CA2025233A1 - Altitude control apparatus for ground effect winged vehicle - Google Patents
Altitude control apparatus for ground effect winged vehicleInfo
- Publication number
- CA2025233A1 CA2025233A1 CA 2025233 CA2025233A CA2025233A1 CA 2025233 A1 CA2025233 A1 CA 2025233A1 CA 2025233 CA2025233 CA 2025233 CA 2025233 A CA2025233 A CA 2025233A CA 2025233 A1 CA2025233 A1 CA 2025233A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- water surface
- vehicle
- fuselage
- sensor
- ground
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60V—AIR-CUSHION VEHICLES
- B60V1/00—Air-cushion
- B60V1/22—Air-cushion provided with hydrofoils
Abstract
ABSTRACT:
Disclosed is an altitude control apparatus for a ground-effect winged vehicle utilizing the ground effect produced between its fuselage and wings and a water surface to fly at a very low altitude above the water surface with a slight distance therebetween, which comprises a sensor rendered always in contact with the water surface during navigation, for sending information on the distance between the water surface and the fuselage to a maneuvering system of said vehicle; and a connecting means for mechanically connecting the sensor to said vehicle; whereby an elevator controlled by the maneuvering system is operated based on the information on the distance between the water surface and the fuselage from the sensor to allow said vehicle to fly keeping the distance between the water surface and fuselage constant. The sensor may be provided in a float floatable on water and the mechanical connecting means may be a telescopic arm or a rewindable wire.
Disclosed is an altitude control apparatus for a ground-effect winged vehicle utilizing the ground effect produced between its fuselage and wings and a water surface to fly at a very low altitude above the water surface with a slight distance therebetween, which comprises a sensor rendered always in contact with the water surface during navigation, for sending information on the distance between the water surface and the fuselage to a maneuvering system of said vehicle; and a connecting means for mechanically connecting the sensor to said vehicle; whereby an elevator controlled by the maneuvering system is operated based on the information on the distance between the water surface and the fuselage from the sensor to allow said vehicle to fly keeping the distance between the water surface and fuselage constant. The sensor may be provided in a float floatable on water and the mechanical connecting means may be a telescopic arm or a rewindable wire.
Description
ALTITUDE CONTROL APPAP~ATUS FOR GROUND EFFECT WINGED VEHICLE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an altitude control apparatus for a winged vehicle which travels in ground effect (ground-effect winged vehicle). More particularly, this invention relates to an altitude control apparatus for such winged vehicle which flies at a very low altitude utilizing the ground effect produced between its fuselage and wings and the water surface, and said apparatus making it possible to categorize such winged vehicle into a vessel according to the related laws and regulations in Japan.
Various types of transportation means besides typical ground transportation means have been in use for transportation of people and goods, such as water transportation means including various types of vessels and air transportation means including aircraft (airplane), helicopters and airships have also been in service. The water and air transportation means play very important roles in connecting the main land with remote islands in a country like Japan which is surrounded by seas.
It is well known that a large vessel can transport people and goods in large numbers or quantities at a time, but cannot travel fast enough. As a solution to this shortcoming, there have been made various proposals, such as utilizing a jet propulsion as the vessel's propulsion mechanism in place of the conventional propeller propulsion, providing external rotors or designing a catamaran type vessel structure for overcoming wave drag.
Even such improved vessels travel still far slower than aircraft.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an altitude control apparatus for a winged vehicle which travels in ground effect (ground-effect winged vehicle). More particularly, this invention relates to an altitude control apparatus for such winged vehicle which flies at a very low altitude utilizing the ground effect produced between its fuselage and wings and the water surface, and said apparatus making it possible to categorize such winged vehicle into a vessel according to the related laws and regulations in Japan.
Various types of transportation means besides typical ground transportation means have been in use for transportation of people and goods, such as water transportation means including various types of vessels and air transportation means including aircraft (airplane), helicopters and airships have also been in service. The water and air transportation means play very important roles in connecting the main land with remote islands in a country like Japan which is surrounded by seas.
