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US 9,809,294 B2Granted
High altitude balloon with altitude control
AssigneeNorthrop Grumman Systems Corporation
InventorsTaylor Evan Matthews, Anthony Paul Fry, Jessica Marie Lavigne, Rafy Uddin Athar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A high altitude balloon including a balloon film, a lifting gas disposed within the balloon film, a payload operably coupled to the balloon film, and a heat transfer element operably coupled between the payload and the balloon film configured to transfer heat from the payload to the lifting gas causing a change in buoyancy of the high altitude balloon.
Claims19
A high altitude balloon comprising:
- a balloon film;
- a lifting gas disposed within the balloon film;
- a payload operably coupled to the balloon film, the payload generating waste heat during operation of the payload;
- and
- a heat transfer element operably coupled between the payload and the balloon film configured to transfer the waste heat from the payload to the lifting gas causing a change in buoyancy of the high altitude balloon;
- wherein the payload is an electronic device, and wherein the waste heat is generated by the electronic device.
3 more elements
A high altitude balloon comprising:
- a balloon film;
- a lifting gas disposed within the balloon film;
- a payload operably coupled to the balloon film;
- and
- a heat transfer element operably coupled between the payload and the balloon film configured to transfer heat from the payload to the lifting gas causing a change in buoyancy of the high altitude balloon, wherein the heat transfer element comprises:
- a heat sink operably coupled to the payload to absorb the heat from the payload;
- a radiator operably coupled to the balloon film and disposed with the balloon film to radiate the heat to the lifting gas;
- and
- a coolant pipe filled with a fluid operably coupled between the heat sink and the radiator,
- wherein the fluid transfers the heat from the heat sink to the radiator.
7 more elements
An altitude control device comprising:
- a heat sink operably coupled to a payload of a high altitude balloon;
- and
- a radiator operably coupled to and disposed within a balloon film of the high altitude balloon,
- wherein the heat sink is configured to transfer waste heat generated by operation of the payload to the radiator and the radiator is configured to radiate the waste heat to lifting gas disposed within the balloon film to cause a change in buoyancy of the high altitude balloon.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.