Flight vehicle operating method and operating system using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11230361-B2
Application number	US-201616308607-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2016
Priority date	Jun 8, 2016
Publication date	Jan 25, 2022
Grant date	Jan 25, 2022

Abstract

Provided is a flight vehicle operating method including: mooring a flight vehicle to a mooring unit by a cable; reducing a weight of the flight vehicle, increasing the flotage of the flight vehicle, or increasing the flotage of the flight vehicle while reducing the weight of the flight vehicle, by using a first flotation adjuster; floating the flight vehicle at a suitable altitude in the air; increasing the weight of the flight vehicle, reducing the flotage of the flight vehicle, or reducing the flotage of the flight vehicle while increasing the weight of the flight vehicle, by using a second flotation adjuster or a propelling unit of the flight vehicle; and releasing the connection between the flight vehicle and the mooring unit and withdrawing the cable.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A flight vehicle operating method for mooring the flight vehicle and adjusting flotation of the flight vehicle, the method comprising:
an operation (a) of flying a flight vehicle toward a mooring unit located below the flight vehicle;
an operation (b) of mooring the flight vehicle to the mooring unit by connecting the flight vehicle and the mooring unit to each other by a cable;
an operation (c) of reducing a weight of the flight vehicle, increasing the flotage of the flight vehicle, or increasing the flotage of the flight vehicle while reducing the weight of the flight vehicle, by using a first flotation adjuster;
an operation (d) of floating the flight vehicle at a suitable altitude in the air;
an operation (e) of increasing the weight of the flight vehicle, reducing the flotage of the flight vehicle, or reducing the flotage of the flight vehicle while increasing the weight of the flight vehicle, by using a second flotation adjuster or a propelling unit of the flight vehicle; and
an operation (f) of releasing the connection between the flight vehicle and the mooring unit and withdrawing the cable,
wherein the mooring of the flight vehicle to the mooring unit comprises guiding the cable to the mooring unit by using a guide unit installed at an end portion of the cable,
wherein the guide unit comprises a motor and a propeller, the motor and the propeller being controlled by a wireless signal or an automatic position control device to guide the end portion of the cable to the mooring unit,
wherein the guide unit is integrated to the first flotation adjuster and the second flotation adjuster, and comprises a winding unit which winds or unwinds the cable, and
wherein the guide unit rises or falls to change the weight of the flight vehicle and to guide the cable to the mooring unit while unwinding the cable or retract the cable from the mooring unit while winding the cable.

2. The flight vehicle operating method of claim 1 , wherein the operation (c) comprises an operation of reducing the weight of the flight vehicle by lowering the first flotation adjuster or by unloading the first flotation adjuster from the flight vehicle by discharging the first flotation adjuster to an outside, and
the operation (e) comprises an operation of increasing the weight of the flight vehicle by loading the second flotation adjuster into the flight vehicle by raising the second flotation adjuster, or reducing the flotage of the flight vehicle by unloading the second flotation adjuster from the flight vehicle by discharging the second flotation adjuster to the outside.

3. The flight vehicle operating method of claim 1 , further comprising raising or lowering the flight vehicle by winding or unwinding the cable by rotating a mooring winding unit installed in the mooring unit.

Assignees

• Korea Aerospace Res Inst

Inventors

• Kim Dong Min

Classifications

• B64B1/66 Primary

  Mooring attachments · CPC title

• B64B1/70

  Ballasting arrangements · CPC title

• B64B1/58

  Arrangements or construction of gas-bags; Filling arrangements · CPC title

• B64F3/02

  with means for supplying electricity to aircraft during flight · CPC title

• B64U2201/20

  Remote controls · CPC title