GB2069425A - Parachute deployment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A parachute deployment apparatus for mounting on a hang- glider includes a housing (1) containing a parachute receptacle (13) loosely disposed therein and whose base (13A) is located adjacent to an explosive device (18). The latter has at least one explosive cartridge (5) which can be detonated by a firing pin (6), the apparatus also including a means whereby the firing pin can be remotely actuated. The firing pin (6) is spring-urged towards its cartridge and is retained by a release pin (8). The pilot can actuate the release pin via a Bowden mechanism (10). The housing (1) may be open-ended with a dust cover (14) for the open end, or it may comprise several sections e.g. of plastics (Figs. 3, 4, not shown). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Parachute deployment apparatus This invention relates to a parachute deployment apparatus and particularly although not exclusively to such an apparatus when mounted on a hang-glider.

The sport of hang-gliding is a rapidly-growing one but there have been accidents where a glider folded or collapsed while in the air, leading to injury or death for the pilot. In some case the pilot would have been saved had it been possible for him to deploy a parachute.

According to the present invention, a parachute deployment apparatus includes a housing containing a parachute receptacle loosely disposed therein and whose base is located adjacent to an explosive device, the latter having at least one explosive cartridge which can be detonated by a firing pin, the apparatus also including a means whereby the firing pin can be remotely actuated.

In a preferred version of the invention the housing is cylindrical and the receptacle is formed by two half-cups which upon expulsion from the housing by the force of the explosion of the cartridge, fall away and make no restraint on the unfolding of the parachute. Of course it will be understood that the housing need not be cylindrical; it could be of rectangular shape for example, in which case the receptacle could be made up of several parts, loosely fitted together, which define a parachute-receiving space. The receptacle serves the function of ensuring that the whole parachute is expelled from the housing by an explosion of a cartridge and that no parts of the fabric of the parachute are able to catch on parts or fittings within the housing.

The receptacle may be open-ended. There may be one or several explosive cartridges, and each one may be detonated by a spring-biased firing pin. In the application of the invention to a hangglider, the or each firing pin may be spring-biased towards its respective cartridge and may be prevented from moving under normal conditions by a firing release pin. The latter may be connected to the cable of a Bowden cable type of mechanism leading to a pull-handle near the pilot.

When the pilot pulls the handle, the release pin is withdrawn from its associated firing pin, which is then sharply spring-urged to impact upon the detonator portion of the associated cartridge, so exploding it and throwing out the receptacle and the parachute carried thereby from an open end of the housing.

The explosive arrangement may be such that there are two cartridges each with its own firing pin, and a single release pin may be arranged so that upon actuation it releases just one and then the other firing pin. Hence if the first cartridge fails to explode for any reason, the parachute can still be deployed by the second catridge.

The receptacle may be made of two vacuumformed light plastics half-cups which when assembled together define the receptacle.

The invention will be better understood from the following description of a non-limiting and illustrative example thereof, given with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hang-glider including a parachute deployment apparatus in accordance with one example of the present invention; Figure 2 is an axial cross-section of the parachute deployment apparatus illustrated at (1) in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a sketch illustrating one form of parachute receptacle usable in apparatus according to the invention; and Figure 4 illustrates a second form of parachute receptacle which may be used in the invention.

The illustrated parachute deployment apparatus includes a cylindrical housing (1) containing a parachute receptacle (13) whose base ( 1 3A) is disposed adjacent to an explosive device generally indicated at (1 8). Of course it will be appreciated that the housing (1) need not be cylindrical but a cylindrical housing is utilised in the presently-preferred version of the invention.

The housing (1) has an open end which is covered by a dust and moisture cover (14), and its opposite end is formed with a frusto-conical inwardly extending wall which defines with the outer wall of the housing a space (4) within which a rigging line can be coiled. One end of the rigging line is connected to a connector (12) which connects it to a webbing strap (11) which extends out of the housing and connects to the central anchor point on the hang-glider, thereby also connecting to the pilot's harness anchor. The other end of the rigging line, stored in the cavity (4), is attached to a folded parachute which is disposed in the space (3). A hole (13B) in the base of the receptacle permits passage of the rigging line.

