A high-altitude balloon with a phase-change regulating airbag

Abstract

The present invention discloses a high-altitude balloon with a phase-change regulating airbag, comprising a main airbag; a payload basket for equipping mission equipment and payloads; a phase-change regulating airbag for directly or indirectly regulating the pressure differential of the high-altitude balloon so that the pressure differential remains within a safe range when the balloon changes altitude; a phase-change working fluid gas for filling the phase-change regulating airbag; a phase-change device for regulating the volume of the phase-change working fluid gas within the phase-change regulating airbag; the phase-change device including a liquefaction / desublimation device; a vaporization / sublimation device; a storage tank for storing liquid / solid working fluid; phase-change electronics and accessories; and a control system. The present invention not only provides a redundant method for directly regulating altitude through phase change, but also creates favorable pressure differential conditions for the operation of the composite air pump. More importantly, throughout the entire process of altitude change control, the pressure differential of the sphere is always ensured to be within a safe range, achieving optimized coordination between altitude control and pressure differential control.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a high-altitude balloon, in particular to a high-altitude balloon with a phase-change regulating air bag. Background Art

[0002] A high-altitude balloon consists of a sphere system and a payload basket. The sphere is filled with a certain mass of a lighter-than-air lifting gas to generate buoyancy, allowing the balloon to ascend and maintain a suitable altitude. The payload basket contains power, control, avionics, communications, recovery equipment, and the mission payload. High-altitude balloons are broadly categorized into traditional zero-pressure natural balloons, large super-pressure balloons, small super-pressure balloons, and infrared hot air balloons.

[0003] Zero-pressure balloons typically have an open structure with an exhaust pipe at the bottom. During launch, as the balloon ascends and atmospheric pressure decreases, the lifting gas inside the balloon expands rapidly. When the balloon reaches its maximum altitude, the lifting gas fills the entire balloon, and the excess gas is discharged through the exhaust pipe at the bottom, achieving equilibrium between the balloon's own gravity and buoyancy. During the day, due to a combination of factors such as direct solar radiation, reflected radiation from the ground, and infrared radiation from the ground, the temperature of the gas inside the balloon is significantly higher than that of the external atmosphere. This expansion of the lifting gas increases the pressure differential between the inside and outside of the balloon. To prevent the balloon from bursting due to expansion, the exhaust pipe at the bottom of the balloon releases some of the lifting gas. At night, when solar radiation disappears, the temperature and pressure of the lifting gas inside the balloon drop, reducing the buoyancy and causing the balloon to lose altitude. If the balloon reaches too low an altitude, ballast (such as water or sand) can be dropped. However, since the ballast and lifting gas a balloon can carry are non-renewable resources in the air, the number and range of altitude adjustments that can be made are very limited. Once there is no extra ballast to be thrown and the remaining lifting gas is insufficient to provide the minimum buoyancy required for the effective working altitude, the mission has to be ended and the effective working time is extremely short.

[0004] Superpressure cells rely on a special structural design and high-strength film materials to passively resist increasing pressure differentials. However, this passive approach is limited in its ability to resist pressure differentials. Due to the dramatic fluctuations in radiation conditions between day and night at Earth's mid- and low-latitudes, the overpressure in superpressure cells can be quite high. Therefore, large superpressure cells exceeding tens of thousands of cubic meters are typically only able to conduct missions in regions of high latitudes with polar daylight. Furthermore, superpressure cells lack the ability to adjust their operating altitude.

[0005] While the complex adjusts the working altitude through the internal air bag, it may also aggravate the increase in pressure difference to a greater extent: when the air is discharged to increase the altitude, the internal and external pressures decrease at the same time; when the air is absorbed to lower the altitude, the internal and external pressures increase at the same time. In other words, it is difficult to control the pressure difference and altitude simultaneously by relying solely on the air bag, and there is a typical under-actuation problem. In fact, the internal air bag is not suitable as a means of maintaining the pressure difference in theory. The influence of the temperature difference between day and night will lead to different chain reactions: (1) During the day, due to the influence of comprehensive factors such as direct solar radiation, ground reflected radiation, and ground infrared radiation, the temperature of the gas inside the sphere will be significantly higher than the temperature of the external atmosphere. If the exhaust is not carried out, the internal and external pressure difference may exceed the stress range of the skin and reduce the service life of the skin. The exhaust gas will cause the gravity of the system to decrease, increase the net buoyancy, and affect the altitude maintenance. (2) At night, due to the decrease in the temperature of the gas inside the sphere and the decrease in pressure, air needs to be filled in to maintain the pressure, which will increase the gravity of the system and reduce the net buoyancy, which also affects the altitude maintenance.

