GB2076346A - Parachute deploying means - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus for drawing from a housing 5 an extractor parachute (not shown) for a main canopy intended for salvaging or braking a hang glider comprises a projectile 16 propelled by resilient means 10 such as bungee. The projectile remains attached to the resilient means while being propelled, the other end of the resilient means being attached to a closure 9 for housing 5, the extractor parachute being connected to an inner side of closure 9. The grip 1 for retaining and releasing the projectile 16 can be remotely controlled by the pilot via a cable mechanism. The main canopy pack can be mounted on the glider or the pilot, remote from the apparatus. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A parachute extracting device for ultra-light gliders, capable of acting also as braking means, and a method for using said device The present invention relates to the parachutes for ultra-light gliders (usually designated by capital letters U.L.G.).

Such parachutes should of course be capable of being opened in a very short time and of withstanding the weight of both the glider and its pilot.

In the devices of the prior art, the parachute opening is obtained: either directly, the parachute being released by the hand-controlled opening of a belly pouch containing said parachute, the latter then being of the ventral type; ---or after the pilot has thrown a bag containing the parachute cloth, said bag being, in its turn, enclosed in a belly pouch; -or, through the medium of an extracting parachute, ejected in its turn by means of helical spring, the main parachute together with said extracting parachute being mounted on top of the glider mast.

The first of the above-mentioned devices has the drawback that there is a risk that the U.L.G. cables and the parachute cables should get entangied and interfere with one another, the pilot remaining attached to the U.L.G. On the other hand, the parachute opening time is, e.g., of from 7 to 8 seconds, which is fairly satisfactory.

In the above-mentioned second device, while the entanglement and interference risk is smalier, however the parachute opening time is substantially larger.

As for the third device, the actuation thereof disturbs the U.L.G. balance in normal flight, so that, in spite of its combining the advantages of the first two devices, said third device is not used in practice.

The present invention has for its object a device for extracting the main parachute, said device, in the same manner as the abovementioned third known device, resorting to an auxiliary parachute and to a member for ejecting the latter, but being exempt from the above-mentioned drawbacks and, in addition, ensuring a substantially reduced opening time. This device, provided only the auxiliary parachute be used, can also be used for braking the glider.

The good performance and the reduced sizes of this device permit to select a position not detrimental to the balance of the ultralight glider and to prevent the suspending ropes from getting entangled and the parachute from interfering with the U.L.G., prefer abiy, said device should be mounted at the rear of the glider.

The device according to the present invention comprises an auxiliary parachute and a member for ejecting the latter and it is mainly characterized in that the ejection of said auxiliary parachute, housed in a container, is obtained by means of a projectile that is propelled via at least one resilient cable.

Said device through the actuation of a control member, permits to cause the projectile to be released, which results in extracting said auxiliary parachute from its container and throwing same to a distance of about 1 7 feet from the ejection point, said auxiliary parachute then ensuring the spreading out of the rescue parachute, the latter being thus caused to open within less than about 3 seconds from the moment the control member was activated.

The above features and advantages of the present invention will clearly appear from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, given merely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the ejection member.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the projectile.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the auxiliary parachute and of the halyard connecting said auxiliary parachute to the main parachute.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing the preferred position of the extracting device on a ultra light glider.

Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of a possible embodiment of the ejecting member grip and, Figure 6 represents, partially in cross-section, the mechanism for locking the tube and the container forming part of the ejecting member.

Such as shown in Fig. 1, the ejecting member comprises a grip (1) with a mechanism provided with a trigger (2) and an orifice (3) for introducing and retaining a projectile.

Said grip, to be described later on in more detail with reference to Fig. 5, is connected to one extremity of the tube (4), having a diameter of about 1 inch and the length of which varies according to the desired propelling force, through the medium of a set screw (7).

