Boundary layer control parachutes

Claim 2

A parachute canopy of a design arranged to retain airflows commencing in the vicinity of its skirt attached over a substantial portion of its radial length, having radially arranged gores and seams comprising a plurality of annularly arranged bands disposed in ascending tiers covering a substantial portion of said canopy, each of said bands overlapping the radially adjacent band above it and at least partially spaced therefrom in the area of the overlap, said overlapped portions providing upwardly and apex directed and upwardly narrowing annular passages forming accelerating vents over a substantial portion of said canopy commencing in the lower portion of said canopy in the vicinity of the skirt for directing flows of air from the interior of said canopy upon the outer surface of said adjacent above bands.

Claim 3

A parachute canopy according to claim 1 in which radially adjacent bands are separated at the canopy radial seams.

Claim 4

A parachute canopy according to claim 2 in which said radially adjacent bands are separated by radially oriented separating means.

Claim 5

A parachute canopy according to claim 1 in which said passages are substantially uniform in height across their mouths.

Claim 6

A parachute canopy according to claim 1 in which the surface of the canopy beyond the mouth of said passages provides a curved airfoils to said airflows.

Claim 7

A parachute canopy according to claim 1 in which radially adjacent bands are overlapped approximately one-fourth of their respective radial lengths.

Claim 8

A parachute canopy according to claim 1 in which said bands are comprised of panels; each panel widens at a point remote from its apex end and narrows at its skirt end relative to said point.

Claim 9

A parachute canopy of a design arranged to retain air flows commencing in the vicinity of its skirt attached over a substantial portion of its radial length, having radially arranged gores, radially arranged gore seams, a skirt, an apex and vent means for admitting a quantity of air from the interior of said canopy over a substantial portion of the exterior thereof, said vent means being annularly arranged accelerating vents on said canopy in a plurality of tiers ascending to a substantial elevation between the skirt and the apex and commencing in the lower portion of the canopy in the vicinity of the skirt, said vent means being arranged upwardly and towards the apex and narrowing upwardly for directing the flow of air upwards upon the exterior surface of said canopy for increasing the lift and stability of said cAnopy.

Claim 10

A parachute canopy of a design arranged to retain air flows commencing in the vicinity of its skirt attached over a substantial portion of its radial length, having radially arranged gores, radially arranged gore seams, a skirt, an apex and vent means for admitting a quantity of air from the interior of said canopy over a substantial portion of the exterior thereof, said vent means being annularly arranged accelerating vents on said canopy in a plurality of tiers ascending to a substantial elevation between the skirt and the apex and commencing in the lower portion of the canopy in the vicinity of the skirt, said vent means being arranged upwardly and towards the apex and narrowing upwardly for directing the flow of air upwards upon the exterior surface of said canopy for increasing the lift and stability of said cAnopy.

Claim 11

A parachute canopy according to claim 8 in which said tiers of vent means extend at least 30 degrees from the canopy skirt measured from the plane of said skirt.

Claim 12

A parachute canopy according to claim 8 comprising a plurality of gores joined together at their edges and converging at their apex towards the apex of said canopy, and a plurality of suspension lines secured to said canopy at the junction of adjacent gores, each of said gores comprising a plurality of panels in overlapped arrangement from the skirt portion towards the apex providing said vent means, the lower one of said pair of radially adjacent panels overlapping the panel above it and arranged to provide surfaces directed upwards toward each other in the overlapped region.

Claim 13

A parachute comprising a plurality of standing ribs oriented radially and disposed about said canopy between the apex and the skirt thereof, a plurality of radially oriented panels secured between adjacent standing ribs with said standing ribs extending above the top surfaces of said annular panels at least in part, said panels forming annular bands in which each lower band overlaps and is displaced from the band above it and is arranged to provide a plurality of ascending tiers of vents over a substantial portion of the canopy, the spaces between overlapped portions having an upward and apex orientation and narrowing in the upward direction, said vents commencing in the lower portion of the canopy.

