Ballonettmesssystem

Abstract

A system for measuring the volume of a ballonette, comprising: a plurality of sensors designed to transmit a plurality of signals to an inner surface of the ballonette and to receive the plurality of signals reflected from the inner surface of the ballonette; a distance calculation module designed to calculate a plurality of distances from the plurality of sensors to the inner surface of the ballonette using the received plurality of signals; an imaging module designed to create a three-dimensional surface using the calculated plurality of distances; and a measurement module designed to calculate the volume of the ballonette using the three-dimensional surface.

Description

Field of InterestThe invention relates generally to a ballonet measurement system and, more particularly, to a ballonet volume measurement system.BackgroundDetermining the volume of air within a balloonet of an airship is critical in terms of flight safety and in meeting FAA requirements for monitoring vehicle weight in shipping airships. Traditional means for determining the balloonett condition on airships and balloons are coarse at best and rely on the visual inspection of the balloonett using a few reference points by crew members. This assessment is based on the skill and experience of the crew. This approach does not provide reliability and accuracy due to both the difficulties in evaluating the volume changes and the optical interference experienced by the crew.Accordingly, the conventional method is unable to determine the volume of air in the balloonet with sufficient reliability and accuracy to meet any FAA requirements. The conventional method does not provide reliability and automation and is unable to communicate with a flight control system.DE 10 2008 031 882 A1 discloses a device and a method for determining a storage volume of a storage container, in particular gas volume of a gas storage container, having an at least partially flexible boundary and a cover covering the flexible boundary. Between the upper side of the flexible boundary and the lower side of the cover, an optical radiation source and an optical radiation sensor for optically measuring the contour of the flexible boundary are arranged.US 2011 / 0 147 513 A1 discloses a mobile aerial platform for receiving loads, such as a monitoring system or a communication repeater.The aerial platform can be equipped with a monitoring system which monitors data from sensors of the aerial platform. Among the sensors, a volume sensor for monitoring the gas chamber may also be used, for example.JP 2011-93 422 A discloses an airship capable of stably ascending or descending at a high height. A controller controls the volume of air in each air cell based on differential pressure sensors at the air inlets and air outlets.US 2011 / 0 101 692 A1 discloses a combination of a wind generator and an airship for generating electrical energy by wind energy. The airship has a control system with at least one sensor, and an automatic flight control computer for reading out the sensor data in order to control the airship.SummaryA simplified summary of one or more embodiments is presented below to enable a basic understanding of these embodiments. The summary provides no extended overview of all contemplated embodiments and is not intended to identify key or critical elements of all embodiments, nor to outline the scope of any or all embodiments. The only purpose of this is to present some concepts of one or more embodiments in simplified form as a prelude to a detailed description that will be presented below.According to various aspects of the inventive technology, a ballonet volume measurement system is provided that solves some or all of the foregoing problems. In one aspect, the system provides a reliable and accurate balloonett volume measurement. In another aspect, the system is not pilot dependent and therefore eliminates pilot induced errors and limitations in detecting the volume of the balloonet. In another aspect, the system may automatically measure volume in real time and provide the volume data to a flight control system for guiding or controlling the airship. In one aspect, the system may determine a center of gravity of the ballonet and a leak rate of the airship and / or ballonet. Coupled with other data from a flight control system, such as pressure data, the system may determine whether the hull is damaged, thereby improving safe operation of the airship.According to various aspects of the inventive technology, a system for measuring a volume of a ballonet is provided. The system includes a plurality of sensors configured to transmit a plurality of signals toward an inner surface of the ballonet and to receive the plurality of signals reflected from the inner surface of the ballonet. The system also includes a distance calculation module configured to calculate a plurality of distances from the plurality of sensors to the inner surface of the ballonet using the received plurality of signals. The system further comprises an imaging module configured to generate a three-dimensional surface using the calculated plurality of distances, and a measurement module configured to calculate the volume of the ballonet using the three-dimensional surface.According to various aspects of the inventive technology, a method for measuring a volume of a ballonet is provided. The method includes transmitting a plurality of signals toward an inner surface of the ballonet, receiving the plurality of signals reflected from the inner surface of the ballonet, calculating a plurality of distances using the received plurality of signals, creating a three-dimensional surface using the calculated plurality of distances, and calculating the volume of the ballonet using the three-dimensional surface.According to various aspects of the inventive technology, a machine readable storage medium is provided that is encoded with instructions executable by a processing system to perform a method for measuring a volume of a ballonet. The instructions include code for transmitting a plurality of signals toward an inner surface of the ballonet, receiving the plurality of signals reflected from the inner surface of the ballonet, calculating a plurality of distances using the received plurality of signals, creating a three-dimensional surface using the calculated plurality of distances, and calculating the volume of the ballonet using the three-dimensional surface.Additional features and advantages of the inventive technology will be apparent from the following description, in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the inventive technology. The advantages of the technology according to the invention are realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the accompanying drawings.It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.Brief Description of the DrawingsThe accompanying drawings, which are provided to provide a further understanding of the inventive technology and are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, illustrate aspects of the inventive technology and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the inventive technology. