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US 10,118,707 B2Granted
Aircraft parachute deployment autopilot
AssigneeCirrus Design Corporation
InventorsGarrett John Homan, David A. Rathbun, Kevin P. Welsh, Jeremy Travis Engel, Anthony Dale Kasher
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An aircraft includes an airframe parachute system. The parachute system includes an activation system, an extraction system, a harness system, and a parachute assembly.
Claims25
A system for managing the deployment of a parachute assembly for slowing an aircraft, the system comprising:
- an autopilot component comprising software executed on a microprocessor, the autopilot component being configured, when an activation signal is received, to send a control signal to cause a controller or actuator to slow the aircraft;
- and
- a control box component including software executed on a microprocessor and a speed sensor configured to determine a speed of the aircraft, the control box component configured, when the activation signal is received, to determine whether the speed of the aircraft is at or below a maximum deployment speed for deploying the parachute assembly, and if so, send a deploy signal for deployment of the parachute assembly,
- wherein the control box component includes -
- a first channel including an airspeed switch circuit, wherein said airspeed switch circuit includes -
- a first differential pressure sensor and a first absolute pressure sensor to sense a pressure related to the speed of the aircraft,
- first and second comparators to determine whether the aircraft is at or below the maximum deployment speed;
- and
- a second channel including a time-out circuit, wherein said time-out circuit includes -
- a second differential pressure sensor, a second absolute pressure sensor, and a timer configured to determine whether the speed of the aircraft is decreasing during a first period after the activation signal was received, and -
- if the speed is decreasing, then the timer resets to allow the aircraft to continue to slow to at or below the maximum deployment speed, and
- if the speed is not decreasing, then a deploy signal is sent for deployment of the parachute assembly.
9 more elements
An aircraft parachute system for slowing an aircraft, the aircraft parachute system comprising:
- a parachute assembly;
- and
- a deployment management system for generating signals for deployment of the parachute assembly the deployment management system including
- an autopilot component comprising software executed on a microprocessor, the autopilot component being configured, when an activation signal is received, to send a control signal to cause a controller or actuator to slow the aircraft, and
- a control box component including software executed on a microprocessor and a speed sensor configured to determine a speed of the aircraft, the control box component configured, when the activation signal is received, to
- determine whether the speed of the aircraft is at or below a maximum deployment speed for deploying the parachute assembly, and if so, send a deploy signal for deployment of the parachute assembly,
- wherein the control box component includes
- a first channel including an airspeed switch circuit, wherein said airspeed switch circuit includes
- a first differential pressure sensor and a first absolute pressure sensor to sense a pressure related to the speed of the aircraft,
- first and second comparators to determine whether the aircraft is at or below the maximum deployment speed;
- and
- a second channel including a time-out circuit, wherein said time- out circuit includes
- a second differential pressure sensor, a second absolute pressure sensor, and a timer configured to determine whether the speed of the aircraft is decreasing during a first period of between five seconds and fifteen seconds after the activation signal has been received, and
- if the speed is decreasing, then the timer resets to allow the aircraft to continue to slow to at or below the maximum deployment speed,
- if the speed is not decreasing, then a deploy signal is sent for deployment of the parachute assembly, and
- even if the speed is decreasing, if after a second period of time of between twenty and forty seconds the speed is not at or below the maximum deployment speed, a deploy signal is sent.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.