Claim 14

A parachute comprising a plurality of standing ribs oriented radially and disposed about said canopy between the apex and the skirt thereof, a plurality of radially oriented panels secured between adjacent standing ribs with said standing ribs extending above the top surfaces of said annular panels at least in part, said panels forming annular bands in which each lower band overlaps and is displaced from the band above it and is arranged to provide a plurality of ascending tiers of vents over a substantial portion of the canopy, the spaces between overlapped portions having an upward and apex orientation and narrowing in the upward direction, said vents commencing in the lower portion of the canopy.

Claim 15

A parachute canopy according to claim 11 in which radially adjacent panels are secured between common standing ribs.

Claim 16

A parachute canopy according to claim 11 in which the upper portion of each panel is displaced towards the canopy apex.

Claim 17

A parachute canopy according to claim 11 in which laterally adjacent panels are folded over at their radial edges and said standing rib is folded over at its outer edge, and stitched between said panel folds.

Claim 18

A parachute canopy according to claim 11 in which said standing rib is folded over at its inner edge and said suspension line is stitched within said fold.

Claim 19

A parachute of a design arranged to retain air flows commencing in the vicinity of its skirt attached over a substantial portion of its radial length, comprising a canopy having radially arranged gores and gore seams from a central apex and means for introducing flows of air from the interior to the exterior thereof comprising an ascending plurality of tiers of apex-directed vents, annularly arranged over a substantial portion of the surface of the canopy commencing in the lower portion thereof in the vicinity of the canopy skirt and means for accelerating said flows of air and directing said flows upon the outer surface of the canopy comprising means for narrowing said vents in the upward direction towards the apex of the canopy.

Claim 20

A parachute of a design arranged to retain air flows commencing in the vicinity of its skirt attached over a substantial portion of its radial length, comprising a canopy having radially arranged gores and gore seams from a central apex and means for introducing flows of air from the interior to the exterior thereof comprising an ascending plurality of tiers of apex-directed vents, annularly arranged over a substantial portion of the surface of the canopy commencing in the lower portion thereof in the vicinity of the canopy skirt and means for accelerating said flows of air and directing said flows upon the outer surface of the canopy comprising means for narrowing said vents in the upward direction towards the apex of the canopy.

Claim 21

A parachute according to claim 16 in which said latter means comprises overlapped material portions, the passage between said overlap narrowing in the downstream direction.

Claim 22

A parachute according to claim 16 in which the surface of said canopy upon which said flows are directed provides airfoils for said flows.

Claim 23

A parachute according to claim 17 in which the surface of said canopy upon which said flows are directed provides airfoils for said flows.

Claim 24

A parachute canopy having annular arrangements of upward, apex-directed vent uniformly thereabout in a plurality of ascending vent tiers opening over a substantial portion of the canopy surface and commencing in the vicinity of the skirt portion thereof, each vent communicating from the interior to the exterior of the canopy, said canopy comprising a plurality of radially arranged standing ribs extending between the canopy apex and the canopy skirt and an ascending plurality of successive annular bands, with said standing ribs extending above the top surfaces of said annular bands at least in part, said bands each underlapping a substantial distance the band below it, secured to said stAnding ribs over a substantial portion of the canopy radial length, and each band being curved at its upper portion towards the canopy apex so that a plurality of spaces between radially adjacent bands narrow in the upwards and apex direction, said spaces forming the upward directed vents.

Claim 25

A parachute canopy having annular arrangements of upward, apex-directed vent uniformly thereabout in a plurality of ascending vent tiers opening over a substantial portion of the canopy surface and commencing in the vicinity of the skirt portion thereof, each vent communicating from the interior to the exterior of the canopy, said canopy comprising a plurality of radially arranged standing ribs extending between the canopy apex and the canopy skirt and an ascending plurality of successive annular bands, with said standing ribs extending above the top surfaces of said annular bands at least in part, said bands each underlapping a substantial distance the band below it, secured to said stAnding ribs over a substantial portion of the canopy radial length, and each band being curved at its upper portion towards the canopy apex so that a plurality of spaces between radially adjacent bands narrow in the upwards and apex direction, said spaces forming the upward directed vents.

Claim 26

A parachute canopy according to claim 20 wherein said annular bands are each comprised of curved panels secured along their entire radial edge between adjacent standing ribs, said standing ribs being of a width throughout their length sufficient to have secured to them the entire radial length of said panels.