Umbrella valves to inflate bladder in balloon envelope

• US 8,998,128 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2013
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aerostar International
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ratner, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis, Christopher P
• Application Number:
  US13/903,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20140353424A1
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: 244/31, 244/98, 244/33, 244/99, 244/96
• US Class Current: 244/31
• CPC Class Codes: B64B 1/62 Controlling gas pressure, heating, cooling, or discharging gas
• CPC Class Codes: B64B 1/64 Gas valve operating mechanisms

Abstract

A balloon having a bladder positioned within a balloon envelope, a plate having a port, a housing secured to the plate, an impeller positioned within the housing, the port providing a passageway from an inside of the housing to an inside of the bladder, wherein a passive valve having a periphery is positioned over the port, a control system configured, upon receiving a signal to increase the amount of air within the bladder, to cause the passive valve to move from a first, closed position where a seal is provided by the engagement of the periphery of the passive valve and a periphery of the port to a second, open position where the periphery of the passive valve is disengaged from the periphery of the port to open the passageway between the housing and the bladder and to allow air to be forced into the bladder.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a balloon envelope;

a plate having a port;

a housing secured to the plate;

an impeller positioned within the housing;

wherein the port provides a passageway from an inside of the housing to an inside of the balloon envelope;

wherein a passive valve having a periphery is positioned over the port;

wherein the passive valve is movable from a first, closed position where a seal is provided by the engagement of the periphery of the passive valve and a periphery of the port to a second, open position where the periphery of the passive valve is disengaged from the periphery of the port by the force of air moved toward the port by the impeller to open the passageway between the housing and the balloon envelope and allow air to be forced into the balloon envelope.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the passive valve includes a stem that remains in the same position within the port when the passive valve is in the first closed position or the second open position.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the passive valve requires no electrical actuation to move between the first closed position to the second open position.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a bladder is positioned within the balloon envelope, and the passageway allows air moved by the impeller to move from the inside of the housing into the bladder.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further including one or more additional ports that provide a passageway from the inside of the housing to the inside of the balloon envelope;

wherein a passive valve having a periphery is positioned over each of the one or more additional ports;

wherein the passive valves positioned over the one or more additional ports are movable from a first, closed position where a seal is provided by the engagement of the periphery of the passive valves and a periphery of the respective ports to a second, open position where the periphery of the passive valves are disengaged from the periphery of the respective ports by the force of air moved toward the ports by the impeller to open the passageways between the housing and the balloon envelope and allow air to be forced into the balloon envelope.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the passive valve is an umbrella valve.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a first series of brackets are positioned on a bottom side of the plate and a second series of brackets are positioned on an exterior of the housing, and a line is threaded through the apertures in the first series of brackets and apertures in the second series of brackets and tightened to secure the housing to the plate.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the periphery of the passive valve has a round shape.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing has an end that downwardly tapers to its end such that air moved by the impeller is directed to the port.

10. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein there are three ports positioned in the center of the plate.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the periphery of the port is positioned within a recess within the plate and the periphery of the port is polished to provide an effective seal formed by the engagement of the periphery of the passive valve with the periphery of the port.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:

an outlet port that provides a passageway from an inside of the balloon envelope to the atmosphere;

a first bracket extending from the bottom of the plate;

a first linear actuator having a first end and a second end, the first end of the linear actuator attached to the first bracket;

wherein a passive valve having a periphery is positioned over the outlet port;

wherein the second end of the linear actuator is attached to the passive valve;

wherein the passive valve is movable from a first, closed position where a seal is provided by the engagement of the periphery of the passive valve and a periphery of the outlet port to a second, open position where the periphery of the passive valve is disengaged from the periphery of the port by movement of the second end of the linear actuator to open the passageway between the inside of the balloon envelope and the atmosphere to allow air to be vented from the balloon envelope to the atmosphere.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the passive valve is attached to a cross member that is attached to the second end of the linear actuator.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein a bladder is positioned within the balloon envelope, and the passageway allows air to move from the inside of the bladder to the atmosphere.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the outlet port includes a lip at the base of the outlet port and the ends or periphery of the cross member are engaged with the lip when the passive valve is in the first, closed position.

16. A balloon comprising:

a balloon envelope;

a bladder positioned within the balloon envelope;

a plate having a port;

a housing secured to the plate;

an impeller positioned within the housing;

wherein the port provides a passageway from an inside of the housing to an inside of the bladder within the balloon envelope;

wherein a passive valve having a periphery is positioned over the port;

a control system that is configured, upon receiving a signal to increase the amount of air within the bladder within the balloon envelope, to cause the impeller to operate to cause the passive valve to move from a first, closed position where a seal is provided by the engagement of the periphery of the passive valve and a periphery of the port to a second, open position where the periphery of the passive valve is disengaged from the periphery of the port by the force of air moved toward the port by the impeller to open the passageway between the housing and the bladder within the balloon envelope and to allow air to be forced into the bladder within the balloon envelope.

17. The balloon of claim 16, further including one or more additional ports that provide a passageway from the inside of the housing to the inside of the bladder within the balloon envelope;

wherein a passive valve having a periphery is positioned over each of the one or more additional ports;

wherein the passive valves positioned over the one or more additional ports are movable from a first, closed position where a seal is provided by the engagement of the periphery of the passive valves and a periphery of the respective ports to a second, open position where the periphery of the passive valves are disengaged from the periphery of the respective ports by the force of air moved toward the ports by the impeller to open the passageways between the housing and the bladder within balloon envelope and to allow air to be forced into the bladder within the balloon envelope.

