Patent ID: 7380755

Claim:
An inflatable aircraft evacuation slide system comprising: a packboard compartment having a cover panel; an inflatable evacuation slide stored in an undeployed condition within said packboard compartment, said inflatable evacuation slide being responsive to inflation pressure to expand and exert a force on said cover panel; and a pneumatic latch for retaining said cover panel, said pneumatic latch comprising: a housing attached to the packboard compartment, said housing containing a cylinder; a piston disposed in the cylinder, said piston being moveable from a first position to a second position; a frangible tension member having a first end, a second end, and a longitudinal axis, the first end of said frangible tension member being attached to said cover panel, the second end of said frangible tension member being attached to said housing, said frangible tension member having a predetermined tensile load limit above which said frangible tension member separates such that said first end of said frangible tension member is disconnected from said second end of said frangible tension member, said predetermined tensile load limit being less than the force exerted on said cover panel by the said inflatable evacuation slide during inflation of said slide; a pilot member slidingly engaging a bore in said cover panel along an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of said frangible tension member, said pilot member preventing said frangible tension member from being subjected to shear forces between said cover member and said latch mechanism; and a latch mechanism comprising a latch member responsive to movement of said piston from said first position to said second position, said latch member moving to an engaged position in which said latch member couples said frangible tension member to the cover panel when said piston is in said first position, said latch member further moving to a disengaged position in which said latch member uncouples said frangible tension member from the cover panel when said piston is in said second position, whereby in a normal operational mode, said frangible tension member is released from said cover member to allow said cover member to open and whereby in a fail-safe mode, said frangible tension member fractures to release said cover member.