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system for measuring a volume of a ballonet according to various aspects of the inventive technology. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a system for measuring a volume of a ballonet according to various aspects of the inventive technology. FIG. 3 shows an airship according to various aspects of the inventive technology. FIG. 4 shows a detailed view of a ballonet according to various aspects of the technology according to the invention. FIG. 5 shows a pleat in a balloonet according to various aspects of the inventive technology. FIG. 6 shows an example of a method for measuring a volume of a ballonet according to various aspects of the inventive technology. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating components of a controller according to various aspects of the inventive technology. FIG. 8A shows an example of a method for measuring a volume of a ballonet according to various aspects of the inventive technology. FIG. 8B shows an example of a machine readable storage medium encoded with instructions executable by a processing system to perform a method for measuring a volume of a ballonet, in accordance with various aspects of the inventive technology. FIG. 8C shows an example of a device for measuring a volume of a ballonet according to various aspects of the inventive technology.Detailed DescriptionIn the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the technology of the invention. However, it should be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the inventive technology may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and techniques are not shown in detail in order not to obscure the inventive technology. Identical components are provided with identical reference numerals for easier understanding.Various aspects of the inventive technology provide a system and method for measuring a volume of a ballonet using a plurality of sensors.Determining the volume of air in a balloonet is critical to safe and efficient operation of an airship. For example, during the flight of the airship, the balloonet may be excessively filled or completely deflated, which may adversely affect the safe operation of the airship, for example, by causing the outer shell of the airship to collapse. Moreover, the volume of air in the balloonet can be used to determine whether the airship has reached a maximum or minimum height, to determine the position of the airship relative to the maximum or minimum height, and to determine whether the airship contains sufficient helium before it is lifted. Conventional airship systems are limited to providing pressure data to the pilot. Without volume data, however, the pilot is unable to determine whether the ballonet is full or empty.In one aspect, the ballonet volume measurement system provides a more reliable and accurate volume measurement than a conventional method of measuring the volume of the ballonet. The conventional method is based on a visual inspection of the ballonet by the pilot through a window of the canzel. The accuracy of the optical test is highly dependent on the pilot's skill and experience. In addition, the pilot is usually unable to have an undisturbed view of the ballonet, thereby reducing the likelihood that the volume measurement is reliable and accurate. Accordingly, in accordance with certain aspects of the inventive technology, the system removes pilot-induced errors and restrictions in detecting the volume of air in the balloonet.Moreover, the ballonet volume measurement system may automatically measure the volume in real time and provide the volume data to a flight control system for guiding the airship. In one aspect, the ballonet volume measurement system may determine a center of gravity of the ballonet and a leak rate of the airship. Coupled with other data from a flight control system, such as pressure data, the ballonet volume measurement system may determine whether a hull is damaged, thereby improving the safe operation of the airship.FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system 100 for measuring a volume of a ballonet 101 in accordance with various aspects of the inventive technology. An airship 102 may include the balloonet 101. In some aspects, the balloonet may be a light weight, translucent fabric configured to hold and release air. The balloonet 101 assists the airship 102 in increasing and decreasing its height by either discharging air from the balloonet 101 or pumping air into the balloonet 101. In some aspects, as shown in FIG. 3, the ballonet 310a allows helium gas to expand within the outer shell 300 of the airship 102 as the airship 102 gains altitude and experiences a lower atmospheric pressure without impacting the pressure of the outer shell 300 of the airship 102. In addition, for example, the ballonet 310a allows the helium gas to expand into the volume previously occupied by the ballonet 310a by contracting the ballonet 310a by releasing air within the ballonet 310a. The ballonet 310a thus receives helium absorption and maintains the pressure of the outer shell 300 of the airship 102. In another aspect, the ballonet 310a allows the helium gas to contract within the outer shell 300 of the airship 102 as the airship 102 loses altitude and experiences a higher atmospheric pressure without affecting the pressure of the outer shell 300 of the airship 102. For example, the ballonet 310a allows the helium to contract by expanding the ballonet 310a into the ballonet 310a by pumping air. The ballonet 310a thus expands into the volume previously occupied by the helium and maintains the pressure of the outer shell 300 of the airship 102. In some aspects, the balloonet 310a may comprise up to 20% of the outer shell of the airship 102. In one aspect, the airship 102 may include more than one balloonet. For example, airship 102 may include front and rear ballonets 310a and 310b, respectively, as shown in the example of FIG. 3.As shown in FIG. 1, the ballonet 101 may include a plurality of sensors 110 a- darranged inside a lower portion of the ballonet 101. