Aviation Occupant Safety (AOS) has announced that one of its parent companies, Key Safety Systems (KSS) has received a US patent for an inflatable safety restraint system for aircraft occupants seated facing the side of the aircraft.
The inflatable, monument-mounted device(s) are used in business and general aviation aircraft where passengers are seated facing perpendicular to the cabin to protect the passengers’ head and torso areas from lateral movement, while further mitigating lateral injury from leg flail.
Tony Nardone, president of KSS’s specialty division, and director of AOS, explained that these new units were developed in compliance with FAA policy PS-ANM-25-03.
“These new passenger restraint units will dramatically reduce lateral movement, while absorbing impact forces from adjacent passenger-to-passenger and passenger-to-cabin structure surfaces,” said Nardone.
“These units are already in use on board a popular midsize aircraft and now that we have received the patent we can continue selling it to other aircraft manufacturers, knowing the technology is accepted and proven.”
“This new technology provides a level of passenger impact safety that has never been available before,” said David Devine, director of AOS. “What truly sets it apart is along with the side- and center-located active inflatable side-facing passenger restraint system, (similar to the side airbags on a car), the system features a proprietary system that minimizes the occurrence of injuries from leg flail. Leg flail is a situation where passengers seated laterally can suffer serious injuries because their legs are unrestrained during impacts. Our leg flail restraints have proven during tests to greatly minimize occurrences of these types of injuries.”
Devine also explained that during the new system’s development, the engineers worked hard to make sure the location and appearance of the inflating systems would blend into the aircraft’s cabin. “They are designed to provide maximum occupant safety with minimal impact on the interior’s aesthetics,” he said.
AOS is a joint venture between Aircraft Belts and KSS.
April 10, 2015
