Balloon descent decelerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016159451-A1
Application number	US-201514958527-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 3, 2015
Priority date	Dec 5, 2014
Publication date	Jun 9, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A balloon having a descent decelerator includes an atmospheric balloon and a descent decelerator coupled with the atmospheric balloon. The descent decelerator includes a canopy spread along the upper portion of the atmospheric balloon. The canopy coupled to the atmospheric balloon with a plurality of canopy tethers at a canopy perimeter of the canopy and at a balloon perimeter of the balloon body. In a deflation configuration the canopy fills as the balloon descends and the canopy tethers suspend the atmospheric balloon from the canopy.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A balloon including a descent decelerator comprising:
an atmospheric balloon, the atmospheric balloon includes a balloon body and an apex fitting coupled with an upper portion of the balloon body; a descent decelerator coupled with the atmospheric balloon, the descent decelerator includes:
a canopy spread along the upper portion of the atmospheric balloon in an inflated configuration of the atmospheric balloon,
a plurality of canopy tethers coupling the canopy with the atmospheric balloon, each of the canopy tethers is coupled at a canopy perimeter of the canopy and at a balloon perimeter of the balloon body spaced from the apex fitting, and
at least one apex suspension line coupling the apex fitting to a canopy inner portion; and
in a deflation configuration of the atmospheric balloon the plurality of canopy tethers coupled with balloon perimeter suspend the atmospheric balloon below the canopy, and the at least one apex suspension line suspends the apex fitting near an uppermost portion of the atmospheric balloon.

2 . The balloon including the descent decelerator of claim 1 , wherein the apex fitting includes a deflation port, and the deflation port is suspended near the uppermost portion of the atmospheric balloon in the deflation configuration by the apex suspension line.

3 . The balloon including the descent decelerator of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of canopy tethers are coupled with the balloon perimeter at balloon perimeter couplings spaced around the balloon perimeter, and the plurality of canopy tethers are coupled with the canopy perimeter at canopy perimeter couplings spaced around the canopy perimeter.

4 . The balloon including the descent decelerator of claim 3 , wherein the canopy is spread along the upper portion of the atmospheric balloon according to the spacing of the balloon perimeter couplings and the canopy perimeter couplings.

5 . The balloon including the descent decelerator of claim 1 , wherein the balloon perimeter couplings are provided at tendons around the balloon body.

6 . The balloon including the descent decelerator of claim 5 , wherein the tendons include first and second sets of tendons positioned around the balloon body, and the balloon perimeter couplings are provided at the first set of tendons staggered relative to the second set of tendons.

7 . The balloon including the descent decelerator of claim 1 , wherein the atmospheric balloon includes a payload coupled with the balloon body and the tendons, and in the deflation configuration the canopy tethers coupled with the tendons suspend the payload beneath the canopy.

8 . The balloon including the descent decelerator of claim 1 , wherein the canopy includes:
a canopy vent orifice at the canopy inner portion, and the at least one apex suspension line includes a plurality of apex suspension lines coupled around the canopy vent orifice and extending to the apex fitting.

9 . The balloon including the descent decelerator of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of canopy tethers are coupled with the balloon perimeter at balloon perimeter couplings spaced around the balloon perimeter, and
the at least one apex suspension line suspends the apex fitting above the balloon perimeter couplings in the deflation configuration of the atmospheric balloon.

10 . The balloon including the descent decelerator of claim 9 , wherein the at least one apex suspension line suspends the apex fitting at or below a canopy edge of the canopy in the deflation configuration of the atmospheric balloon.

11 . The balloon including the descent decelerator of claim 1 , wherein in the deflation configuration the atmospheric balloon includes:
a first balloon portion of the balloon body contracted inward according to the weight of the atmospheric balloon, a second balloon portion of the balloon body coupled with the canopy tethers expanded outward relative to the first balloon portion according to filling of the canopy, and a plurality of filling channels extending along the balloon body toward the canopy according to the respective contracted and expanded first and second balloon portions.

12 . The balloon including the descent decelerator of claim 1 , wherein the canopy includes a material at least partially translucent to sunlight, and in the inflated configuration sunlight passes through the canopy spread along the upper portion of the atmospheric balloon.

13 . A balloon including a descent decelerator comprising:
an atmospheric balloon including a balloon body; a descent decelerator coupled with the atmospheric balloon, the descent decelerator includes a canopy and a plurality of canopy tethers coupling the canopy with the atmospheric balloon; and wherein the atmospheric balloon transitions between an inflated configuration and a deflation configuration:
in the inflated configuration the canopy is spread along an upper portion of the atmospheric balloon, and
in the deflation configuration a first balloon portion of the balloon body is contracted inward according to the weight of the atmospheric balloon, a second balloon portion of the balloon body coupled with the canopy tethers is expanded outward relative to the first balloon portion according to filling of the canopy, a plurality of filling channels extend along the atmospheric balloon toward the canopy according to the respective contracted and expanded first and second balloon portions, and the canopy tethers suspend the atmospheric balloon from the canopy.

14 . The balloon including the descent decelerator of claim 13 , wherein each of the canopy tethers of the plurality of canopy tethers include a balloon perimeter coupling that couples the canopy tether to a balloon perimeter and a canopy perimeter coupling that couples the canopy tether to a canopy perimeter,
the balloon perimeter couplings are spaced around the balloon perimeter, and the canopy perimeter couplings are spaced around the canopy perimeter, and the plurality of canopy tethers are spaced around the canopy perimeter and the balloon perimeter according to the spacings of the balloon perimeter couplings and the canopy perimeter couplings.

15 . The balloon including the descent decelerator of claim 14 , wherein each of the balloon perimeter couplings of the plurality of canopy tethers are coupled with respective tendons of the atmospheric balloon.

16 . The balloon including the descent decelerator of claim 15 , wherein the respective tendons include a first set of tendons, and at least some of the tendons of the first set of tendons are interposed with at least some tendons of a second set of tendons.

17 . The balloon including the descent decelerator of claim 15 , wherein the atmospheric balloon includes a payload coupled beneath the balloon body with the respective tendons, and in the deflated configuration the canopy tethers and the respective tendons coupled with the canopy tethers suspend the payload from the canopy.

18 . The balloon including the descent decelerator of claim 13 , wherein the canopy is spread along the upper portion of the atmospheric balloon according to spacing of the plurality of canopy tethers around a canopy perimeter and a balloon perimeter.

19 . The balloon including the descent decelerator of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of filling channels are spaced around a balloon perimeter according to spacing of the plurality of canopy tethers around the balloon perimeter.

20 . The balloon including the descent decelerator of claim 13 , wherein i

Assignees

• Raven Ind Inc

Inventors

• Scott Randy E

Classifications

• B64B1/62

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

• B64B1/40 Primary

  Balloons (B64B1/58 takes precedence; toy balloons A63H27/10) · CPC title