It is well known that a large vessel can transport people and goods in large numbers or quantities at a time, but cannot travel fast enough. As a solution to this shortcoming, there have been made various proposals, such as utilizing a jet propulsion as the vessel's propulsion mechanism in place of the conventional propeller propulsion, providing external rotors or designing a catamaran type vessel structure for overcoming wave drag.
Even such improved vessels travel still far slower than aircraft.
2 ~ ,f J ~
On the other hand, aircraft, though very fast, are significantly restrictive in transporting people and goods in large numbers or quantities. In this respect, large airplanes have been designed for such mass transportation purpose and many are already in service. Such large airplanes, however, are generally difficult to design and require a high fuel consumption, and moreover, they are subject to safety law restrictions by far severer than those on vessels due to their nature to fly at a high altitude.
Proposals have been made in various fields to realize a new transportation means which satisfies both of the advantages of the mass transportation capacity of vessels and the high-speed mobility of aircraft. In these proposals, there is included the known technique which is generally called "air-cushion machine". This technique utilizes a high-pressure air cushion produced between the fuselage and wings of an aircraft and the ground or water surface when the aircraft flies at a very low altitude, and this effect is referred to as "ground effect". While such ground-effect winged vehicle is generally used mainly to fly at a very low altitude above the water surface, such as of sea or lake, the effect nevertheless is customarily called ground effect and not water effect. The ground effect winged vehicle is also referred to as "a wing in ground effect" (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as WIG).
Vehicles utilizing the aforementioned ground effect, including WIGs, are called ground effect machines (GEMs) or aix cushion vehicles (ACVs). The ACVs are classified into two types: aerostatic system and aerodynamic system. The former type re~ers to transportation means of so-called hover craft or air car, in which a high-pressure air is positively fed into the space defined between the bottom of the body and the water (ground) surface and surrounded by ~ ,J ~ ~ G,3 -- 3 ~ J J .~."
the skirt or side wall of the vehicle thereby to lift the body slightly above the water surface. On the other hand, the latter type refers to the WIG itself under discussion, which flies like an airplane using the lift produced at the wings when it travels forward and is generally classified into a ram wing type, a channel flow type and a sea bird type depending on the configuration.
The WIG uses considerably reduced fuel consumption by the increased lift produced by the ground effect for the greatness of its pay load, and can fly at such a low altitude as to keep a very small distance between the water surface and the fuselage. These features contribute to minimizing possible damages caused by any accident, making the WIG a very safe vehicle. The WIG can therefore serve as an optimum commuter means under the circumstance where it is required to transport people and goods in large numbers or quantities at high speed between the main land and remote islands as described earlier.
The WIG basically falls under the category of aircraft, ie.it travels forward floating in the air free from physical contact with the ground or water surface. The fuselage and wings are spaced away from the water surface (ground) only by the distance enough to acquire the aforementioned ground effect. The Japanese Aviation Act defines aircraft as "an airplane, a rotary-wing aircraft, a glider, an airship or other craft that can be used for aviation as provided by the government ordinance".
Accordingly, the WIG is treated as an aircraft by the Aviation Act in Japan, so that the qualification for pilots and Gther requirements for the WIG, such as servicing and inspection are subject to the same severe requirements as for aircraft in general and under the strict supervision of the competent authorities.
As described, due to its legal status as an aircraft, the WIG faces the legal barrier that prevents it, unlike vessels, from being easily maneuvered or operated.
