AIRCRAFT BLACK BOX HAVING AIRBAG

ENREGISTREUR DE DONNEES DE VOL MUNI D'UN SAC GONFLABLE

English Abstract

.cndot. An aircraft black box comprises a recorder
assembly and at least one airbag assembly
mounted on the side of the recorder assembly.
The recorder assembly comprises a memory unit,
and a power unit. The airbag assembly comprises
an inflatable airbag, means for inflating the
inflatable airbag when an actuation signal is
received, and a sensor detecting an impact and
transmitting an actuation signal to the means
for inflating the inflatable airbag. The
inflatable airbag upon impact rapidly inflates
around the recorder assembly in order to absorb
the energy of the crash and also to provide
buoyancy when the black box is submerged in
water. This invention relates to aircraft black
boxes, and the principal use of the invention
is for protecting aircraft black boxes in case
of a crash.

Claims

Claims

.cndot. The embodiments of the invention in which an
exclusive property or privilege is claimed are
defined as follows:

1. An aircraft black box, comprising:
a recorder assembly having a planar side,
comprising:
a protective housing having a data
input and output port or an opening
for supplying data signals and
electrical power to the recorder
assembly;
a memory unit for processing and
storing data securely attached to the
protective housing; and
a power unit for supplying electrical
power to the memory unit securely
attached to the protective housing;
at least one airbag assembly mounted on
the side of the recorder assembly
comprising:
a housing;
an inflatable airbag securely
attached to the side of the recorder
assembly;
means for inflating the inflatable
airbag when an actuation signal is
received; and
a sensor detecting an impact and
transmitting an actuation signal to
the means for inflating the
inflatable airbag; and
a cable for supplying data signals and
electrical power to the recorder assembly
and to the airbag assembly;
the inflatable airbag upon impact rapidly
inflating around the recorder assembly in order
to absorb the energy of the crash and also to
provide buoyancy when the black box is


submerged in water.

2. An aircraft black box as defined in claim 1, in
which the recorder assembly is a flight data
recorder.

3. An aircraft black box as defined in claim 1, in
which the recorder assembly is a cockpit voice
recorder.

Description

CA 02292878 2004-O1-19
Description
Title
. Aircraft Slack Box having Airbag
Technical Field
~ This invention relates to aircraft black boxes,
more particularly to an aircraft black box
having at least one airbag.
Background Art
. There are many instances where it would be
desirable to be able to protect aircraft black
boxes in the event of a crash, and to easily
locate and recover them after the crash.
~ A number of patents disclose aircraft black
boxes with different configurations for
protection from a crash.
~ Canadian Patent 1 239 695 discloses "CRASH
SURVIVABLE SOLID STATE MEMORY FOR AIRCRAFT
FLIGHT DATA RECORDER SYSTEMS".
~ Canadian Patent 2 024 549 discloses "CRASH
SURVIVABLE ENCLOSURE FOR FLIGHT RECORDER".
~ U.s. Patent 5 859 765 discloses "Device fox
recording flight data" with housing having
thermal insulation in a hollow sphere.
. These prior art arrangements use passive means
of protection against crash impact and heat
from fire, such as a protective enclosure and a
parachute. In the mean time, active means of
crash protection has been successfully deployed
in an automobile for protecting its passengers
by airbags at relatively low cost.
Description of the Invention
~ It is a primary object of the invention to
provide an aircraft black box having active
means of protection in order to absorb the
energy of the impact of a crash.
~ It is another object of the invention to
provide an aircraft black box which is easy to

