IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
UP-0743019
(2007-05-01)
|
등록번호 |
US-7648102
(2010-02-22)
|
발명자
/ 주소 |
- French, Patrick
- Veatch, Bradley D.
- O'Connor, Michael
- Scott, Joseph D.
- Yamona, Blase A.
|
출원인 / 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
11 인용 특허 :
8 |
초록
▼
An automated balloonsonde launcher and a method for an automated balloonsonde launch are disclosed. The automated balloonsonde launcher, for example, may comprise a collapsible protective cover forming an inner region for receiving a balloon, a gas inlet for receiving a gas, a gas outlet for mating
An automated balloonsonde launcher and a method for an automated balloonsonde launch are disclosed. The automated balloonsonde launcher, for example, may comprise a collapsible protective cover forming an inner region for receiving a balloon, a gas inlet for receiving a gas, a gas outlet for mating with a balloon, a valve operable between the gas inlet and the gas outlet for inflating a balloon within the inner region of the protective cover. The launcher further comprises a controller that controls the valve to inflate a balloon within the protective cover, opens an opening in the protective cover and releases a balloon through the opening of the protective cover.
대표청구항
▼
What is claimed is: 1. A balloon launcher comprising: a collapsible protective cover comprising a flexible material forming an inner region; a gas inlet for receiving a gas; a gas outlet for mating with a balloon; a valve operable between the gas inlet and the gas outlet for inflating a balloon wit
What is claimed is: 1. A balloon launcher comprising: a collapsible protective cover comprising a flexible material forming an inner region; a gas inlet for receiving a gas; a gas outlet for mating with a balloon; a valve operable between the gas inlet and the gas outlet for inflating a balloon with the gas within the inner region of the collapsible protective cover; a controller adapted to control the valve to inflate the balloon within the protective cover, to open an opening in the protective cover and to release the inflated balloon through the opening in the protective cover, wherein the protective cover comprises an inflatable extender having a volume, the volume being located outside of the balloon, which volume, when inflated, extends the protective cover. 2. The balloon launcher of claim 1, wherein the controller is further adapted to control a second valve to inflate the inflatable extender. 3. The balloon launcher of claim 1, wherein said controller is further adapted to at least partially inflate said protective cover. 4. The balloon launcher of claim 1, wherein said protective cover is provided within in a protective housing. 5. The balloon launcher of claim 1, wherein said protective cover comprises a means for releasably engaging a portion of a balloon. 6. The balloon launcher of claim 5, wherein said means for releasably engaging a portion of a balloon comprises a loop attached to said protective cover for wrapping around a portion of a balloon. 7. The balloon launcher of claim 1, wherein said flexible material comprises a polyethylene material. 8. The balloon launcher of claim 1, wherein said protective cover comprises at least one extender for extending said protective cover from a first configuration to a second configuration. 9. The balloon launcher of claim 8, wherein said first configuration comprises a packed configuration and said second configuration comprises an at least partially extended configuration. 10. The balloon launcher of claim 8, wherein said at least one extender comprises an inflatable extender. 11. The balloon launcher of claim 10, wherein said inflatable extender comprises an inflatable support structure attached to said flexible material of said protective cover. 12. The balloon launcher of claim 11, wherein said protective cover comprises a biasing structure for biasing said protective cover towards said first configuration. 13. The balloon launcher of claim 8, wherein said protective cover further comprises a biasing structure for biasing said protective cover towards said first configuration. 14. The balloon launcher of claim 13, wherein said biasing structure comprises an elastic material for retracting said protective cover. 15. The balloon launcher of claim 1, wherein said protective cover is biased toward a retracted configuration. 16. The balloon launcher of claim 1, wherein the controller is further adapted to control a second valve to inflate the inflatable extender. 17. A balloon launcher comprising: a fill tube comprising a mandrel for inflating a balloon and a retractable rim; a switch comprising a fixed first member and a sliding second member having a first configuration for locking a balloon to said mandrel and a second configuration for retracting said rim to release a balloon from said mandrel; an actuator comprising a first electrical contact connected to said fixed first member of said switch, a second electrical contact connected to said sliding second member of said switch, a meltable wire connecting said first electrical contact to said second electrical contact and a biasing means for biasing said contacts in an outwardly radial direction; and a controller for controlling the flow of a gas through said mandrel to inflate a balloon and for applying a current to said actuator when the balloon is inflated, wherein said current melts said meltable wire and said biasing means extends said actuator to change a state of said switch from said first configuration to said second configuration. 