Captive balloon support structure assembly

Abstract

The invention relates to a captive balloon support structure assembly (1) comprising a captive balloon which is filled with a lifting gas having a lower density than the ambient air and is kept floating at a specific altitude above the ground (8), wherein a three-dimensional wide-meshed supporting net (3) that is tethered to the ground (8) is placed over the captive balloon (2).

Description

[0001] Tethered balloon support structure

[0002] The invention relates to a tethered balloon support structure device comprising a tethered balloon filled with a lifting gas which has a lower density than ambient air and held floating above a ground at a defined altitude.

[0003] Conventional structural systems, particularly for roofing or shading agricultural land, for festival and event tents, and for erecting screens for open-air cinemas, typically consist of a supporting structure made of pipes, steel beams, or wooden rods that serve to stretch and support a tarpaulin or supporting net placed over it. The construction of these structural systems is generally very labor-intensive and often requires a large number of helpers. Particularly if the covering to be erected is to be at a great height above the ground, the assembly and dismantling of these structural systems or coverings requires a crane or the lowering of helpers, which is associated with a relatively high effort.The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a versatile, economical and easy-to-assemble / disassemble tethered balloon support structure.

[0004] To achieve this object, the invention has the features of patent claim 1. Accordingly, a tethered balloon support structure device according to the invention comprises a tethered balloon filled with a lifting gas having a lower density than ambient air and held suspended above a ground at a defined altitude, as well as a space-spanning, coarse-meshed support net placed over the tethered balloon and fixed to the ground.

[0005] The preferred lifting gas is a non-flammable noble gas, especially helium. This gas has a lower density than the ambient air and thus provides the tethered balloon with buoyancy.

[0006] The particular advantage of the invention is that the tethered balloon support structure is versatile, has a simple design, and can be quickly and easily assembled and dismantled by just a few people. The tethered balloon largely independently erects the support net, which is placed over it and fixed or secured to the ground. In this way, even great heights above the ground of 10 m or more can be covered without the need for a crane and without having to work at great heights. The coarse-mesh support net advantageously offers a small surface area for wind to attack and can itself serve as a functional body, for example for covering, or as a holding means for attaching other functional bodies, such as other two-dimensional flat structures.

[0007] Preferably, the coarse-meshed support net has a mesh size of a few centimeters and particularly preferably in the range of 3 cm to 20 cm, so that the support net is permeable to wind.

[0008] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the support net is constructed from several safety lines that cross each other above the tethered balloon and are secured to the ground at their ends. The safety lines provide additional mechanical stability to the tethered balloon structure and define the shape of the space formed between the ground and the support net erected by the tethered balloon by stretching the support net together with the tethered balloon. Furthermore, the safety lines serve as traction cables that counteract the buoyancy force of the gas-filled tethered balloon.

[0009] The tethered balloon is preferably attached to a suspension line attached to the ground. The suspension line acts as a tow rope that counteracts the buoyancy of the tethered balloon and keeps it at a defined, adjustable altitude above the ground. The suspension line also essentially keeps the tethered balloon in its intended position above the ground, for example, in windy conditions. The tethered balloon can also be retrieved via the suspension line.

[0010] Preferably, a balloon net is arranged between the tethered balloon and the support net. The balloon net is placed around the tethered balloon and encompasses it, with the tethered balloon being attached to the suspension line via the balloon net. The balloon net is preferably flexible or stretchable with a coarse mesh size in order to be able to accommodate temperature-related expansion of the tethered balloon without being stretched too much or tearing. In the upper area of ​​the tethered balloon, facing away from the ground, the balloon net is preferably connected or linked to the support net. A suitable material for the balloon net is, for example, a trailer net, which is used for securing loads. Such nets have a mesh size of 4 cm to 10 cm and are made in particular from nylon, polyethylene or polypropylene.

