Parachute Inlet Control System for Cluster Inflation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large cargo parachutes, especially clusters, face challenges with uneven inflation due to 'leading' and 'lagging' parachutes, leading to potential failure and increased payload descent rates, which can result in damage or destruction upon landing, and existing reefing systems provide insufficient control during initial inflation.
Innovation Solution
A parachute inlet control system comprising an inlet parachute coupled to a main parachute via control suspension lines and a reefing cutter, allowing controlled inflation and separation to prevent over-inflation and synchronize inflation across multiple parachutes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional reefing systems are used to control initial parachute inflation, then some control is provided during inflation, but the control is insufficient and many failures still occur due to leading and lagging parachutes
Solution Approach 1:
The reefing line is divided into multiple separate lines, each connected to a different parachute in the cluster. This segmentation allows individual control of each parachute's inflation process, enabling the system to prevent leading and lagging parachutes by controlling each unit independently rather than using a single collective reefing line.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates sensors that detect the inflation status of each parachute and provide feedback to the control system. This feedback mechanism allows the system to monitor which parachutes are inflating faster or slower and adjust the reefing line release accordingly, enabling real-time correction of leading and lagging conditions to improve overall reliability.
2Reliability
If longer delay reefing cutters are used to provide more inflation control time, then better initial parachute inflation control is achieved, but the payload may reach the ground surface before full inflation occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The reefing system transitions from a static, fixed-delay approach to a dynamic, adaptive system. The reefing lines are released at different times based on real-time detection of each parachute's inflation rate. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to optimize the inflation process for each specific deployment condition, providing precise control without unnecessary delays that would cause time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection and assessment of parachute inflation status before initiating the reefing line release sequence. By预先 detecting which parachutes need assistance and preparing the release mechanism in advance, the system can execute the optimal release timing without delay, ensuring both precise control and timely inflation completion.
3Weight of moving object
If multiple parachutes are added to form clusters to support heavier payloads, then payload capacity increases, but the potential for parachute failure increases due to leading and lagging issues
Solution Approach 1:
The cluster system uses segmented, individualized reefing lines for each parachute rather than a single collective line. This segmentation enables independent control and monitoring of each parachute's inflation process, allowing the system to identify and correct leading or lagging conditions in specific parachutes while others are inflating normally, thereby maintaining overall cluster reliability as payload weight increases.
Solution Approach 2:
Each parachute in the cluster is equipped with sensors that provide real-time feedback on inflation status to the central control system. This feedback mechanism allows the system to monitor the performance of each parachute individually and adjust the reefing line release timing for each unit, ensuring uniform inflation across the entire cluster even as the number of parachutes and total payload weight increase.
Data Source
AI summary
A parachute inlet control system is configured to provide an improved inflation profile for solo and/or clustered parachutes. An inlet parachute is coupled to a main parachute via a plurality of inlet control suspension lines and/or reefing rings. The inlet control suspension lines may be passed through the reefing rings and coupled to an anchor point below the main parachute. The inlet parachute is located in the inlet area of the main parachute, and causes the inlet of the main parachute to rapidly form a desirable shape. The inlet parachute and inlet control suspension lines function as a reefing system to prevent full inflation of the main parachute until a reefing cutter has functioned. In this manner, parachute failures, such as those due to leading and/or lagging parachutes in a parachute cluster, may be reduced or eliminated.