High altitude, long duration surveillance system
First Claim
1. A solar powered aircraft, comprising:
- (a) airfoil shaped wing means including container means connected thereto for storing a lighter-than-air gas,(b) propulsion means, supported by said wing means, for generating lift in combination with said wing means,(c) a payload supported beneath said wing means, including means to position solar cells in an optimum solar-radiation-gathering position with respect to the sun, and(d) solar energy collecting and converting means carried by said wing means for providing power to said propulsion means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A novel, high-altitude, solar powered aircraft, capable of staying aloft at high altitudes for many months or even years to conduct around the clock surveillance and/or reconnaisance, includes a forward wing with solar energy capturing cells, a rear wing, inflated pontoons for keeping the aircraft aloft, suspension wires attached to the pontoons, a gondola suspended from and connected to the wires, control apparatus for moving the gondola along the wires, shifting the weight of the aircraft and thereby enabling banking to optimize exposure of the solar cells to the rays of the sun. The gondola preferably contains a sensor suite, power generating and storage apparatus, and synthetic aperture radar imaging apparatus.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. A solar powered aircraft, comprising:
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(a) airfoil shaped wing means including container means connected thereto for storing a lighter-than-air gas, (b) propulsion means, supported by said wing means, for generating lift in combination with said wing means, (c) a payload supported beneath said wing means, including means to position solar cells in an optimum solar-radiation-gathering position with respect to the sun, and (d) solar energy collecting and converting means carried by said wing means for providing power to said propulsion means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A solar energy powered aircraft, comprising:
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(a) wing means supporting solar cells, (b) suspension means carried beneath said wing means, (c) a payload supported on said suspension means, and (d) means for coupling said payload to said suspension means including means for shifting the position of said payload between opposite sides of said wing means, whereby shifting of said payload relative to said wing means changes the orientation of the wing means relative to the horizontal and enables the craft to bank in the direction of the shift of the payload. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
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10. A solar energy powered aircraft, comprising:
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(a) balloon means including support means and solar energy collecting apparatus carried on said support means, (b) suspension means carried beneath said balloon means, (c) a payload supported on said suspension means, said payload including a supply of water and electrolysis apparatus, (d) container means towed behind said balloon means for storing the gaseous by-products of electrolysis, and (e) means for fluidly coupling the electrolysis apparatus in said payload with said container means. - View Dependent Claims (11)
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Specification