Aerostar International, Inc.

Loon LLC

X Development LLC

Other

Lockheed Martin Corporation

5.11, Inc.

John Cromie

Kyle Brookes

Raymond Louis Gradwohl

Kevin Ray Anderson

Peter I Capraro

Nathan Winder

Jonathan Nutzmann

Gopal Ravi

Carey Graham Hijmans

Robert E Kinser

Michael Levin

Leo Laux

Jacob R Boettcher

Douglas Discher

Yu Gyone Hwee

Nathan Larry Johnson

Matthew Stephen Coleman

A system for an unmanned aerial vehicle can include an altitude control system, which further includes a compressor assembly, a valve assembly, and an electronics control assembly. The compressor assembly may include a compressor housingthat includes a compressor inlet, an outlet, and a cavityextending therethrough and joining the inlet to the outlet. A diffusermay be coupled to the compressor housing. A motor housingmay be disposed within the central cavity at the inlet of the compressor housing, and a compressor motormay be disposed within the motor housing. An impellerdisposed within the compressor housing may be coupled to a driveshaftfor rotation therewith. The valve assembly may be coupled to an openingof the compressor inlet. The valve headmay be configured to move into and away from the inlet opening so as to change a size of the circumferential area of the inlet opening.

Altitude control system

The technology relates to a telescoping support structure which can be suspended between two objects. The telescoping support structure uses projections between adjacent tubular sections in order to prevent the adjacent tubular sections from falling away from one another. Although the telescoping support structure may be utilized in various different environments and circumstances, it may be of particular usefulness in the field of high-altitude ballooning. For instance, when used in a balloon system, the telescoping support structure may be suspended between two objects such as an upper payload structure and a lower payload structure. As another example, the telescoping support structure may be suspended between a balloon envelope and a payload which, in some examples, may include an upper and a lower payload structure.

Telescoping support structure

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.

Flex connection system

A stratospheric balloon may include an upper structure having a pulley, a lower structure, at least one solar panel suspended between the upper structure and the lower structure, and a first orientation control member connected, at a first end thereof, to a first transverse edge of the at least one solar panel and, at a second end thereof, to a second transverse edge of the at least one solar panel. The first orientation control member is wound about the pulley such that rotating the pulley changes the orientation of the at least one solar panel relative to the upper structure and the lower structure. In another example, the pulley may be replaced by first and second support mechanisms and the system may include a second orientation control member. The first and second orientation control members are connected to the first and second support mechanisms, respectively, and to the solar panel.

Tilting solar panels for high altitude balloons

Aspects of the technology relate to a propeller blade assembly that is used in lateral propulsion systems for lighter-than-air high altitude platforms designed to operate, e.g., in the stratosphere. During operation, the propeller of the assembly is pointed along a specified heading and rotates at a selected velocity (e.g., hundreds or thousands of revolutions per minute). Power is supplied to the propeller as needed during lateral propulsion to move the platform along a particular trajectory or to remain on station over a given geographic location. In certain circumstances, the propeller may become damaged. This can include one or more blades breaking or shattering, which can result in failure of the propeller and potentially the entire LTA platform. The technology provides blades that are sufficiently flexible to avoid breakage or shattering due to debris impact or envelope entanglement, or otherwise shed a load. This can avoid catastrophic failure during stratospheric operation.

Propeller blade assembly

Aspects of the disclosure relate to high altitude or stratospheric balloon systems. For instance, a stratospheric balloon system may include a an upper structure, a lower structure, a platform associated with the lower structure, a stack of solar panels positioned on the platform, each solar panel coupled to an adjacent solar panel, at least one tension element connected, at a first end thereof, to the upper structure and, at a second end thereof, to the platform, and a first flexible tension member coupled, at a first end thereof, to the upper structure and to foremost solar panel of the stack of solar panels. Solar panels may be stacked in a 'Z-fold' configuration with either solar cells of the adjacent solar panels facing one another or the frames of the adjacent solar panels facing one another. In this configuration, the adjacent solar panels are connected by a hinge system.

Deployable solar panels for high-altitude balloons

Aspects of the disclosure provide anti-tilt assemblies for reducing the strain of an air ballast when used to change the direction of a high altitude balloon. For instance, in one example, a balloon includes a balloon envelope having an air ballast and a plurality of support tendons and a payload assembly. The balloon also includes an anti-tilt assembly arranged between the balloon envelope and the payload assembly. The anti-tilt assembly includes a support structure having a plurality of line connections arranged at a top end of the support structure and a connection member at a bottom end of the support structure. The connection member is attached to the payload assembly. The anti-tilt assembly also includes a plurality of support lines connected at to one of the support tendons and to the connection member. In addition, each support line is arranged to pass through a corresponding one of the line connections.

Anti-tilt assembly for balloons

A method and concept for employing a T-sin-alpha kill vehicle with energy flexibility is disclosed. The energy flexibility method applies divert pulses at multiple phases of the kill vehicle flight time and allows for range extension to increase the kill vehicle coverage of targets outside the normal reach, reaction to target updates, removal of navigation error, and homing divert to intercept the target. Each of these capabilities is essential to the successful intercept of exo-atmospheric ballistic targets in their midcourse phase of flight. A flight vehicle includes a main body, a number of attitude control mechanisms, a control unit, a divert system, a sensor unit, and an attitude control system. The divert system provides acceleration of the flight vehicle in a desired direction. The sensor unit tracks a target along a line of sight (LOS) of the sensor unit. The attitude control system maintains an orientation of the main body.

Flexible energy management kill vehicle for exo-atmospheric intercept

Flex connection for high altitude balloons

Growing community of inventors

Menlo Park, CA, United States of America

John Cromie