[0011] Preferably, an additional protective tarpaulin or a close-meshed protective net is placed around the upper balloon section of the tethered balloon, protecting the tethered balloon from strong sunlight, flying foreign objects, or birds. This prevents the tethered balloon from bursting due to strong sunlight or damage to the balloon envelope caused by impact from foreign objects or birds. The protective tarpaulin or the protective net is preferably encompassed by the balloon net or the support net or arranged beneath it. Preferably, the support net, the suspension line, or the safety lines are each secured to the ground via at least one ground-mounted mass body.

[0012] Preferably, a U-shaped bracket is provided on the mass bodies. The suspension line and the safety lines can be knotted or redirected to the bracket.

[0013] The mass bodies are preferably made of concrete. Mass bodies made of concrete can be manufactured relatively inexpensively. The stirrup can also be cast into the concrete inexpensively and without the need for additional fasteners.

[0014] According to an alternative embodiment, the mass bodies are designed as containers and filled with a preferably liquid or pourable mass-imparting filling material, in particular water, sand, excavated soil, or concrete. For example, the container can be a refillable waste container or a large container with a filling volume of 1 m 3 be provided.

[0015] According to a preferred embodiment, a rotatable pulley is provided on the bracket for retrieving the suspension line or safety lines. This simplifies the retrieval of the lines, for example, manually or via an additional motor-driven cable winch.

[0016] The mass bodies assigned to the support net or the safety lines are preferably arranged in the shape of a circular arc and preferably radially equally spaced from one another in such a way that a polygonal-pyramidal or approximately conical space is spanned between the ground and the safety lines or the support net.

[0017] According to a further development of the invention, the suspension line or safety lines can be retrieved via a preferably motor-driven cable winch. This significantly simplifies the retrieval of the tethered balloon or the dismantling of the tethered balloon support structure. It is conceivable that several safety lines can be retrieved simultaneously via a single cable winch, or alternatively, that a separate cable winch is assigned to the suspension line or each safety line. At least partially retrieving the suspension line reduces the ascent height of the tethered balloon and thus the overall height of the tethered balloon support structure according to the invention and can be used, for example, for air traffic control at night.

[0018] According to a further development of the invention, a deflation unit, preferably arranged on the ground, is provided for deflation of the tethered balloon. It includes a suction device for extracting the lifting gas from a closable filling / deflating opening of the tethered balloon and a gas reservoir for storing the extracted lifting gas. This advantageously allows the usually expensive filling of lifting gas for the tethered balloon to be reused after the dismantling of the tethered balloon's supporting structure, and the tethered balloon to be moved to a compact transport / storage volume.

[0019] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a preferred maximum ascent altitude of the tethered balloon is 35 m. Up to this ascent altitude, the tethered balloon support structure device according to the invention may be operated, for example in Germany, without additional optical warning lights for air traffic control.

[0020] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the tethered balloon is ellipsoidal and preferably spherical. It preferably has a radius in the range of 6 m to 6.5 m. For a spherical tethered balloon, this radius corresponds to a preferred filling volume of approximately 900 m 3 up to 1150 m 3 This volume provides sufficient buoyancy for the tethered balloon for many applications, allowing even large, heavy nets and functional structures to be erected and carried by the tethered balloon. The tethered balloon's support structure allows for the advantageous coverage of large ground areas of several thousand square meters.

[0021] Various developments of the tethered balloon according to the invention

[0022] Supporting structure devices for preferred applications are described below. According to a further development of the invention, at least one fine-meshed shade net for shading agricultural land is attached to the support net.

[0023] According to a further development of the invention, at least one dew / condensate collecting net is attached to the support net. The collected dew / condensate can be drained to the ground via the collecting net, where it can be collected, for example, via gutters, containers, or the like. Agricultural land, even in relatively dry climates, can be additionally irrigated in this way.

[0024] The collection net can also be used for the direct irrigation of a surface of the ground spanned by the support net, whereby the collection net preferably has several drip threads through which the dew / condensation water can drip directly onto the ground.

[0025] The safety net is preferably suspended in the support net so that it extends vertically towards the ground or is wrapped around a safety line so that it extends vertically towards the ground.

[0026] According to a further development of the invention, at least one canvas made of a preferably transparent or wind-permeable fabric is attached to the support net. The canvas provides a screen surface that can be illuminated by a light emitter, a laser, or a projector. The tethered balloon support structure according to the invention can thus be used, for example, as an advertising medium or can be configured as an open-air cinema or the like.

[0027] According to a further development of the invention, at least one heat-insulating nonwoven fabric cloth is held on the support net.

[0028] According to a further development of the invention, at least one photovoltaic solar cell, and preferably a photovoltaic thin-film solar cell or a dye-sensitized solar cell, is mounted on the support net for generating electrical power. In this way, the area spanned by the support net can be used as a usable area for generating renewably generated photovoltaic power, or the tethered balloon support structure according to the invention can be used as an open-space system for generating photovoltaic power.

[0029] The photovoltaic solar cell is preferably designed as a photovoltaic thin-film solar cell. Thin-film solar cells or dye-sensitized solar cells can be designed as a flexible solar module and, for example, sewn or integrated into a textile fabric.

[0030] For storing or converting the photovoltaic power generated in this way, a corresponding power storage device, in particular a battery or an accumulator, or an inverter can be provided.

[0031] According to a further development of the invention, the tethered balloon support structure device according to the invention comprises a preferably ground-mounted water electrolysis unit for generating hydrogen. The water electrolysis unit is connected to the photovoltaic solar cell via an electrical line or cable and uses the electrical photovoltaic current generated by the photovoltaic solar cell to generate hydrogen by electrolyzing water. The hydrogen generated in this way can be used in a variety of ways as an energy carrier or, in principle and provided that legal regulations permit this, as lifting gas for filling the tethered balloon. The tethered balloon support structure device according to the invention can thus be operated in an energy-autonomous manner. The generated hydrogen is preferably stored or temporarily stored in a gas storage facility.

[0032] The water required for electrolysis can preferably be collected and provided via the dew / condensate collection net attached to the support net, and thus by the tethered balloon support structure itself. According to a further development of the invention, a waterproof and preferably windproof tarpaulin is placed over the support net to form a tent. In this way, the tethered balloon support structure according to the invention can be used as a tent and can be used, for example, in the leisure or event sector as a circus, party, or festival tent.

[0033] Further advantages, features, and details of the invention can be gathered from the further subclaims and the following description. The features mentioned therein may be essential to the invention individually or in any combination. The drawings serve merely as examples to clarify the invention and are not limiting in nature. They show:

[0034] Fig. 1 is a plan view of a tethered balloon support structure device according to the invention in a first embodiment,

[0035] Fig. 2 is a side view of the tethered balloon support structure device according to the invention as shown in Fig. 1,

[0036] Fig. 3 is a side view of a tethered balloon support structure device according to the invention in a second embodiment,

[0037] Fig. 4 is a side view of a tethered balloon support structure device according to the invention in a third embodiment,

[0038] Fig. 5 is a single side view of a first embodiment of a mass body of a tethered balloon support structure device according to the invention and

[0039] Fig. 6 is a single side view of a second embodiment of a mass body of a tethered balloon supporting structure device according to the invention.

[0040] The figures show various embodiments of a tethered balloon support structure device 1 according to the invention.

[0041] The tethered balloon support structure device 1 according to Fig. 1 comprises a tethered balloon 2 filled with a lifting gas, over which a support net 3 is placed. In addition, a total of six equally long safety lines 4 are laid over the tethered balloon 2, crossing each other above the tethered balloon 2. As the plan view of the tethered balloon support structure device 1 shown in Fig. 1 shows, the safety lines 4 are each of the same length and arranged at equal radial spacing from one another, so that their ends all lie on an imaginary circular arc, at the center of which the tethered balloon 2 is arranged. The safety lines 4 are each attached at their ends to ground-mounted mass bodies 5, which represent counterweights to the ascended tethered balloon 2 and thus secure the tethered balloon support structure device 1 to the ground 8.

