Textiles: braiding – netting – and lace making – Processes and products – With material incorporated in diverse ways
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-11
2003-12-02
Calvert, John J. (Department: 3765)
Textiles: braiding, netting, and lace making
Processes and products
With material incorporated in diverse ways
C087S009000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06655253
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a manufacturing method of the envelope membrane for airship or the like in conjunction with the development of Stratospheric Platforms, particularly an envelope manufacturing method using a braider such that the envelope membrane for the airship is formed as one body by the braider.
BACKGROUND ART
In recent years, research and development on Stratospheric Platforms has progressed exponentially and come under close scrutiny as an alternative system to communications and weather satellites in the communications and weather observation fields. The Stratospheric Platforms technique is used for example, for communications and broadcasting, earth observation and astronomical observation by staying the unmanned airship carrying a communications machine and the observation sensor in the stratospheric altitude of about 20 km whose weather condition is relatively stable. Therefore, the airship has to be made of light and strong materials and it is necessary to be formed as one body without patching divided membranes.
So far, the envelope of the airship manufactured for Stratospheric Platforms is formed by a poly-divide gore G and the poly-divide gore is welded along the welding line, as shown in FIG.
12
. Since the airship envelope made by welding these poly-divide gores together is welded to form by patching the poly-divide gores, there is a big problem with the strength when using for an airship envelope.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is made to solve the problems of the aforementioned conventional art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an envelope manufacturing method using a braider such that the envelope like the airship and the balloon, made by using light and strong materials, is formed as one body composed by the braider without patching together divided objects.
To achieve the abovementioned object, the present invention manufacturing method uses the braider such that a pair of braiding materials whose braiding angle is ±&thgr;° to the axis and an axial material whose angle is 0° to the axis are organized as the braiding layer by the braider and the envelope like the airship is composed as one body by the aforementioned braiding layer.
Further, the present invention contemplates that the braiding material and the axial material mentioned above are tape-shaped, and the tape-shaped material gradually becomes narrower from the longitudinal central part to both longitudinal end parts and the spindle-shape tape gradually becomes thinner from the longitudinal central part to the longitudinal both end parts.
Furthermore, the present invention contemplates that the thickness of the braiding layer in the axial both end parts of the aforementioned envelope is formed thinner than the thickness in the axial central part.
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European Search Report dated Apr. 18, 2002.
Onda Masahiko
Uchida Hiroshi
Uozumi Tadashi
Armstrong Westerman & Hattori, LLP
Calvert John J.
Hurley Shaun R
Murata Kikai Kabushiki Kaisha
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