Breaking apart a platform upon pending collision
AssigneeSpace Data Corporation
InventorsGerald M. Knoblach, Eric A. Frische
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and system for separating and releasing component parts of a payload of a floating platform in response to a high collision probability is disclosed. The method includes, determining if an in-flight aircraft is within at least a safety zone associated with a floating platform, wherein the floating platform comprises releasably-coupled component parts; and activating, responsive to a determination that the in-flight aircraft is within at least the safety zone, a release mechanism, wherein the release mechanism is configured to uncouple the component parts.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- communicating between a floating platform and a ground station and/or other floating platforms;
- determining if an in-flight aircraft is within at least a safety zone associated with the floating platform;
- and activating remotely via the ground station or any one or more of the other floating platforms a release mechanism comprising a device, the activating being in response to a determination that the in-flight aircraft is within at least the safety zone;
- wherein the floating platform comprises releasably-coupled component parts and the device is configured to uncouple the component parts upon the activating remotely in response to the determining that the in-flight aircraft is within at least the safety zone to the floating platform;
- and wherein at least one of the component parts has a weight or density less than a certain value.
A computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable code physically embodied thereon which, when executed by one or more processors undertakes operations comprising:
- determining by one or more processors, if an in-flight aircraft is within at least a safety zone associated with a floating platform;
- and
- activating by the one or more processors, responsive to a determination that the in-flight aircraft is within at least the safety zone, a release mechanism comprising a device;
- wherein the floating platform comprises releasably-coupled component parts, the device is configured to uncouple the component parts upon activation in response to an occurrence of a pre-determined event, and the predetermined event comprises a determination that the in-flight aircraft is within at least the safety zone relative to the floating platform.
A system comprising
- a floating platform, a ground station and/or other floating platforms;
- wherein the floating platform comprises:
- a component comprising releasably-coupled component parts;
- and
- a release mechanism comprising a device configured to uncouple the component parts upon activation in response to a determination that an aircraft is within at least a safety zone to the floating platform;
- wherein at least one of the component parts has a weight or density less than a certain value permissible under an aviation guideline;
- and
- wherein the system is configured for remote activation via the ground station or any one or more of the other floating platforms.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.