Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for using nonwoven materials for evacuation slides, life rafts, life vests, and other life-saving inflatable devices. The nonwoven materials have a substrate layer with continuous filaments formed in various directions.

A self-inflating water rescue device (1) consisting of a belt (2) for fastening to the waist and a lifebelt (5) connected to a compressed gas cartridge (4) attached to an opening trigger (3), the belt (2) and the lifebelt (5) being connected to each other by a safety strap (9), one end of a release cord (11) is connected to the opening trigger (3), the other end of the cord (11) being routed outside the lifesaving device (1), the lifebelt (5) being provided with a release valve (12) where applicable, and characterized by that a storage pocket (8) is formed on at least a part of the outer side of the belt (2) by a fixed wall (6) and an sliding (loose) wall (7), the lifebelt (5) being arranged in the storage pocket (case) (8), the outer part of the belt (2) being itself a fixed wall (6) of the pocket (8), the lifebelt (5) has a basically interrupted perimeter circle shape, the ends (13) of which at the interruption are overlapping when filled with gas, and when not filled with gas the lifebelt (5) is folded into the pocket (8) in an accordion/fan-like manner.

The life jacket has a harness designed to be fitted over the torso of an individual and having a dorsal structure and a ventral structure, at least ventral buoyancy tubes attached to the harness, and manual inflation means for inflating the ventral buoyancy tubes. The uninflated ventral buoyancy tubes are arranged in the dorsal structure of the harness and, when inflated, they are deployed in the ventral structure of the harness. The harness has a guide rope extending along its dorsal and ventral structures and the ventral buoyancy tubes are attached to the harness by a connector that can also be inflated and is designed to be deployed, under the action of the inflation means, by being guided along the guide rope. The life jacket is only deployed on the front of the abdomen in the event of difficulty.

An interface device for an inflatable individual safety device designed to hold a gas generator in a receiving part of the inflatable individual safety device having at least one positioning element designed to position and hold the gas generator in a final mounting position in the receiving part, and a sealing element arranged between the receiving part and the gas generator positioned and held by the at least one positioning element, in order to obtain a seal in an internal space of the safety device to be inflated by the gas generator.

The present invention provides a life jacket. In an embodiment, the life jacket includes a jacket member; and an air blowing member which is provided in the jacket member to inject air to the jacket member, wherein the air blowing member includes a base part coupled with the jacket member; and a tube part extending from the base part, wherein a flexible portion is formed in a part or the entire of the tube part.

A life preserver (1) including an inflatable main body portion (3) having an aperture (5) for a wearer's neck, and first and second inflatable lobes (7, 9) extending from the main body portion which are configured to respectively occupy a position on the left and right hand side of the wearer's body when in use. The main body portion may be formed by corresponding front and rear layers of material that are connected around their outer peripheries and which each have an aperture for the wearer's neck, wherein the main body portion further comprises an additional layer of material that is connected to the front and rear layers of material around the apertures in the front and rear layers to form a surface that, upon inflation of the main body portion, encircles the wearer's neck. A panel (15) of material mounted on a front surface of the main body portion adjacent to, or partially overlying, the neck aperture may protect the wearer's airways from water splashes.

A power source for inflation systems. Specific embodiments relate to inflation systems that use an electrically-powered inflation system, wherein the power source of the inflation system is a solid state battery. Particular embodiments may find use in connection with inflating evacuation slides or life rafts on board a passenger transportation vehicle, such as an aircraft or marine vessel. Other embodiments may be used for inflating shelters, life vests, or any other inflatable safety device that requires a rapid inflation.

An inflatable flotation device having a reaction chamber with reactants that generate gas when mixed, said reactants being separated by a barrier assembly; an activating mechanism adapted to remove or puncture the barrier assembly such that said reactants mix; and an inflatable compartment fluidly connected to the reaction chamber by means of a pressure sensitive passageway, adapted to open only when the pressure of the gas in said reaction chamber exceeds a predetermined threshold. This ensures that most of the reactants are used up to generate gas before the gas enters the inflatable chamber, thus preventing scattering of the reactants. Some implementations have a reaction chamber without a barrier assembly, comprising reactants that generate gas when mixed with water and an activating mechanism adapted to expose the reactants to water. A variety of manual or automatic mechanisms may be employed to activate the reaction and inflate the device.

An improved flotation safety system includes a self-righting plate carrier with inflatable tactical aid. The system herein may advantageously be used by military personnel including covert war fighters, combat swimmers, maritime airborne operations personnel, and others. The flotation safety system herein includes buoyancy compensators to offset the wearer's equipment load and emergency self-righting flotation to provide positive buoyancy to the wear.

An inflation device is provided including a shell, a pin, a restraining element, and a moveable element. The shell is adapted to be coupled to an inflation canister. The pin is positioned within the shell. The pin is adapted to open a seal of the inflation canister. The restraining element is positioned within the shell. The moveable element includes a shape memory alloy. The moveable element is moveable from a first position to a second position responsive to electrical energy sent to the moveable element. While the moveable element is in the first position, the restraining element is secured within the shell to restrain the pin from opening the seal of the inflation canister. While the moveable element is in the second position, the pin is releasable to open the seal of the inflation canister.