Device and Method for Delaying the Opening of a Parachute and a Parachute System

Abstract

A device for delaying the opening of a parachute, in particular a personal parachute or a cargo parachute, of a person jumping exiting an aircraft or of a cargo dropped from an aircraft, characterized by a delaying means designed to provide a connection between a drogue parachute connectable with a detachable connection to the aircraft and a parachute bridal line, said delaying means being movable from a delaying position in which no deployment of the parachute takes place, to a deployment position in which the parachute is deployed. A delay of the opening of the parachute, i.e. the time required for the movement from the delaying position to the deployment position, can be between 0.5 seconds and 2 seconds by suitable design of the delaying means. Advantageously, the deployment of the parachute is delayed and occurs outside a wake turbulence of the aircraft.

Claims

1. A device for delaying the opening of a parachute, in particular a personel parachute or a cargo parachute, of a person exiting an aircraft or of a cargo dropped from an aircraft, characterized in that the device comprises a delaying means designed to provide a connection between a drogue parachute connectable with a detachable connection to the aircraft and a parachute bridal line, said delaying means being configured such that it is movable from a delaying position, in which no deployment of the parachute takes place, to a deployment position, in which the parachute is deployed.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that said delaying means is of straped construction and comprises a connecting main strap and a delaying strap.

3. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that a distance between ends of the delaying means in the delaying position is smaller than in the deployment position.

4. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that the delaying means comprises a means for guiding the delaying strap, by means of which the delaying strap is guided frictionally, and which means is connected to the connecting main strap.

5. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that the delaying means comprises a means for guiding the delaying strap, said guiding means being designed to deflect the delaying strap.

6. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that the delaying strap extends in a circuitous manner both in the delaying position and in the deployment position.

7. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that ends of the delaying strap are connected to the connecting main strap at a same end of the connecting main strap.

8. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that the delaying means comprises a retaining member which, when the device is used as intended, is arranged at an end of the connecting main strap facing the parachute, the retaining member being connectable to a counter-retaining member and to the parachute bridal line, the connection to the counter-retaining member being provided as a detachable connection.

9. A method for delaying the opening of a parachute, in particular a personel parachute or a cargo parachute, of a person person exiting an aircraft or of a cargo dropped from an aircraft, characterized in that a drogue parachute is released when the person exits the aircraft or when the cargo is dropped, and the drogue parachute acts on a delaying means connecting the drogue parachute to a parachute bridal line in such a way that the delaying means is moved from a delaying position, in which the parachute is not deployed, to a deployment position, in which the parachute is deployed.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that a distance of ends of a connecting main strap of the delaying means is increased when moving from the delaying position to the deployment position, and the parachute is deployed in the deployment position.

11. A parachute system, in particular personel parachute system or cargo parachute system comprising a device for delaying the opening of a parachute according to claim 1.

12. The parachute system according to claim 11 characterized in that a drogue parachute connectable with a detachable connection to an aircraft comprises a drogue parachute packaging sleeve connected to the drogue parachute and connectable with a detachable connection to a drogue parachute static line, wherein the drogue parachute static line is designed to connect the drogue parachute to the aircraft.

13. A device according to claim 2, characterized in that ends of the delaying strap and the connecting main strap are connected to each other forming a stack.

14. A device according to claim 2, characterized in that the device has at each end of opposite ends a stack, said stack is formed by strap ends of the main connecting strap and the delaying strap, said ends being arranged one above the other and connected to one another.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to examples of embodiments and the accompanying drawings relating to the examples of embodiments. Showing:

[0039] FIG. 1 shows a parachute system according to the invention,

[0040] FIG. 2A shows details of a device for delaying the opening of a personal parachute a plan view;

[0041] FIG. 2B shows details of a device for delaying the opening of a personal parachute in a cut side view;

[0042] FIG. 2C shows details of a device for delaying the opening of a personal parachute in the deployment position in a top view; and

[0043] FIG. 2D shows details of a device for delaying the opening of a personal parachute in the deployment position in a cutaway side view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0044] A device 1 for delaying the opening of a personel parachute 2, shown schematically in FIG. 1, comprises a delaying means 3 of straped construction, which is connected at a first end 4 to a drogue parachute 5 and at a second end 6 by a retaining member 7 to a counter-retaining member 8 and a parachute bridal line 9 of the parachute 2. The counter-retaining member 8 is connected with a detachable connection to the retaining member 7 by a three-ring connection and is attached to an outer package 10 of the personel parachute 2. The drogue parachute 5 is connected with a detachable connection to an aircraft 12 by a drogue parachute static line 11 such that when the drogue parachute 5 is deployed, only the drogue parachute static line 11 remains on the aircraft 12. A drogue parachute packaging sleeve not shown in FIG. 1 is connected to the drogue parachute 5.