The other extremity of tube (4) in a specific example, is connected to a container (5) having a rectangular cross-section of 1 X 2 inches and the length of which is 1 7 inches, by means of a connecting member (6) permitting the cross-sections of tube (4) and of container (5) to merge. Said connecting member is fixed to tube (4) by means of a screw (7), on the one hand, and to container (5) by means of a quick locking mechanism, on the other hand.

The two extremities of member (6) act in the manner of male portions when said member is being connected to tube (4) and to container (5).

The mechanism shown in Fig. 6 is constituted by two studs 61-62 connected by a spring 65. Each of said studs is slidingly passed through an orifice, these two orifices being made respectively in a wall of container (5) and in the male portion (64) of connecting member (6). For unlocking the assembly, it is merely sufficient to push these two studs so as to cause same to penetrate slidingly into male portion (64), which disengages them from tube (5) and permits to dismount the whole assembly. When it is desired to lock these parts, the two studs are pushed by said spring and caused to protrude outwards, through the orifices made in two opposed walls of said tube.

An obturator (66) of plastic foam is provided for closing the extremity of member (6) in order to avoid any interference between the engagement spring (65) and the auxiliary parachute housed in the container.

The free extremity of said container is closed by a removable obturator (9) of plastic material, provided with orifices (21).

Resilient cables (10) are passed through said orifices acting as an attachment point The free extremities of these cables are connected to each other by means of a yoke (11).

In Fig. 3, is shown the auxiliary parachute housed in container (5) and provided with a fixation loop (13) at the point where the suspending ropes (14) meet. That fixation loop is attached to the inner wall of obturator (9) and it is connected by means of a connecting halyard (1 5) to the rescue main parachute.

The latter is either carried by the parachutist himself (ventral type), or mounted on the U.L.G. as will be explained on with reference to Fig. 4. Said halyard (1 5) is thus passed through obturator (9).

The projectile (16) such as shown in Fig. 2, is formed of two coaxial cylinders of different diameters. The cylinder of smaller cross-section is provided with a locking notch (1 7), whereas the cylinder of larger cross-section is provided with a receptacle (constituted by a cylindrical bore 1 8 extended by a slot 22) adapted to receive yoke (11). Bore (18) is at right angles to the projectile axes, and slot (22) connecting said bore to the projectile surface is in a plane at an acute angle with the projectile axis.

Once the device has been cocked, viz.

when projectile (1 6) is engaged in orifice (3) of the grip, the resilient cables (10) being taut through the connecting yoke (11) housed in receptacle (18) and the auxiliary parachute (12) being folded in container (5), the actuation of trigger (2), either directly or through a control member (19) within the pilot's reach (Fig. 4) and connected to the grip by means of a cable (20), causes the projectile (16) to be released and, therefore the removable obturator (9) to be stripped off and the auxiliary parachute connected thereto to be ejected.

The power resulting from the release of the resilient cable (10) as evidence by a strong pulling action (e.g. 700 Newton) exerted on the projectile (the velocity of which can thus reach 110 miles per hour) is sufficient for allowing the latter projectile to drive the auxiliary parachute and provides the substantially instantaneous opening thereof.

In view of the fact that the auxiliary parachute is extracted from the meeting point of the suspending ropes and not from the top of the dome of the parachute cloth, permits said auxiliary parachute to be quickly opened.

Such an opening is obtained, due to the relative velocity and due to the projectile pulling force, within e.g. 1/10 or 2/10 second. As soon as the auxiliary parachute is open, in view of its brake action on the glider, and through the medium of halyard (15), said auxiliary parachute exerts a pulling force of a few hundred Newtons on the cloth of the main parachute, the latter being extracted from its pouch prior to beginning to open.

The total duration of the opening operation, counted from the moment the trigger was actuated, is less than e.g., 3 seconds, and the main parachute, pulled away from the glider by means of the auxiliary parachute, cannot interfere with said glider.

