Offboard Connection System
First Claim
1. A system comprising:
- a cable that depends from a mother ship;
a first coupler associated with the mother ship, wherein the first coupler is slideably mounted to the cable;
a second coupler associated with an auxiliary craft; and
a first alignment mechanism for axially aligning the first coupler and the second coupler, wherein the first alignment mechanism comprises the cable and a cable tensioner that is connected to the cable.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for connecting an auxiliary craft and a mother ship includes a cable suspended from the mother ship, a cable tensioner, a mother-ship coupler that is slideably engaged to the cable, a fixture that depends from the auxiliary craft, and an auxiliary-craft coupler. The auxiliary craft is maneuvered to engage the cable. Once engaged, the cable tensioner tensions the cable, thereby maintaining the auxiliary craft in position next to the mother ship. As the cable is tensioned, the auxiliary-craft coupler axially aligns to the mother-ship coupler. After axial alignment, the mother-ship coupler is released to slide into mating engagement with the auxiliary-craft coupler. Mated couplers enable bi-directional electrical or optical communications as well as the transfer of power, fuel or other fluids from the mother ship to the auxiliary craft.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A system comprising:
-
a cable that depends from a mother ship; a first coupler associated with the mother ship, wherein the first coupler is slideably mounted to the cable; a second coupler associated with an auxiliary craft; and a first alignment mechanism for axially aligning the first coupler and the second coupler, wherein the first alignment mechanism comprises the cable and a cable tensioner that is connected to the cable. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
-
-
12. A system comprising:
-
a cable that depends from a mother ship; a first coupler associated with the mother ship, wherein the first coupler is slideably mounted to the cable; a second coupler associated with an auxiliary craft; a first alignment mechanism for axially aligning the first coupler and the second coupler; and alignment features for rotationally aligning the first coupler and the second coupler. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
-
-
15. A system comprising:
-
a cable that depends from a mother ship; a cable tensioner that is operable to apply tension to the cable; a first coupler associated with the mother ship, wherein the first coupler is slideably mounted to the cable; a fixture that depends from an auxiliary craft, wherein the fixture is suitably configured to engage the cable, thereby tethering the auxiliary craft to the mother ship; a second coupler, wherein the second coupler is rotatably coupled to the fixture, wherein the second coupler has an aperture that enables the cable to align with a central axis of the second coupler when the cable tensioner applies tension, thereby axially aligning the first coupler and the second coupler. - View Dependent Claims (16)
-
-
17. A method comprising:
-
deploying a cable from a mother ship; coupling the cable to a fixture that depends from an auxiliary craft; axially aligning a first coupler associated with the mother ship to a second coupler associated with the auxiliary craft by tensioning the cable; and mating the first coupler and the second coupler by sliding the first coupler along the cable. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
-
Specification