G-field parachute recovery apparatus and method

Claim 3

The method defined in claim 1 wherein said parachute is deployed by releasing the folded canopy of said parachute from its pack while said force is being applied to the man, maintaining the canopy folded for a predetermined period after it is released, and maintaining the released, folded canopy relatively motionless at least in the man''s line of travel while the continued movement of the man by said force displaces him away from the released canopy to pay out the shroud lines of said parachute.

Claim 4

The method defined in claim 1 wherein said force is applied to said man by providing for a rocket having an ignitable propellant and being positioned for flight away from said vehicle, by providing a motion transmitting towline connection between said rocket and said man or said other load for transmitting the thrust of the rocket to the man, and by igniting the rocket propellent to cause said rocket to fly away from said vehicle to pull the man or other load away from said vehicle.

Claim 5

The method defined in claim 3, wherein said force is applied to the man independently of said parachute.

Claim 6

The method defined in claim 3, wherein said force accelerates the man through a predetermined distance and wherein said parachute is deployed by releasing the canopy of the parachute from its pack while the man is being accelerated by said force to enable said force to move the man away from the released canopy for paying out the shroud lines of said parachute.

Claim 7

The method defined in claim 5, characterized in that said canopy is released just beyond that point where it could contact said vehicle.

Claim 8

The method defined in claim 5, wherein the canopy is folded in said pack, said method further comprising the steps of maintaining said canopy confined in a folded condition after it is released from said pack and for an appreciable predetermined percentage of shroud line stretch, and releasing said canopy from its confinement for deployment and inflation only when said shroud lines are deployed to said predetermined percentage of shroud line stretch.

Claim 11

The method defined in claim 8 wherein said canopy is inflated by jerking the shroud lines taut to cause the canopy to leap toward the man and engulf a large bubble of air.

Claim 16

The combination defined in claim 11, wherein said escape apparatus further comprises as extensible towline for connecting said rocket to the man, said towline being extended to a tensioned condition by the flight of said rocket away from said vehicle, and said rocket applying a thrust through the motion transmitting connection provided by the tensioned towline to pull the man away from said vehicle, said towline being sufficiently long that the man trails remotely behind said rocket during its flight away from said vehicle, with said parachute being arranged to deploy behind the man.

Claim 17

In combination with an escape apparatus having a rocket adapted to operatively be secured to an occupant or other load in an air or space vehicle, and means for igniting the rocket propellant for causing said rocket to Fly away from the vehicle to forcibly remove the occupant therefrom and to move him through the air, a parachute pack carried by the occupant and comprising a letdown parachute having a canopy and shroud and riser lines connecting said canopy to the occupant, and means responsive to a predetermined time delay for releasing said parachute into the airstream created by the occupant''s movement through the air after the occupant is removed from the vehicle but while said rocket is secured to the occupant and the rocket propellant is still burning, there being sufficient rocket propellant remaining after said parachute is released and while said rocket is still connected to the occupant to forcibly move him a predetermined distance away from the released parachute to deploy said shroud and riser lines substantially along the path of the occupant''s movements through the air. 14 . The combination defined in claim 13, wherein said pack includes a parachute pack cover, said canopy and said shroud lines being folded and stowed in said cover, and said means responsive to said predetermined time delay comprising means for opening said cover to release the folded canopy and shroud lines into said airstream.

Claim 20

The combination defined in claim 14, wherein said assembly further comprises a normally closed deployment bag in which the folded canopy is stowed, said deployment bag being received in said cover, and said shroud lines being stowed in said cover exteriorly of said bag, said bag containing the folded canopy being dumped behind the occupant when said cover is opened, and means for opening said bag in response to a predetermined stretch of said shroud lines to provide for the removal of said canopy from said bag.

Claim 21

The combination defined in claim 14, wherein said means for opening said cover comprises releasable fastener means on said cover and a lanyard connecting said fastener means to said vehicle, said lanyard being tensioned by the removal of the occupant from said vehicle, and said fastener being operated by the tensioning of said lanyard to open said cover.

Claim 22

The combination defined in claim 16, wherein the effective length of said lanyard is sufficiently small that is is tensioned to open said canopy cover just when the occupant is clearing the vehicle.

