Flex connection system
AssigneeAerostar International, LLC
InventorsKyle Brookes, John Cromie, Raymond Louis Gradwohl
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Aspects of the disclosure provide a flex connection for high altitude balloon applications. During operation flex connection allows a payload of a high-altitude balloon to remain level when an envelope of the balloon is tilted, in order to change the direction of the balloon. As an example, a system may include a balloon envelope, a payload, a cable between the balloon envelope and the payload, and a flex connection on the cable. The flex connection enables the payload to remain level relative to the ground when the balloon is in flight and the balloon envelope is tilted relative to the payload. The flex connection includes a top portion, a plurality of discs, and a bottom portion.
Claims20
A system comprising:
- a cable;
- and
- a flex connection on the cable which enables a first object to remain level relative to a ground when a second object at is tilted relative to the first object, the flex connection including:
- a top portion;
- a plurality of discs each including a set of slots arranged around a perimeter of the given disc and a set of fingers arranged around the perimeter, each finger of the set of fingers having two protrusions configured to be compressed relative to one another in order to mate with a slot of an adjacent disc of the plurality of discs;
- and
- a bottom portion, and
- wherein the top portion, each of the plurality of discs and the bottom portion each include an opening through which the cable is threaded.
A flex connection system comprising:
- a flex connection configured to enable a first object to remain level relative to a ground when a second object is tilted relative to the first object, the flex connection including:
- a top portion;
- a plurality of discs each including a set of slots arranged around a perimeter of the given disc and a set of fingers arranged around the perimeter, each finger of the set of fingers having two protrusions configured to be compressed relative to one another in order to mate with a slot of an adjacent disc of the plurality of discs;
- and
- a bottom portion, and
- wherein the top portion, each of the plurality of discs and the bottom portion each include an opening.
A method of configuring a flex connection on a cable, the method comprising:
- providing a plurality of discs each including a set of slots arranged around a perimeter of the given disc and a set of fingers arranged around the perimeter, each finger of the set of fingers having two protrusions configured to be compressed relative to one another in order to mate with a slot of an adjacent disc of the plurality of discs
- threading a bottom portion onto the cable such that the cable passes through a tubular portion of the bottom portion;
- threading a first disc onto the cable such that the cable passes through a central opening in the first disc from a bottom surface of the first disc towards a top surface of the first disc;
- threading a second disc onto the cable such that the fingers of the second disc are lined up with the slots of the first disc and domes of the first and second discs are lined up with one another and the two protrusion of each finger of the second disc are compressed relative to one another in order to mate with a respective one of the slots of the first disc;
- threading additional discs onto the cable until a last, top disc is threaded onto the cable;
- and
- threading a top portion onto the cable such that the cable passes through a tubular portion of the top portion such that the top portion, each of the plurality of discs and the bottom portion each include an opening through which the cable is threaded,
- whereby a flex connection on the cable is provided which enables a first object to remain level relative to the ground when a second object at is tilted relative to the first object.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.