[0042] Fig. 2 shows a side view of the tethered balloon support structure device 1 according to the invention shown in Fig. 1. The tethered balloon 2 is suspended at a defined altitude above the ground 8. A noble gas, particularly preferably helium, is preferably used as the lifting gas for the tethered balloon 2. The support net 3 is vertically erected above the ascended tethered balloon 2, with the six safety lines 4 placed centrally over the tethered balloon 2 spanning the support net 3 in the shape of a regular polygonal pyramid with a twelve-sided base.

[0043] The support net 3 is designed with a comparatively coarse mesh, with a preferred mesh size of 5 cm to 20 cm. This significantly reduces the surface area exposed to wind, increasing the stability of the tethered balloon support structure 1. Furthermore, the support net 3 can serve as a flexible holding or fastening element for additional functional elements.

[0044] A second embodiment of the tethered balloon support structure device 1 according to the invention is shown in Fig. 3. In contrast to the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the tethered balloon support structure device 1 here has, as an additional functional body, a collecting net 9, which is held on the support net 3 and has a finer mesh than the latter, for collecting dew / condensation. The collecting net 9 can be attached to the support net 3, for example, using snap hooks, cable ties, cords, or the like.

[0045] Fig. 4 shows a third embodiment of the tethered balloon support structure 1 according to the invention. In contrast to the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the tethered balloon support structure 1 here has a canvas 10 attached to the support net 3 instead of the safety net 9. The canvas 10 is made of a wind-permeable and transparent fabric, for example, a nonwoven fabric, and defines a screen surface that can be illuminated by a light source, laser, projector, beamer, or the like. The tethered balloon support structure 1 according to the invention can thus be used as an advertising medium or as an open-air cinema or the like.

[0046] Figures 5 and 6 show various embodiments of the mass body 5 of the tethered balloon support structure device 1 according to the invention.

[0047] The mass body 5 shown in Fig. 5 corresponds to the mass body 5 of the tethered balloon support structure device 1 shown in Fig. 1. It has a cylindrical shape and is preferably made of concrete. A U-shaped bracket 6, preferably made of stainless steel, is embedded in the cylindrical mass body 5 on an upper side opposite the base 8. The bracket 6 serves to attach or knot the safety lines 4. The support net 3 can also be attached to the bracket 6, for example, using snap hooks, cords, cable ties, or the like.

[0048] Fig. 6 shows the mass body 5 in an alternative, second embodiment. In addition to the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, the mass body 5 here has a deflection pulley 7 mounted on the bracket 6 for rotation. The deflection pulley 7 serves to redirect the safety lines 4 and thus simplifies the retrieval of the safety lines 4.

[0049] The invention is by no means limited to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the figures. In particular, the components of the tethered balloon support structure device 1 according to the invention can be freely selected within wide limits with regard to their shape, dimensions, number, and material selection.

[0050] For example, the shape of the tethered balloon 2 may differ from the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the figures and may, for example, be cylindrical or cuboid-shaped. Furthermore, the shape of the support net 3 and the arrangement, number, and length of the safety lines 4 may, of course, differ from the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the figures.

[0051] Thus, according to an alternative embodiment of the tethered balloon support structure device 1 according to the invention, the support net 3 can be stretched flat or planar and vertically perpendicular to the ground 8 on one side or in sections, so that the canvas 10 held thereon spans a flat and vertical canvas surface.

[0052] According to a further alternative embodiment, the tethered balloon support structure device 1 according to the invention comprises two or more tethered balloons 2. This makes it possible, for example, for the tethered balloon support structure device 1 to form a tent-shaped space with multiple roof peaks or a tent or roofing body that can be shaped in almost any desired manner.

