PARAFOIL ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT HAVING WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY

• US 20130009013A1
• Filed: 04/08/2011
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Government Of The United States Of America, As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy
• Original Assignee: The Government Of The United States Of America, As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy
• Inventors: BOURAKOV, Eugene, Yakimenko, Oleg
• Granted Patent: US 8,818,581 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 244/186
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/08 the articles being load-carrying devices
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 17/00 Parachutes non canopied parachutes B64D19/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 17/025 for gliding chutes
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0684 on a moving platform, e.g. aircraft carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/105 specially adapted for unpowered flight, e.g. glider, parachuting, forced landing parachutes per se B64D17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information

Abstract

A method is described that includes performing a), b) and c) below with an electronic control unit of a parafoil: a) after being dropped from an airborne vehicle, wirelessly receiving the parafoil'"'"'s desired landing location; b) determining a flight path for the parafoil that lands at the desired landing location; and, c) controlling the parafoil'"'"'s flight path consistently with the determined flight path.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

performing a), b) and c) below with an electronic control unit of a parafoil;

a) after being dropped from an airborne vehicle, wirelessly receiving said parafoil'"'"'s desired landing location;

b) determining a flight path for said parafoil that lands at said desired landing location; and

,

c) controlling said parafoil'"'"'s flight path consistently with said determined flight path.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said parafoil'"'"'s desired landing location is sent by electronic equipment proximate to said desired landing location.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said parafoil'"'"'s desired landing location is transmitted into a local wireless carrier'"'"'s wireless network by said electronic equipment, and, said parafoil'"'"'s desired landing location is received at said electronic control unit from said wireless carrier'"'"'s wireless network.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said wireless carrier'"'"'s wireless network is a GSM network.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said parafoil'"'"'s desired landing location is transmitted into a wireless link established between said electronic equipment and said electronic control unit.

6. The method of claim 2 further comprising entering said desired landing location into said electronic equipment.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said desired landing location is entered into said electronic equipment verbally by way of a verbal command.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising sending said verbal command over a network to a voice recognition engine, converting said verbal command into an electronic format and sending said desired landing location over said network as a command to said electronic control unit.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

an electronic control unit for a parafoil comprising;

a) wireless receiver circuitry to wirelessly receive a packet containing a desired landing destination for said parafoil;

b) a storage medium and a processing core, said storage medium containing program code that when processed by said processing core causes said control unit to perform the following method;

determining a flight path for said parafoil that lands at said desired landing location; and

,

controlling said parafoil'"'"'s flight path consistently with said determined flight path.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said wireless receiver circuitry is compatible with a local carrier'"'"'s wireless network.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said wireless network is a GSM network.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said wireless receiver circuitry is to establish a wireless link with electronic equipment proximate to said desired landing destination that sends said desired landing destination to said wireless receiver circuitry.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said electronic control unit further comprises electronic motors coupled to said processing unit to adjust trailing edge lines of said parafoil.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said electronic control unit further comprises a plurality of sensors coupled to said processing unit, said sensors to measure said parafoil'"'"'s position and orientation.

15. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said electronic control unit further comprises electronic transmission circuitry to wirelessly transmit a packet containing said parafoil'"'"'s position.

16. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said wireless receiver circuitry is to further receive at least one of direction, ground wind magnitude and a wind versus altitude profile.

17. A method, comprising:

receiving packets from a plurality of simultaneously descending parafoils that indicate the respective positions of said parafoils in the midst of their respective descent, said packets being wirelessly transmitted from said parafoils;

determining different desired landing locations for each one of said parafoils;

sending to each one of said parafoils a packet containing its respective desired landing location of said desired landing locations, each respective desired landing location to be wirelessly received by its respective descending parafoil.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said method is performed on a computing system coupled to a network through which said packets are carried.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said packets are wirelessly transmitted into a local carrier'"'"'s wireless network.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said local carrier'"'"'s wireless network is a GSM network.