Atmospheric balloon descent system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10167072-B2
Application number	US-201615562237-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2016
Priority date	Mar 27, 2015
Publication date	Jan 1, 2019
Grant date	Jan 1, 2019

Abstract

An atmospheric balloon descent system includes a system housing having a drogue chamber containing a drogue chute and a parachute chamber containing a parachute. The parachute coupled with the drogue chute with a drogue tether. A riser tether extends between a descent system end portion and a balloon system end portion, and the descent system end portion is coupled with the parachute. A drogue cover release is coupled between the riser tether and the drogue cover. The descent system transitions between riser deployment and parachute deployment configurations. In the riser deployment configuration the system housing is decoupled from the atmospheric balloon system and the riser tether is deployed between the system housing and the atmospheric balloon system. In the parachute deployment configuration the deployed riser tether opens the drogue chamber and deploys the drogue chute and the deployed drogue chute opens the parachute chamber and deploys the parachute.

First claim

The claimed invention is:

1. An atmospheric balloon descent system comprising:
a system housing including a drogue chamber and a parachute chamber, the system housing includes:
a drogue cover, the drogue cover configured to open the drogue chamber, and
a parachute cover, the parachute cover configured to open the parachute chamber;

a drogue chute within the drogue chamber;
a parachute within the parachute chamber, the parachute coupled with the drogue chute with a drogue tether; and
a riser tether assembly coupled with the parachute, the riser tether assembly includes:
a riser tether extending between a descent system end portion and a balloon system end portion, the descent system end portion coupled with the parachute, and
a drogue cover release coupled between the riser tether and the drogue cover.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the drogue cover release is a rip cord having first and second rip cord end portions, the first rip cord end portion is coupled with the riser tether, and the second rip cord end portion is coupled with the drogue cover.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the first rip cord end portion is coupled near the first riser portion and the first rip cord end portions is remote from the second riser portion.

4. The system of claim 1 comprising a payload harness assembly including:
a payload harness coupled with the system housing, the payload harness is configured to couple the descent system with an atmospheric balloon system, and
a system release mechanism configured to open the payload harness and decouple the atmospheric balloon descent system from the atmospheric balloon system.

5. The system of claim 4 comprising the atmospheric balloon system, and the atmospheric balloon system includes one or more of an atmospheric balloon or a payload, and the balloon system end portion of the riser tether is coupled with the atmospheric balloon system.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the drogue cover includes a plurality of drogue flaps spread across the drogue chamber and covering the drogue chute, and the plurality of drogue flaps are closed with a fastened drogue cover closure.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the parachute cover includes a plurality of parachute flaps spread across the parachute chamber and covering the parachute, and the plurality of parachute flaps are closed with a fastened parachute cover closure.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the drogue tether is coupled with the fastened parachute cover closure, and the drogue tether is configured to unfasten the drogue cover closure.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system housing includes a riser tether chamber containing the riser tether, and the balloon system end portion of the riser tether extends out of the system housing through a riser feeding orifice.

10. The system of claim 1 comprising at least one deployment shock absorber coupled along one or more of the drogue tether or the riser tether.

11. An atmospheric balloon descent system comprising:
a system housing configured for coupling with an atmospheric balloon system, the system housing includes:
a drogue chamber, and
a parachute chamber;

a drogue chute within the drogue chamber;
a parachute within the parachute chamber, the parachute coupled with the drogue chute with a drogue tether;
a riser tether stored with the system housing, a descent system end portion of the riser tether coupled with the parachute and a balloon system end portion of the riser tether configured for coupling with an atmospheric balloon system; and
wherein the descent system is configured to transition between riser deployment and parachute deployment configurations:
in the riser deployment configuration the system housing is decoupled from the atmospheric balloon system and the riser tether is deployed between the system housing and the atmospheric balloon system, and
in the parachute deployment configuration the deployed riser tether is configured to open the drogue chamber and deploy the drogue chute and the deployed drogue chute is configured to open the parachute chamber and deploy the parachute.

12. The system of claim 11 comprising a drogue cover release coupled with the riser tether and the drogue cover.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein in the parachute deployment configuration the deployed riser tether is configured to actuate the drogue cover release and the actuated drogue cover release is configured to open the drogue chamber.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the drogue tether is coupled with the parachute chamber, and in the parachute deployment configuration the deployed drogue chute is configured to open the parachute chamber with the drogue tether.

15. The system of claim 11 comprising a payload harness assembly including:
a payload harness coupled with the system housing, the payload harness is configured to couple the descent system with the atmospheric balloon system, and
a system release mechanism configured to open the payload harness and decouple the atmospheric balloon descent system from the atmospheric balloon system.

16. The system of claim 11 comprising at least one deployment shock absorber coupled along one or more of the drogue tether or the riser tether.

17. The system of claim 11 comprising the atmospheric balloon system, and the atmospheric balloon system includes one or more of an atmospheric balloon or a payload, and the balloon system end portion is coupled with the atmospheric balloon system.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the riser tether has a deployed length in the riser deployment configuration greater than a composite length of the atmospheric balloon system with the atmospheric balloon deflated.

19. A method for deploying a descent system for an atmospheric balloon system comprising:
dropping a system housing of the descent system from an inflight atmospheric balloon system with a riser tether coupled between the system housing and the atmospheric balloon system;
deploying the riser tether between the system housing and the atmospheric balloon system according to the dropping;
deploying a drogue chute from the dropped system housing, deploying the drogue chute includes:
opening a drogue chamber of the system housing, opening triggered by deploying of the riser tether, and
releasing the drogue chute from the drogue chamber according to the dropping;

elevating the system housing with a parachute retained therein above the atmospheric balloon system including a deflated atmospheric balloon according to drag from the drogue chute, the system housing coupled with the atmospheric balloon system with the riser tether; and
deploying the parachute from the elevated system housing according to drag from the drogue chute.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein opening the drogue chamber includes opening a drogue cover, opening triggered by deploying of the riser tether.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein opening the drogue cover includes:
actuating a drogue cover release according to deploying of the riser tether, the drogue cover release coupled near a descent system end portion of the riser tether and remote from a balloon system end portion of the riser tether, and
unfastening a drogue cover closure with the actuated drogue cover release coupled between the drogue cover closure and the riser tether.

22. The method of claim 19 , wherein deploying the parachute includes:
opening a parachute chamber of the system housing according to the drag from the dr

Assignees

• Raven Ind Inc

Inventors

• Scott Randy E

Classifications

• B64D17/68

  attached to apex of main canopy · CPC title

• B64B1/48 Primary

  to enable load to be dropped by parachute · CPC title

• B64D17/40

  Packs · CPC title

• B64D17/80

  in association with aircraft, e.g. for braking thereof · CPC title