CA 02292878 2004-O1-19
locate and recover after a crash.
~ It is another object of the invention to
provide an aircraft black box which floats in
the case of a crash in the water.
~ An aircraft black box comprises a recorder
assembly and at least one airbag assembly
mounted on the side of the recorder assembly.
The recorder assembly comprises a memory unit,
and a power unit. The airbag assembly comprises
an inflatable airbag, means for inflating the
inflatable airbag when an actuation signal is
received, and a sensor detecting an impact and
transmitting an actuation signal to the means
for inflating the inflatable airbag. The
inflatable airbag upon impact rapidly inflates
around the recorder assembly in order to absorb
the energy of the crash and also to provide
buoyancy when the black box is submerged in
water.
Brief Description of the Figures in the Drawings
~ In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the
invention:
Figure 1 marked "Prior Art" is a
perspective view of a conventional
aircraft black box;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of one
embodiment of an aircraft black box
according to the invention;
Figure 3 is a sectional view of the
invention along line I-I of Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of one
embodiment of an aircraft black box with
its airbags inflated according to the
invention; and
Figure 5 is a perspective view of one
embodiment of an aircraft black box with
its airbags inflated in water according to
the invention.
Modes for Carrying Out the Invention
~ Many aircraft carry so-called black boxes which
consist of a flight data recorder and a cockpit

CA 02292878 2004-O1-19
voice recorder. In the event of a crash, the
data recorded in the black boxes help identify
the cause of the crash.
~ In one conventional aircraft black box shown in
Figure 1 marked "Prior Art", a recorder
assembly 1-0 is securely positioned on a floor.
The recorder assembly 1-0 is operably connected
to a cable 3-0 for supplying data signals and
electrical power to the recorder assembly.
~ Passive protection against impact and heat from
fire may be built into the housing of the
recorder assembly 1-0 of the conventional
aircraft black box. In the case of a crash,
however, the passive protection may not be
sufficient to fully protect the sensitive
electronic equipment inside the aircraft black
box. Moreover, it is very difficult to locate
and recover the black box after the crash,
especially when the crash occurs in the water.
~ In one embodiment of the invention shown in
Figure 2, an aircraft black box comprises a
recorder assembly 1-0 having a planar side, and
at least one airbag assembly 2-0 mounted on the
side of the recorder assembly 1-0. The example
shown in the figures has 2 airbag assemblies
attached to 2 sides of the recorder assembly.
The aircraft black box is securely positioned
on a floor.
~ Figure 3 shows a sectional view of the aircraft
black box along line I-I of Figure 2. The
recorder assembly 1-0 comprises a protective
housing 1-1 having a data input and output port
or an opening for supplying data signals and
electrical power to the recorder assembly 1-0,
a memory unit 1-2 for processing and storing
data securely attached to the protective
housing 1-1, and a power unit 1-3 for supplying
electrical power to the memory unit 1-2
securely attached to the protective housing
1-1. The airbag assembly 2-0 comprises a
housing 2-1, an inflatable airbag 2-2 securely
attached to the side of the recorder assembly
1-0 and folded inside the housing 2-1, means
for inflating the inflatable airbag 2-3 when an
actuation signal is received, and a sensor 2-4
detecting an impact and transmitting an
actuation signal to the means for inflating the
inflatable airbag 2-3. The sensor 2-4 may be

CA 02292878 2004-O1-19
securely attached to the recorder assembly 1-0,
as shown in the figure. The recorder assembly
1-0 is operably connected to a cable 3-0 for
supplying data signals and electrical power to
the recorder assembly 1-0 and to the airbag
assembly 2-0.
~ In the event of a crash, the inflatable airbag
2-1 upon impact rapidly inflates around the
recorder assembly 1-0 breaking apart the
housing 2-1 which detaches or disintegrates, in
order to absorb the energy of the crash, as
shown in Figure 4. The inflated airbag
facilitates the search for black boxes at the
crash site. The inflatable airbag 2-1, which
stays inflated, also provides buoyancy when the
black box is submerged in water, as shown in
Figure 5.
~ The recorder assembly 1-0 may be of any shape,
including cubic and spherical. When inflated,
the inflatable airbag 2-1 may be spherical,
ellipsoidal or toroidal in shape. The airbag
assembly 2-0 may be retrofitted to existing
recorder assemblies.
~ The black box may not be a flight data recorder
or a cockpit voice recorder. It can be any
portable item in the aircraft. Thus, the
invention may be used for actively protecting a
piece of valuable art, for example.

Representative Drawing