A device for rapid deployment of a parachute

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of parachute technology, specifically disclosing a device for rapidly deploying a parachute. The invention provides a device for rapidly deploying a parachute, a device capable of accelerating the orderly entry of air into the parachute canopy. One embodiment of the invention comprises a parachute, a gas duct, an inflation unit, an ejection unit, an electronic control unit, and a parachute compartment. After the parachute is fully extended from the compartment, high-pressure gas from the gas cylinder is introduced into the gas duct, causing the parachute opening rapidly, allowing air to inflate the parachute more quickly, thereby rapidly increasing the parachute's deployment speed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of parachute technology, and more specifically, discloses a device for rapidly deploying a parachute. Background Technology

[0002] Installing drone parachutes has become a social consensus. However, due to the technical limitations of drone parachutes, the opening height of parachutes is currently limited to 50-100 meters, except for ultra-low-altitude opening at 15 meters. This still cannot meet the needs of drones for full-airspace protection.

[0003] Currently, drone parachutes are launched into the air and then deploy using the buoyancy created by the drone's descent and the downward movement of the parachute. Because the parachute canopy is relatively thin, this process of air entering the parachute is slow, especially when the parachute area is large, such as 25 square meters or even 150 square meters. Although this process is brief, for a drone in freefall, every 0.1 second increase in deployment speed is crucial. Therefore, how to quickly and fully deploy the parachute after it is ejected from the canopy has become the core factor limiting the protection range of current intelligent parachute systems for drones. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a device for rapidly deploying a parachute, a device capable of accelerating the orderly entry of air into the parachute canopy. One embodiment of the invention provides a parachute, an air duct, an inflation unit, an ejection unit, an electronic control unit, and a parachute compartment. The parachute comprises a canopy, parachute lines, and a tow parachute (optional). The canopy can be any shape, such as circular, square, wing-shaped, or cross-shaped (preferably, this embodiment uses a circular parachute). The edge of the canopy has a pre-reserved locking edge to allow the air duct body to pass through. The ends of the parachute lines are secured to a support connected to a drone via threads. On the frame, the canopy is folded in a Z-shape and stored inside the canopy compartment, covered by the canopy compartment lid; the air duct can be one or more, and when it is a single air duct, it can be connected to the inflation unit at one end and closed at the other, or connected to the inflation unit at both ends, or multiple air ducts (preferably, in this embodiment, it is connected to the inflation unit at one end and closed at the other), the main body of the air duct wraps around the edge of the canopy; the inflation unit can be any one of the following: a gas cylinder, a gas generator, or a mixture (gas cylinder and gas generator) (preferably, in this embodiment, it is a gas cylinder), and the inflation unit can be triggered in various ways. The triggering method can be any one of the following: physical triggering method such as wire harness, remote triggering method such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi infrared, and circuit excitation method (preferably, this embodiment uses physical wire harness triggering method). One end of the wire harness connecting the inflatable unit's piercing needle is fixed together with the end of the parachute cord, and the other end is connected to the firing pin. The length of the wire harness is not longer than the shortest wire harness in the parachute cord (hereinafter referred to as the piercing cord). The ejection unit consists of a mounting base, an energy block, and an ejection block. The parachute canopy can be placed entirely on the ejection block and ejected together, or the ejection block can be connected to the pre-reserved connection at the top center of the parachute canopy via a wire harness, etc. The ejection block is connected to the top of the parachute tow rope via a fastener (without a tow parachute), or via a rope or similar means (with a tow parachute). Preferably, this embodiment uses a fastener pre-reserved in the middle top of the parachute canopy without a tow parachute. The ejection unit is fixed to the drone or inside the parachute compartment by bolts. The energy block can be any one of explosives, gas generators, high-pressure gas cylinders, or any combination thereof (preferably, this embodiment uses a gas generator). The energy block is activated by a circuit signal, that is, by connecting the circuit between the energy block and the control unit.

