Abstract:
A landing shock absorber for aircraft including brake parachutes and comprising a landing cushion for creating damping upon impact of the aircraft, the landing cushion having an inflatable inner bag including a pressure-tight, plastically deformable sheet. The inner bag defines a plurality of inflatable air chambers, and at least one opening between the chambers for establishing communication between the chambers. The landing cushion further includes an outer bag enclosing the inner bag and having a greater internal volume that an internal volume of the inflatable air chambers of the inner bag when the chambers are inflated, the outer bag including a tear-resistant fabric defining a plurality of throttle openings therein.
Abstract:
An airbag module is positioned relative to an aircraft control yoke or shaft, the airbag being actuated by majority voting sensors that are responsive to acceleration forces upon the aircraft. The aircraft control yoke or control yoke post is constructed to telescope, extend, or move a limited distance toward the pilot as the airbag inflates. The yoke carries telescoping, extendable, or movable handle portions that allow left and right hand pilot grip handles to move, if necessary, under the force of the expanding airbag. Hand sleeves may be provided to help maintain the pilot's hands on the grip handles during airbag expansion. The movable yoke and handle portions may be manually or automatically restored to normal operative positions after airbag deflation. The yoke may be formed so as to provide a U shaped section that accommodates a horizontal support or table for holding the airbag module, a map, or a like device. The U shaped yoke and table support members are structured such that the table remains horizontal during pivoting movement of the yoke to control aircraft roll, and during generally horizontal movement of the yoke to control aircraft pitch.
Abstract:
An object protection system protects properties and lives from collision, vibration or earthquake. The system comprises an energy body, a forcing system, and energy force releasing means. According to the theory of the present invention, the reacting force responding to the forcing system in the direction opposite to the striking force is significantly less than the striking force by the principle of energy force released from the forcing system into a space. This novel concept of the present invention is leaping from the classical science with much significance and many distinctive applications to protect the properties and lives. Further application of this principle in consecutively and continuously to reduce the reacting force from the forcing system, theoretically, the reacting force may approach zero, practically, the reacting force cannot reach zero. In practical applications, the present invention achieves a degree of significance by further reducing the reacting force to an amount less than fifty (50) percent of the striking force to protect the properties and lives in case of collision, vibration or earthquake. The system further comprises and combines means for inflating and refilling medium into cell structure, moveable panel and fixed panel, a number of cell structures in cell structure, a number of cell structures in series, parallel, or loop arrangements, means for decelerating and balancing a moving object, and means for measuring the reacting force. The system can be disposed onto land, air and water vehicles, building structures, building grounds, river banks, river beds, piers, highway barriers, airport runways, car raceways, train railways, guided rails, rail end stops, nuclear reactor blow out stops, vibrating machines, sensitive equipment, instruments, dangerous goods, and supporting structures for the protection of properties and lives to enhance our quality of life and preserve a safe living environment.
Abstract:
An emergency soft-landing system (10) for use on a rotor-type aircraft such as a helicopter (70). The system (10) includes at least one parachute-containing structure (12) that houses at least one parachute (50). The structure (12) is designed to be selectivelly attached to various locations on the helicopter's lower surface (76), the sides (82), and to the landing gear struts (85). The parachute (50) is deployed from the structure (12) when an out-of-control landing is unavoidable or an extreme emergency exists. The system (10) can be designed so that the parachute-containing structure (12) operates in combination with an airbag (60). An airbag can be attached to the helicopter's lower surface (76) near the rear end (78), and front end (80), and to the center of the helicopter between the landing gear (84). The parachute(s) (50) and airbag(s) (60) are designed to be manually deployed by a helicopter crew member or automatically by a dynamic responsive switch (34). The switch (34) is enabled when the helicopter reaches a specified altitude or an abnormal rate of descent.
Abstract:
An aircraft which is capable of safely landing during an emergency landing is disclosed. The aircraft has a safety device which includes a plurality of auxiliary engines. Each auxiliary engine is movable so as to vary the thrust axis in a range between a substantially horizontal direction and a substantially vertical direction. The safety device also includes a plurality of gas bags contracted and disposed at a lower portion of the aircraft body so as to be instantly expandable at a necessary time, such as during an emergency landing.
Abstract:
An aircraft airbag module and an energy or impact absorbing and shock reducing control yoke are disclosed, the airbag module using non toxic compressed gas to provide either pyrotechnic or non-pyrotechnic inflation of an airbag independent of other aircraft operational systems. An airbag with one or more sections, when inflated, provides pilot protection without physically engaging the aircraft's control yoke, thus affording the possibility of continued aircraft control by the pilot. The aircraft control yoke includes a mechanically keyed and physically compressible section, as well as padding, thus providing the pilot with additional impact protection with or without airbag deployment. The airbag is retractable or releasable mounted so as to allow the airbag to be manually or automatically removed from the airbag module after an airbag inflation/deflation cycle.
Abstract:
A VTOL/STOL free wing aircraft includes a free wing having wings on opposite sides of a fuselage connected to one another respectively adjacent fixed wing inboard or center root sections fixedly attached to the fuselage for free rotation about a spanwise access. Horizontal and vertical tail surfaces are located at the rear end of a boom assembly rotatably connected to the fuselage. A gearing or screw rod arrangement controlled by the pilot or remote control operator selectively relatively pivots the fuselage in relation to the tail boom assembly to enable the fuselage to assume a tilted or nose up configuration to enable VTOL/STOL flight.
Abstract:
A device for protecting a helicopter and its occupants from damage during a crash or difficult landing. The device includes an inflatable bag attached to the bottom fuselage which covers a totality of the surface of the helicopter's bottom fuselage. The bag is inflatable into a trapezoidal shape having a very large volume, exceeding the helicopter's internal volume, for substantially cushioning the helicopter upon impact with the ground during a crash. The bag is equipped with distortion-control reinforcements for preventing toppling of the helicopter after a landing and bag air-pressure controlling and limiting devices.
Abstract:
For use in an aircraft having a store retaining cavity from which a loaded store may protrude beyond the envelope of the aircraft, a dual condition air bag system for substantially eliminating air turbulence about the store-cavity interface when the store is loaded, and reducing relative movement of the store during taxiing and flight of the aircraft; and for substantially eliminating air turbulence about the cavity-aircraft interface following release of the store by expansion of the air-bag to a dimension to substantially conform the exterior thereof to the envelope of the aircraft, the expanded shape of the air-bag system being controlled by a plurality of ties bonded to the inner surfaces of the air-bag to limit the displacement of the exterior surface of the air-bag when air pressure is applied to the interior thereof.