The grip device such as shown in Fig. 5 is of a type well known per se. That device is constituted by a moulded grip proper (23) of plastic material, on which is mounted a trigger (2) equipped with a triggering spring (24) and a release spring (25). The trigger pivots about an axle (26) and a translation movement of safety dog (27) permits to lock said trigger.

This mechanism is maintained in position through a lateral plate (28) attached to the grip by means of a set screw (29) and a screw materializing the release axes (30). The grip is connected to tube (4) by means of an assembly, the female portion (31) of which was integrated during the moulding of the grip, and O-ring (32) being provided for ensuring tightness. A projectile guiding member (33) is constituted by an elongated part of plastic material, a surface of which matches the tube shape, the other surface thereof forming a Vshaped notch. Guiding-member (33) is fixed to tube (4) through a screw. That screw is also adapted to fix to that tube two tongues (34) of plastic material acting as a wire-clamp' and diametrically opposed to guide member (33). An orifice (3) is provided in the grip for introducing the projectile.

Fig. 4 shows a preferred manner of mounting the ejecting member on an ultra-light glider. The ejecting member is fixed to the cloth (38) of the wing at the level of the keel (35) and to a connecting T bar (36) attached to the lower rear guides or braces (37). As is well known, the piloting of the wing is carried out by means of a trapezeum (39) connected to the keel (35) at the level of the foot of mast (40). The whole assembly is made rigid by means of various guys or braces, viz. lower rear guys (37) of the keel, upper rear guys (41) of said keel and guys (42) of transverse beam (43).

When the rescue parachute is mounted on the U.L.G., said parachute is in a plane defined by one of the uprights of trapezeum (39) and the corresponding lower bracing cable, in the vicinity of the trapezeum inner portion.

It is to be noted that it ensues from the abovedescribed referred mounting of the ejecting member, that the ejection occurs in the opposite direction to the glider movement, which results in reducing the opening duration and decreasing the risk of interference between the projectile and the suspending ropes. Such a risk is also lessened in view of the fact that the resilient cables themselves connect the projectile to the auxiliary parachute, since said cables remain in a taut state during the ejection.

Quite obviously, various changes can be made in the above-described device without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (9)

1. A parachute extracting device for ultralight gliders, capable of also acting as braking means, said device comprising an auxiliary parachute housed in a container and means of ejecting the latter from its container with the help of a resilient force, said device being characterized by a projectile propelled with the help of means comprising at least a resilient cable, to one extremity of which said projectile remains attached while being propelled, the other extremity of said resilient cable, connected to said auxiliary parachute, inducing the extraction of the latter.

2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that projectile is connected, through said resilient cable to a portion of auxiliary parachute situated at the point where the suspending ropes of said auxiliary parachute meet.

3. A device according to either of claims 1 and 2, in the shape of a cross-bow of the type used for underwater hunting, characterized in that said means comprise a grip provided with an orifice for introducing and maintaining said projectile and a tube provided with a projectile guide-member connected to said grip and extended by said container, the latter forming an elongated prismatic part and being closed at the other end thereof, by a removable obturator to which are fixed the resilient cable or cables, said auxiliary parachute remaining attached to the inner surface of said obturator.

4. A device according to either of claims 2 and 3, characterized by two parallel resilient cables connected, at one of their extremities, by a yoke momentarily integral with said projectile.

5. A device according to claim 4, characterized in that said projectile is provided with a receptacle for yoke, said receptacle forming a cylindrical bore at right angles to the projectile axes and in communication with a slot, rearwardly inclined with respect to said axes.

6. A device according to any of claims 3 to 5, characterized by a removable part for assembling tube and container and permitting the cross-section of said tube and container to merge, said part being provided with resilient locking means.

7. A method for operating the device according to any of claims 1 to 6 on an ultralight glider, characterized in that said device is fixed to the glider rear portion, between two rear bracing cables and the keel, and is arranged so as to expel said projectile in the opposite direction to the glider movement.

8. A parachute extracting device for ultralight gliders substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

9. A method, as claimed in claim 7, substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.