Balloon comprising photovoltaic means and a solar concentration device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9650122-B2
Application number	US-201213683856-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2012
Priority date	Nov 22, 2011
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

A balloon equipped with photovoltaic means exhibiting an active face intended to receive solar rays and comprising an envelope, characterized in that the envelope comprises at least: a first zone transparent to solar rays; a second reflecting zone for said solar rays; a third zone comprising said photovoltaic means, the active face of which is directed toward the inside of said envelope; the second and third zones being positioned and cooperating in such a way as to reflect the solar rays in the direction of said third zone.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A balloon comprising photovoltaic means exhibiting an active face configured to receive solar rays and comprising:
an envelope having a first skin and a second skin, wherein:
the first skin has a first zone transparent to solar rays,
the second skin has a second zone reflecting said solar rays, and
the first skin further has a third zone transparent to solar rays and positioned off-center of the first skin, the third zone supporting said photovoltaic means placed on an outside of the envelope, the active face of which is directed toward an inside of said envelope, and
wherein:
a shape of the first skin of the envelope and a shape of the second skin of the envelope having the second zone are different,
the second and the third zones are positioned and cooperate to reflect and transmit the solar rays in a direction of the photovoltaic means, and
the first zone, the second zone, and the third zone are disposed on outer walls of the balloon, the balloon being a buoyant body configured to float in an atmosphere.

2. The balloon according to claim 1 , wherein the photovoltaic means are photovoltaic panels.

3. The balloon according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first reflecting zone and a second reflecting zone, said first reflecting zone reflecting the solar rays in a direction of said second reflecting zone,
said second reflecting zone and said third zone are positioned to cooperate to reflect the solar rays in the direction of said third zone.

4. The balloon according to claim 1 , further comprising a sub-envelope comprising a third skin located interior of said third zone, the sub-envelope configured to protect the third skin from a concentrated reflected radiation of solar rays.

5. The balloon according to claim 1 , wherein the second zone exhibits a parabolic surface.

6. The balloon according to claim 1 , wherein the shape of the first skin of the envelope is optimized for lift and the shape of the second skin of the envelope is optimized for concentrating solar rays.

7. The balloon according to claim 1 , wherein a volume of the balloon is 50,000 m 3 .

Assignees

• Thales Sa

Inventors

• Chessel Jean-Philippe
• Prost Jean-Pierre

Classifications

• B64B1/40 Primary

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

• B64B1/14

  Outer covering · CPC title

• Y02E10/52

  PV systems with concentrators · CPC title