US 6,416,019 B1Granted

Precision parachute recovery system

AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy

InventorsDonald Patrick Hilliard, Michael Patrick Hilliard

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Abstract

A parachute recovery system which provides for the recovery of a payload such as a target drone without damage by allowing for a safe, non-destructive landing of the payload at a desired location. The parachute recovery system comprises a payload, a parachute or parasail and a guidance control electronics and servo system. The parachute, which is rectangular in shape, is connected by a plurality of control lines to the guidance control electronics and servo system, which is attached to the payload. The payload may be an air launch component such as a spacecraft, a target drone, unmanned air vehicle, camera film, or similar apparatus. The guidance control electronics and servo system is used to control glide path trajectory and provide for a safe non-destructive landing of the payload. Servo system adjust the length of each of the plurality of control lines attached to the parachute to provide a means for controlling the parachute so as to control the speed, direction and lift of the parachute recovery system.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A parachute recovery system comprising:

(a) a generally rectangular shaped parachute having a parachute body, said parachute body having a plurality of individual cells arranged side-by-side along the width of said parachute;
(b) a plurality of control lines having one end thereof connected to said parachute and an opposite end;
(c) a preprogrammed target landing area coordinates unit for providing target landing area coordinates defining a target landing area for said parachute recovery system;
(d) a servo system having the opposite end of each of said control lines connected thereto, said servo system including:
(i) an antenna for receiving position data in a radio frequency signal format;
(ii) a guidance control device connected to said antenna to receive said position data and said preprogrammed target landing area coordinates unit to receive said target landing area coordinates;
(iii) a plurality of servo motors connected to said guidance control device, each of said servo motors having a shaft and a capstan attached to the shaft of each of said servo motors, the capstan of each servo motor having the opposite end of one of said control lines connected thereto;
(iv) said guidance control device processing said position data and said target landing area coordinates to generate a plurality of positioning signals and to provide said positioning signals to said servo motors;
(v) said servo motors, responsive to said positioning signals, rotating said capstans to continuously and separately adjust the length of each of said control lines steering said parachute on a flight path to a non-destructive landing of said parachute recovery system within said target landing area;
(e) an inertial navigation unit connected to said guidance control device, said inertial navigation unit being adapted to operate as a backup unit for said antenna to provide said position data to said guidance control device whenever said antenna fails to provide said position data to said guidance control device;
and
(f) a payload removably coupled to said servo system to allow said payload to be removed from said servo system after the non-destructive landing within of said parachute recovery system said target landing area.

9 more elements

A parachute recovery system comprising:

(a) a generally rectangular shaped parachute having a parachute body, said parachute body having a plurality of individual cells arranged side-by-side along the width of said parachute;
(b) a plurality of control lines having one end thereof connected to said parachute and an opposite end;
(c) a preprogrammed target landing area coordinates unit for providing target landing area coordinates defining a target landing area for said parachute recovery system
(d) a servo system having the opposite end of each of said control lines connected thereto, said servo system including:
(i) an antenna for receiving global positioning system data in a radio frequency signal format, said global positioning system data, said global positioning data including longitude, latitude and altitude data and rate of descent data for said parachute recovery system;
(ii) a receiver connected to said antenna to receive said global positioning system signals;
(iii) a digital computer connected to said receiver to receive said global positioning system data and said preprogrammed target landing area coordinates unit to receive said target landing area coordinates;
(iv) a plurality of servo motors connected to said digital computer, each of said servo motors having a shaft and a capstan attached to the shaft of each of said servo motors, the capstan of each servo motor having the opposite end of one of said control lines connected thereto;
(v) said digital computer processing said global positioning system data and said target landing area coordinates to generate a plurality of digital positioning signals and to provide said digital positioning signals to said servo motors;
(vi) said servo motors, responsive to said digital positioning signals, rotating said capstans to continuously and separately adjust the length of each of said control lines to steer said parachute on a flight path to said target landing area and to control a rate of descent for said parachute recovery system which allows for a non-destructive touchdown and landing of said parachute recovery system within said target landing area;
(e) an inertial navigation unit connected to said digital computer, said inertial navigation unit being adapted to operate as a backup unit for said antenna and said receiver to provide inertial navigation system position data to said digital computer whenever said antenna and said receiver fail to provide said global positioning system data to said digital computer;
and
(f) a target drone removably coupled to said servo system to allow said target drone to be removed from said servo system after the non-destructive landing of said parachute recovery system within said target landing area.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.