Anti-G suit simulator

DETAILED DESCRIPTION In order to obviate or extensively ameliorate the disadvantages and limitations encountered in prior art flight simulators with respect to the controlled evacuation of anti-G suits and in order to closely approximate actual conditions acting on a pilot in a high-performance aircraft during its rapid return to normal or level flight conditions, the invention contemplates the provision of a novel high/low-pressure vacuum system in which a series of high-pressure and low-pressure pumps are controllably connected to a source of high-pressure operating air by way of a series of solenoid-operated valves which are activated responsive to signals received from a simulator computer so as to controllably evacuate the anti-G suit in conformance with specific reductions in G-forces simulated by the system.
In particular, when the G-forces reduce from levels which are in a low range, only selective of the solenoid valves will cause actuation of the low-pressure pump in order to vent or dump pressurized air from the anti-G suit; while G-forces reducing from an intermediate or medium level of G-forces will cause selected of the solenoid valves to actuate only the high-pressure pump of the system for evacuating the anti-G suit; whereas for reductions from extreme or high levels of G-forces, both the low-pressure and high-pressure pumps of the system will be simultaneously actuated by the solenoid valves to effectuate a rapid evacuation of the anti-G suit in close simulation of actual conditions which would be encountered by a pilot in a high-performance aircraft.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an anti-G suit simulation system which will closely conform to actual intensive aircraft maneuvering characteristics and G-forces which are imparted to an aircraft pilot.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an anti-G suit simulation system of the type described which will afford a rapid and highly accurate control over the evacuation of a pressurized anti-G suit during a reduction of simulated G-forces in correlated synchronism with the intensity of simulated maneuvers carried out by an aircraft simulator pilot