18. The balloon launcher of claim 17, wherein the controller is further adapted to at least partially inflate a collapsible protective cover comprising a flexible material, the balloon located within an inner region of the protective cover. 19. The balloon launcher of claim 18, wherein the protective cover is provided within a protective housing and wherein the protective cover comprises a means for releasably engaging a portion of a balloon. 20. The balloon launcher of claim 19, wherein the means for releasably engaging a portion of a balloon comprises a loop attached to the protective cover for wrapping around a portion of a balloon. 21. The balloon launcher of claim 18, wherein the flexible material comprises a polyethylene material. 22. The balloon launcher of claim 18, wherein the protective cover comprises at least one extender for extending the protective cover from a first configuration to a second configuration and wherein the first configuration comprises a packed configuration and the second configuration comprises an at least partially extended configuration. 23. The balloon launcher of claim 22, wherein the at least one extender comprises an inflatable extender. 24. The balloon launcher of claim 23, wherein the inflatable extender comprises an inflatable support structure attached to the flexible material of the protective cover. 25. The balloon launcher of claim 22, wherein the protective cover comprises a biasing structure for biasing the protective cover towards the first configuration. 26. The balloon launcher of claim 22, wherein the biasing structure comprises an elastic material for retracting the protective cover. 27. A method for inflating a balloon comprising: providing a collapsible protective cover comprising a flexible material forming an inner region; providing a nozzle comprising an inlet and an outlet; providing a balloon having an opening, the opening being attached around the outlet of the nozzle and the balloon being located within an inner region of the collapsible protective cover; providing a flexible tube comprising a first end and a second end, the first end being attached to the outlet of the nozzle inside the opening of the balloon and the second end extending into the a neck of the balloon away from the nozzle; flowing a gas through the nozzle and flexible tube into the balloon to inflate the balloon within the protective cover, to open an opening in the protective cover, and to release the inflated balloon through the opening in the protective cover, wherein the pressure of the gas maintains the second end of the flexible tube in an open configuration and wherein the protective cover comprises an inflatable extender having a volume, the volume being located outside of the balloon, which volume when inflated extends the protective cover; and stopping the flow of gas into the balloon, wherein a pressure of the gas within the balloon collapses the second end of the tube preventing gas from flowing out the inlet of the nozzle. 28. A balloon having a one-way fill valve comprising: a collapsible protective cover comprising a flexible material forming an inner region; a nozzle comprising an inlet and an outlet; a balloon having an opening, the opening being attached around the outlet of the nozzle and the balloon being located within an inner region of the collapsible protective cover; a flexible tube comprising a first end and a second end, the first end being attached to the outlet of the nozzle inside the opening of the balloon and the second end extending into the a neck of the balloon away from the nozzle; and a controller adapted to control a valve to inflate the balloon within the protective cover, to open an opening in the protective cover and to release the inflated balloon through the opening in the protective cover, wherein the protective cover comprises an inflatable extender having a volume, the volume being located outside of the balloon, which volume, when inflated, extends the protective cover; wherein pressure applied from a gas entering the flexible tube from the nozzle maintains the second end of the flexible tube in an open configuration when the pressure applied from the gas entering the flexible tube from the nozzle is greater than an interior pressure in the balloon, and wherein the interior pressure of the balloon collapses the second end of the tube when the interior pressure of the balloon is greater than the pressure applied from a gas entering the flexible tube from the nozzle is less than the interior pressure of the balloon.
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