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Rigidized assisted opening system for high altitude parafoils

  • US 9,561,858 B2
  • Filed: 06/22/2016
  • Issued: 02/07/2017
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2015
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A parafoil comprising:

  • a base structure;

    a first elongated wing tip support having a lower end and an upper end opposite the lower end, the lower end coupled with the base structure and extending outward relative to a vertical orientation, the first wing tip support comprising a first flexible rod configured to flex to store energy of flexure;

    a second elongated wing tip support having a lower end and an upper end opposite the lower end, the lower end coupled with the base structure and extending outward relative to the vertical orientation, the second wing tip support comprising a second flexible rod configured to flex to store energy of flexure; and

    a canopy extending between a first wingtip end and a second wingtip end opposite the first wingtip end, the first wingtip end of the canopy coupled with the upper end of the first wing tip support, and the second wingtip end of the canopy coupled with the upper end of the second wing tip support,wherein the parafoil is configured to be restrained in a stowed configuration and to be released from the stowed configuration to spring open using at least in part the stored energy of flexure of the first and second flexible rods into a deployed flight configuration,wherein, in the stowed configuration, the upper ends of the first and second wing tip supports are located above the respective lower ends and converge inward relative to the vertical orientation, andwherein, in the deployed flight configuration, the canopy is spread open and the first and second wing tip supports extend outward relative to the vertical orientation.

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