US2399379A

US2399379A - Invasion parachute

Info

Publication number: US2399379A
Application number: US513006A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert V Pence
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1943-12-06
Filing date: 1943-12-06
Publication date: 1946-04-30
Anticipated expiration: 1963-04-30

Description

Apri13o, 1946. R y; PENCE l2,399,379

Patented Apr. 30, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

The present invention relates generally to parachutes by means of which jumpers may safely reach the ground from air transports and various aircraft, and is primarily intended for invasion purposes in the interest of paratroopers .or air transported invasion troops, with several important objects in mind.

The most important object of the inventiton is the provision of a parachute with means permitting the jumper to readily, easily and quickly control and vary the speed of descent between a minimum or normal, substantially safe landing speed and a maximum speed, for example eight to ten times the minimum or normal speed, in order that by skillful variation of the speed of descent, the descending jumper may effectively protect himself from ground artillery and sniping, as well as from machine gunning from aircraft. As a corollary of this provision of materially increased protection to the jumper, it is provided that transport planes may maintain high altitudes for discharge of jumpers, thus decreasing the vulnerability of such aircraft to enemy anti-aircraft re from the ground.

A further important object of the invention is to provide for the foregoing protection and ,advantages by means of a wholly flexible nature within the parachute, permitting its ready folding into a standard parachute pack, and serving, by lreason of its flexibility, to enable the jumper to exercise maximum steering control, during descent, by swinging with the open parachute.

These and other objects of the invention, as well as its construction, combination of parts, and resulting advantages, may be better understood and more thoroughly appreciated in the course of the following description in detail thereof, and by reference to the accompanying drawing, disclosing the best mode thus far devised for carrying the invention into practical effect.

In the drawing, which illustrates the invention, and forms a part of this specification,

Figure l is a side view of the complete parachute.

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View through the canopy of the parachute, showing the inner flexible and flexibly guided brake or valve disc in 50 itsy upper or closed position for minimum or normal speed of descent, the canopy being partially broken away.

Figure 4 isa partial vertical sectional view showing the brake or valve disc of Figure 3 in 5' lowered or open position for rapid or maximum speed of descent, and,

Figure 5 is a detail horizontal sectional View taken substantially on line 5 5 of Figure fi.

5 Referring now particularly to Figures l and 2, there is shown a parachute including the usual canopy I0 and harness shrouds I I, the upper portions of which shrouds are suitably fixed along the outer surface of the canopy and converge downwardly therefrom in groups connected at their lower ends to harness rings I2 or other suitable xtures readily attachable to the standard body harness of a parachutist or jumper. In describing the canopy and main or harness shrouds as l5 being usual, it is intended that their shape and materials may conform strictly, in so far as this invention is concerned, with accepted and standard practice.

According to this invention, however, the canopy is provided with a crown opening i3 which is very substantially enlarged as compared to the normal relatively smaller crown opening usually present for stabilizing descent, and normally controlling the speed of descent to a point permitting safe landing of skilled jumpers. With the normal opening the speed of descent is uniform and in warfare the jumper is thus highly vulnerable to anti-aircraft re and sniping from the ground as well as machine gunning from enemy aircraft.

For this reason jumpers are usually unloaded from low flying transport planes, so they will be in the air for as short a period as possible, but this in turn subjects the transport planes to great danger from ground fire.

By enlarging the normal area of the stabilizing crown opening of the parachute to an extent permitting, for example, eight to ten times the normal speed of descent, and providing means easily and quickly operable to render effective in one position, or close off in another position, the increased area thereof beyond that of the normal stabilizing opening, it is placed within the skill 5Aof the jumper to so vary and alternate normal r @speed of descent, with speeds of descent eight to 0 ten times that of normal speed, as to greatly reduce vulnerability of the jumper to enemy fire and thus justify launching of jumpers from high ying transports which are, to this extent, less vulnerable to enemy ground re.

To accomplish the foregoing and at the same time permit of the folding of the parachute into a standard pack, the present invention proposes the use of a wholly flexible and wholly flexibly guided brake or valve member or disc I4 located 0 within the canopy and adapted in its closed position to conform flatwise to the under surface of the crown portion of the canopy I0, across its substantially enlarged single crown opening I3 in a manner to close off all of that area of the opening beyond the area of the normal stabilizing opening I5 with which the disc I4 is provided at its center.

The disc I4 is, of course, formed of imperforate and impervious material, except for its said central opening I5, and the canopy opening I3 may be, and preferably will be provided with a covering of net work webbing or reticulate material I6 for effective seating of the disc I4 in its upper closed position, and to avoid any danger of its being blown through the opening I3. This reticulate covering may be substantially reinforced by extending and joining the upper ends of the harness shrouds at the crown of the canopy It, across the yopening I3 above the said covering.

