Aerial cableway leading to an aerostatic airborne body
US6224015A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 30, 1999 |
| Grant date | May 1, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 30, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02T30/00
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
The cableway consists of a captive balloon (1) carrying a gondola (2) to which two transport cables (3, 4) and a mooring cable (5) are attached. The two transport cables (3, 4) bearing a cabin (10, 11) for carrying passengers end at a ground station (7) which is rotatable on a circular rail (9) around a vertical axis (8). The transport cables (3, 4), both in the gondola (2) and in the ground station, run on and off drums. The ground station (7) can be actively tracked with reference to the site of the captive balloon (1). The mooring cable (5), secured to the gondola (2), runs on a drum in the ground station (7) and is equipped with beacons (13). The captive balloon (1) can be released to any desired height, the unused length of the transport cables (3, 4) remaining on the drums in the ground station (7). The cabins (10, 11) are coupled in shuttle operation or move separately driven by motors provided in the gondola (2).
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.