Patent Application
20240044250
The present invention relates to asteroid mining. More specifically, the present invention is an apparatus designed to mine and break down asteroids.
The study of asteroids has existed for many decades as it is one part of studying the solar system. The study of asteroids may assist the human species to discover and study other plants as well as find the existence of extraterrestrial within the unknown. The methods of mining and breaking down asteroids are extremely rare due to the availability and ability of obtaining an asteroid. Beyond the study of extraterrestrial bodies, mining and packaging asteroids may be done to gather resources that are more plentiful in space than on Earth. Many drills and other mining devices currently exist to break down rocks and other objects. However, mining asteroids and operating in space requires a variety of considerations to account for the lack of atmosphere and standard gravity.
An objective of the present invention is to provide an apparatus that is utilized to break down and separate asteroids into smaller partitions to collect them for use and study. The present invention provides an apparatus that is remote controlled or controlled by artificial intelligence. In addition, the present invention provides a method of obtaining samples of asteroids from outer space to Earth.
The present invention is a system and apparatuses for breaking down and collecting portions of asteroids. The asteroid miner of the present invention comprises a body, an aperture, a plurality of holes, a plurality of speakers, a drill, an attachment piece, a fan, a baggage, and a set of air compressors. The drill and plurality of speakers are attached to the interior surface of the body and operate to breakdown asteroids. The set of air compressors are configured to expel air to create an air pressure on the interior side of the body. The fan operates in conjunction with the air compressors and the plurality of holes to create a current of air though the aperture. The baggage is attached to the exterior surface of the body to collect pieces of asteroid that are sent through the aperture. The system of the present invention comprises a plurality of asteroid miners and an attachment piece. The attachment piece is a frame structure comprising a plurality of slots, each configured to receive one of the plurality of asteroid miners. When each of the plurality of slots is joined with an asteroid miner, the system of the present invention is an enclosed spherical shell capable of breaking down an asteroid within the shell and expelling portions of the asteroid out of the shell.
As a preliminary matter, it will readily be understood by one having ordinary skill in the relevant art that the present disclosure has broad utility and application. As should be understood, any embodiment may incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed aspects of the disclosure and may further incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed features. Furthermore, any embodiment discussed and identified as being “preferred” is considered to be part of a best mode contemplated for carrying out the embodiments of the present disclosure. Other embodiments also may be discussed for additional illustrative purposes in providing a full and enabling disclosure. Moreover, many embodiments, such as adaptations, variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, will be implicitly disclosed by the embodiments described herein and fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
Accordingly, while embodiments are described herein in detail in relation to one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the present disclosure, and are made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure. The detailed disclosure herein of one or more embodiments is not intended, nor is to be construed, to limit the scope of patent protection afforded in any claim of a patent issuing here from, which scope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof. It is not intended that the scope of patent protection be defined by reading into any claim limitation found herein and/or issuing here from that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself.
Additionally, it is important to note that each term used herein refers to that which an ordinary artisan would understand such term to mean based on the contextual use of such term herein. To the extent that the meaning of a term used herein—as understood by the ordinary artisan based on the contextual use of such term—differs in any way from any particular dictionary definition of such term, it is intended that the meaning of the term as understood by the ordinary artisan should prevail.
Furthermore, it is important to note that, as used herein, “a” and “an” each generally denotes “at least one,” but does not exclude a plurality unless the contextual use dictates otherwise. When used herein to join a list of items, “or” denotes “at least one of the items,” but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list. Finally, when used herein to join a list of items, “and” denotes “all of the items of the list.” All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
The asteroid miner 1 and associated system of the present invention comprises a body 10, an aperture 11, a plurality of holes 12, a plurality of speakers 15, a drill 13, an attachment piece 2, a fan 16, and a set of air compressors 14.
