The Boeing Company

Adam J Lloyd

Alankar Gupta

Steven Barry Krogh

An improved thermal control system for flight apparel worn in an aircraft. An environmental control system (11) produces both a flow of cold air in a duct (12) and a flow of warm air in another duct (14). A mixing chamber (16) is connected to both ducts (12, 14) and mixes the flows of cold and warm air received therefrom to produce a flow of personal conditioning air. A valve (32), positioned in the warm air duct (14), controls the amount of warm air flowing into the chamber (16). The valve (32) is operated to adjust the mixing of warm air with cold air in the chamber (16), to thereby adjust the temperature of the personal conditioning air so that it is at a temperature which is comfortable. A comfortable temperature is selected by a control switch (28). The valve (32) is continuously adjusted in accordance with temperature signals received from a temperature sensor (30). A controller minimizes the error between the temperature served by the sensor (30) and the temperature selected by the control switch (28). The personal conditioning air is delivered to flight apparel by means of a personal air conditioning conduit (20).

Cooling and visor defogging system for an aircraft pilot and crew

Apparatus and methods for increasing the tolerance level of an aircraft aircrew member to G forces by providing a rapid response to the onset of the normal accelerative forces to inflate an anti-G suit worn by the aircrew member. An electronic controller controls a servo valve which in turn controls a main valve for regulating the flow of gas into the inflatable G suit. The G suit is worn by the aircraft crew member to prevent pooling of blood in the lower portion of the body during aircraft maneuvers when G forces are experienced. The electronic controller receives a first input indicative of the amount of force applied to the control stick of the aircraft by the crew member, and a second input indicative of measured accelerative forces which are normal to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft. The electronic controller, preferably a microprocessor based controller, is responsive to the first input, and includes a programmable memory for storing data defining a schedule of the anticipated accelerative force levels which the aircraft will experience as a function of the applied control stick force. The microprocessor is programmed to decrease the anticipated accelerative force levels at a predetermined rate which is approximately equivalent to the rate of increase of measured accelerative forces. The anticipated force level is added to the actual accelerative force level to produce a command output for controlling the servo valve and/or for controlling a pressure regulator to initiate positive pressure breathing in a breathing device worn by the aircrew member.

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

Adam J Lloyd