[0006] Regarding the rotating yin-yang body, although the Chinese invention application number 201380036079.7 is titled "Balloon Altitude Control Using Density and / or Volume Adjustment," the rotating yin-yang body is essentially only capable of actively controlling the pressure differential in theory. First, as stated in paragraph 0034 of the specification, it is no longer possible to rely on the rotating yin-yang body to maintain the pressure differential at night, and therefore the rotating yin-yang body does not provide a solution that can cycle day and night. Second, claims 16 and 17 and paragraphs 0129-0132 of the specification state that the balloon will be rotated by means of a motor or servo motor controlling one or more bias fans, thrust plates, or thrust deflectors to release compressed air from a directional sleeve, or by means of a universal joint or spherical roller bearing. However, this approach actually has two critical problems: First, the higher the operating altitude of a high-altitude balloon, the larger its volume (giant high-altitude balloons measuring millions of cubic meters already have a surface area that could cover multiple football fields), and the greater its moment of inertia, the greater the power consumption required to actively rotate the entire balloon, making it practically impossible to achieve. Secondly, the rotating sphere will inevitably intensify the torsion of the basket below. It should be noted that the posture of the basket ultimately determines the working quality of the mission equipment and user satisfaction. Even if the huge sphere above is not rotated, it is necessary to pay great attention to the anti-twist control of the torsion caused by wind field disturbances and achieve decoupling from azimuth control.

[0007] Although the infrared hot air balloon, as a passive thermal solution, can alleviate the adverse changes in pressure differences to a certain extent, it also has an adverse effect on maintaining the working altitude. The altitude at night is 10km lower than the daytime altitude, and the mission was completed after only 5 days.

[0008] In summary, there is currently a lack of active control solutions that can effectively maintain the balloon pressure difference and achieve a day-night cycle, which means that the balloon's flight safety is not fundamentally guaranteed, thus affecting the high-altitude balloon's ability to stay in the air for a long time. There is currently no complete driving means to achieve coordination between pressure difference maintenance and altitude control, which weakens the effective working quality of the high-altitude balloon. Summary of the Invention

[0009] In order to solve the deficiencies of the above technologies, the present invention provides a high-altitude balloon with a phase-change regulating airbag.

[0010] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a high-altitude balloon with a phase change regulating airbag, including a main airbag; a load basket for equipping mission equipment and payloads; a phase change regulating airbag for directly or indirectly adjusting the pressure difference of the high-altitude balloon so that the pressure difference of the balloon remains within a safe range when the altitude changes; a phase change working fluid gas for filling the phase change regulating airbag; a phase change device for regulating the volume of the phase change working fluid gas in the phase change regulating airbag; the phase change device includes a liquefaction / desublimation device for liquefying / desublimating the phase change working fluid gas; a gasification / sublimation device for gasifying / sublimating the phase change working fluid; a storage tank for storing liquid / solid phase working fluid; phase change electronics and accessories; a control system for controlling the phase change device to change the volume of the phase change regulating airbag without changing the weight of the entire balloon system, thereby causing an appropriate change in the balloon pressure difference, so that the balloon pressure difference remains within a safe range.

[0011] Furthermore, the phase change regulating airbag can be configured solely inside the main airbag, solely outside the main airbag, compositely inside the main airbag, compositely outside the main airbag, a single inside-outside mixed configuration, or a composite inside-outside mixed configuration.

[0012] Furthermore, the phase change regulating airbag arranged outside the main airbag changes the volume of the phase change regulating airbag through the phase change device, thereby directly changing the height of the balloon and indirectly changing the pressure difference of the balloon, so that the pressure difference of the balloon can be kept within a safe range.

[0013] Furthermore, when the pressure difference of the main airbag exceeds the conservative upper limit, the phase change working fluid gas in the phase change regulating airbag is liquefied / desublimed by the liquefaction / desublimation device, thereby reducing the volume of the phase change regulating airbag, directly causing the buoyancy of the balloon to decrease and the altitude to drop. As a result, the surrounding atmospheric pressure increases, which indirectly causes the pressure difference of the balloon to decrease.

[0014] When the pressure difference of the main airbag exceeds the conservative lower limit, the liquid / solid working fluid in the storage tank is vaporized / sublimated into phase change working fluid gas through the gasification / sublimation device and transported to the phase change regulation airbag, so that the volume of the phase change regulation airbag increases, which directly causes the buoyancy of the balloon to increase and the altitude to rise, so that the surrounding atmospheric pressure decreases, which indirectly leads to an increase in the pressure difference of the balloon.

[0015] Furthermore, the phase change regulating airbag is arranged inside the main airbag. The balloon directly causes appropriate changes in the balloon pressure difference by changing the volume of the built-in phase change regulating airbag, so that the balloon pressure difference is kept within a safe range.

