Aspects of the technology relate to propulsion systems for high altitude, long duration balloons, such as balloons that operate in the stratosphere for weeks, months or longer. A propeller assembly is used to provide lateral directional adjustments, which allows the balloon to spend more time over a desired region, reduce the return time to the desired region, reduce fleet overprovisioning, and increases the safety case by additional controls and avoidance abilities. A control assembly manages operation of the propeller assembly, including setting the pointing direction, speed of rotation and determining when to turn on the propeller and for how long. The propulsion system including the control and propeller assemblies is rotatable around a connection member of the balloon. Such rotation is independently adjustable from any rotation of the balloon's payload. The propeller blades may be made of plastic, which reduces weight and cost while providing sufficient speed at stratospheric altitudes.
LATERAL PROPULSION SYSTEMS AND ARCHITECTURES FOR HIGH ALTITUDE BALLOONS
LATERALES ANTRIEBSSYSTEM UND ARCHITEKTUREN FÜR BALLONS IN GROSSEN HÖHENLAGEN
SYSTÈMES ET ARCHITECTURES DE PROPULSION LATÉRALE POUR BALLONS DE HAUTE ALTITUDE
2023-07-19
Patent
Electronic Resource
English
IPC: | B64B LIGHTER-THAN-AIR AIRCRAFT , Luftfahrzeuge leichter als Luft / B64C AEROPLANES , Flugzeuge / B64D Ausrüstung für Flugzeuge , EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT / B64U / H02S GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRA-RED RADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, E.G. USING PHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES , Erzeugung elektrischer Energie durch Umwandlung von Infrarot-Strahlung, sichtbarem Licht oder ultraviolettem Licht, z.B. unter Verwendung von Photovoltaik [PV]-Modulen |
LATERAL PROPULSION SYSTEMS AND ARCHITECTURES FOR HIGH ALTITUDE BALLOONS
European Patent Office | 2022
|LATERAL PROPULSION SYSTEMS AND ARCHITECTURES FOR HIGH ALTITUDE BALLOONS
European Patent Office | 2021
|Lateral propulsion systems and architectures for high altitude balloons
European Patent Office | 2022
|LATERAL PROPULSION SYSTEMS AND ARCHITECTURES FOR HIGH ALTITUDE BALLOONS
European Patent Office | 2021
|Lateral propulsion systems and architectures for high altitude balloons
European Patent Office | 2023
|