18. The balloon of claim 16, wherein the passive valve is an umbrella valve.

19. The balloon of claim 16, further including:

an outlet port that provides a passageway from an inside of the bladder within the balloon envelope to the atmosphere;

a first bracket extending from the bottom of the plate;

a first linear actuator having a first end and a second end, the first end of the linear actuator attached to the first bracket;

wherein a passive valve having a periphery is positioned over the outlet port;

wherein the second end of the linear actuator is attached to the passive valve;

wherein the passive valve is movable from a first, closed position where a seal is provided by the engagement of the periphery of the passive valve and a periphery of the outlet port to a second, open position where the periphery of the passive valve is disengaged from the periphery of the port by movement of the second end of the linear actuator to open the passageway between the inside of the bladder within the balloon envelope and the atmosphere to allow air to be vented from the bladder within the balloon envelope to the atmosphere.

20. The balloon of claim 19, wherein the passive valve is attached to a cross member that is attached to the second end of the linear actuator.

21. The balloon of claim 19, wherein the outlet port includes a lip at the base of the outlet port and the ends or periphery of the cross member are engaged with the lip when the passive valve is in the first, closed position.

22. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

operating a control system for a balloon comprised of a balloon envelope, a bladder positioned within the balloon envelope, a plate having a port, a housing secured to the plate, an impeller positioned within the housing, where the port provides a passageway from an inside of the housing to an inside of the bladder, where a passive valve having a periphery is positioned over the port;

receiving a signal to increase the amount of air within the bladder within the balloon envelope; and

causing the impeller to operate, thereby causing the passive valve to move from a first, closed position where a seal is provided by the engagement of the periphery of the passive valve and a periphery of the port to a second, open position where the periphery of the passive valve is disengaged from the periphery of the port by the force of air moved toward the port by the impeller to open the passageway between the housing and the bladder within the balloon envelope and to allow air to be forced into the bladder within the balloon envelope.

23. The method of claim 22, further including:

operating a control system where the balloon further includes an outlet port that provides a passageway from an inside of the bladder within the balloon envelope to the atmosphere, a first bracket extending from the bottom of the plate, a first linear actuator having a first end and a second end, the first end of the linear actuator attached to the first bracket, wherein a passive valve having a periphery is positioned over the outlet port, wherein the second end of the linear actuator is attached to the passive valve, wherein the passive valve is movable from a first, closed position where a seal is provided by the engagement of the periphery of the passive valve and a periphery of the outlet port to a second, open position where the periphery of the passive valve is disengaged from the periphery of the port by movement of the second end of the linear actuator to open the passageway between the inside of the bladder within the balloon envelope and the atmosphere to allow air to be vented from the bladder within the balloon envelope to the atmosphere;

receiving a signal to decrease the amount of air within the bladder within the balloon envelope; and

causing the linear actuator to move the passive valve from a first, closed position where a seal is provided by the engagement of the periphery of the passive valve and a periphery of the outlet port to a second, open position where the periphery of the passive valve is disengaged from the periphery of the port by movement of the second end of the linear actuator to open the passageway between the inside of the bladder within the balloon envelope and the atmosphere to allow air to be vented from the bladder within the balloon envelope to the atmosphere.

24. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein instructions executable by a computing device to cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

operating a control system for a balloon comprised of a a balloon envelope, a bladder positioned within the balloon envelope, a plate having a port, a housing secured to the plate, an impeller positioned within the housing, where the port provides a passageway from an inside of the housing to an inside of the bladder, where a passive valve having a periphery is positioned over the port;

receiving a signal to increase the amount of air within the bladder within the balloon envelope; and

causing the impeller to operate to force air towards the port, thereby causing the passive valve to move from a first, closed position where a seal is provided by the engagement of the periphery of the passive valve and a periphery of the port to a second, open position where the periphery of the passive valve is disengaged from the periphery of the port by the force of air moved toward the port by the impeller to open the passageway between the housing and the bladder within the balloon envelope and to allow air to be forced into the bladder within the balloon envelope.

25. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 24, further including instructions executable by the computing device to cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

operating a control system where the balloon further includes an outlet port that provides a passageway from an inside of the bladder within the balloon envelope to the atmosphere, a first bracket extending from the bottom of the plate, a first linear actuator having a first end and a second end, the first end of the linear actuator attached to the first bracket, wherein a passive valve having a periphery is positioned over the outlet port, wherein the second end of the linear actuator is attached to the passive valve, wherein the passive valve is movable from a first, closed position where a seal is provided by the engagement of the periphery of the passive valve and a periphery of the outlet port to a second, open position where the periphery of the passive valve is disengaged from the periphery of the port by movement of the second end of the linear actuator to open the passageway between the inside of the bladder within the balloon envelope and the atmosphere to allow air to be vented from the bladder within the balloon envelope to the atmosphere;

receiving a signal to decrease the amount of air within the bladder within the balloon envelope; and

causing the linear actuator to move the passive valve from a first, closed position where a seal is provided by the engagement of the periphery of the passive valve and a periphery of the outlet port to a second, open position where the periphery of the passive valve is disengaged from the periphery of the port by movement of the second end of the linear actuator to open the passageway between the inside of the bladder within the balloon envelope and the atmosphere to allow air to be vented from the bladder within the balloon envelope to the atmosphere.