GB2066346A - Releasable connectors - Google Patents

Abstract

Lintis 13, 15 of parachute harness are held together by strap 14 which is in turn held in position by the projection of loop 24 through hole 26. Loop 26 is held in its retaining position by cord 27 which can be removed by means of handle 33. By lifting this handle, so undoing attachment 39, strap 37 is removed from retaining means 18; following this pulling handle 33 in the opposite direction releases the fastening. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Releasable connectors The present invention relates to releasable connectors and is particularly, although not exclusively, concerned with a releasable connector which connects a parachute canopy lift web assembly to a parachutist's body harness assembly, which can be released to permit separation of the canopy lift web assembly from the the body harness assembly and which requires two actions for release.

According to the present invention, there is provided a releasable connector comprising locking means which in a locking disposition holds two components together and which is held in the locking disposition by release means which is so arranged that when an operating end of the release means is pulled manually the locking means is released from the release means, a portion of the release means adjacent the operating end being contained in receiving means, with the operating end of the release means extending from an open end of the receiving means in such an arrangement that to operate the release means to release the locking means an operator must first pull the operating end of the release means in a first direction opposite to that required for effecting release of the locking means thereby to remove the release means from the receiving means and then pull on the operating end of the release means in a second direction opposite to the first direction to release the locking means.

The releasable connector according to the invention may advantageously be used as a releasable connector connecting the canopy lift web assembly of a parachute to the body support harness assembly.

The locking means may then take the form of a support web one end of which is secured to a first of the assemblies and the other end of which is releasably secured to a second of the assemblies, and a locking element one end of which is secured to the second of the assemblies and the other end of which is formed with a loop and passes through an aperture in the support web, and the release means may comprise an elongate release element one end of which passes through the loop to prevent the locking element from withdrawing from the support web and releasing the latter and the other end of which forms the operating end of the release means.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first of the assemblies is the body support harness assembly and the second of the assemblies is the canopy lift web assembly. Preferably, an upper end of the release element is withdrawable downwardly through the loop of the locking element and the release element below the loop extends into the receiving means which takes the form of a sleeve or pocket formed in or on the body harness assembly and from an upper open end of which the operating end projects.

The upper end of the release element may conveniently comprise a cable which passes through the loop of the locking element and the release element below the loop may advantageously comprise a lanyard attached to the lower end of the cable and formed from an elongate flexible sheet material which extends downwardly into the upper open end of the sleeve or pocket, is folded upon itself within the sleeve or pocket and then extends upwardly within the sleeve or pocket to the operating end which projects from the upper open end of the sleeve or pocket, for use by the operator who pulls upwardly on the operating end to remove the lanyard from the sleeve or pocket and then downwardly upon the operating end to withdraw the cable from the loop of the locking element.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a part only of a releasable connector connecting a canopy lift web assembly to a body support harness assembly of a parachute, some parts being broken away for clarity, Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the connector and body harness and lift web assemblies shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective front view of a release lanyard of the connector shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring first to Fig. 1, a body support harness assembly for a parachutist includes two shoulder straps, one only of which is shown and indicated by the reference numeral 11. Each shoulder strap 11 provides an attachment point for a canopy lift web assembly, the rigging lines (not shown) being brought together in groups and attached by links to the upper ends of a lift web 12, the lower end loop of which carries an end link 1 3 which is connected by a support web 14 to a link 15 secured by a web 1 6 to the harness shoulder strap 11.The shoulder strap 11, the lower end of the support web 14, and the two ends of the web 1 6 are stitched together and enclosed by a protective sleeve 1 7. The sleeve 1 7 is in turn enclosed by an outer sleeve 1 8 secured to the shoulder strap 11 and formed with an outer ripcord pocket 20, which, in use, houses a ripcord handle ?not shown). A belt 22 forms part of the body harness and extends from the shoulder strap 11 over the chest of the parachutist. A ring 23 is provided on the body harness for attachment of an emergency parachute (not shown).

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, the support web 14 is secured at its lowermost end by stitching to the shoulder strap 11, extends upwardly and through the lift web end link 13, then downwardly and through the harness link 15, from which it passes vertically upwardly, where its upper end is held by a locking element 24 which is formed by a nylon cord, the ends of which are secured within a sleeve 25 to the lift web 12 and the loop of which passes through a hole 26 in the upper end of the support web 14 and is traversed by a release cable 27 of plastic coated wire. The upper end of the release cable 27 is housed within a pocket 28 on the web 12 and the lower end is connected to a release lanyard 29 which takes the form shown in Fig. 3 and is housed, as shown in Fig.2, in the sleeve 1 8 secured to the harness shoulder strap 11.As best seen in Fig. 3, the release lanyard 29 comprises a web 30 connected at one end to a loop 31 of the release cable 27 and terminating at its other end with an overlapping web 32 provided with a hand grip 33. The overlap between the webs 30 and 32 contains a stiffening insert 21 to facilitate positioning of the lanyard 29 in the sleeve 18. The release cable 27 is, as best seen in Fig. 2, protected by the upper end of the web 32 which is removably attached at its upper end by a Velcro (Registered Trade Mark) pad 35 to a Velcro pad 36 on the pocket 28. A Velcro pad 37 is, as shown in Fig. 3, provided on the outer surface of web 30 of the lanyard 29 for engaging with a Velcro pad 38 provided on the front face of the sleeve 17 to hold the lanyard 29 in position within the sleeve 18.The hand grip 33 is releasably secured to the front face of the sleeve 17 by a Velcro pad 39 on the grip 33 engaging a Velcro pad 40 on the front face of the sleeve 18.

