Buoyant High Altitude Structure for Payload Extension
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for high altitude structures that can efficiently support payloads and provide communication services at various altitudes, particularly for applications such as communications, weather monitoring, and atmospheric management, while being capable of withstanding diverse atmospheric conditions.
Innovation Solution
The development of high altitude structures that utilize elongated members supported by buoyant forces, either through internal gases lighter than the atmosphere or external carriers, allowing for the extension of these structures to substantial heights and the integration of payloads and communication transceivers to facilitate communication and material transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If conventional structures are used to support payloads at high altitudes, then structural strength and stability are maintained, but the ability to extend into the atmosphere to high altitudes is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies buoyant forces as a counterweight to gravitational force, enabling the elongated member to extend into the atmosphere to high altitudes. The buoyant force is generated by a carrier containing gas less dense than the surrounding atmosphere, creating an upward force that counteracts the weight of the structure and payload, thereby achieving high altitude extension without requiring conventional gravity-defying structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and density parameters of the carrier to optimize buoyant performance at different altitudes. The carrier is configured to provide sufficient buoyant force at lower altitudes while allowing the elongated member to extend to higher altitudes where the atmosphere is thinner, effectively managing the strength-altitude contradiction through parameter optimization rather than purely structural design.
2Length of stationary object
If buoyant forces are used to support the elongated member, then high altitude extension is enabled, but the complexity of the support system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the support system into distinct functional components: the elongated member for structural extension, the carrier for buoyant support, and the coupling mechanism for integration. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the elongated member for strength and altitude, the carrier for buoyant efficiency, and the coupling for reliable connection - thereby managing overall system complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The carrier is designed to serve multiple functions: providing buoyant force to support the elongated member, containing gas less dense than the atmosphere, and coupling to both the elongated member and the atmosphere. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high altitude extension capability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the elongated member is extended to high altitudes, then communication and atmospheric management capabilities are improved, but the structural integrity under diverse atmospheric conditions becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the elongated member and carrier system to dynamically adapt to varying atmospheric conditions at different altitudes. The structure is configured to maintain structural integrity while accommodating changes in atmospheric density, temperature, and pressure, enabling reliable operation for communication and atmospheric management across diverse environmental conditions without compromising reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The elongated member is constructed using composite materials that combine different properties to achieve both strength and adaptability. The composite structure provides the necessary mechanical strength to withstand atmospheric conditions while maintaining flexibility to adapt to varying environmental conditions, thereby ensuring reliability for high altitude communication and atmospheric management applications.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the deployment of payloads and communication systems at high altitudes, providing effective communication and atmospheric management capabilities while maintaining structural integrity and adaptability across varying environmental conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The gas is disposed in one or more voids of the elongated structure... The high altitude structure is held substantially upright at least partially by buoyant forces
Implementation Method 2
generating a lifting force by a carrier external to and coupled to the elongated member to aid in extending the elongated member into the atmosphere to a substantially high altitude
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method is described generally for providing a high altitude structure including an elongated structure coupled to the ground and extending skyward. The elongated structure at least partially supported by buoyancy effects, the elongated structure including at least one lumen, the at least one lumen configured to transport at least one material and to vent the at least one material to the atmosphere. The system and method also include a gas having a density that is less dense than that of the atmosphere outside of the elongated structure; the gas is disposed in one or more voids of the elongated structure. The system and method includes the use of an introducer configured to provide the gas into the one or more voids. The system and method further include a payload coupled to the elongated structure and being held aloft by the elongated structure.