[0005] Understandably, the energy block of the ejection unit is connected to the electronic control unit via wires. Normally, this circuit is in the off state. Once the control unit's sensors collect the attitude information of the drone's fall or receive the command to open the parachute, the control unit immediately connects the circuit, triggering the energy block to release high-voltage energy to eject the ejection block at high speed, opening the parachute compartment and pulling the top of the parachute away. At the same time, the piercing wire is straightened, causing the firing pin to pierce the gas cylinder (the structure of the piercing wire triggering the firing pin to pierce the gas cylinder is not claimed in this invention, but uses a mature accessory commonly used in the manual version of water-inflatable life jackets on the market). This allows the high-pressure gas in the gas cylinder to fill the air duct, making the air duct hard, thereby causing the parachute opening downwards, allowing airflow to quickly fill in and fully open the parachute, thereby reducing the drone's fall speed and protecting the drone and its attached equipment. The following beneficial effects can be achieved by implementing the embodiments of the present invention: After the parachute is fully pulled out of the canopy, the high-pressure gas from the gas cylinder is introduced into the gas delivery tube, causing the parachute opening rapidly and the air to inflate the parachute more quickly, thus increasing the parachute's opening speed rapidly.

[0006] The device uses a flexible tubular structure to open the parachute, making the parachute easier to fold and reducing the size of the parachute compartment in the drone's structure. The parachute compartment can also be made in various shapes, which makes the drone more compact and lighter. Attached Figure Description To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0007] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a parachute unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0008] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a parachute assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0009] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of an inflation unit provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of an ejection unit provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] The following are the labeling elements in the figure: 1-Parachute; 11-Canopy; 12-Canopy edge channel; 13-Air duct; 14-Piercing needle pull cord; 15-Parachute lines; 2-Parachute compartment; 21-Parachute compartment cover; 22-Parachute compartment base; 23-Support; 3-Ejection unit; 31-Ejection base; 32-Ejection block; 33-Energy block; 34-Rubber ring; 4-Electrical control unit; 5-Inflation unit; 51-Piercing mechanism; 52-Gas cylinder; 53-Air nozzle; Detailed Implementation

[0012] To make the technical problem to be solved, the technical solution, and the beneficial effects of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and one embodiment of many embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0013] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another component, it can be directly on or indirectly on that other component. When a component is referred to as being "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to or indirectly connected to that other component.

[0014] It should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the present invention.

[0015] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0016] Please refer to the following: Figures 1 to 4The following describes an embodiment of a rapid deployment parachute device provided by the present invention: This embodiment consists of a parachute 1, an inflation unit 5, an ejection unit 3, an electronic control unit 4, and a parachute compartment 2. The parachute comprises a canopy 11, a canopy edge channel 12, an air duct 13, a piercing pull line 14, and parachute lines 15. The canopy 11 is circular in shape, with a pre-reserved locking edge around its edge, i.e., the canopy edge channel 12, so that the air duct 13 can pass through it. The ends of the parachute lines 5 are bound to a bracket 23 connected to a drone via threads. The canopy 11 is folded in a Z-shape and stored in the parachute compartment base 22, covered by the parachute compartment cover 21. The air duct 13 has an air duct nozzle connected to the inflation unit at one end and closed at the other end, and both ends are connected to the inflation unit. The connection method is a clamp. The other end passes into the canopy edge channel 12 and the port is sealed. The inflation unit 5 is a gas cylinder type, and the triggering method of the inflation unit 5 is a wire harness physical triggering method. One end of the needle pull wire 14 connecting the needle of the inflation unit 5 is fixed together with the end of the parachute rope 15 connected to the canopy 11, and the other end is connected to the firing pin of the piercing mechanism. The length of the needle pull wire 14 is shorter than the parachute rope 15. The ejection unit 3 consists of an ejection base 31, an energy block 33, and an ejection block 32. The ejection block is connected to the connecting buckle reserved in the middle top of the canopy 11 through the wire harness. The ejection base 31 is fixed in the canopy base 22 by bolts. The energy block 33 can be a gas generator type energy block, which is connected to the ejection base 31 by threads. The ejection block 32 is inserted into the ejection base 31 and is interference-fitted by a rubber ring 34. The excitation method of the energy block 33 is a circuit signal, that is, the circuit connecting the energy block 33 and the control unit 4 is turned on.

