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US 12,030,649 B2Granted
Parachute with canopy slits or openings for preventing canopy inversion
AssigneeAirborne Systems Na Inc.
InventorWilliam Louis Bruce Gargano
Life of this patent
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AssigneeAirborne Systems Na Inc.
InventorWilliam Louis Bruce Gargano
Estimating the term…
Parachutes which have a generally circular skirt or hem, such as semi-hemispherical, extended gore, or any variant of axisymmetric parachutes and cruciform parachutes with arms attached are disclosed with a plurality of vertical slits located in a circumferential band adjacent the skirt or hem of the parachute to prevent canopy inversion. During deployment, when the outer portion of the canopy is exposed to air flow, the slits open up and the drag of the skirt of the canopy is reduced, thus limiting the potential for hem migration. The slits are positioned to allow airflow therethrough in order for the pressure on the outside of the canopy to be transferred through the slit openings and released or transferred to inside of the lower section of the canopy. Instead of slits, elongated narrow openings can be utilized.
A parachute comprising:
A parachute comprising:
A parachute comprising:
A method of providing anti-inversion capability to a parachute having a canopy with a generally circular skirt or hem around a lower edge thereof, the skirt or hem having a skirt band, said method comprising providing a plurality of generally vertical reinforced slits or elongated narrow openings spaced around said canopy and extending upwardly from said skirt band, said slits or openings being configured to reduce drag of said skirt or hem of the canopy during deployment and to enable air flow during deployment such that air pressure on an outside of the canopy is transferred through the slits or openings and released to a lower inside of the canopy so as to prevent canopy inversion during the deployment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.