[0016] Furthermore, when the pressure difference of the main airbag exceeds the conservative upper limit, the phase change working fluid gas in the phase change regulating airbag is liquefied / desublimed by the liquefaction / desublimation device, which can reduce the volume of the phase change regulating airbag and leave expansion space for the lift gas. As a result, the volume of the lift gas expands, the internal pressure and the pressure difference of the main airbag are reduced, and the rising trend of the pressure difference can be slowed down.

[0017] When the pressure difference of the main airbag exceeds the conservative lower limit, the liquid / solid working medium in the storage tank is vaporized / sublimated through the vaporization / sublimation device, which can increase the volume of the phase change regulation airbag, so that the volume of the lift gas shrinks, and the internal pressure and the pressure difference of the main airbag 302 increase.

[0018] Furthermore, an internal air bag is provided in the composite main air bag, and an air pump is provided to suck in or discharge the air in the internal air bag to change the volume of the internal air bag, thereby changing the pressure difference of the main air bag, providing favorable pressure difference conditions for the phase change regulation air bag, assisting in altitude changes, and keeping the balloon pressure difference within a safe range.

[0019] Furthermore, the internal air bag is arranged inside the built-in phase change regulating air bag. When it is necessary to lower the altitude, the phase change regulating air bag is first contracted by the liquefaction / desublimation device, so that the lifting gas is dispersed in the body and the pressure is reduced, reducing the pressure difference to near the lower limit of the allowable safe pressure difference, so that the air pump suction flow rate is as large as possible. As the air pump suction reduces the altitude, the main air bag pressure difference also increases. Once it increases to the upper limit of the effective suction pressure difference, the air intake is stopped to reduce the power consumption of the air pump, and the internal phase change regulating air bag continues to contract.

[0020] When the altitude needs to be increased, the internal phase change regulating airbag is first expanded through the vaporization / sublimation device, the lift gas is tightened and the pressure increases, and the pressure difference is increased to near the upper limit of the allowable safe pressure difference, so that the main airbag is close to the lower limit of the pressure difference safety during the air pump exhaust process; while the air pump exhausts to increase the altitude, the pressure difference of the main airbag also decreases. Once the lower limit of the allowable pressure difference of the main airbag is reduced, the exhaust is stopped and the internal phase change regulating airbag continues to expand.

[0021] The safety of the sphere's pressure differential is the lifeline that determines whether the balloon can sustain its flight. The technology of the present invention allows for active safety pressure differential control, fundamentally changing the passive situation of existing balloons that rely on excluding limited lift gas resources or relying on the selection of sphere materials and special structures to resist pressure. It also fundamentally eliminates the adverse effects of the air pump operation on the sphere's pressure differential in the case of an internal air bag. More importantly, unlike the active pressure maintenance concept that requires unreliable and huge power consumption to rotate the yin and yang spheres and cannot achieve a day and night cycle, the technology of the present invention can fundamentally achieve active day and night cycle pressure differential safety control. The use of dual external phases allows for redundant pressure differential safety control.

[0022] To better achieve mission-driven changes in balloon operating altitude, this technology addresses the stringent pressure differential between the internal and external gas pressures of existing composite air pumps. It not only provides a redundant method for adjusting altitude directly through phase change, but also creates favorable pressure differential conditions for composite air pump operation. More importantly, throughout the entire altitude change control process, the balloon's pressure differential remains within a safe range, achieving optimal coordination between altitude and pressure differential control. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of embodiment 1.

[0024] Figure 2 This is a flow chart of the pressure difference adjustment method of Example 1.

[0025] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of Example 2.

[0026] Figure 4 This is a flow chart of the pressure difference adjustment method of Example 2.

[0027] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of Example 3.

[0028] Figure 6 This is a flow chart of the pressure difference adjustment method of Example 3.

[0029] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of Example 4.

[0030] Figure 8 This is a flow chart of the pressure difference adjustment method of Example 4.

[0031] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of Example 5.

[0032] Figure 10 This is a flow chart of the pressure difference adjustment method of Example 5.

[0033] Figure 11This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of Example 6.

[0034] Figure 12 This is a flow chart of the method for adjusting pressure difference in Example 6.

[0035] In the figure: 302, main airbag; 304, lift gas; 306, emergency return exhaust valve; 308, load basket; 310, ballast; 312, mooring rope and its attached safety control device; 314, internal air bag; 316, internal air; 318, air pump; 330, phase change regulation airbag; 332, phase change working fluid gas; 334, liquid / solid working fluid storage tank; 336, liquefaction / desublimation device; 338, gasification / sublimation device; 340, phase change electronics and accessories; 362, special basket for phase change system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0037] Example 1

[0038] like Figure 1 The figure shows a single spherical high-altitude balloon with an external phase-change regulating airbag (referred to as an external phase single body). The phase-change regulating airbag is located outside the main airbag, below the payload basket. The phase-change working fluid gas is connected to the interior of the phase-change regulating airbag via a liquefaction / desublimation device and a vaporization / sublimation device, and is controlled by phase-change electronics and accessories.

