US 4,227,663 A · Refurbishable aerial cargo delivery system and solid state circuit therefor

Abstract

There is disclosed an electronic barometric staging unit or aerial cargo delivery actuator for use with cargo carrying or recovery parachutes having an electronic pressure sensing assembly for initiating actuating of a deployment or staging line cutter such that parachute canopy directing and deployment occurs as a programmed function of a barometrically corrected altitude. The invention features a two-part housing assembly carrying the relatively expensive portion of the assembly that is reusable and an expendible or discardable portion of the assembly so that by recovering or retrieving the electronic module, it may be mated up with a new portion so as to substantially reduce the cost of subsequent usages of the apparatus. Since the barometric transducer per se is solid state and of extremely light weight, deceleration moments due to impacting the ground do not in any way impair its operation so that it may be recovered for re-use. The battery pack and the pyrotechnically activated cutter itself are the basic components which are not re-used.

Claims12

Dependent claims

An altitude sensor parachute staging unit comprising,

a first housing assembly containing an electronic barometer pressure transducer and altitude selection means for producing a parachute deployment signal,
a second housing assembly containing a direct current electrical power supply and an electrically activated cable cutter for cutting a parachute deployment cable,
complementary electrical connector means on said first and said second housing assemblies for coupling electrical energy from said power supply to said electronic barometer pressure transducer and altitude selection means contained in said first housing and for coupling said parachute deployment signal from said first housing assembly to said second housing assembly to activate said electrically activated cable cutter at a selected altitude during descent of said altitude sensor parachute staging unit.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Refurbishable aerial cargo delivery system and solid state circuit therefor

Life of this patent

Refurbishable aerial cargo delivery system and solid state circuit therefor

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims12