Surveillance balloon
AssigneeTeledyne Industries, Inc.
InventorJohn M. Peterson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tethered surveillance balloon having a relatively low lift-to-weight ratio (e.g., 1.1) and an aerodynamic device to help maintain the surveillance balloon elevation when subject to high velocity wind conditions at an altitude which is a high percentage of the altitude the surveillance balloon would assume if there was zero wind velocity and all other conditions were the same (e.g. temperature, air density). The surveillance balloon also includes a sensing device such as a TV detector for detecting objects and relaying information to a ground station and with possibly a target designation device, if so desired. The balloon is formed of a material which is virtually, if not entirely, radar and visibly transparent.
Claims32
A tethered balloon, comprising:
- an inflatable main body which is essentially cylindrical;
- a delta-shaped flex wing having a tip and a trailing edge with two end sections;
- attachment means attaching said flex wing to said main body, said attachment means including a first line attached at one end to said tip and at the other end to said main body, second and third lines attached to a respective one of said end sections and converging to a common point of attachment with a tether line, said main body having a lift-to-weight ratio of about 1.05 to 1.15 such that said main body has a minimized volume for providing essentially only sufficient enough lift to raise said main body to the length of said tether line while said surveillance balloon is in still air conditions;
- and said flex wing being dimensioned and arranged so as to maintain said tethered ballon, when subject to winds of up to 45 mph, at an altitude level which is between 75 to 90% of the still air altitude said surveillance balloon would assume.
A minimum volume tethered surveillance balloon comprising:
- an inflatable main body having a semi-spherical front end, a frusto conical mid-region which converges in a direction away from said front end, and a semi-spherical aft end, said main body further including stabilizing fins positioned at the aft-end of said main body;
- stub wings adjoined to said main body at an upper-front region of said main body in an area where the semi-spherical front end joins with the frusto conical mid-region;
- a payload pod supported by said main body;
- a tether line;
- means for connecting said tether line to said main body;
- and
- said surveillance balloon having a lift-to-weight ratio of between about 1.05 to 1.15 such that said surveillance balloon has a minimized volume for providing essentially only sufficient enough lift to raise said main body to the length of said tether line while said surveillance balloon is in still air conditions, and said stub wings being dimensioned and arranged so as to maintain said tethered surveillance balloon, when subjected to winds of up to 45 mph, at an altitude level which is at least 80% of the still air altitude said surveillance balloon would assume.
A minimum volume tethered surveillance balloon comprising:
- an inflatable main body having an elongated shape and stabilizing fins provided on an aft-end of said main body;
- a flex wing positioned above said main body;
- means for securing said flex wing to said main body;
- a payload pod supported by said main body;
- a tether line;
- connection means connecting said tether line to said main body;
- said main body having a lift-to-weight ratio of about 1.05 to 1.15 such that said main body has a minimized volume for providing essentially only sufficient enough lift to raise said main body to the length of said tether line while said surveillance balloon is in still air conditions;
- and said flex wing being dimensioned and arranged so as to maintain said tethered balloon, when subject to winds of up to 45 mph, at an altitude level which is between 75 to 90% of the still air altitude said surveillance balloon would assume.
A method of surveillance which includes the steps of:
- inflating a tethered surveillance balloon having a main body and aerodynamic means for enhancing lift in high wind conditions with a gas which is lighter than air;
- raising said surveillance balloon which has a lift-to-weight ratio of between 1.05 to 1.15 and a minimum volume which provides essentially only sufficient enough lift to raise said main body to the length of the tether when said surveillance balloon is in still air conditions;
- maintaining said surveillance balloon at an altitude at least about 80% of an equilibrium altitude said balloon would assume in zero wind conditions for wind conditions up to 45 KTS without adjusting the tether line.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.