[0039] The phase change regulates the volume change of the airbag 330 , which directly causes the buoyancy and altitude change of the balloon system, thereby changing the surrounding atmospheric pressure, thereby indirectly causing the pressure difference of the main airbag 302 to change.

[0040] The process of indirectly adjusting the pressure difference of a single sphere high-altitude balloon with a phase change airbag is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, the permissible lower limit p of the balloon pressure difference can be determined in advance based on the design and ground testing. dm and upper limit p dM , we can further set an appropriate value slightly larger than the lower limit as a conservative lower limit p dm+ >p dm and an appropriate value slightly smaller than the upper limit as a conservative upper limit p dM- <p dM If the pressure difference of the main airbag 302 exceeds the conservative upper limit p dM- , the phase change working fluid gas 332 in the phase change regulating airbag 330 is liquefied / desublimed by the liquefaction / desublimation device 336, which can reduce the volume of the phase change regulating airbag, directly causing the buoyancy of the balloon system to decrease and the altitude to drop, so that the surrounding atmospheric pressure increases, thereby indirectly causing the pressure difference of the main airbag 302 to decrease; if the pressure difference of the main airbag 302 exceeds the conservative lower limit p dm+, the liquid / solid working fluid in the storage tank is vaporized / sublimated by the vaporization / sublimation device 338, increasing the volume of the phase change regulating airbag, directly increasing the buoyancy of the balloon system and raising its altitude. This decreases the surrounding atmospheric pressure, indirectly increasing the pressure differential across the main airbag 302. Otherwise, the main airbag pressure differential remains within a safe range. If the pressure differential safety margin is large and there is sufficient phase change drive and ballast, the altitude of the main airbag can be restored through phase change. For example, using a phase change airbag to adjust the altitude, descending from an altitude of 20 km to 18 km, the increased external pressure can significantly and drastically reduce the balloon pressure differential caused by thermal radiation. Without a phase change airbag, the balloon would have to withstand the pressure, potentially causing the balloon to rupture.

[0041] Example 2

[0042] Figure 3 Shown is a composite spherical high-altitude balloon with an external phase-change regulating airbag (referred to as an external phase composite). In this embodiment, the phase-change regulating airbag is located outside the main airbag, below the payload basket. Liquid / solid working fluids communicate with the interior of the phase-change regulating airbag via a liquefaction / desublimation device and a vaporization / sublimation device, controlled by phase-change electronics and accessories. An internal airbag is also located within the main airbag, with an air pump located at its outlet.

[0043] The air pump 318 is used to suck some of the air outside the main airbag into the internal airbag 314, or to discharge some of the air in the internal airbag to the outside of the main airbag, thereby adjusting the height of the balloon. The phase change regulating airbag can overcome the limitations of using an air pump alone to a certain extent, play a certain auxiliary role in adjusting the height, and ensure that the pressure difference of the main airbag is within a safe range. Because the pressure difference of the main airbag is within a safe range under normal circumstances, the air pressure inside the main airbag is generally greater than the external atmospheric pressure, that is, when the air pump works, it sucks the external air into the internal airbag and transports it from the low-pressure end to the high-pressure end. Therefore, the smaller the pressure difference, the smaller the power consumption of the air pump. The larger the pressure difference, the more difficult it is, and the higher the altitude, the more difficult it is. The power consumption is a nonlinear function of the pressure difference and the volume flow rate. The mass flow rate is the product of the source air density and the volume flow rate, and the volume flow rate is a nonlinear function of the altitude and the pressure difference. At different altitudes, the pressure difference value p at which the volume flow rate gradually decreases to zero. d_pM (h) is called the upper limit of the pressure difference for effective air suction of the air pump, which decreases with increasing altitude. It can be fitted with the nonlinear curve provided by the manufacturer and the ground test results to facilitate control and use.

[0044] like Figure 4 The figure shows the process of using an external phase-change airbag to assist in safe altitude changes, ensuring that the main airbag pressure differential is always within a safe range and providing assistance for altitude changes as much as possible. This includes both indirect assistance through pressure differential adjustment to improve air pump efficiency and direct altitude adjustment.

[0045] When it is necessary to lower the altitude, the phase change regulating airbag will be contracted first to help lower the altitude, and at the same time, the pressure difference will be reduced to the lower limit of the allowable safety pressure difference, so that the air pump can inhale air at the largest possible rate. When the air pump inhales air and lowers the altitude, the pressure difference of the main airbag will also increase. Once it increases to the upper limit of the effective suction pressure difference p d_pM (h), the air intake is stopped to reduce the power consumption of the air pump, and the phase change regulating airbag is continued to be contracted. Otherwise, it is checked whether the target height has been reached. If the target height has not been reached, the air pump continues to suck air from outside the sphere.