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the plurality of sensors 110 a- bmay include a plurality of sensors (e.g., 30 sensors) arranged in array along the lower inner surface of the ballonet 310 a. In some aspects, the bottom portion of the ballonet 310 amay be sufficiently rigid to provide secure mounting and orientation of the plurality of sensors 110 a- bto the ballonet 310 a. In one aspect, each sensor 110 a- bmay be configured to collect data used to determine the distance of one or more points on the inner surface of the ballonet 310 from the sensor.For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the sensor 110 amay transmit a signal 530 in a known direction toward the inner surface of the ballonet 310 a. The signal 530 may be reflected from a point 540 on the inner surface and return to the sensor 110a where the return signal 530 is detected. The time delay between the transmission of signal 530 and the detection of return signal 530 (time of flight) in combination with the speed of signal 530 may be used to calculate the distance between point 540 on the inner surface of balloonet 310a and sensor 110a. In one aspect, the sensor may sense the inner surface of the ballonet by transmitting signals in different directions and detecting the corresponding return signals in the different directions. In this aspect, the detected return signals in the different directions may be used to calculate a plurality of distances from the inner surface of the ballonet to the sensor in the different directions.In some aspects, each sensor may comprise a laser-based sensor configured to emit a light beam to the inner surface of the balloonet and receive the return light beam reflected from the inner surface of the balloonet. In one aspect, the time of flight or an interference pattern of the light beam combined with the speed of light may be used to calculate the distance from the sensor to the inner surface of the balloonet. In another aspect, as shown in FIG. 5, the laser-based sensor 110 bmay perform two-dimensional scanning to obtain a cross-sectional image 550 of the ballonet 310 ain a fixed location. In this aspect, the sensor 110b can scan the inner surface of the ballonet 310a by guiding the light beam in a circular or helical pattern and detecting the return beam in various directions as the beam is guided. The detected return beam in the various directions may then be used to determine a plurality of distances from the sensor 110 bto the inner surface of the ballonet 310 ain the various directions. The plurality of distances in the different directions may then be used to form a cross-sectional image of the ballonet 310 a. In this aspect, the plurality of sensors may be spaced apart along a line (e.g., a longitudinal line) on the ballonet 310 aand used to determine multiple cross-sectional images of the ballonet 310 aat different locations along the line. The cross-sectional images may then be integrated along the line to produce a three-dimensional representation of the ballonet 310a. In other aspects, the plurality of sensors 110 a- dmay include acoustic or sound-based sensors that use acoustic waves to collect sensor data 111 using the time of flight or the interference pattern. In another aspect, a plurality of sensors 110 a- dmay include radio frequency or infrared based sensors configured to either detect the time of flight, the interference pattern, or perform a two-dimensional scan of the ballonet 101 using radio waves or infrared waves.As shown in FIG. 2, in some aspects, because the ballonet 101 may comprise a translucent fabric, the signals transmitted from the plurality of sensors 110 a- dmay travel through the ballonet 101 and not back to the plurality of sensors 110 a- d. To prevent signals from migrating through the ballonet 101 and remaining undetected, the ballonet 101 may further include a plurality of reflectors 105 a- darranged on the inner surface and an upper portion of the ballonet 101. As shown in FIG. 4, the plurality of reflectors 105 a- dis configured to provide reliable reflection of the signal 420 or 430 to the plurality of sensors 110 a- dby preventing disappearance of at least a portion of the signals 420 or 430 by the ballonet 310 b. In this embodiment, the plurality of sensors 110 a- dis configured to transmit a signal 420 or 430 toward the plurality of reflectors 105 a- d, wherein the plurality of reflectors 105 a- dis configured to reflect the signal 420 or 430 back toward the plurality of sensors 110 a- d. In this example, the plurality of sensors 110 a- dmay include dedicated reflector radio frequency based sensors 105 a- d. The plurality of reflectors 105 a- dmay be disposed in a panel array 410 embedded within the fabric of the balloonet 310 b. The plurality of reflectors 105 a- dmay be arranged in a grid pattern along the inner surface of the ballonet 310 b, for example. In one aspect, the plurality of sensors 110 a- dmay be configured to transmit the signal 420 to a specific reflector. For example, sensor 110 amay transmit an individual interrogation signal 420 to reflector 105 aand wait for a response from reflector 105 a. In another aspect, the sensor 110 b- dmay transmit a wide interrogation signal 430 to a plurality of reflectors 105 b- dand wait for a response from any of the plurality of reflectors 105 b- d. In this example, sensor 110 b- dmay generate a cloud of points based on reflectors 105 a- dthat have responded to wide interrogation signal 430. In some aspects, the more sensors 110 a- dand / or reflectors 105 a- dare disposed in the ballonet, the higher the accuracy achieved by the ballonet volume measurement system 100. For example, the ballonet volume measurement system 110 may be configured to calculate the volume of the ballonet within 1% of the total volume of the ballonet.As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in some aspects, each sensor 110 a- dmay be configured to provide sensor data 111 (e.g., time of flight and direction of a signal) to a distance calculation module 120. In one aspect, the distance calculation module 120 may calculate a plurality of distances 112 from the plurality of sensors 110 a- dto the inner surface of the ballonet 101 or the plurality of reflectors 105 a- dusing the sensor data 111.According to various aspects of the inventive technology, a filter module 130 may be configured to filter the calculated plurality of distances (distance data 112) received from the distance calculation module 120. The filter module 130 may be configured to detect and exclude erroneous distance data, thereby enhancing the accuracy and reliability of the ballonet volume measurement system 100. In some aspects, as