High altitude platform
AssigneeDavidson Technology Limited
InventorsPeter Davidson, Hugh Edmund Murray Hunt, Christopher John Burgoyne
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for generating electrical energy at altitude, comprising a tether connecting a substantially ground level location, part to a platform at an elevated location, the tether comprising a conduit coupled to an electrical generator at the platform, the conduit arranged to allow the flow of a fuel fluid from the substantially ground level location to the elevated location, and the electrical generator being operable to convert energy in the fuel fluid to electrical energy at the elevated location.
Claims22
An apparatus for generating electrical energy at altitude, comprising a tether connecting a substantially ground level location to a platform at an elevated location, the tether comprising a conduit coupled to an electrical generator at the platform, the conduit arranged to allow the flow of a fuel fluid from the substantially ground level location to the elevated location, and the electrical generator being operable to convert energy in the fuel fluid to electrical energy at the elevated location.
(canceled)
20-52. (canceled)
An apparatus, comprising:
- a substantially ground level location;
- a base station in the vicinity of the substantially ground level location, the base station comprising a light modulator operable by an electrical signal;
- a platform at an elevated location, the platform comprising information services apparatus comprising an optical-to-electrical converter and at least one antenna;
- an electrical generator at the platform;
- and
- a tether connecting the substantially ground level location to the platform, the tether comprising:
- a conduit coupled to the electrical generator and arranged to allow the flow of a fuel fluid from the substantially ground level location to the elevated location;
- and
- a series of aerofoils at intervals along the tether to provide lift to the tether from horizontal winds;
- and
- one or more optical fibres connecting the information services apparatus to the base station.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a substantially ground level location;
- a base station in the vicinity of the substantially ground level location, the base station comprising a light modulator operable by an electrical signal;
- a platform at an elevated location, the platform comprising information services apparatus comprising an optical-to-electrical converter and at least one antenna;
- an electrical generator at the platform;
- and
- a tether connecting the substantially ground level location to the platform, the tether comprising:
- a conduit coupled to the electrical generator and arranged to allow the flow of a fuel fluid from the substantially ground level location to the elevated location;
- one or more optical fibres comprising an optical fibre cable connecting the information services apparatus to the base station, the optical fibre cable comprising a plurality of couplers spaced along the length of the optical fibre cable, each coupler adapted to divert a fraction of the light in the optical fibre cable and direct it to a respective light emitter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.