METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING A TETHERED NATURAL SHAPE BALLOON TO, AT, AND FROM HIGH ALTITUDE

• US 3,558,083 A
• Filed: 05/12/1969
• Issued: 01/26/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: James A. Menke, Jerome J. Vorachek, William F. Conley
• Original Assignee: James A. Menke, Jerome J. Vorachek, William F. Conley
• Inventors: Conley, William F., Vorachek, Jerome J., Menke, James A.
• Application Number:
  US04/823,645
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• US Class Current: 244/33
• CPC Class Codes: B64B 1/40 Balloons B64B1/58 takes precedence; toy balloons A63H27/10
• CPC Class Codes: B64B 1/60 Gas-bags surrounded by separate containers of inert gas

Abstract

A tethered natural shape balloon is operated to, at and from a high altitude, i.e. 100,000 feet, by top-loading, rather than by conventional bottom-loading. A loading cable is attached at one end to a fitting at the inner top surface of the balloon and is attached at the other end to a remotely actuable motorized reeland-brake assembly mounted on the top surface of a base plate. Other cables connect the bottom of the balloon to remotely actuable motorized reel-and-brake assemblies also mounted on the top surface of the base plate. The tether line is attached at one end by a fitting to the bottom surface of the base plate and is attached at the other end to a winch, which also serves as an anchoring means. As altitude and corresponding external pressure change, the configuration, i.e. volume and shape, is changed and controlled by paying out or reeling in the cables to prevent high and unequal stress of the balloon envelope material.

Claims

1. An apparatus for operating a tethered natural shape balloon of the inverted type to, at, and from high altitude, comprising a combination:

a. a natural shape balloon envelope of a thin, lightweight, flexible and gas-imperVious material, with said balloon envelope having an opening at its bottom, and containing a predetermined quantity of lifting gas;

b. open ended hollow member, disposed vertically and substantially greater in length than in width, of a thin, lightweight, flexible and gas-impervious material, with the upper of the open ends of said hollow member mating and forming a gastight seal with the periphery of the opening at the bottom of said balloon envelope;

c. a loading cable attached, at one end, to the geometric center of the inner top surface of said balloon envelope, with said loading cable extending internal of said balloon envelope and passing through the bottom opening of said balloon envelope and into and through said open end hollow member and extending below the lower open end of said hollow member;

d. a tether line attached at one end to the other end of said loading cable; and

e. means for paying out and reeling in said tether line, the other end of which is attached to said means, with said means also serving to act as the anchoring for said balloon envelope.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said tether line is of glass fiber, stranded and tapered.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein a base plate having a top surface and a bottom surface is interposed between said loading cable and said tether line at their point of attachment, with said base plate having:

a. a fitting at its bottom surface to which one end of said tether line is attached;

b. a plurality of remotely actuable motorized reel-and-brake assemblies mounted on its top surface, with one end of said loading cable attached to one said remotely actuable motorized reel-and-brake assemblies which is located below and external of the lower open end of said hollow member, with that said remotely actuable reel-and-brake assembly being capable of paying out and reeling in said loading cable upon command signal from a remote location; and

c. cables attached at one end to said other remotely actuable motorized reel-and-brake assemblies mounted on the top surface of said base plate, with the other end of each said cable attached to the external surface of said balloon envelope near the mating periphery of the bottom opening of said balloon envelope and the upper of the open ends of said hollow member, with other said reel-and-brake assemblies being capable of paying out and reeling in said cables upon command signal from a remote location.

4. The method of operating and controlling the configuration, from sea level to, at, and from high altitude, of an inflated, tethered, inverted natural shape balloon having an envelope of thin, lightweight, flexible, gas-impervious material, a bottom opening in said envelope, and an open ended vertically disposed hollow member, of the same material as the balloon envelope, the upper end of which attached in gas-impervious manner to the bottom opening, comprising the steps of:

a. attaching one end of a loading cable to the inner top surface of the balloon envelope, with the cable extending from its point of attachment through the bottom opening of the balloon and into, through and out of said hollow member;

b. attaching the other end of the loading cable to a motorized remotely actuable reel-and-brake assembly which is capable, upon receipt of a command signal from a remote location, of paying out and reeling in the loading cable;

c. mounting the reel-and-brake assembly on the top surface of a base plate having a top surface and a bottom surface;

d. attaching one end of a tether line to the bottom surface of said base plate;

e. attaching the other end of the tether line to a powered ground winch;

f. paying out and reeling in the tether line from the ground winch to attain ascent, equilibrium float altitude, and descent of the balloon; and

g. paying out and reeling in the loading cable to obtain and to maintain the desired configuration of the balloon.

5. The method as set forTh in claim 4 comprising the additional steps of:

a. attaching one end of each of plurality of cables, external of the balloon envelope and of the hollow member, to the external surface of the balloon envelope near the mating periphery of the bottom opening of the balloon envelope and the upper of the open ends of the hollow member;

b. attaching the other end of each cable to a separate one of a plurality of motorized remotely actuable reel-and-brake assemblies which are capable upon receipt of a command signal from a remote location of paying out and reeling in each cable;

c. mounting the plurality of motorized remotely actuable reel-and-brake assemblies on the top surface of the base plate at positions where each cable will be essentially parallel to each other and to the loading cable; and

d. paying out and reeling in at least one such cable to assist in obtaining and to assist in maintaining the desired configuration of the balloon.