shown in FIG. 5, when the balloonet 310 ais not fully pressurized, the balloonet 310 amay include folds, creases, or creases 510 in the balloonet fabric. As a result, sensor 110a may receive a signal reflected from a pleat, crease, or crease 510, thereby generating erroneous distance data that does not accurately indicate the volume of the ballonet. The filter module 130 is configured to detect and exclude erroneous distance data, for example, by performing signal processing on the distance data and / or using a low pass filter to exclude erroneous distance data so that they are not used for calculating a volume of the ballonet 310 a. In some examples, a pleat, crease, or crease 510 may cause a sharp geometric contrast between the distance data corresponding to the pleat, crease, or crease and the other distance data, discontinuity in the distance data, and / or appreciable variation in the slope among the distance data that may be filtered out by the filter module 130. In further aspects, the filter module 130 may be configured to perform an error check or to confirm the presence of erroneous distance data. For example, an error check may be performed by verifying the detection of a wrinkle, crease or crease 510 by a first of the sensors with the detection of the same wrinkle, crease or crease 510 by a second of the sensors. In this example, the distance data corresponding to the detected wrinkle, the detected crease, or the detected crease can be excluded from the volume calculation. In a further aspect, the filter module 120 may be configured to perform statistical tests for determining the reliability of the sensor data 111 and / or distance data 112 by comparing the sensor data 111 and / or distance data 112 with pre-recorded sensor and / or distance data. The statistical tests may contribute to determining whether one of the plurality of sensors 110 a- dis functioning.According to some aspects of the inventive technology, an imaging module 140 may be configured to generate a three-dimensional surface of the balloonet 101 based on the distance data 112 received from the distance calculation module 120. In another aspect, the imaging module 140 may be configured to create a three-dimensional surface of the ballonet 101 based on the filtered distance data 113 received from the filter module 130. In one aspect, the imaging module 140 may generate cross-sectional images of the balloonet using the filtered distance data and may composite the cross-sectional images 550 into a three-dimensional representation of the balloonet 101 as set forth above. In another aspect, the mapping module 140 may calculate the locations of various points on the inner surface of the ballonet 110 using the respective filtered distance data 130, the known directions of the respective signals, and the known locations of the sensors. In this aspect, the locations of the various points on the inner surface of the ballonet 101 provide a three-dimensional representation of the surface of the ballonet 101. In some aspects, the imaging module 140 may use a computer model of the balloonet 101 to optimize the three-dimensional surface of the balloonet 101.According to further aspects of the inventive technology, a measurement module 150 may be configured to calculate the volume of the ballonet 101 based on the three-dimensional surface data 114 received from the imaging module 140. For example, the measurement module 150 may calculate the volume enclosed by the three-dimensional surface. In some aspects, the module 150 compares the three-dimensional surface data 114 to the computer model of the balloonet 101 to calculate the volume of the balloonet 101. In some aspects, the measurement module 150 may be configured to calculate the volume of the ballonet 101 in real time. Measuring the volume of the ballonet 101 in real time may allow the ballonet volume measurement system 100 to manage the dynamics of the ballonet 101. In another aspect, the module 150 may be configured to calculate the volume of the ballonet 101 in a time increment of one second or more.In some aspects, the measurement module 150 may be configured to determine an orientation of the ballonet 101 relative to an X-Y plane, wherein the X-Y plane is perpendicular to the direction of gravity. Because the airship 102 is capable of pitching, rolling, and yawing, air within the balloonet 101 may enter or travel to certain areas within the balloonet 101. By using the data from the flight control system 170, such as gyro instrumentation that provides the pitching, rolling, and / or yawing of the airship 112, the measurement module 150 may determine the orientation of the ballonet 101 relative to the X-Y plane. For example, the measurement module 150 may determine the orientation of the ballonet 101 by determining the orientation of the three-dimensional surface. The orientation of the three-dimensional surface may be determined by determining the orientation of the plurality of sensors 110 a- d. The orientation of the plurality of sensors 110 a- dmay be determined using the pitch, roll, and / or yaw data from the flight control system 170 because the sensor or sensors are placed on a relatively rigid structure. Based on the orientation of the plurality of sensors 110 a- dand the locations of the plurality of sensors 110 a- don the ballonet 101, the orientation of the three-dimensional surface and the ballonet 101 may be determined. In some aspects, the measurement module 150 may also be capable of calculating a center of gravity of the ballonet 101 by using the three-dimensional surface and the determined orientation of the ballonet 101. Knowing the center of gravity of the balloonet 101 assists the pilot in launching the airship 102, guiding the airship 102, and landing the airship 102, and improves efficient operation of the airship 102.In one aspect, a statistical module 160 may determine the reliability of the calculated volume of the balloonet (volume data 115). For example, statistical module 160 may collect volume data 115 from measurement module 150 over a period of time and calculate an average of volume data 115 to effectively filter out instantaneous volume changes. In other aspects, statistical module 160 may perform statistical tests to determine the reliability of volume data 115 by processing volume data 115 with statistical computations to determine the likelihood of errors. These statistical tests may be used to determine whether one of the plurality of sensors 110 a- dis malfunctioning or whether the airship 102 is exposed to extreme driving maneuvers. In other aspects, statistical module 160 may maintain volume data 150 in a database