The Boeing Company

Other

William Worden Cleary

John Anthony Skorupa

Ty F Bonnar

Ty Aaby Larsen

Myles A Rohrlick

Gary Mark Buckus

Farshad Forouhar

Gordon Dale Davis

John Dorris, Iii

Vincent E Engdahl

Curtis N Sovereen

Dorris Iii John John

An apparatus for cutting a cutting a payload strap includes a cutting assembly with an aperture to enclose a payload strap and a cutting element to sever the payload strap, a non-explosive energy source to store cutting energy, a control component coupled to the energy source to release the cutting energy, and a controller coupled to the control component to time and control the delivery of the cutting energy to the cutting element.

Non-explosive strap cutter for payload release

An aerial fire suppressant delivery system uses an outer box or like structure and an inner liner. The inner liner may be a polyurethane bladder with two or more plastic straps RF welded to the polyurethane bladder. The two or more plastic straps are attached both to the bottom surface of the bladder and to the top of the outer box, which is not attached to the sides of the outer box. A fixed or rotary wing aircraft drops the container filled with fire suppressant material. As the container falls, the top of the box flies from the sides of box and the top pulls against the straps. Because the straps are attached to the bladder by RF welding, the straps tear the bladder at their attachments and cause the bladder and container to release the fire suppressant material into the air over the target.

Precision container aerial delivery system

Disclosed herein is a scissor lift comprising a passenger basket. The scissor lift also comprises a base that comprises wheels. The scissor lift further comprises a scissor extension mechanism between the passenger basket and the base. The scissor extension mechanism is configured to raise the passenger basket in a first direction relative to the base and lower the passenger basket in a second direction, opposite the first direction, relative to the base. The scissor lift additionally comprises a through-beam sensor system co-movably coupled to the scissor extension mechanism. The through-beam sensor system moves in a third direction, perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, when the scissor extension mechanism raises the passenger basket and moves in a fourth direction, opposite the third direction, when the scissor extension mechanism lowers the passenger basket.

Collision avoidance system for scissor lift

This disclosure is directed to apparatuses, systems, and methods associated with the aerial delivery of materials in a manner that is inexpensive, accurate, efficient, and effective. More specifically this disclosure teaches deploying an aerial delivery container holding some material from an aircraft and releasing the material from the aerial delivery container, all in a controlled manner, while the aerial delivery container is airborne. With reference to the exemplary embodiments, the apparatuses, systems and methods of the present disclosure are taught within the context of releasing a firefighting suppressant over a fire.

Aerial delivery system

A pneumatic deployment device ('PDD') assists in ejecting containerized cargo bundles from a cargo aircraft during an airdrop. The PDD includes a first structure affixed to the aircraft and a second moveable structure, and which is positioned against a cargo bundle, referred to as a CDS bundle. Typically, a series of CDS bundles are positioned along a line in the cargo hold of the aircraft. A pressurized tank provides compress gas to an airbag that is positioned between the first structure and the second structure. Upon reaching the drop location, the gas is release from the tank to the airbag via a hose, inflating the airbag. The airbag pushes the second structure against the CDS bundle, so that the cargo bundles are ejected faster from the aircraft than would otherwise occur.

Container delivery system rapid deployment device

A firefighting bomblet includes a container having rigid supportive walls that together define a faceted-sphere shape, a cavity disposed inside the container and defined by the walls, and an opening in one of the walls for filling the cavity with a fire retardant. The bomblet can further include a weak seam formed in one of the walls, the weak seam being adapted to be more easily ruptured than the remainder of the walls. A method for aerial firefighting includes the step of dropping at least one of the containers enclosing a fire retardant from an aircraft over a fire.

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Pasadena, CA, United States of America

William Worden Cleary