The body 10 is the main structure and frame of the asteroid miner 1. The body 10 is a solid plate that takes shape of a regular pentagon/hexagon as can be seen in
The aperture 11 is an opening hole/gap centered on the body 10 of the asteroid miner 1 as can be seen in
In reference to
The plurality of holes 12 are small holes found along the outer edge of the body 10. The plurality of holes 12 may comprise a plurality of interior holes 120, positioned on the interior face of the body 10, and a plurality of exterior holes 121, positioned on the exterior face of the body 10. More specifically, the plurality of holes 12 may be found near the corner edges of interior face 101 and the exterior face 102 of the body 10 as can be seen in
The air compressor 14 is utilized to create a vacuum-like mechanism within the present invention. The air compressor operates in unison with the plurality of holes 12 and the fan 16 to create the vacuum mechanism to push and suck air from the interior face 101 of the present invention to the exterior face 102, through the aperture 11 and into the baggage 17. In use, the air compressor 14 may send air through the plurality of interior holes 120 to the interior face 101 of the body 10 in order to create air pressure on the interior side of the body 10. Alternatively, the air compressor 14 may send air through the plurality of exterior holes 121 to the exterior face 102 of the body 10 in order to reorient the body 10 by expelling air. The air compressor 14 is found internal within the body 10 as can be seen in
The fan 16 assists with the vacuum mechanism to push and suck air from the interior face 101 of the body 10 to the exterior face 102 of the body 10 through the aperture 11 and into the baggage 17. The fan 16 is designed and oriented to create a current of air from the interior face 101 of the body 10 to the exterior face 102 of the body 10 when in operation. The fan 16 is located on the interior face 101 of the body 10 and rotatably connected to the interior face 101 of the body 10. The fan 16 is on the opposite side of the body 1 from baggage 17 and aligns with the aperture 11 similarly to how the baggage 17 aligns with the aperture 11 as can be seen in
The plurality of speakers 15 are devices utilized as a mechanism to assist the breakdown of asteroids. The plurality of speakers 15 are configured to emit sound waves that aid in the breakdown of asteroids. The plurality of speakers 15 are located near the outer edge of the interior face 101 of the body 10. More specifically, the plurality of speakers 15 are found centered along the side edges of the interior face 101 of the body 10 as can be seen on
The drill 13 is a mechanical device utilized to break down asteroids. Note that the drill 13 can be found in different shapes, forms, and sizes within different embodiments of the present invention. The drill 13 can be any tool for breaking down an asteroid such as a standard hand drill, a device with a plurality of elongated spirals, or a grinder. The drill 13 is found on the interior face of the body 10 and is oriented away from the body 10. The drill 13 is located aligned with the aperture 11 similar to the baggage 17 and the fan 16. The drill 13 may be located on the fan 16 in some embodiments, as can be seen in
The attachment piece 2 is utilized as a mechanism to construct a system from a plurality of asteroid miners 21 by facilitating connection into a sphere. The attachment piece 2 is the fastening device comprising a plurality of slots 20 configured to receive and secure an asteroid miner 1, attaching a plurality of the asteroid miners 21 together into a system. The attachment piece 2 is a web-like frame structure that captures the shape of a sphere. The attachment piece is designed in a fashion so that the edges of the body 10 align with the slots 20 and structure of the attachment piece 2. Note that the attachment piece 2 can be found in different embodiments as it is a mechanism used to assist the attachment of a plurality of asteroid miners 21.
Within a different embodiment of the present invention, as seen in
The present invention provides an apparatus and system utilized for asteroid mining. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of asteroid miners 21 are utilized as a system. Each of the plurality of asteroid miners 21 is designed as described above for the asteroid miner 1. The plurality of the asteroid miners 21 may be attached together to form a sphere-like shape similar to a soccer ball, using the attachment piece 2, having an airtight seal. The formed soccer ball-like structure creates a shell around an asteroid. Each body 10 of the present invention will store compressed air that can be used to create an environment within the structure. The plurality of speakers 15 and plurality of drills 13 found on the system of the present invention are utilized to break down and partition an asteroid. The asteroid may be broken down and partitioned into smaller portions. These portions may then be transferred through the aperture 11 and into the baggage 17 by opening the aperture 11. Since the air compressors 14 create air pressure within the shell, a vacuum mechanism is created when the aperture 11 is opened. This vacuum mechanism may be aided by the fan 16 to propel the smaller portions of asteroids through the aperture 11 and into the baggage 17. The system of the present invention can then be separated and descend back to Earth. Alternatively, the baggage 17 of each of the plurality of asteroid miners of may be detached from the body 10 and individually collected where necessary. In such a case, the baggage 17 can be replaced or the aperture 11 can remain closed while the remainder of the plurality of asteroid miners 21 continue to collect material.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US22/19588 | 3/9/2022 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63158559 | Mar 2021 | US |