of operations to provide time dependent records of the data. In one aspect, the statistical tests coupled with the historical data may be used to validate current volume data 115 and communicate failures of the ballonet volume measurement system 100.According to some aspects of the inventive technology, the volume data 115 may be provided to a flight control system 170 of the airship 102, thereby enabling the flight control system 170 to steer the airship 102 and / or provide volume data to the pilot. In one aspect, the ballonet volume measurement system 100 routinely determines the volume of air within the ballonet 101 and automatically updates the volume data 115 for the pilot or flight control system 170. In one aspect, as the helium exits the outer shell 300, knowing the helium leak rate typically enhances the safe operation of the airship 102. The ballonet volume measurement system 100 may be configured to use the data from the flight control system 170 along with the volume data 115 to calculate the leak rate of the ballonet 101 and / or the airship 102 over a period of time. For example, the flight control system 170 may receive pressure and temperature readings from a pressure sensor and a temperature sensor, respectively, and communicate the pressure and temperature readings to the ballonet volume measurement system 100. The balloonet volume measurement system 100 may use the pressure and temperature readings to predict the volume of the balloonet and / or airship over a period of time due to changes in pressure and temperature based on known gas laws (e.g., the Boyle gas law). The balloonet volume measurement system may then calculate the leak rate of the balloonet and / or airship over the same time period by comparing the predicted volume of the balloonet to the calculated volume of the balloonet. Since the predicted volume does not account for the gas leakage, differences between the predicted volume and the calculated volume result from the leakage of air and / or gas from the balloonet and / or airship and may be used to estimate the leakage rate.The leak rate of the ballonet 101 may be used to determine whether the ballonet 101 and / or the outer shell 300 of the airship 102 require maintenance, repair, and / or replacement. For example, if the leak rate is 200 cubic feet per month, the ballonet 101 and / or airship is likely to be in the proper state. However, if the leak rate is 400 cubic feet per month, the ballonet 101 and / or airship is likely to need repair or replacement.FIG. 6 shows an example of a method 600 for measuring a volume of the ballonet 101 according to various aspects of the inventive technology. The method 600 may be implemented, for example, by the ballonet volume measurement system 100. The method 600 includes transmitting a plurality of signals from a plurality of sensors 110 a- dand receiving the plurality of signals reflected from the inner surface of the ballonet 101. According to step 602, after the sensor data 111 has been collected, the distance calculation module 120 calculates a plurality of distances from the plurality of sensors to different points on the inner surface of the ballonet 101 using the sensor data 111. According to step 604, if the distance data 112 includes erroneous distance data, the filter module 130 recognizes and filters out the erroneous distance data in step 606. According to steps 604 and 608, if the distance data 112 does not include erroneous distance data, the mapping module 140 creates a three-dimensional surface using the distance data 112. According to step 610, after the imaging module 140 creates the three-dimensional surface, the measurement module 150 calculates a volume of the ballonet 101 using the three-dimensional surface data 114. According to steps 612 and 614, if the volume data 115 is not reliable, the statistical module 160 reports a failure to the pilot and / or a flight control system 170. According to steps 612 and 616, if the volume data 115 is reliable, the volume data 115 is transmitted to the flight control system 170 and / or the pilot. According to step 618, after the volume data 115 has been transmitted to the flight control system 170 and / or pilot, the flight control system 170 and / or pilot requests a subsequent balloonet volume measurement. In some aspects, the subsequent volume measurement may be performed in real time or at a time interval of, for example, one second. After the request for the subsequent volume measurement is transmitted, the plurality of sensors 110 a- daccumulates sensor data 111, and the above-described process is repeated.FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating components of a controller 700 in accordance with various aspects of the inventive technology. The controller 700 includes a processor module 704, a memory module 710, an input-output (I / O) module 708, a memory module 706, and a bus 702. Bus 702 may be any suitable communication mechanism for exchanging information. The processor module 704, the memory module 710, the I / O module 708, and the memory module 706 are coupled to the bus 702 for exchanging information between any of the modules of the controller 700 and / or information between any of the modules of the controller 700 and a device external to the controller 700. For example, information exchanged between any of the modules of the controller 700 may include instructions and / or data. In some aspects, a bus 702 may be a universal serial bus. In some aspects, a bus 702 may provide Ethernet connectivity. In some aspects, processor module 704 may include one or more processors, where each processor may perform other functions or execute other instructions and / or processes. For example, one or more processors may execute instructions to implement method 600, one or more processors may execute instructions to measure a volume of a balloonet, and one or more processors may execute instructions for input-output functions.The memory module 706 may be random access memory ("RAM") or other dynamic memory devices for storing information and instructions for execution by the processor module 704. The memory module 706 may also be used to store temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of the instructions by the processor 704. In some aspects, the memory module 706 may include a battery-powered static RAM that stores information without requiring energy to store the stored information. The memory module 710 may be a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and may also store information and instructions. In some aspects, the memory module 710 may include hard disk storage or electronic storage (e.g., flash memory). In some aspects, both memory module 706 and memory module 710 are a machine readable medium.The storage 700 is coupled via the I / O module 708 to a user interface for providing information to and receiving information from an operator of the ballonet volume measurement system 100 and 200. For example, a user interface 106 may be a cathode ray tube ("CRT") or an LCD monitor for displaying information to an operator. The user interface may also include, for example, a keyboard or mouse coupled to the controller 700 via the I / O module 708 for exchanging information and selected commands with the processor module 704. For example, the operator of the balloonet volume measurement system 100 and 200 may use the user interface to input initialization variables (e.g., to adjust the pressure in the outer shell of the airship, the pressure in the balloonet, and / or the weight of the airship). Although the methods described herein may be performed autonomously without a human operator, the user interface may be used by the human operator to initialize these variables prior to starting the vehicle.In accordance with various aspects of the inventive disclosure, the methods described herein are performed by the controller 700. Accordingly, the processor module 704 executes one or more sequences of instructions included in the memory module 706 and / or the memory module 710. In an example, the instructions into the memory module 706 may be read from another machine readable medium, such as a memory module 707. In another example, instructions may be read directly into the memory module 706 from the I / O module 708, such as by an operator of the ballonet volume measurement system 100 and 200 via the user interface. Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in the storage module 706 and / or the storage module 710 causes the processor module 704 to execute methods for measuring a volume of a ballonet. For example, a calculation algorithm for measuring a volume of a balloonet may be stored in a memory module 706 and / or a memory module 710 as one or more sequences of instructions. Information such as the locations of the plurality of sensors, the locations of the plurality of reflectors, the sensor data, the distance data, the three-dimensional surface data, the volume data, the error levels associated with the collected data, the filter parameters, the error levels associated with the volume data, the statistical data, the expiration data, the centroid data, the leak rate data, and / or the orientation data may be passed from the processor module 704 to the memory module 706 and / or the memory module 710 via the bus 702 for storage purposes. In some aspects, the information from the processor module 704, the memory module 706, and / or the memory module 710 may be communicated to the I / O module 708 via the bus 702. The information may then be communicated from the I / O module 708 to an operator of the ballonet volume measurement system 100 and 200 via the user interface.One or more processors in a multiprocessor arrangement may be employed to execute the sequences of applications included in memory module 706 and / or memory module 710. In some aspects, wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to implement various aspects of the inventive disclosure. Therefore, aspects of the inventive disclosure are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software.The term "machine-readable medium" or "computer-readable medium" as used herein refers to any medium that participates in providing instructions to the processor module 704 for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical or magnetic disks, such as memory module 710. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as memory module 706. Transmission media includes coaxial cables, copper wire, and fiber optics, including the wires comprising bus 702. Common forms of machine-readable media or computer-readable media include, for example, floppy disks, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, a DVD, or any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tapes, or any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any other medium from which a processor can read.FIG. 8A shows an example of a method 800-A for measuring a volume of a ballonet according to various aspects of the inventive technology. The method 800-A includes transmitting a plurality of signals toward an inner surface of the ballonet ( 802A); receiving the plurality of signals reflected from the inner surface of the ballonet ( 804-A); calculating a plurality of distances using the received plurality of signals ( 806-A); creating a three-dimensional surface using the calculated plurality of distances ( 808-A); and calculating the volume of the ballonet using the three-dimensional surface ( 810-A).FIG. 8B shows an example of a machine readable storage medium 800-B encoded with instructions executable by a processing system to perform a method for measuring a volume of a ballonet according to various aspects of the inventive technology. The instructions include code for: transmitting a plurality of signals toward an inner surface of the ballonet (802-B); receiving the plurality of signals received from the inner surface of the ballonet (804-B); calculating a plurality of distances using the received plurality of signals (806-B); creating a three-dimensional surface using the calculated plurality of distances (808-B); and calculating the volume of the ballonet using the three-dimensional surface (810-B).FIG. 8C shows an example of an apparatus 800-C for measuring a volume of a ballonet according to various aspects of the inventive technology. The apparatus 800-C includes: a module for transmitting a plurality of signals toward an inner surface of the ballonet (802-C); a module for receiving the plurality of signals reflected from the inner surface of the ballonet (804-C); a module for calculating a plurality of distances using the received plurality of signals (806-C); a module for creating a three-dimensional surface using the calculated plurality of distances (808-C); and a module for calculating the volume of the ballonet using the three-dimensional surface (810-C).In various aspects, as used herein, the word module refers to logic embodied in hardware or firmware, or a collection of software instructions, optionally having entry and exit points, written in a programming language such as C++. A software module may be compiled into an executable program and associated with an executable program, installed in a dynamic link library, or written in an interpretable language such as BASIC. It will