[0053] Likewise, the tethered balloons 2 can be of different sizes, or a plurality of smaller tethered balloons 2 can be provided, with the advantage that they can be transported there already filled, rather than at the installation site of the tethered balloon support device 1. This also provides redundancy, since in the event of a burst or damage to one tethered balloon 2, the other tethered balloons 2 remain filled, thus maintaining the buoyancy required for aligning the tethered balloon support device 1.

[0054] Identical components and component functions are identified by the same reference symbols.

[0055] List of reference symbols

[0056] 1 tethered balloon support structure

[0057] 2 tethered balloons

[0058] 3 Carrier net

[0059] 4 safety line

[0060] 5 mass bodies

[0061] 6 brackets

[0062] 7 pulley

[0063] 8 Floor

[0064] 9 Safety net

[0065] 10 canvas cloth

Claims

Patent claims 1. Tethered balloon support structure device (1) comprising a tethered balloon (2) filled with a lifting gas which has a lower density than ambient air and held floating above a ground (8) at a defined altitude, wherein a space-spanning, coarse-meshed support net (3) fixed to the ground (8) is placed over the tethered balloon (2).

2. Tethered balloon support structure device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the support net (3) is stretched from a plurality of safety lines (4) crossing one another above the tethered balloon (2) and fixed at their ends to the ground (8).

3. Tethered balloon support structure device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the tethered balloon (2) is held on a suspension line fixed to the ground (8).

4. Tethered balloon support structure device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the support net (3) and / or the safety lines (4) and / or the suspension line is / are each fixed to the ground (8) via at least one ground-standing mass body (5).

5. Tethered balloon support structure device (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the mass bodies (5) assigned to the support net (3) and / or the safety lines (4) are arranged in a circular arc shape and preferably radially equally spaced from one another in such a way that a polygonal-pyramidal and / or approximately conical space is spanned between the floor (8) and the safety lines (4) and / or the support net (3).

6. Tethered balloon support structure device (1) according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the mass body (5) is made of concrete and / or is a container filled with a liquid and / or pourable filling body.

7. Tethered balloon support structure device (1) according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that a U-shaped bracket (6) and / or a deflection roller (7) rotatably held on the bracket (6) is / are provided on the mass body (5) for retrieving the suspension line and / or the safety lines (4).

8. Tethered balloon support structure device (1) according to one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that the suspension line and / or the safety lines (4) can be retrieved via a preferably motor-driven cable winch.

9. Tethered balloon support structure device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that for emptying the tethered balloon (2) a preferably floor-standing emptying unit is provided with a suction device for sucking the lifting gas from a closable filling / emptying opening of the tethered balloon (2) and with a gas reservoir for receiving the sucked-off lifting gas.

10. Tethered balloon support structure device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that a preferred ascent height of the tethered balloon (2) is a maximum of 35 m and / or that the tethered balloon (2) is ellipsoidal and / or spherical and / or a preferred radius of the tethered balloon (2) is between 6 m and 6.5 m.

11. Tethered balloon support structure device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that at least one fine-meshed shading net for shading agricultural areas and / or at least one dew / condensate collecting net (9) is held on the support net (3).

12. Tethered balloon support structure device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that at least one canvas cloth (10) made of a preferably transparent and / or wind-permeable fabric is held on the support net (3), providing a canvas surface that can be illuminated by a light emitter and / or a laser and / or a projector.

13. Tethered balloon support structure device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that at least one heat-insulating nonwoven fabric cloth is held on the support net (3).

14. Tethered balloon support structure device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that at least one photovoltaic solar cell and preferably a photovoltaic thin-film solar cell and / or dye solar cell is held on the support net (3).

15. Tethered balloon support structure device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that a water- and preferably windproof tarpaulin is placed over the support net (3) to form a tent.

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