[0046] When altitude is required, the phase-change regulating airbag is first expanded to assist in ascent, while also increasing the pressure differential to near the upper limit of the allowable safety differential. This prevents the main airbag from rapidly approaching the lower limit of the pressure differential during the pump exhaust process. As the pump exhausts and increases altitude, the pressure differential in the main airbag also decreases. Once the sphere's allowable pressure differential has been reached, exhaust stops and the phase-change regulating airbag continues to expand. Otherwise, the target altitude is reached. If not, the pump continues to exhaust air from the internal airbag to the outside of the sphere.

[0047] Example 3:

[0048] like Figure 5 The figure shows a single spherical high-altitude balloon (referred to as an inner-phase single body) with a built-in phase-change regulating airbag. The phase-change regulating airbag is located inside the main airbag, with a dedicated phase-change system basket located between the main airbag and the payload basket. Liquid / solid working fluids are connected to the interior of the phase-change regulating airbag via a liquefaction / desublimation device and a vaporization / sublimation device, and are controlled by phase-change electronics and accessories. The liquefaction / desublimation device 336, vaporization / sublimation device 338, and phase-change electronics and accessories 340 constitute the phase-change regulating system and are installed in a dedicated phase-change system basket 362.

[0049] The volume change of the built-in phase change regulating airbag 330 directly causes the lift gas 304 inside the main airbag to change in the opposite direction. Therefore, the internal gas pressure and the internal and external pressure difference change, but it does not change the buoyancy balance, so it will not have an adverse effect on the altitude change. The process of the built-in phase change airbag directly adjusting the main airbag pressure difference is as follows: Figure 6As shown, in response to the day and night changes in the temperature and pressure of the lift gas, if the pressure difference of the main airbag 302 exceeds the conservative upper limit, the phase change working fluid gas 332 in the phase change regulating airbag is liquefied / desublimated by the liquefaction / desublimation device 336, which can reduce the volume of the phase change regulating airbag and leave expansion space for the lift gas. As a result, the volume of the lift gas 304 expands, the internal pressure and the pressure difference of the main airbag 302 decrease, slowing down the rising trend of the pressure difference and reducing the stress level of the sphere structure. If the pressure difference of the main airbag exceeds the conservative lower limit, the liquid / solid working fluid 334 in the storage tank is vaporized / sublimated by the vaporization / sublimation device 338, which can increase the volume of the phase change regulating airbag. As a result, the volume of the lift gas 304 shrinks, the internal pressure and the pressure difference of the main airbag 302 increase, offsetting the lift gas temperature being too low, which may cause the sphere to lose its shape (at this time, the pressure difference has dropped to near zero). If there is no phase change regulating airbag, it can only resist hard, and even cause the sphere to rupture. Based on the built-in phase change regulating airbag, the pressure difference can be directly adjusted without affecting the altitude change, so that the pressure difference of the high-altitude balloon can always be kept within a safe range during the day and night cycle.

[0050] An example analysis is conducted based on a volume of 5000 cubic meters. The main airbag is designed to bear the pressure difference fluctuations caused by the average temperature fluctuations. When encountering large temperature fluctuations, the excess fluctuations are adjusted and offset by the phase change system composed of built-in phase change electronics and accessories. In actual experience, the average range of temperature fluctuations during the day and night is 227-248K, and the extreme range is about 214-259K. The volume of the phase change airbag is about 500 cubic meters. The complete phase change time refers to the frequency of temperature fluctuations during the day and night and takes into account the reduction of the stress level of the main airbag as much as possible. It can be selected as 6 hours, that is, the required volume phase change rate is 100 cubic meters / hour.

[0051] Example 4:

[0052] like Figure 7 The figure shows a composite spherical high-altitude balloon with a built-in phase change regulating airbag (referred to as the inner phase composite). The phase change regulating airbag is located in the main airbag, and the internal air bag is located in the phase change regulating airbag. A dedicated hanging basket for the phase change system is set between the main airbag and the load hanging basket. The liquid / solid phase working medium is connected to the interior of the phase change regulating airbag through the liquefaction / desublimation device and the gasification / sublimation device, and is controlled by the phase change electronics and accessories. The liquefaction / desublimation device 336, the gasification / sublimation device 338 and the phase change electronics and accessories 340 constitute the phase change regulating system and are installed in the dedicated hanging basket 362 for the phase change system. An air pump is set at the air port of the internal airbag.

[0053] The process of the fixed high pressure holding mode is also as follows Figure 8 The difference from the external phase complex is that the built-in phase change regulating airbag can only indirectly assist in changing the height, unlike the external phase which can also directly adjust the height.