be appreciated that software modules may be accessible from other modules or by themselves and / or may be accessible in response to detected events or interrupts. Software instructions may be embodied in firmware, such as an EPROM or EEPROM. It should be further appreciated that hardware modules may be composed of connected logic units, such as gates and flip flops, and / or programmable units, such as programmable gate arrays or processors. The modules described here are preferably implemented as software modules, but can also be represented in hardware or firmware.It is contemplated that the modules may be integrated into a fewer number of modules. A module can also be divided into several modules. The described modules can be implemented as hardware, software, firmware or as any combination thereof. Moreover, the described modules may be located in different locations connected by a wired or wireless network or the Internet.Generally, it should be appreciated that the processors may include, for example, computers, program logic, or other substrate configurations for presenting data or instructions that operate in the manner described. In some embodiments, the processors may include control circuitry, processor circuitry, processors, general purpose single-chip or multi-chip microprocessors, digital signal processors, embedded microprocessors, microcontrollers, and the like.Moreover, it should be appreciated that in one embodiment, the program logic may be advantageously implemented as one or more components. The components can advantageously be designed to execute or operate one or more processors. The components include, but are not limited to, software or hardware components, modules such as software modules, object oriented software components, class components, and task components, processes, methods, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables.The foregoing description is intended to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the various embodiments described herein. Even if the technology according to the invention has been described in particular with reference to various figures and embodiments, it should be understood that these serve purely illustrative purposes and should not be understood in the sense of limiting the scope of the technology according to the invention.There are many other ways of implementing the inventive technology. Various functions and elements from this specification may be partitioned in ways other than those shown herein without departing from the scope of inventive technology. Various modifications to these embodiments will readily occur to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, various changes and modifications to the inventive technology can be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the inventive technology.It should be appreciated that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the processes in the present disclosure is the presentation of exemplary approaches. Based on design preferences, it should be appreciated that a particular order or hierarchy of steps in the processes may be rearranged. Some of the steps may be performed simultaneously. The accompanying method claims the present elements of the various steps in an exemplary order and is not intended to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy depicted.Terms such as "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", and the like, as used herein, should be understood to refer to any reference frame that does not necessarily need to be the ordinary gravity reference frame. Therefore, an upper surface, a lower surface, a front surface, and a back surface may extend upward, downward, diagonally, or horizontally in a gravity reference frame.A phrase such as "an aspect" does not imply that this aspect is essential to the inventive technology or that this aspect is applied to all embodiments of the inventive technology. A disclosure related to an aspect may refer to all configurations or one or more configurations. An aspect may provide one or more examples of the disclosure. An expression such as "aspect" may refer to one or more aspects and vice versa. An expression such as an "embodiment" does not imply that this embodiment is essential to the inventive technology and that this embodiment relates to all embodiments of the inventive technology. A disclosure in connection with an embodiment may apply to all embodiments or one or more embodiments. An embodiment may provide one or more examples of the disclosure. An expression such as "embodiment" may refer to one or more embodiments and vice versa. An expression such as "configuration" does not imply that this configuration is essential to the technology of the invention or that this configuration is applied to all configurations of the technology of the invention. A disclosure related to a configuration may be applied to all configurations or one or more configurations. A configuration may provide one or more examples of the disclosure. An expression such as "configuration" may refer to one or more configurations and vice versa.Furthermore, where the terms "include / contain", "have", and the like are used in the specification or claims, these terms are intended to be inclusively similar to the term "comprising" in the sense that it is used as a keyword in a claim.The word "exemplary" in the sense of the present description is to be understood in the sense of "serving as an example, case example or illustration". Any exemplary embodiment that has been described here as "exemplary" does not necessarily have to be considered preferred or advantageous compared to other exemplary embodiments.The denomination of an element in the singular does not mean "one and only one" unless expressly stated otherwise, but rather "one or more". The term "some" refers to one or more. Underlined and / or skewd headers and sub-headers are inserted only for the purpose of easier detectability, do not limit the technology according to the invention and are irrelevant in connection with the interpretation of the description of the technology according to the invention. All structural and functional equivalents of the elements of the various configurations or configurations from the description in this disclosure-whether they are now known or will be known to a person skilled in the art later-are hereby expressly incorporated by reference and are intended to be included by the technology according to the invention. Moreover, all that is disclosed herein is not to be interpreted as being publicly conveyed, whether or not the disclosure is expressly recited in the present specification.

