Parachute separation device
AssigneeCapewell Aerial Systems LLC
InventorAdam J. Fitzgerald
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A parachute separation device is employed to releasably secure a male link body attached to a parachute riser to a female base assembly attached to a harness. The link body has a pair of shoulders which are secured to rotatably biased lock pins. A slide assembly is displaced to rotate a pair of arms which cause the lock pins to rotate to eject the link body from the base assembly. The arms have a concave recess with an offset distal end. The arms are preferably identical but axially offset. The arms are configured to allow the force exerted on the slide assembly required to release the link body to approximately 15 lbs or less.
Claims20
A parachute separation device comprising:
- a link body;
- a base assembly configured to receive the link body;
- a pair of rotatable lock pins mounted to said base assembly and rotatably biased and configured to releasably secure the link body;
- an ejection spring engageable against the received link body;
- a slide assembly received by the base assembly which is displaceable to rotate the lock pins;
- a latch which is pivotally displaceable to allow the slide assembly to be displaced;
- and
- a lock pin arm having a proximal portion rotatably fixed to each lock pin and engageable by said slide assembly, each arm having a distal offset extension and having a medial exterior side portion forming a recess between said proximal portion and said distal offset extension;
- wherein displacing said latch and pushing said slide assembly causes said slide assembly to engage said arms and rotate said lock pins to an angular position at which said ejection spring forces said received link body to eject from said base assembly.
A parachute separation assembly for releasably securing a parachute to a harness comprising:
- a link body attachable to a parachute riser and comprising a pair of shoulders;
- a base assembly configured to receive said link body and attachable to a harness;
- a pair of rotatable lock pins disposed in said base assembly and rotatably biased and configured to releasably engage said shoulders and secure said link body;
- an ejection spring biasable against said link body;
- a slide received by the base assembly which is displaceable to rotate the lock pins;
- a latch which is pivotally displaceable to allow the slide to be pushed;
- and
- a lock pin lever arm having a proximal portion rotatably fixed to each lock pin and engageable by said slide, each arm having a distal offset extension and having a medial exterior side portion forming a concave recess between said proximal portion and said distal offset extension;
- wherein displacing said latch and pushing said slide causes said slide to engage said arms and thereby rotate said lock pins to an angular position at which said ejection spring forces said received link body to eject from said base assembly.
A parachute separation device for releasably securing a parachute riser to a parachute harness comprising:
- a male link body comprising a first crossbar and a pair of locking shoulders;
- a female base assembly receiving said link body and mounting a second crossbar;
- a pair of rotatable lock pins mounted to said base assembly and rotatably biased by torsion springs to releasably secure the link body;
- an ejection spring biasable against the link body;
- a slide received by the base assembly which is displaceable to rotate the lock pins;
- a pivotally displaceable latch mounted to the base assembly is displaceable to allow the slide to be manually displaced;
- and
- a lock pin lever arm having a proximal portion rotatably fixed to each lock pin and engageable by said slide, each arm having an exterior side portion forming a concave recess and a distal extension and having a generally elongated non-linear shape;
- wherein displacing said latch and pushing said slide causes said slide to engage each said lever arm and rotate said lock pins to an angular position relative to said locking shoulders at which said ejection spring forces said link body to eject from said base assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.