Systems and applications of lighter-than-air (LTA) platforms

• US 10,710,695 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2018
• Issued: 07/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Space Data Corporation
• Original Assignee: Space Data Corporation
• Inventors: Knoblach, Gerald M., Frische, Eric A., Barkley, Bruce Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Alex C
• Application Number:
  US15/912,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20180194449A1
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64B 1/40 Balloons B64B1/58 takes precedence; toy balloons A63H27/10
• CPC Class Codes: B64B 1/44 adapted to maintain predetermined altitude
• CPC Class Codes: B64B 1/64 Gas valve operating mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: B64B 1/70 Ballasting arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/24 Acquisition or tracking or demodulation of signals transmitted by the system synchronisation aspects of direct sequence spread spectrum modulation H04B1/7073
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/39 the satellite radio beacon positioning system transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/06 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/12 by co-ordinating position lines of different shape, e.g. hyperbolic, circular, elliptical or radial
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/042 specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18502 Airborne stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18576 Satellite systems for providing narrowband data service to fixed or mobile stations, e.g. using a minisatellite, a microsatellite for selecting H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/02 Automatically-operated arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information

Abstract

Innovative new systems and method of operating the systems, wherein the system comprises an airborne platform comprising an unmanned balloon comprising a gas enclosure; a geographic locator or tracking system configured to determine geographical coordinates of the unmanned balloon; a payload comprising a transceiver, wherein the transceiver is capable of communicating with communication devices that are separate from the unmanned balloon; first and second flight-termination devices each configured to cause termination of a flight of the unmanned balloon; and at least two power sources each configured to provide power to at least one of the first and second flight-termination devices.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an airborne platform comprising a balloon comprising a gas enclosure, wherein the balloon is an unmanned balloon;

a GPS unit configured to determine geographic coordinates and velocities of the airborne platform;

a pressure sensor configured to determine an altitude of the airborne platform;

a processor, wherein the processor comprises an algorithm to determine whether to release a ballast based on a set of termination criteria;

a ballast release mechanism configured to release the ballast; and

a neck release mechanism configured to release a payload,

wherein the system comprises a first flight termination device and a second flight termination device, wherein each of the first flight termination device and the second flight termination device is configured to cause termination of a flight of the airborne platform and has at least two power sources each configured to provide power to at least one of the first flight termination device and the second flight termination device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of termination criteria are:

platform outside geographic boundaries;

platform outside recovery boundaries;

altitude outside of legal range;

lateral velocity such that Doppler is greater than acceptable limits;

falling velocity above limits indicating the balloon burst;

climbing velocity below limits indicating under filled or leaking or loitering balloon;

command and control link with a ground station is lost for greater than allowable time;

processor failure; and

a power loss.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor checks the set of termination criteria by comparing current position, velocity, and operating conditions to stored, programmed or calculated criteria.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the algorithm checks for all of the criteria listed as the set of termination criteria in claim 3 and if any one criterion is satisfied causes the ballast to be preferably released first followed by the payload release through the neck release mechanism.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the release mechanism is configured to release one or more components from the payload and a released component descends under gravity or on a recovery system.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the recovery system for recovering the airborne platform is a parachute.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the recovery system for recovering the airborne platform is a maple-leaf recovery system.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the recovery system for recovering the airborne platform houses an antenna configured to send a last recorded position of the airborne platform to another airborne platform.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the ballast release mechanism comprising:

two chambers to hold two different reactants;

a metering pump;

a reaction chamber;

an electrically actuated valve; and

a venting tube incorporated with a one-way valve.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein size of the two chambers that are configured hold the reactants is determined based on a molar ratio of a reaction between the two different reactants.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the metering pump is a dual peristalsis pump.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the two different reactants react to produce hydrogen in the reaction chamber.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the electrically actuated valve is actuated to release the by-products produced in the reaction chamber as the ballast.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the one-way valve of the venting tube is configured to vent the hydrogen to the balloon of the airborne platform.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the neck release mechanism comprising:

two concentric tubes forming a neck connection wherein a top tube is attached to the airborne platform with a strap or a rubber band and fits within a bottom tube attached to the payload;

a restraining mechanism for the top tube to prevent from sliding out of the bottom tube by a monofilament line;

a flexible seal to prevent gas from leaking at a junction formed from the top tube and the bottom tube.

16. The system of claim 15, where in each end of the monofilament line is threaded through a small hole in flange and tied off and is threaded around two knobs and also through and in contact with an electrically resistive coil.

17. The system of claim 16, where in the monofilament line is configured to melt when the electrically resistive coil is heated up and thus releasing the bottom tube attached to the payload from the top tube attached to the airborne platform or a balloon.

18. A device comprising:

two chambers to hold two different reactants;

a metering pump;

a reaction chamber;

an electrically actuated valve; and

a venting tube incorporated with a one-way valve, wherein the device is configured to release a ballast.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein size of the two chambers that are configured to hold reactants is determined based on a molar ratio of a reaction between the two different reactants.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the metering pump is a dual peristalsis pump.

21. The device of claim 18, wherein the two different reactants react to produce hydrogen in the reaction chamber.

22. The device of claim 18, wherein the one-way valve of the venting tube is configured to vent the hydrogen to the balloon of the airborne platform.

23. The device of claim 18, wherein the electrically actuated valve is actuated to release the by-products produced in the reaction chamber as the ballast.

24. A device comprising:

two concentric tubes forming a neck connection wherein a top tube is attached to an airborne platform with a strap or a rubber band and fits within a bottom tube attached to a payload;

a restraining mechanism for top tube to prevent from sliding out of the bottom tube by a monofilament line;

a flexible seal to prevent gas from leaking at a junction formed from the top tube and the bottom tube, wherein the device is configured to release the payload from a balloon neck.

25. The device of claim 24, where in each end of the monofilament line is threaded through a small hole in flange and tied off and is threaded around two knobs and also through and in contact with an electrically resistive coil.

26. The device of claim 25, where in the monofilament line is configured to melt when the electrically resistive coil is heated up and thus releasing the bottom tube attached to the payload from the top tube attached to the airborne platform or the balloon.

27. A system comprising an airborne platform comprising an unmanned balloon comprising a gas enclosure;

a geographic locator or tracking system configured to determine geographical coordinates of the unmanned balloon;

a payload comprising a transceiver, wherein the transceiver is capable of communicating with communication devices that are separate from the unmanned balloon;

first and second flight-termination devices each configured to cause termination of a flight of the unmanned balloon;

at least two power sources each configured to provide power to at least one of the first and second flight-termination devices;

a payload release mechanism; and

a recovery mechanism.