Claim 23

In combination with an escape apparatus having a rocket adapted to operatively be secured by a motion transmitting towline to an occupant in an air or space vehicle, and means for igniting the propellant in said rocket for causing said rocket to fly away from said vehicle to forcibly remove the occupant therefrom and to pull the occupant through the air through the motion transmitting connection provided by said towline, a parachute pack comprising a parachute pack cover defining a normally closed envelope, a parachute canopy deployment bag stowed in said envelope, a letdown parachute having a canopy and shroud and riser lines connecting said canopy to the occupant, said canopy being stowed in said bag, and said shroud lines being stowed in said envelope exteriorly of said bag, means for opening said cover to release said bag and said shroud lines for deployment behind the occupant and into the airstream created by the occupant''s movement through the air in response to a predetermined time delay after the thrust of the ignited rocket is first applied to the occupant to remove him from said vehicle and while the propellant-burning thrust of said rocket is being applied to occupant causing the occupant to be accelerated away from said vehicle, said bag with said canopy stowed therein having sufficient inertia that it remains relatively motionless at least in the direction of the occupant''s travel to enable the propellant-burning thrust of said rocket to carry the occupant a predetermined distance away from the released bag and thereby stretch out said shroud lines, and means responsive to a predetermined stretch of said shroud lines for opening said bag to provide for the removal and inflation of said cAnopy.

Claim 24

In combination with an escape apparatus having a rocket adapted to operatively be secured by a motion transmitting towline to an occupant in an air or space vehicle, and means for igniting the propellant in said rocket for causing said rocket to fly away from said vehicle to forcibly remove the occupant therefrom and to pull the occupant through the air through the motion transmitting connection provided by said towline, a parachute pack comprising a parachute pack cover defining a normally closed envelope, a parachute canopy deployment bag stowed in said envelope, a letdown parachute having a canopy and shroud and riser lines connecting said canopy to the occupant, said canopy being stowed in said bag, and said shroud lines being stowed in said envelope exteriorly of said bag, means for opening said cover to release said bag and said shroud lines for deployment behind the occupant and into the airstream created by the occupant''s movement through the air in response to a predetermined time delay after the thrust of the ignited rocket is first applied to the occupant to remove him from said vehicle and while the propellant-burning thrust of said rocket is being applied to occupant causing the occupant to be accelerated away from said vehicle, said bag with said canopy stowed therein having sufficient inertia that it remains relatively motionless at least in the direction of the occupant''s travel to enable the propellant-burning thrust of said rocket to carry the occupant a predetermined distance away from the released bag and thereby stretch out said shroud lines, and means responsive to a predetermined stretch of said shroud lines for opening said bag to provide for the removal and inflation of said cAnopy.

Claim 25

In combination with a rocket having an ignitable propellant and being positioned for flight away from a space, means for igniting the rocket propellant to cause the rocket to fly away from said space, and means providing a motion transmitting connection between said rocket and an occupant of said space for removing the occupant from said space and for rendering the occupant airborne by forcibly moving him through the air upon the ignited flight of said rocket away from said space, a parachute pack comprising a letdown parachute connected to the occupant, and means responsive to a predetermined time delay after the occupant is removed from said space for releasing said parachute into the airstream created by the occupant''s movement through the air while said rocket is still connected by said motion transmitting connection to said occupant and while the rocket propellant is still burning, said rocket having sufficient propellant remaining after said parachute is released to forcible move said occupant away from the released parachute for deploying the shroud lines of said parachute substantially along the path of the occupant''s movement through the air.

Claim 26

In combination with a rocket having an ignitable propellant and being positioned for flight away from a space, means for igniting the rocket propellant to cause the rocket to fly away from said space, and means providing a motion transmitting connection between said rocket and an occupant of said space for removing the occupant from said space and for rendering the occupant airborne by forcibly moving him through the air upon the ignited flight of said rocket away from said space, a parachute pack comprising a letdown parachute connected to the occupant, and means responsive to a predetermined time delay after the occupant is removed from said space for releasing said parachute into the airstream created by the occupant''s movement through the air while said rocket is still connected by said motion transmitting connection to said occupant and while the rocket propellant is still burning, said rocket having sufficient propellant remaining after said parachute is released to forcible move said occupant away from the released parachute for deploying the shroud lines of said parachute substantially along the path of the occupant''s movement through the air.

Claim 27

The combination defined in claim 20 wherein said means providing said motion transmitting connection comprises a flexible, extendible towline that is pulled taut by the flight of said rocket away from said space, said rocket upon flight away from said space being operative to pull the man away from said space through the connection provided by said towline.

Claim 28

The combination defined in claim 21, wherein said towline is connected to the occupant independently of said parachute and positions the occupant between said rocket and said parachute during deployment thereof.