PARACHUTE CANOPY

Abstract: Parachute canopy (10) of the type comprising at least one steering or drive aperture (20, 20a) which is adjusted by the parachutist by means of special pull lines (32, 32a). A parachute portion (30, 30a) covers the steering aperture and is openable inwards by means of a pull line inside the parachute canopy, whereas, by the air pressure in the canopy, it is brought into the position covering the steering apertures (20, 20a), in which it is supported and retained by separate holder means (28) such as a netting or the like.

Description: Parachute Canopy The present invention relates to a parachute canopy of that type which comprises at least one steering or drive aperture, the openabie area of which is arranged controllable by a parachutist by mean ' s of special ' operating members, such as pull lines. A usual , completely closed parachute canopy which has no steering nor drive apertures, is quickly activate when it, while being deployed, is filled with air. Such a parachute thus affords safe inflation and requires short height for becoming operative and, therefore, is usually used as rescue and paratroops parachute. However, in certain situations it is, in order to reduce the risk of bodily injuries after the deployment an advantage that the parachute can be steered away, for example when there is danger of collision with another parachutist in the air or with obstacles on - the ground. Thus, parachutes are known which are steer- able immediately after having been opended and are load- bearing or which after that they are load-bearing can be imparted a changed shape which renders possible steering and own propulsion for the whole time until the landing. Usually, this is accomplished by means of an aperture situated asymmetrically on the canopy and which steers or imparts to the parachute a driving move- ment in a certain direction, or by means of symmetricall disposed apertures the openabie area of which can be adjusted. In the latter case, the apertures have full area when the canopy is being deployed, and the steering is' brought about by reducing the area of oπs or several of the apertures by diminishing the open space by means of pul 1- 1 i nes . The drawback of these known design is that the parachute normally cannot serve as a usual parachute driven by the wind during the descent, since in such a case all steering apertures must be closed. First time jumpers, when rescue-parachuting from airplanes, are unexperienced with steering of the parachute and, there¬ fore, easily can fail so that the jumper with increased speed drives with the wind, and thereby, considerably increases the risk of injuries in connection with the landing. In the dropping of paratroops, also experi¬ ence has shown that the risk of collisions between the parachutists immediately after the jump is greater with steerable parachutes of known type, which after .the de¬ ployment phase may drive against one another. The in- creased risk of collision between steerable parachutes is present also when jumping in the dark during the whole descent, as the jumpers may have difficult to see one another and in time turn the parachute for steering away. The main object of the present invention is to pro¬ vide a steerable parachute canopy of the type stated in the introduction with which the above-mentioned draw¬ backs are avoided. Another object of the invention is thus to provide a steerable parachute canopy which works as a conventional uninterrupted canopy when being des- ployed, and moreover, so when the parachutist so re¬ quires, without any specific measures being taken from his side, whereas the parachute canopy shall be capable of becoming steered by means of control lines, whenever so desired. These and other objects are achieved according to the invention thereby that the parachute canopy has been imparted the characteristics stated in the subsequent cl ai s. The invention will be described nearer in the following in connection with an embodiment shown in the attached drawings. Figure 1 shows a view of the parachute canopy according to the invention provided with two steering or drive apertures. Figure 2 shows on a larger scale a section following the line 11—11 in Figure 1. Figure 3 shows a side view of a parachut canopy with control and shrout lines. Figure 4 shows on a larger scale a view of the lower portion of the parachute of Figure 3. Figure 5 shows a view re¬ sembling Figure 3 of the parachute when both steering apertures are actuated. The parachute shown in the drawings comprises, as is evident from i a Figure 1, a round canopy 10, which is plane or shape-made and which is composed of a number of gores 12. As is shown in the Figures 3 and 4, the parachute canopy 10 is in conventional manner by a number of strout lines 14 connected with fittings 16 which in turn by means or straps, or as an alter¬ native, woven belts 18 are connected with a (not shown) harness carried by the parachutist. The parachute canopy made according to the inven¬ tion has two steering apertures which are formed ident¬ ically alike and of which, therefore, only that at right-hand in Figure 1 will be described nearer. Each steering opening is in the present case formed by a slit or slot 20 which runs radially e g between two gores. This slot 20 may be itself constitute the steering aperture but, in addition, slot or slits 22, 24 passing approximately rectangularly to the slot 10 may be formed in the canopy 10 over the breadth of a gore, for example, so that a flap is formed which is connected with the parachute canopy along the radial joint line 26 between the slots 22 and 24 only. The portion of the parachute canopy