[0054] When it is necessary to lower the altitude, the airbag is first adjusted by liquefaction / desublimation and contraction of the internal phase change, so that the lift gas is dispersed in the body and the pressure is reduced, reducing the pressure difference to near the lower limit of the allowable safety pressure difference, so that the air pump suction flow rate is as large as possible. As the air pump suction lowers the altitude, the main airbag pressure difference also increases. Once it increases to the upper limit of the effective suction pressure difference p d_pM (h), the air intake is stopped to reduce the power consumption of the air pump, and the internal phase change regulating airbag is continued to be contracted. Otherwise, the target altitude is checked to see if it has not been reached. If the target altitude has not been reached, the air pump continues to suck air from outside the main airbag.

[0055] When altitude is required, the internal phase-change regulating airbag expands through vaporization / sublimation. This tightens the lift gas within the body, increasing its pressure and bringing the pressure differential close to the upper limit of the permitted safety differential. This prevents the main airbag from rapidly approaching the lower limit of the pressure differential during the pump exhaust process. As the pump exhausts and increases altitude, the pressure differential in the main airbag also decreases. Once the lower limit of the permitted pressure differential is reached, exhaust stops and the internal phase-change regulating airbag continues to expand. Otherwise, the pump continues to exhaust air from the internal airbag to the outside of the main airbag to see if the target altitude has been reached. If not, the pump continues to exhaust air from the internal airbag to the outside of the main airbag.

[0056] Example 5

[0057] like Figure 9 The figure shows a single spherical high-altitude balloon (referred to as a dual-phase single body) with both external and internal phase-change regulation airbags. The balloon includes two phase-change regulation airbags: one located inside the main airbag, forming the internal phase-change regulation system, and the other located outside the main airbag, forming the external phase-change regulation system. A dedicated phase-change system basket is located below the main airbag, and within this basket is a phase-change regulation system specifically for the internal phase-change regulation airbag. A phase-change regulation system specifically for the external phase-change regulation airbag is located within the payload basket.

[0058] In the constant height working mode, it has redundant safety pressure maintenance capability. For example, if the built-in phase change is normally available, the built-in phase change is preferred for pressure maintenance without causing height fluctuations; otherwise, the external phase change is used for pressure maintenance. It is also possible to use a combination of internal and external phase changes for pressure maintenance. For example, when the residual liquefaction capacity of the built-in phase change is insufficient, a combination of external liquefaction and built-in gasification is used, which has a certain degree of flexibility.

[0059] Combining the external phase changer's ability to increase voltage with the built-in phase changer's direct voltage regulation can better maintain and increase pressure, such as Figure 10As shown. If the altitude needs to be increased, the buoyancy height should be directly increased through external phase change vaporization / sublimation, but this will cause the external atmospheric pressure to decrease, causing the pressure difference of the main airbag to increase. For this reason, if the conservative pressure difference lower limit has not been exceeded and the internal phase change regulating airbag has not been completely contracted, the internal phase change liquefaction / desublimation is first used to reduce the pressure difference of the sphere to the maximum extent. Then the buoyancy height is directly increased through external phase change vaporization / sublimation, and when the pressure difference increases to the conservative upper limit, the external phase change vaporization / sublimation is suspended and the internal phase change liquefaction / desublimation is continued. Otherwise, the external phase change vaporization / sublimation is continued until the target altitude is reached (or the remaining capacity of the external phase vaporization / sublimation is exhausted). A similar process can be summarized for the altitude reduction process. First, the pressure difference of the main airbag is adjusted to a conservative upper limit through built-in phase change vaporization / sublimation, and then the buoyancy height is lowered through external phase change liquefaction / desublimation. When the pressure difference is reduced to the conservative lower limit, the external phase change liquefaction / desublimation is suspended and the built-in phase change vaporization / sublimation is continued for pressurization. Otherwise, the external phase change liquefaction / desublimation is continued until the target altitude is reached (or the remaining capacity of the external phase liquefaction / desublimation is exhausted).

[0060] Example 6

[0061] like Figure 11 The figure shows a composite spherical high-altitude balloon (referred to as a dual-phase composite) with both external and internal phase-change regulation airbags. It includes two phase-change regulation airbags, one located inside the main airbag to form internal phase-change regulation, and the other located outside the main airbag to form external phase-change regulation. The internal phase-change regulation airbag also contains an internal airbag. An air pump is installed at the air port of the internal airbag. A dedicated phase-change system basket is located below the main airbag, and within this basket is a phase-change regulation system specifically for the internal phase-change regulation airbag. A phase-change regulation system specifically for the external phase-change regulation airbag is also located within the payload basket.

[0062] The constant height and pressure maintaining mode is similar to the dual-phase single body of the fifth embodiment, and has redundancy capability.

