Variable-lift ability device comprising an anti-stratification diffuser

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11524760-B2
Application number	US-202117173078-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2021
Priority date	Feb 13, 2020
Publication date	Dec 13, 2022
Grant date	Dec 13, 2022

Abstract

A variable-liftability device includes a pressurized hermetically sealed chamber accepting a gas of density lower than the density of the air; a mixer arranged at least partially inside the hermetically sealed chamber and configured to introduce air into the hermetically sealed chamber.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A variable-liftability device, comprising:
a pressurized hermetically sealed chamber containing a gas of density lower than a density of air in external surroundings to the chamber;
a mixer arranged at least partially inside the hermetically sealed chamber and configured to introduce air from the external surroundings into the hermetically sealed chamber, the mixer comprising a sleeve arranged inside the hermetically sealed chamber, the sleeve provided with at least one perforation,
and at least one injector, connected to the external surroundings, for injecting air from the external surroundings into the sleeve, said at least one perforation in the sleeve allowing for direct exchange between air from the external surroundings injected by the injector and the gas of density lower than the density of said air in the chamber, to enable convective exchanges inside the chamber between the air from the external surroundings and said gas of density lower than the density of said air.

2. The variable-liftability device according to claim 1 , wherein the sleeve is obtained from a porous fabric.

3. The variable-liftability device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one injector is positioned along the sleeve of the mixer along the longitudinal first axis (A 1 ) of the variable-liftability device.

4. The variable-liftability device according to claim 3 , wherein the at least one injector is positioned at one end of the sleeve of the mixer.

5. The variable-liftability device according to claim 1 , extending along a longitudinal first axis (A 1 ), wherein the sleeve has the form of a tube extending substantially along the longitudinal first axis (A 1 ) of the variable-liftability device.

6. The variable-liftability device according to claim 5 , wherein the sleeve extends along a second axis (A 2 ) secant with the longitudinal first axis (A 1 ) of the variable-liftability device.

7. The variable-liftability device according to claim 5 , wherein a cross section of the sleeve (S 1 ) of the mixer substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal first axis (A 1 ) is defined by a characteristic dimension (D 1 ) greater than 15 centimeters.

8. The variable-liftability device according to claim 5 , wherein the cross section of the sleeve (S 1 ) of the mixer substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal first axis (A 1 ) is defined by a characteristic dimension (D 1 ) smaller than 250 centimeters.

Assignees

• Thales Sa

Inventors

• Du Pontavice Emmanuel
• Raynaud Martin
• Billard Jean-Baptiste

Classifications

• B64B1/62 Primary

  Controlling gas pressure, heating, cooling, or discharging gas · CPC title

• B64B1/64

  Gas valve operating mechanisms · CPC title

• B64B1/58

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

• B64B1/02

  Non-rigid airships (B64B1/58 takes precedence; balloons B64B1/40) · CPC title