Flying platform with visually transparent flexible support members

• US 9,423,072 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2015
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tait Towers Manufacturing, LLC
• Original Assignee: Tait Towers Manufacturing, LLC
• Inventors: Kempf, James, Davis, Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIEN T
• Application Number:
  US14/801,896
• Publication Number:
  US 20150323127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 403 Days
• Field of Search: 472/59, 472/68, 472 74- 81
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63J 5/12 Apparatus for raising or lowering persons
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 3/26 Revolving stages; Stages able to be lowered
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 13/00 Other supports for positioning apparatus or articles heads thereof F16M11/02 ; undercarriages thereof F16M11/20 ; adapted to be stuck in the ground A45F3/44 ; sockets or holders for poles or posts E04H12/22; Means for steadying hand-held apparatus or articles supports for measuring instruments G01D11/30; supports for casings of remote control switching devices H01H9/025
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 13/022 repositionable

Abstract

A suspended flying system having a load suspended by a plurality of flexible support members. The plurality of flexible support members are attached to a first rotational element attached to the load and a second rotational element attached to a support. The system also includes a motor operably connected to the first rotational element providing sufficient motion to the plurality of flexible support members to render the flexible support members visually transparent, the load being movable within a space. A method for suspending a load from visually transparent flexible support members is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for suspending a load from visually transparent flexible support members comprising:

suspending a load from a plurality of flexible support members, the plurality of flexible members being attached to a first rotational element attached to the load and a second element attached to a support;

moving the plurality of flexible support members at a sufficient speed and over a sufficient distance to render the flexible support members visually transparent; and

moving the load within a space with pitch, yaw and roll.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of flexible support members are arranged into at least one suspension column.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of flexible support members are selected from the group consisting of carbon steel wire, Aramid fibers, Vectran fibers, carbon fibers, UHMWPE fibers and combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the moving includes rotating the flexible support members.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the moving includes vibrating the flexible support members.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the moving includes moving the flexible support members in an oscillatory motion.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring rotation at the first rotational element.

8. The method of claim 7, further comparing the rotation at the second rotational element to the rotation at the first rotational element and altering the motion in response thereto.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the altering the motion includes stopping the motion of the flexible support members.

10. A suspended flying system comprising:

a load suspended by a plurality of flexible support members, the plurality of flexible support members being attached to a first rotational element attached to the load and a second rotational element attached to a support; and

a motor operably connected to the first rotational element to provide sufficient motion to the plurality of flexible support members to render the flexible support members visually transparent;

wherein the load is movable by the system within a space with pitch, yaw and roll.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of flexible support members are arranged into at least one suspension column.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of flexible support members are selected from the group consisting of carbon steel wire, Aramid fibers, Vectran fibers, carbon fibers, UHMWPE fibers and combinations thereof.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the first and second rotational elements provide rotational motion to the flexible support members.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the first and second rotational elements provide vibratory motion to the flexible support members.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the first and second rotational elements provide oscillatory motion to the flexible support members.

16. The system of claim 10, further comprising a sensor arranged and disposed to measure rotation at the first rotational element.

17. A process for displaying an object within a space, the process comprising:

with regard to an object being viewable by an observer at a fixed location and having a first elongate member and second elongate member secured thereto, the object exerting a tension force on each of the first elongate member and the second elongate member and each of the first elongate member and the second elongate member having a longitudinal extent extending generally parallel to a reference axis associated with the respective elongate member, a proximate end secured to the object in a manner that permits the respective elongate member to move relative to the object as the elongate member moves around the reference axis, and a distal end movably secured to an advancing device operable to advance the elongate member around its reference axis, displacing the object from an initial location to a subsequent location within the space such that the observer observes the object along an initial line of sight in a manner and thereafter along a subsequent line of sight, the displacement movement of the object occurring such that, following the displacement of the object from the initial location to the subsequent location, the observer subsequently observes the object along the subsequent line of sight and this subsequent line of sight is angularly offset from the initial line of sight, with the object undergoing a change of orientation relative to the observer in that the respective portion of the surface of the object visible to the observer along the subsequent line of sight is different than the respective portion of the surface of the object visible to the observer along the initial line of sight;

while the observer is observing the object along the initial line of sight, repetitively advancing each of the first elongate member and the second elongate member around its reference axis through full loops of advancing movement in a manner in which, during each full loop of advancing movement, the first elongate member, at one instance, at least partially overlaps the second elongate member as viewed along the initial line of sight of the observer and, at another instance, does not overlap the second elongate member, wherein the first elongate member and the second elongate member are continuously rendered visually transparent to the observer as a result of the advancing movement of the first elongate member and the second elongate member;

displacing the object from the initial location to the subsequent location within the space; and

while the observer is observing the object along the subsequent line of sight, repetitively advancing each of the first elongate member and the second elongate member around its reference axis through full loops of advancing movement in a manner in which, during each full loop of advancing movement, the first elongate member, at one instance, at least partially overlaps the second elongate member as viewed along the subsequent line of sight of the observer and, at another instance, does not overlap the second elongate member, wherein the first elongate member and the second elongate member are continuously rendered visually transparent to the observer as a result of the advancing movement of the first elongate member and the second elongate member, whereupon the object has a different orientation relative to the observer as viewed along the initial line of sight than its orientation as viewed along the subsequent line of sight and the cyclic overlapping and non-overlapping dispositions of the first elongate member and the second elongate member continuously occur at each disposition of the object along the initial line of sight and along the subsequent line of sight.