[0045] A personel parachute system 13 according to the invention comprises at least the components designated in this embodiment with the reference numbers 1 to 3, 5, 7 to 9 and 10.

[0046] When a parachutist exits the aircraft 12, the drogue parachute static line 11 opens the drogue parachute 5, causing a force to act on the delaying means 3, which is connected with a detachable connection to the counter-retaining member 8 by the retaining member 7, to move the delaying means 3 from a delaying position to a deployment position. In the deployment position, the connection of the counter-retaining member 8 to the retaining element 7 is detached, so that the force acting on the delaying means 3 from the drogue parachute 5 acts directly on the personel parachute bridal line 9 and the personel parachute 2 is deployed, i.e. opened. A delayed opening of the parachute 2 takes place.

[0047] During the movement of the delaying means 3 from the delaying position to the deployment position, the parachutist moves far enough away from the aircraft 12 in the vertical and horizontal direction so that an opening of the parachute 2 takes place outside a wake turbulence of the aircraft 12 and sufficiently far away from another parachutist.

[0048] Reference is now made to FIG. 2, where identical or similarly acting parts are designated by the same reference number as in FIG. 1, and the letter a is added to the reference number in question in each case.

[0049] A device 1a for delaying the opening of a personel parachute shown in FIG. 2A in a plan view and in FIG. 2B in a cut side view in a delaying position comprises a delaying means 3a of a straped construction having a connecting main strap 14 and a delaying strap 15, wherein ends 16 of the delaying strap 15 are connected to the connecting main strap 14 at a second end 6a of the delaying means 3a. In order to improve the stability of the connection of strap ends 16, these can be connected, in particular sewn, to one another as well as to the connecting main strap 14, forming a stack, provided that the strap 14, 15 are formed from a plastic belt.

[0050] In the delaying position in this embodiment, the connecting main strap 14 in the delaying position is circuitous with one winding.

[0051] The delaying strap 15 is guided through a plurality of metal guiding rings 17, 18, the two metal guiding rings 18 being connected to the delaying means 3a at a first end 4a thereof and being arranged one behind the other in an overlapping manner in a connecting main strap longitudinal direction. In the delaying position shown, the delaying strap 15 is circuitous with a plurality of windings. This is shown in detail in FIG. 2b.

[0052] At the first end 4a of the delaying means 3a of a straped construction, there is also a loop 19 arranged for a connection to a drogue parachute static line of a drogue parachute not shown in FIG. 2 and designated with reference number 11 in FIG. 1.

[0053] A retaining member 7a designed to provide a detachable connection with a counter-retaining member designated with reference number 8 in FIG. 1 is attached to the second end 6a of the delaying means 3a of a straped construction.

[0054] Laterally attached to the delaying means 3a is a double-stranded securing cable 20, which is provided for securing the detachable connection of the retaining member 7a, not shown in detail in FIG. 2, to a counter-retaining member 8 shown in FIG. 1.

[0055] The delaying means 3a is shown in FIGS. 2C and 2D in the deployment position, of which FIG. 2C is a top view and FIG. 2D is a cutaway side view.

[0056] In the deployment position, the ends 4a, 6a, of the delaying means 3a are further apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the connecting main strap than in the delaying position.

[0057] In addition, the connecting main strap 14a is no longer collapsed in a meandering manner, but extends in a straight manner. In the deployment position, a force required to deploy a parachute and applied by the opened drogue parachute acts directly through the connecting main strap 14a on a parachute bridal line not shown in FIG. 2 and deploys the parachute.

[0058] The delaying strap 15a is still collapsed in a meandering manner, but now has only one winding, i.e. it is guided once through the two metal guiding rings 18 as shown in FIG. 2d.

[0059] It is understood that a device according to the invention for delaying the opening of a parachute is also suitable for use with a cargo parachute.

[0060] A parachute system according to the invention may further be designed as a cargo parachute system.