On the other hand, the legal restrictions on vessels in various countries including Japan are significantly lax as compared with those on aircraft, and the qualifications and requirements concerning the pilot's licence, servicing and inspection for the vessels are less strict. If the WIG can be legally treated as a vessel, it is expected to gain worldwide popularity as well as in Japan as the afore-mentioned commuter means or the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a means which has been developed in the light of the aforementioned points of the WIG being capable of transporting people and goods in large numbers or quantities at a high speed and of the restrictions as provided by the Japanese Aviation Act, and which allows a WIG to be treated legally as "vessel" by constantly connecting the fuselage of the vehicle with the water surface by some physical means and automatically 25 controlling the flight to prevent the vehicle from ~lying freely above the water surface.
To overcome the above problems and achieve the intended object, this invention provides an altitude control apparatus for a ground-effect winged vehicle (WIG) which travels at a very low altitude above the water surface with a very small distance therebetween utilizing the ground effect produced between its fuselage and wings and the water surface, comprising:
a sensor rendered in contact with the water surface constantly during its travel, for supplying informa~ion on _ 5 _ '~ 33 the distance between the water surface and the fuselaye to a control system of said vehicle; and a connecting means for mechanically connecting the sensor to said vehicle, whereby an elevator under control by a maneuvering system is operated based on the information from said sensor on the distance between the water surface and the fuselage to allow said vehicle to fly maintaining the distance between the water surface and the fuselage thereof at a constant level.
As described above, since the present altitude control apparatus for a ground-effect winged vehicle essentially has a means for providing mechanical connection between the vehicle and the water surface, the vehicle is physically connected constantly to the water surface so that it can legally be treated, in Japan for example, as "vessel," not aircraft. Accordingly, the legal regulations on vessels which are very lax as compared with those on aircraft can entirely apply to the ground-effect winged vehicle, thus making it easier to clear the qualifications for pilot and other conditions, such as servicing and inspection. In addition, since the present ground-effect winged vehicle can be used as an optimum commuter means to connect the main land with remote islands, the present vehicle is expected to gain worldwide popularity as well as in Japan.
When the altitude of the ground effect winged vehicle becomes above the predetermined level during its navigation, a command is sent to the maneuvering system based on the information from the sensor to allow the elevators to maintain the fuselage automatically at the desired altitude. It is therefore possible to control the navigation of the ground effect winged vehicle very fast at a speed of 200 to 500 km per hour, regardless of the level of waves and wave drag.
~ 6 --BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figs. 1 and 2 schematically illustrate an embodiment of a ground-effect winged vehicle employing the altitude control apparatus of this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
~ preferred embodiment of the altitude control apparatus for a ground-effect winged vehicle according to this invention will now be described referring to the accompanying drawings. Since the ground-effect winged vehicle shown with the reference numeral "10" in Fig. 1 is well known in itself, detailed description therefor will be omitted. The vehicle 10 has a stretchable multitelescopic arm 12 incorporated at the bottom of the fuselage, with part of said arm 12 being obliquely extended downward from the rear of the fuselage. More specifically, with the upper end of the arm 12 being secured to a damper mechanism 14 which utilizes hydraulic pressure such as oil pressure, the arm 12 extends obliquely downward in a damped state and is retracted to the shortest size as shown in Fig. 2 when the ground-effect winged vehicle is moored as floating on the water. As the vehicle 10 is started and lifted up from 2S the water surface by the aforementioned ground effect, the arm 12 is designed to be automatically stretched obliquely downward from the rear of the fuselage.
The telescopic arm 12 has a float 16 provided at the other end, which is intended to float on he water constantly while the ground-effect winged vehicle 10 is in navigation or moorage. The float 16 has a sensor 20 housed therein which detects the distance between the water surface and the fuselage of the ground-effect winged vehicle 10 and supply distance information to a maneuvering system 1~
_ 7 provided in the winged vehicle 10. Various operational principles, such as of laser-applied distance measuring system, ultrasonic system, ultrashort wave system and capacitance system, can selectively be applied to the sensor 20 for the distance detection depending on the specific conflguration. The telescopic arm 12 serving as the means to mechanically connect the ground-effect winged vehicle 10 to the water surface may be replaced with a rewindable wire and the like.