The lanyard 29 is, in normal use of the parachute, housed, as shown in Fig. 2, in the sleeve 18 with the upper end of the web 32 covering the release cable 27, and the grip 33 secured to the front face of the sleeve 18. The upper end of the web 32 is however readily removable for checking the security of the locking element 24.

Following a landing by parachute, the parachutist is able to release the parachute canopy lift web assembly from his body support harness assembly by effecting release of the support web 14 associated with each shoulder strap 11. Release of the support web 14 is effected by holding the hand grip 33 of the lanyard 29, pulling the grip 33 upwardly to remove the main body of the lanyard 29 from the sleeve 18 and then pulling downwardly on the grip 33 to draw the upper end of the release cable 27 through the loop of the locking element 24, whereupon, under tensile loading, the support web 14 slips clear of the locking element 24 and the two links 13 and 1 5 to allow separation of the lift web assembly from the harness shoulder strap 11.

The need for the parachutist to execute two successive movements in opposite directions to effect release of the support web 14 greatly reduces the risk of unintentional operation. While an unintentional movement by the parachutist or an accidental contact with an obstruction might give rise to the iifting of the lanyard 29 out of the sleeve 18, the chance of such occurrence being followed by a movement or contact giving rise to a pull on the lanyard 29 in the opposite direction becomes very remote indeed and the arrangement according to the invention therefore provides a marked increase in the safety of the connector in use.

In a modification of the embodiment of the invention hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings the sleeve 1 8 may be compartmented in a manner not shown to provide within the sleeve 1 8 an internal pocket in which the lanyard 29 is housed and held by Velcro pads corresponding to the pads 37 and 38.

While the releasable connector hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings is for parachute canopy release, it will be evident that it may be applied with advantage in other situations where a safe releasable connector is required, which can be readily released when desired.

Claims (10)

1. A releasable connector comprising locking means which in a locking disposition holds two components together and which is held in the locking disposition by release means which is so arranged that when an operating end of the release means is pulled manually the locking means is released from the release means, a portion of the release means adjacent the operating end being contained in receiving means, with the operating end of the release means extending from an open end of the receiving means in such an arrangement that to operate the release means to release the locking means an operator must first pull the operating end of the release means in a first direction opposite to that required for effecting release of the locking means thereby to remove the release means from the receiving means and then pull on the operating end of the release means in a second direction opposite to the first direction to release the locking means.

2. A parachute comprising a canopy lift web assembly, a parachutist's body support harness assembly, and a releasable connector according to claim 1 and connecting the canopy lift web assembly as one of the components to the body support harness assembly as the other of the components.

3. A parachute according to claim 2, wherein the locking means comprises a support web one end of which is secured to a first of the assemblies and the other end of which is releasably secured to a second of the assemblies, and a locking element one end of which is secured to the second assembly and the other end of which is formed with a loop and passes through an aperture in the support web, and wherein the release means comprises an elongate release element one end of which passes through the loop to prevent the locking element from withdrawing from the support web and releasing the latter and the other end of which forms operating end of the release means.

4. A parachute according to claim 3, wherein the first of the assemblies is the body harness assembly and the second of the assemblies is the canopy lift web assembly.

5. A parachute according to claim 4, wherein an upper end of the release element is withdrawable downwardly through the loop of the locking element and wherein the release element below the loop extends into the receiving means which takes the form of a sleeve or pocket formed in or on the body harness assembly and from an upper open end of which the operating end projects.

6. A parachute according to claim 5, wherein the upper end of the release element comprises a cable which passes through the loop of the locking element and wherein the release element below the loop comprises a lanyard attached to the lower end of the cable and formed from an elongate flexible sheet material which extends downwardly into the open end of the sleeve or pocket, is folded upon itself within the sleeve or pocket and then extends upwardly within the sleeve or pocket to the operating end which projects from the upper open end of the sleeve or pocket, for use by the operator who pulls upwardly on the operating end to remove the lanyard from the sleeve or pocket and then downwardly upon the operating end to withdraw the cable from the loop of the locking element.

7. A parachute according to claim 6, wherein the lanyard is provided with a stiffener in a portion thereof which lies within the sleeve or pocket and wherein the lanyard is releasably held within the sleeve or pocket by an adherent pad on the lanyard cooperating with an adherent pad within the sleeve or pocket.

8. A parachute according to claim 7, wherein the lanyard at its operating end extends so that it can be placed over the cable to provide protection therefor and held in place by an adherent pad on the upper end of the lanyard engaging with an adherent pad provided on the canopy lift web assembly.

9. A parachute according to any of claims 4 to 8, wherein the support web is secured at one end to the body support harness assembly, extends upwardly and through a link provided on the canopy lift web assembly, then downwardly and through a link on the body support harness assembly, from which it passes upwardly, where it terminates in an upper end which is held by the locking element which passes through a hole through the upper end of the support web.

10. A parachute substantailly as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.