[0063] In altitude adjustment mode, since both the external phase change and the internal air bag have the ability to adjust the altitude, but each has different effects on the pressure difference, their advantages should be complementary: using the phase change to create the required pressure difference conditions for the air pump; reasonably and flexibly arranging the priority of the external phase and the air pump to adjust the altitude; reasonably and flexibly selecting the priority of the external phase or the internal phase to ensure the safety pressure difference during the altitude adjustment process. In specific implementation, it can be flexibly applied according to the design parameters of the entire balloon system and the actual working conditions, such as Figure 12 Shown is only one specific exemplary strategy.

[0064] When it is necessary to lower the altitude, considering that the external phase change can reduce the pressure difference while lowering the altitude, it is beneficial to have a good low pressure difference initial condition when the air pump is used to inhale later, so the external phase change liquefaction / desublimation is implemented first; if the target altitude has not been reached and the optimal initial pressure difference required for the air pump to inhale has not been reached, the external phase change liquefaction / desublimation or the internal phase change liquefaction / desublimation is flexibly selected to continue to reduce the pressure difference; otherwise, the air pump is started to inhale air to lower the altitude; if the target altitude has not been reached and the pressure difference has exceeded the upper pressure difference limit p required for the air pump to effectively inhale d_pM (h) flexibly selects either an external or internal phase-change liquefaction / desublimation system to reduce the pressure differential. This process demonstrates that: external phase-change liquefaction / desublimation is organically combined with air intake by the air pump to achieve optimized pressure adjustment; external phase-change liquefaction / desublimation is organically combined with internal phase-change liquefaction / desublimation to achieve optimized pressure maintenance; and pressure maintenance creates favorable pressure differential conditions for air pump operation.

[0065] When the altitude needs to be increased, considering that external phase change increases the pressure differential while increasing the altitude, external phase change vaporization / sublimation is implemented first to prevent the air pump from exhausting air too early, which may cause the sphere's pressure differential to exceed the safety lower limit. If the target altitude has not yet been reached and the sphere's pressure differential has not yet reached the safety upper limit, external phase change vaporization / sublimation or internal phase change vaporization / sublimation is flexibly selected to continue increasing the pressure differential. Otherwise, the air pump begins to exhaust air to increase the altitude. If the target altitude has still not been reached and the sphere's pressure differential has exceeded the safety lower limit due to continued air exhaust, external phase change vaporization / sublimation or internal phase change vaporization / sublimation is flexibly selected to increase the pressure differential. This process embodies: the organic combination of external phase change vaporization / sublimation and air pump exhaust to achieve optimized altitude adjustment; the organic combination of external phase change vaporization / sublimation and internal phase change vaporization / sublimation to achieve optimized pressure maintenance; and the pressure maintenance creates favorable pressure differential conditions for the air pump to operate.

[0066] The above embodiments are not limitations of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above examples. Any changes, modifications, additions or substitutions made by technicians in this technical field within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention also fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A high-altitude balloon with a phase-change regulating airbag, characterized by: include Main airbag (302); A payload basket (308) for equipping mission equipment and payload; A phase change regulating airbag (330) for directly or indirectly regulating the pressure difference of a high-altitude balloon so that the pressure difference remains within a safe range when the balloon changes altitude; Phase change working fluid gas (332) for filling the phase change regulating airbag; Phase change equipment for regulating phase change to adjust the volume of phase change working fluid gas in an airbag; the phase change equipment includes a liquefaction / desublimation device (336) for liquefying / desublimating the phase change working fluid gas; a vaporization / sublimation device (338) for vaporizing / sublimating the phase change working fluid; a storage tank (334) for storing liquid / solid phase working fluid; and phase change electronics and accessories (340); A control system for controlling the phase change device to change the volume of the phase change regulating airbag without changing the weight of the entire balloon system, thereby causing appropriate changes in the balloon pressure difference, so that the balloon pressure difference remains within a safe range; The phase change regulating airbag can be configured as a single configuration inside the main airbag, a single configuration outside the main airbag, a composite configuration inside the main airbag, a composite configuration outside the main airbag, a single internal and external mixed configuration, or a composite internal and external mixed configuration; When the phase change regulating airbag is a composite internal and external mixed configuration: When it is necessary to lower the altitude, first implement external phase change liquefaction / desublimation; if the target altitude has not been reached and the optimal initial pressure difference required for the air pump to inhale has not been reached, then flexibly select external phase change liquefaction / desublimation or internal phase change liquefaction / desublimation to continue to reduce the pressure difference; otherwise, start to use the air pump to suck in air to lower the altitude; if the target altitude has not been reached and the pressure difference has exceeded the upper pressure difference limit pd_pM(h) required for the air pump to effectively inhale, then flexibly select external phase change liquefaction / desublimation or internal phase change liquefaction / desublimation to reduce the pressure difference; When the altitude needs to be increased, external phase change gasification / sublimation is implemented first to prevent the air pump from exhausting too early, which may cause the pressure difference of the sphere to exceed the safety lower limit; if the target altitude has not been reached and the pressure difference of the sphere has not reached the safety upper limit, external phase change gasification / sublimation or internal phase change gasification / sublimation is flexibly selected to continue to increase the pressure difference; otherwise, the air pump is started to discharge air to increase the altitude; if the target altitude has not been reached yet and the pressure difference of the sphere has exceeded the safety lower limit due to continuous exhaust of air, external phase change gasification / sublimation or internal phase change gasification / sublimation is flexibly selected to increase the pressure difference.

