Airborne monitoring system and method
OwnerJoseph B. Williams, Jr., Marvin B. Sullivaninventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An airborne monitoring system for measuring conditions in the lower atmospheric boundary layer of a tropical cyclone or other concerted atmospheric systems. The system flies on the wind. In the case of a tropical cyclone it flies over the sea, into the eye and tracks the storm, transmitting meteorological data and receiving commands from a remote base station. The system includes a hybrid lifting body tethered from a line contacting the surface of the sea. It is maintained in aerodynamic and hydrodynamic balance at a substantially constant altitude.
Claims18
An airborne monitoring system for tracking and observing meteorological conditions in the lower atmospheric boundary layer over a body of water, comprising, in combination:
- a lifting body;
- module means for sensing and transmitting the conditions to, and receiving commands from, a remote station;
- bridle means for suspending said module means below said lifting body;
- and
- a tether having one end attached to said bridle means and a lower portion at the other end deployable on the surface of the water, said tether being dimensioned to maintain said lifting body at a substantially constant altitude h under a variable wind speed.
A method for maintaining an autonomously flying hybrid lifting body in an airstream over water, the lifting body having a lifting force at a preselected altitude within a range of wind speeds, comprising the steps of:
- attaching one end of a tether means to the lifting body, said tether means including a cord of specific gravity less than one when saturated in water;
- and
- deploying the lifting body over the water with an upper segment of said cord suspended in the airstream and a lower segment of said cord floating on the surface of the water, the weight and aerodynamic force of said upper segment in the airstream and the hydrodynamic force of said lower segment on the water providing a force balance with the lifting force of said lifting body.
An airborne monitoring system deployable over a body of water comprising, in combination:
- a lifting means for providing a lifting force in an airstream;
- monitor means depending from said lifting means for observing meteorological conditions;
- and
- a tether means including a cord of specific gravity less than one when saturated in water depending from said monitor means, said cord having an upper segment deployable in the airstream and a lower segment deployable on the surface of the water for maintaining said lifting means and said monitor means in the lower atmospheric boundary at a substantially constant altitude.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.