Claims

A system for measuring a volume of a ballonet, the system comprising: a plurality of sensors configured to transmit a plurality of signals toward an inner surface of the ballonet and to receive the plurality of signals reflected from the inner surface of the ballonet; a distance calculation module configured to calculate a plurality of distances from the plurality of sensors to the inner surface of the ballonet using the received plurality of signals; an imaging module configured to generate a three-dimensional surface using the calculated plurality of distances; and a measurement module configured to calculate the volume of the ballonet using the three-dimensional surface.The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises laser-based sensors or radio-frequency-based sensors or sound-based sensors.The system of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a filter module configured to detect and exclude erroneous distances from the calculated plurality of distances.The system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the measurement module is further configured to calculate the volume of the balloonet in real time, or to calculate the volume of the balloonet in a time increment of one second or more, or to calculate the volume of the balloonet within 1% of a total volume of the balloonet.The system of any of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a plurality of reflectors disposed on the ballonet and configured to reflect the plurality of signals transmitted from the plurality of sensors, wherein the plurality of reflectors are preferably disposed in an array on the ballonet.The system of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the measurement module is further configured to determine the orientation of the ballonet relative to a plane using the three-dimensional surface and orientation data from gyro instrumentation, wherein the measurement module is further preferably configured to calculate the center of gravity of the ballonet using the three-dimensional surface and the determined orientation of the ballonet.The system of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the measurement module is further configured to calculate a leak rate of the balloonet by predicting the volume of the balloonet and determining a difference between the predicted volume of the balloonet and the calculated volume of the balloonet.The system of any of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a statistical module configured to perform statistical tests to determine the reliability of the calculated volume of the ballonet.A method of measuring a volume of a ballonette, the method comprising: transmitting a plurality of signals toward an inner surface of the ballonette; receiving the plurality of signals reflected from the inner surface of the ballonette; calculating a plurality of distances using the received plurality of signals; creating a three-dimensional surface using the calculated plurality of distances; and calculating the volume of the ballonette using the three-dimensional surface.The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of signals comprises light beams or radio waves or sound waves.The method of claim 9 or 10, further comprising filtering the calculated plurality of distances after calculating a plurality of distances to detect and exclude erroneous distances.The method of any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein calculating the volume of the balloonet comprises calculating the volume of the balloonet in real time or calculating the volume of the balloonet in time increments of one second or more.The method of any of claims 9 to 12, further comprising reflecting the plurality of signals using a plurality of reflectors disposed on the ballonet, preferably wherein the plurality of reflectors are disposed in an array on the ballonet.The method of any of claims 9 to 13, further comprising determining the orientation of the balloonet relative to a plane using the three-dimensional surface and orientation data from gyro instrumentation; and further preferably comprising calculating the center of gravity of the balloonet using the three-dimensional surface and the determined orientation of the balloonet.The method of any one of claims 9 to 14, further comprising calculating a leak rate of the balloonet by predicting the volume of the balloonet and determining a difference between the predicted volume of the balloonet and the calculated volume of the balloonet.The method of any of claims 9 to 15, further comprising performing statistical tests to determine the reliability of the calculated volume of the balloonet.A machine readable storage medium encoded with instructions executable by a processing system to perform a method for measuring a volume of a ballonet, the instructions comprising code for: transmitting a plurality of signals toward an inner surface of the ballonet; receiving the plurality of signals reflected from the inner surface of the ballonet; calculating a plurality of distances using the received plurality of signals; creating a three dimensional surface using the calculated plurality of distances; and calculating the volume of the ballonet using the three dimensional surface.The machine readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising code for filtering the calculated plurality of distances to detect and exclude erroneous distances, or code for calculating the volume of the ballonet in real time.The machine readable storage medium of claim 17 or 18, further comprising code for determining the orientation of the balloonet relative to a plane using the three dimensional surface and orientation data from gyro instrumentation; and further preferably comprising code for calculating the center of gravity of the balloonet using the three dimensional surface and the determined orientation of the balloonet.The machine readable storage medium of any one of claims 17 to 19, further comprising code for calculating a leak rate of the balloonet by predicting the volume of the balloonet and determining a difference between the predicted volume of the balloonet and the calculated volume of the balloonet, or code for performing statistical tests to determine the reliability of the calculated volume of the balloonet.

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