2. The high-altitude balloon with a phase-change regulating airbag according to claim 1, characterized in that: The phase change regulating airbag arranged outside the main airbag changes the volume of the phase change regulating airbag through the phase change device, thereby directly changing the height of the balloon and indirectly changing the pressure difference of the balloon, so that the pressure difference of the balloon can be kept within a safe range.

3. The high-altitude balloon with a phase-change regulating airbag according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the pressure difference of the main airbag exceeds the conservative upper limit, the phase change working fluid gas in the phase change regulating airbag is liquefied / desublimed by the liquefaction / desublimation device, thereby reducing the volume of the phase change regulating airbag, directly causing the buoyancy of the balloon to decrease and the altitude to drop. As a result, the surrounding atmospheric pressure increases, which indirectly causes the pressure difference of the balloon to decrease. When the pressure difference of the main airbag exceeds the conservative lower limit, the liquid / solid working fluid in the storage tank is vaporized / sublimated into phase change working fluid gas through the gasification / sublimation device and transported to the phase change regulation airbag, so that the volume of the phase change regulation airbag increases, which directly causes the buoyancy of the balloon to increase and the altitude to rise, so that the surrounding atmospheric pressure decreases, which indirectly leads to an increase in the pressure difference of the balloon.

4. The high-altitude balloon with a phase-change regulating airbag according to claim 1, characterized in that: The phase change regulating airbag is configured inside the main airbag. The balloon directly causes appropriate changes in the balloon pressure difference by changing the volume of the built-in phase change regulating airbag, so that the balloon pressure difference is kept within a safe range.

5. The high-altitude balloon with a phase-change regulating airbag according to claim 4, characterized in that: When the pressure difference of the main airbag exceeds the conservative upper limit, the phase change working fluid gas in the phase change regulating airbag is liquefied / desublimed through the liquefaction / desublimation device, which can reduce the volume of the phase change regulating airbag and leave expansion space for the lift gas. As a result, the volume of the lift gas expands, the internal pressure and the pressure difference of the main airbag are reduced, and the rising trend of the pressure difference can be slowed down. When the pressure difference of the main airbag exceeds the conservative lower limit, the liquid / solid working medium in the storage tank is vaporized / sublimated through the vaporization / sublimation device, which can increase the volume of the phase change regulation airbag, so that the volume of the lift gas shrinks, and the internal pressure and the pressure difference of the main airbag 302 increase.

6. The high-altitude balloon with a phase-change regulating airbag according to claim 1, characterized in that: An internal air bag (314) is also provided in the composite main air bag, and an air pump (318) is provided to suck in or discharge air in the internal air bag to change the volume of the internal air bag, thereby changing the pressure difference of the main air bag, providing favorable pressure difference conditions for the phase change regulating air bag, assisting in altitude changes, and keeping the balloon pressure difference within a safe range.

7. The high-altitude balloon with a phase-change regulating airbag according to claim 6, characterized in that: The internal air bag is arranged inside the built-in phase change regulating air bag. When it is necessary to lower the altitude, the phase change regulating air bag is first contracted by the liquefaction / desublimation device, so that the lifting gas is dispersed in the body and the pressure is reduced, and the pressure difference is reduced to near the lower limit of the allowable safe pressure difference, so that the air pump suction flow rate is as large as possible. As the air pump suction reduces the altitude, the main air bag pressure difference also increases. Once it increases to the upper limit of the effective suction pressure difference, the air intake is stopped to reduce the power consumption of the air pump, and the internal phase change regulating air bag continues to contract. When the altitude needs to be increased, the internal phase change regulating airbag is first expanded through the vaporization / sublimation device, the lift gas is tightened and the pressure increases, and the pressure difference is increased to near the upper limit of the allowable safe pressure difference, so that the main airbag is close to the lower limit of the pressure difference safety during the air pump exhaust process; while the air pump exhausts to increase the altitude, the pressure difference of the main airbag also decreases. Once the lower limit of the allowable pressure difference of the main airbag is reduced, the exhaust is stopped and the internal phase change regulating airbag continues to expand.

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