METHOD FOR DEPLOYING AN EMERGENCY PARACHUTE AND PARACHUTE SYSTEM COMPRISING A PARACHUTE DEPLOYED ACCORDING TO SAID METHOD

PROCEDE POUR L'OUVERTURE D'UN PARACHUTE DE SAUVETAGE ET SYSTEME DE PARACHUTE MUNI D'UN PARACHUTE ACTIONNE SELON CE PROCEDE

English Abstract

The invention relates to a method for rapidly deploying an emergency
parachute. According to said method, at the latest at the end of the blast-off
path the parachute (1) is jerked backward in the direction of the object which
has to be decelerated and landed. This causes the parachute to open
immediately. The method allows for the use of such parachutes even close to
the ground.

French Abstract

L'invention concerne un procédé assurant l'ouverture rapide d'un parachute de sauvetage, dans lequel on rétracte le parachute par saccades dans le sens de l'objet qu'il faut faire atterrir en freinant, au plus tard à la fin de la distance d'éloignement par propulsion. Ainsi, le parachute s'ouvre immédiatement. Grâce à ce procédé, on peut également utiliser de tels parachutes à proximité du sol.

Claims

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claims:
1. Method of operating and deploying a parachute provided possibly with a
spreading mechanism, in which a closed parachute connected through a
connecting rope to a object possibly to be brought to a braked landing is shot
away from the object and the spreading of the parachute is initiated,
characterised in that the parachute which has been shot away but has not yet
deployed completely is pulled in a as much as possible jerk-like manner at
the latest when reaching the maximally attainable distance from the object
due to the connecting rope back again by an outer influence of force over a
predetermined distance in the direction of the object in order to thereby
accelerate the deployment of the parachute.
2. Method of claim 1, characterised in that the elasticity of a rubber elastic
connecting rope is made use of for the pulling back of the parachute which
has been shot away.
3. Method of claim 1, characterised in that the parachute which has been shot
away is opened by a motor driven pulling back of the connecting rape, e.g.
by means of a spring operated motor.
4. Method of claim 1, characterised in that for the pulling back of the
parachute
which has been shot away the of the shooting away energy is utilised in the
last portion of the shooting away path in that a auxiliary rope which is lead
back over a guide pulley onto the object to be brought to land pulls the
parachute back.
5. Emergency parachute system with parachute and connecting rope, with a
parachute to be opened in accordance with the method according to one of
the claims 1 to 4, characterised in that means are foreseen in order to shoot

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the parachute away from the object to be brought to a braked landing, and in
that a device is foreseen in order to pull the parachute back from the object
at
the latest upon the reaching of the maximal distance in a jerk-like manner
and thus to accelerate the deployment of the parachute.
6. Parachute system of claim 5, characterised in that the pulling back device
is
formed by a elastic, specifically rubber elastic connecting rope, whereby
preferably means are foreseen in order to reel the rope partly after the
opening of the parachute.
7. Parachute system of claim 5, characterised in that the pulling back device
includes a motor driven reeling device for the connecting rope.
8. Parachute system of claim 5, characterised in that a auxiliary rope is
foreseen
besides the connecting line, which pulls the parachute back by utilisation of
the residual shooting away energy.

Description

CA 02324362 2000-09-19
-1_
Method for deploying an emergency parachute and parachute system comprising a
parachute deployed according to said method.
The present invention relates to a method of operating and deploying a
parachute
provided possibly with a spreading mechanism, in which a closed parachute
connected
through a connecting rope to a object possibly to be brought to a braked
landing is shot
away from the object and the spreading of the parachute is initiated, and a
parachute
operated in accordance with the invention.
Emergency parachutes are employed at flying apparatuses since a long time, may
such
be for the rescue of the pilot or of the flying apparatus itself.
The correctly dimensioned parachutes fulfil the set task when functioning
properly, on
the condition that the object to be rescued is located at a su~cient distance
above the
ground. The reason thereto is that every parachute needs a certain time in
order to
deploy and thus to exhibit the desired effect.
The deployment of a parachute can be accelerated by in some cases quite
complicated
spreading mechanisms. It, however, has been proven that those measures are not
yet
sufficient enough for a causing of a fast deployment, such that the action is
still
impossible or at least questionable if close to the ground.
Object of the present invention has bee to provide a method which allows a
extraordinary fast operation and deployment of the parachute.
This object has been met by a method of the above defined kind in accordance
with the
invention by the features of the claims 1 and 5.
Specific embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

CA 02324362 2000-09-19
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The invention is based on the recognition that a fast deployment of the
parachute occurs
if it is "pulled back" by a jerk-like movement or force, respectively.
At present rescue systems the parachutes are shot away. In order to realise
the idea of
the invention it thus was necessary to act onto the parachute opposite to the
shooting
away direction and this whenever possible before the connecting rope is
"pulled out"
completely.
Below, the invention is explained somewhat more in detail with reference to
embodiments of realisation illustrated purely schematically.
There is shown in;
Fig. 1 a first embodiment of a parachute system with a firm connecting rope,
Fig. 2 a illustration similar to Fig. 1 with a rubber-elastic connecting rope
and
Fig, 3 a further embodiment, with a auxiliary rope.
The object of all parachute systems illustrated schematically in the drawing
is to shoot
(for instance by means of a propellant charge, rocket) the closed or packed,
respectively
parachute 1 away from the object 2, e.g. a flying apparatus, ejection seat,
etc. which is
to be brought to a braked landing. The parachute 1 is connected through a
connecting
line 3 to the object 2.
The task, such as has already been mentioned above, is to pull the parachute 1
which
has been shot away at the latest at the end of the connecting rope, in a jerk-
like manner
back again in the direction of the object 2 such that the parachute 1 deploys
speedily.

CA 02324362 2000-09-19
-3-
The shooting away and the jerk-like pulling back and thus deploying of the
parachute
proceeds quite fast (in the range of seconds) such that the parachute is also
suitable for a
use close to the ground.
At the embodiment according to Fig. 1 the connecting rope 3 is connected at
the side of
the object 2 to a motor driven reeling device 4, which after a complete
spending of the
rope 3 draws same immediately automatically back (reeling back e.g. by a
spring motor
which is triggered by a jerk at the end of the rope). By the jerk-like pulling
back the
parachute is deployed immediately (tenths of seconds).
At the embodiment according to Fig. 2 the connecting rope 3 consists of a
rubber elastic
material. The rope is tensioned and at the end of the path of the stretch it
will enlist the
stored energy for a pulling back of the parachute 1. The rope 3 which is slack
after the
pulling back is partly reeled preferably by a reeling mechanism 4', so that
the action of
the parachute 1 can begin immediately.
Finally, at the embodiment according to Fig. 3 a auxiliary rope 3' is foreseen
besides the
connecting rope 3. It is connected e.g. at the points A and B to the parachute
1 and
guided at the object 2 via a guide roller 4"
Towards the end of the shooting away path the auxiliary line 3' is dragged
along at the
point A in the direction away from the object and will accordingly, acting
onto point B,
pull the parachute 1 jerk-like back and cause its speedy opening.
Whether the connection between parachute l and object 2 is initially by the
rope 3 or
the auxiliary rope 3' is unimportant .

Representative Drawing