RAPID ACTING ELECTRO-PNEUMATIC ANTI-G SUIT CONTROL VALVE

A novel anti-G suit valve system is disclosed which provides very rapid response to imminent high acceleration. The disclosed embodiments of the new valve system can be retrofitted to existing mechanical anti-G valves to create a hybrid valve system capable of achieving the desired qualities of fast triggering of the valve in response to imminent acceleration and maximum rate inflation of the anti-G suit. The new valve system measures acceleration and, by differentiation, the rate of change of acceleration. When both acceleration and rate of change of acceleration exceed preselected values, a solenoid mounted in place of the press-to-test button on a mechanical anti-G valve is energized for a preselected period of time to fully depress the valve spindle, providing maximum rate delivery of pressurized air. The hybrid valve reverts to normal operation at the end of the preselected period of time. Another embodiment monitors an aircraft computer control system digital data bus and adds the requirement of detecting preselected signal values from the data bus to trigger the delivery of pressurized air. A modification of this embodiment requires only the detection of the preselected data bus signal values to intitiate maximum rate delivery of pressurized air for the preselected period of time. The anti-G suit valve system may also be operated by manually determining the imminent likeihood of high acceleration and manually actuating the maximum rate delivery of pressurized air. The valve automatically ceases delivery of the manually actuated pressurized air delivery after a preselected period of time.