a, 27, 33, 43) for releasing or eliminating the effect of the anchoring device (19, 21; 25, 26; 19', 34, 35, 42) on the retaining member (18, 18', 25). 2. A life-saving appliance as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the retaining member comprises elements (17, 17', 39, 40) which in an unactivated posi¬ tion are kept in place between an end stop (15, 15', 37) on the puncturing pin (6, 6', 36) and a firm support (13, 13* , 28) by means of the anchoring device (19, 21; 25, 26; 34, 35, 41). 3. A life-saving appliance as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that said elements are roller members (17, 17') kept in place by a yoke (18, 18', 25) which is influenced by the anchoring device (19, 21; 25, 26; 34, 35). 4. A life-saving appliance as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that said elements are resilient pins which are kept in place against their biasing force be¬ tween said end stop and said support by means of said anchoring device. 5. A life-saving appliance as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the anchor¬ ing device (21, 26, 42) is wireshaped and the releasing device (21a, 27, 43) is constituted by a safety fuse. 6. A life-saving appliance as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the wireshaped anchoring device is constituted by an electrical conductor (21) in which the safety fuse (21a, 27) is connected. 7. A life-saving appliance as claimed in claim 5, characterised in that the anchoring device (42) is a thread or string of a material that is inflammable or fusible by heat influence from the safety fuse (43). 8. A life-saving appliance as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized by an electro-magnet (33) which is so positioned in relation to a permanent magnet (34) acting on the retaining member in its unactivated posi¬ tion that the action of the permanent magnet on the retaining member is eliminated by activation of the electro-magnet (33). 9. A life-saving appliance as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the infla¬ tion device (4) comprising the gas cartridge (5), the puncturing pin (6) and the retaining member as well as the anchoring device in the releasing device and the electrical coupling circuit is accommodated in a separate water-proof casing (8) having a valve portion (16) adapted to be connected with a valve that is con¬ nected with the airfilled compartments of the life- saving appliance and with the exposed electrodes (7a, 7b) positioned in one of the walls of the casing.

Inventors: POULSEN FRANK, POULSEN, FRANK
Applicants: POULSEN FRANK, POULSEN, FRANK
Application year: 1985
Main classification: B63C9
IPC codes: B63C9