The receptacle (13) is loosely disposed within the housing (1), so that it can readily be expelled therefrom by an explosive force generated by the explosive device (18).

The explosive device (18) includes a pair of explosive cartridges (5), each detonated by a respective firing pin (6). Each of these pins is spring-urged in a direction towards the left as seen in Figure 2 by a compression spring (7), but is restrained against such movement, until desired, by a release pin (8). This release pin (8) passes through aligned transverse holes in the respective pins (7) and in the body member (2) of the explosive device (18). At the left-hand side of the cartridge spaces (5) is located a two-into-three manifold arrangement (17) to prevent discharge of live rounds of the chosen calibre cartridge. It will be appreciated that "blank" cartridges are used in the invention. The manifold arrangement is thus a safety measure.

The release pin (8) has a safety clip attachment (9) at one end, which may for example be a simple split pin, and until this is removed, the release pin (8) cannot be withdrawn from the hole through one or both of the firing pins (6). The release pin (8) is connected to a cable (1 0A) of a Bowden type cable device (10) and this cable (10) extends to a suitable point near the pilot of the hand-glider so that a sharp manual pull on a handle (15) of the Bowden cable device suffices to withdraw the release pin (8) and hence to allow the firing pin (6) to detonate its associated cartridge. It will be understood that, before taking off, the pilot removes the safety split pin (9).As seen in Figure 2A, the handle (15) is encased within an actuating handle pocket 16 which may have a flap thereon, secured by "Velcro" (Registered Trade Mark), or in any other suitable way, thereby protecting the handle against accidental actuation.

The parachute receptacle may be constituted by a pair of half-cups, each of which has a circular or disc-shaped end and a half-cylindrical wall. One example of such a construction is shown in Figure 3. Alternatively, in the case of a housing (1) which is rectangular, the parachute receptacle could be constituted by a complementary facing pair of rectangular parts which can be placed together to define a parachute-enclosing space. The function of the parachute receptacle is to ensure that the parachute is thrown out of the housing without snagging and is protected from any burning effect which might arise from the initial explosion. It will be understood that immediately the parachute is out of the housing (1), the two half-cups, or the two "box-lids" are free to fall apart and the parachute is then readily deployed.

It will be understood that modifications may be made without departing from the invention. For example, although it has been described that the parachute receptacle is formed of two half-cups each of vacuum formed plastics material, other designs of receptacle may be used. As illustrated in Figure 1, the parachute deployment apparatus is located at the rear end of a main boom of a hang-glider, but it will be appreciated that it could be suitably placed elsewhere on the glider. For example, it could be placed at any position thereon where there is a clear space (a "deployment window") which is likely to be kept clear even in the event of the glider structure folding up or collapsing.

It will also be realised that this invention is distinguished from the known pilot ejector seats, which are launched by explosive, as these are directed to a completely different problem and for many reasons would be completely unsuitable for use on a light flying craft such as a hang-glider.

Claims (9)

1, A parachute deployment apparatus including a housing containing a parachute receptacle loosely disposed therein and whose base is located adjacent to an explosive device, the latter having at least one explosive cartridge which can be detonated by a firing pin, the apparatus also including means whereby the firing pin can be remotely actuated.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the receptacle is made up of separable parts which together define a base and a side wall.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the receptacle is open-ended.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3 in which the housing is open ended.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 in which there is a dust-cover or the like over the open end of the housing.

6. Apparatus according to any preceding claim in which the explosive device includes a release pin cooperating with a plurality of firing pins and capable of releasing them in sequence.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 in which the release pin is connected to a Bowden-type cable for remote actuation.

8. Parachute deployment apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

9. A hang glider having parachute deployment apparatus according to any one of claims 1-8.