delimited by the slots 20, and possibly 22, 24 also, which portion henceforth will be denominated steering gore, is covered by an air-permeable material, such as open-meshed cloth, netting or ribbon 28, which are sewn onto the external side of the canopy and prevent the steering gore from opening towards the upper side of the parachute canopy 10. The covering material 28 is shown in Figure 2 with dash-dotted lines. Fixed to the exposed portion of the steering gore at the slot 20, e g on the centre thereof, is an openin line, such as a pull line 32, which runs down to the parachute fitting 16 shown in Figure 4. By pulling the pull line 32 as is indicated by the arrow in Figure 4, the -steering gore can be drawn downwards from the under side of the parachute canopy, as is indicated with brok lines in the Figures 2 and 3, whereby a slot or apertur is uncovered through which the air can stream out from the interior of the parachute canopy through the air-, permeable material 28 and thus accomplish a steering or driving movement of the parachute. If the parachutist lets the ' operating line 32 go, the steering gore 30 will be caused by the air pressure to return into the position shown in Figure 2 with full lines, th.e ' parachute then working as a usual parachute, the canopy of which has no steering and drive apertures and which thus has a completely closed canopy. The return movement of the steering gore 30 can be assisted by elastic straps 34 or the like attached between the edge of the adjacent parachute gore 12 and the steering gore 30, which straps 34 can be used also to delimit the steering aperture area. Obviously, separate return and arresting straps may be provided also. The left-hand steering gores 30a shown in the fig¬ ures are identically alike the steering gores 30, but reversed, for which reason the details comprised there¬ by have been given the same denominations with an "a" added. If the steering gores 30, 30a, which are shown in the Figures 1 to 5, are positioned in the- rear half of the parachute canopy 10 relatively to that direction which is faced by the jumper, there i s obtained by trac¬ tion downwards of the right-hand steering line, as is shown in the Figures 3 and 4, a turning movement to the left of the parachute. On simultaneous traction downwards of both the right-hand and the left-hand steering lines 32 and 32a, which is shown in Figure 5, the parachute is imparted a driving movement ahead as long as the downward traction is maintained. It is clea that positioning of the steering gores 30, 30a on the front half of the parachute canopy 10 results in an opposite effect. It is also obvious that the steering gores 30, 30a can be more in number than 2, such as 4, . 6 etc., and in pairs or uniformly placed on the one half portion of the canopy. As is evident from the abovesaid, a parachute has been achieved which under jumping and deployment works as a parachute with totally closed canopy as well as in situations of panic when the jumper most likely will let the operating lines go, whereas- it at the same time renders possible to bring about steerage and driving movement by sui tably actuations of the operating lines 32, 32a. Obviously, the invention is not limited to the shown and described embodiment, but may be varied in the widest sense within the scope of-.the basic idea thereof.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Parachute canopy (10) of the type comprising at least one steering or drive aperture (20, 20a), the operning area of which is devised controllable by a parachutist by means of special operating members, such as pull lines (32, 32a), c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that a parachute portion (30, 30a) covering the steering aperture is designed openabie inwards inside the parachute canopy so that it by the air pressure within the canopy is brought into the position covering the steering aperture (20, 20a), holder means (28) being disposed to support and retain the parachute por¬ tion (30, 30a) in said position, the parachute portion being adapted by the operating members (32, 32a) to be brought into a position more or less uncovering the steering aperture and permitting escape of air through said steering aperture. 2. Canopy according to claim 1 , c h a r a c ¬ e r i z e d in that said holder means (28) comprise an air-permeable material , such as netting, cloth, ribbon or the like, disposed above the openabie para¬ chute portion (30, 30a) and entirely covering the steering aperture. 3. Canopy according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r ¬ a c t e r i z e d in that the steering aperture com- prises a radial slot (20, 20a), for example between two parachute gores, the operating member (32, 32a) being fixed to the mid portion of the one gore forming the openabie parachute portion. 4. Canopy according to claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the steering aperture also comprises two slots (22, 22a; 24 r 24a) substantially perpendicular to said slot (20, 20a). 5. Canopy according to any of the claims 1 to 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the openabie para¬ chute portion (30, 30a) at its free edge is connected with the remaining parachute canopy by elastically yielding means such as straps (34). 6. Canopy according to any of the claims 1 to 5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that several steering apertures ( ' 20 , 20a) are disposed in pairs or uniformly positioned in the one half of the cap (10).

Inventors: ASTRAND HARALD
Applicants: ASTRAND HARALD, FALLSKARMS IRVIN AB, FALLSKAERMS AB IRVIN
Application year: 1981
Main classification: B64D17
IPC codes: B64D17