The brake or valve disc I4, as best seen in Figures 3 and 4, is preferably reenforced by radial, flexible cord ribs I l, suitably secured thereto, the inner ends of these cords being connected, at the center of the central opening I5, to the upper end of a flexible control line I 8 which, depends, within the harness shrouds, intermediately through a guide member or ring I9 below the canopy lil. and is preferably provided with a handle member` or loop 2B at its lower end between the harness rings I2 and thus within convenient reach of the jumper. The line I8 thus provides a convenient connection for pulling the disc I4 downwardly away from the canopy opening I3 when increased speed of descent becomes desirable or necessary.

To insure unobstructing flexibility throughout, the disc I4 is bodily shiftable toward and away from its closed position above described and is, for this reason, preferably provided with radially outstanding apertured guide members 2I at spaced points therearound corresponding to the spacing of a series of guide lines or shrouds 22, `grouped around the disc and secured in any suitable manner at their upper ends to the crown portion of the canopy around its opening I3.

The guide lines or shrouds 22, it will be noted, are arranged in downwardly converging relation, being connected in any suitable manner at their lower ends to the guide ring or member I9, before mentioned. which is in turn connected, by a lesser number of flexible tension or anchor lines 23 to the lower harness rings or fixtures I 2 of the main or harness shrouds II of the parachute.

The guide lines 0r shrouds 22, extend through the guides 2I peripherally of the disc I4 and thus guide the latter in its bodily movement to and from closed position across the canopy opening I3. Thus the guide lines or shrouds 22 not only serve to guide the disc I4 effectively to closed position, but also serve to constrain the disc to deformation from a conformable closed position ilatwise against the reticulate covering I6 of the canopy opening as shown in Figure 3, to an inverted conical shape when it is pulled downwardly to open position as seen in Figure 4. Due to the downward converging of the guide shrouds 22 the inverted conical shape of the disc I4 gradually changes and lengthens vertically as the disc is moved downwardly, and thus it is laterally reduced or collapsed and offers gradually reducing obstruction to direct uprushing air currents.

It is believed to be plain that in practical use a skillful jumper` may so manipulate the control line I8 as to variously alternate and time relatively rapid and relatively slow speeds during descent with highly protective results against enemy aircraft and ground fire, by pulling the brake or valve disc I4 downwardly to open position and releasing the same for the uprushing air currents to close it against the under surface of the canopy.

It is also believed the advantages previously mentioned as resulting from such manipulation of the brake or valve disc are equally plain in respect to release of jumpers from troop transport aircraft at high altitudes, and that the proposed bodily movable disc with its described guides, forms a wholly flexible arrangement without any disadvantages as regard-s steering of the parachute during descent by swinging movements of the jumper, or ready folding thereof into the standard parachute pack between periods of use.

Having thus fully disclosed the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A parachute including a canopy having downwardly converging shrouds, harness rings to which the ends of said shrouds are connected. said canopy provided with a central opening of size greater than the normal demand for stabilized descent, a disc seating by air pressure against said opening to maintain the di-sc thereagainst, said disc having radial reinforcements and a central opening of parachute stabilizing area and peripherally outstanding perforate members. shrouds fixed at their upper ends around the crown portion of said canopy and extending through said perforate members to provide flexible guide lines for saiddisc, a ring intermediate the ends of said canopy shrouds to which the lower ends of said guide lines are connected in converging relation, means to maintain said guide lines in tension during descent and a control line connected to the radial reinforcements of said disc and extending through and guided by said ring for drawing said disc bodily away from said crown and along said flexible guides.

2. A parachute including a canopy having central crown opening of a size greater than the normal demand of stabilized descent and harness shrouds, the upper portions of said shrouds being fixed along the outer edge of said canopy and converging downwardlyy harness rings secured to the convergent ends of said shrouds, a reticulate covering for said opening, a flexible disc for seating flatwise against said opening to close same, said disc having a central opening of parachute stabilizing area and a series of peripheral guide members, a series of downwardly convergingl shrouds xed at their upper ends around said crown opening ofl the canopy and extending through said disc guide members to provide for guided movement of said disc to and from said closed position, a ring to which said shrouds are convergingly connected at their lower ends, anchor lines connected to said ring and to the aforementioned harness rings to maintain said guide shrouds in tension during descent, and a flexible line extended through and guided by said ringr for controlling the relative movement of said disc.

3. A parachute including a canopy having a series of groups of downwardly converging harness shrouds, each series at its convergent end being connected to a harness ring; said canopy having a single crown opening of a size substantially greater than the normal demand of stabilized descent, a reticulate covering across said opening, a flexible valve disc for seating against said reticulate covering, said disc having a central opening of parachute stabilizing area and a peripheral series of guide members extending outwardly therefrom, said disc provided with a series of equally spaced reinforcing ribs intersecting one another at the center of the opening therein; a series of downwardly converging guide lines fixed at their upper ends around the crown opening in said canopy and extending through the peripheral guide members on said disc, said guide lines terminating at a point intermediate 10 of said harness shrouds, a ring to which the ends of said guide lines are secured, a plurality of anchor lines connecting said intermediate ring to said harness rings to maintain said guide lines in tension during descent, and a exible control line connected to said ribs at the intersection thereof in the opening in said disc for drawing said disc downwardly away from said crown opening.

ROBERT V. PENCE.