[0017] Understandably, the energy block 33 of the ejection unit 3 is connected to the electronic control unit 4 via wires. Normally, this circuit is in the off state. Once the sensor of the control unit 4 collects the attitude information of the drone's fall or receives the command to open the parachute, the control unit immediately connects the circuit, triggering the energy block 33 to undergo a chemical reaction (the components and equations of the chemical reaction are not included in the claims of this patent) and release high-pressure gas to eject the ejection block 32 and push open the three-compartment cover 21, pulling the top of the parachute 1 away. At the same time, the piercing needle pull line 14 is straightened, causing the impact pin to pierce the gas cylinder 52, so that the gas in the gas cylinder 52 fills the air guide tube 13, making the air guide tube 13 harden, thereby opening the parachute 1's opening, further allowing the airflow to quickly enter and completely open the parachute 1, thereby reducing the drone's fall speed and protecting the drone and its mounted equipment.

[0018] The above description is merely one embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device for rapidly deploying a parachute, characterized in that, include: A parachute unit includes a canopy, parachute lines, and a canopy edge channel, the canopy edge channel being disposed along the edge of the canopy; An air duct, passing through the edge channel of the canopy, is used to open the canopy opening after inflation; An inflation unit, connected to the air guide tube, is used to provide high-pressure gas to the air guide tube; The ejection unit, including an ejection base, an energy block, and an ejection block, is used to eject the parachute from the parachute compartment; The umbrella compartment is used to store the folded umbrella canopy. An electronic control unit is used to control the triggering of the ejection unit and the inflation unit; wherein, the inflation unit is connected to the parachute lines via a needle pull line. When the ejection unit ejects the parachute, the needle pull line triggers the inflation unit to inflate the air guide tube, causing the parachute canopy to deploy rapidly.

2. The device for rapidly deploying a parachute according to claim 1, characterized in that, The parachute can be any shape, such as round, square, wing-shaped, or cross-shaped, with a pre-reserved edging around the edge of the canopy so that the main body of the air duct can be inserted.

3. The device for rapidly deploying a parachute according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The air duct can be one or multiple. When the air duct is a single air duct, it can be connected to the inflation unit at one end and closed at the other end, or connected to the inflation unit at both ends, or multiple air ducts.

4. The device for rapidly deploying a parachute according to claim 3, characterized in that, The inflation unit can be triggered by any of the following methods: physical triggering such as wire harness, remote triggering such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or infrared, or circuit excitation.

5. The device for rapidly deploying a parachute according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gas unit can be any one of a gas storage cylinder, a gas generator, or a mixture (gas storage and gas generator).

6. The device for rapidly deploying a parachute according to claim 5, characterized in that, The parachute canopy can be ejected in any of the following ways: the entire canopy is placed on the ejection block and thrown out together; the ejection block is connected to the connecting buckle reserved at the top of the middle of the parachute canopy via a rope or other means (in the case of no towing parachute); or the ejection block is connected to the top of the parachute towing rope via a rope or other means (in the case of a towing parachute).

7. The device for rapidly deploying a parachute according to claim 1, characterized in that, The energy block can be any one of the following: explosives, gas generators, high-pressure gas cylinders, and any mixture thereof.

8. The device for rapidly deploying a parachute according to claim 1, characterized in that, The length of the needle pull cord is less than or equal to the length of the shortest paracord to ensure that the inflation unit is triggered after the canopy is fully extended.

9. The device for rapidly deploying a parachute according to claim 1, characterized in that, The energy block is activated by a circuit signal.

10. The device for rapidly deploying a parachute according to claim 1, characterized in that, The diameter of the air duct is 2-8mm, and the material is nylon or polyurethane to improve the rigidity after inflation.

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