On the other hand, aircraft, though very fast, are significantly restrictive in transporting people and goods in large numbers or quantities. In this respect, large airplanes have been designed for such mass transportation purpose and many are already in service. Such large airplanes, however, are generally difficult to design and require a high fuel consumption, and moreover, they are subject to safety law restrictions by far severer than those on vessels due to their nature to fly at a high altitude.
Proposals have been made in various fields to realize a new transportation means which satisfies both of the advantages of the mass transportation capacity of vessels and the high-speed mobility of aircraft. In these proposals, there is included the known technique which is generally called "air-cushion machine". This technique utilizes a high-pressure air cushion produced between the fuselage and wings of an aircraft and the ground or water surface when the aircraft flies at a very low altitude, and this effect is referred to as "ground effect". While such ground-effect winged vehicle is generally used mainly to fly at a very low altitude above the water surface, such as of sea or lake, the effect nevertheless is customarily called ground effect and not water effect. The ground effect winged vehicle is also referred to as "a wing in ground effect" (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as WIG).
Vehicles utilizing the aforementioned ground effect, including WIGs, are called ground effect machines (GEMs) or aix cushion vehicles (ACVs). The ACVs are classified into two types: aerostatic system and aerodynamic system. The former type re~ers to transportation means of so-called hover craft or air car, in which a high-pressure air is positively fed into the space defined between the bottom of the body and the water (ground) surface and surrounded by ~ ,J ~ ~ G,3 -- 3 ~ J J .~."
the skirt or side wall of the vehicle thereby to lift the body slightly above the water surface. On the other hand, the latter type refers to the WIG itself under discussion, which flies like an airplane using the lift produced at the wings when it travels forward and is generally classified into a ram wing type, a channel flow type and a sea bird type depending on the configuration.
The WIG uses considerably reduced fuel consumption by the increased lift produced by the ground effect for the greatness of its pay load, and can fly at such a low altitude as to keep a very small distance between the water surface and the fuselage. These features contribute to minimizing possible damages caused by any accident, making the WIG a very safe vehicle. The WIG can therefore serve as an optimum commuter means under the circumstance where it is required to transport people and goods in large numbers or quantities at high speed between the main land and remote islands as described earlier.
The WIG basically falls under the category of aircraft, ie.it travels forward floating in the air free from physical contact with the ground or water surface. The fuselage and wings are spaced away from the water surface (ground) only by the distance enough to acquire the aforementioned ground effect. The Japanese Aviation Act defines aircraft as "an airplane, a rotary-wing aircraft, a glider, an airship or other craft that can be used for aviation as provided by the government ordinance".
Accordingly, the WIG is treated as an aircraft by the Aviation Act in Japan, so that the qualification for pilots and Gther requirements for the WIG, such as servicing and inspection are subject to the same severe requirements as for aircraft in general and under the strict supervision of the competent authorities.
As described, due to its legal status as an aircraft, the WIG faces the legal barrier that prevents it, unlike vessels, from being easily maneuvered or operated.
On the other hand, the legal restrictions on vessels in various countries including Japan are significantly lax as compared with those on aircraft, and the qualifications and requirements concerning the pilot's licence, servicing and inspection for the vessels are less strict. If the WIG can be legally treated as a vessel, it is expected to gain worldwide popularity as well as in Japan as the afore-mentioned commuter means or the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a means which has been developed in the light of the aforementioned points of the WIG being capable of transporting people and goods in large numbers or quantities at a high speed and of the restrictions as provided by the Japanese Aviation Act, and which allows a WIG to be treated legally as "vessel" by constantly connecting the fuselage of the vehicle with the water surface by some physical means and automatically 25 controlling the flight to prevent the vehicle from ~lying freely above the water surface.
To overcome the above problems and achieve the intended object, this invention provides an altitude control apparatus for a ground-effect winged vehicle (WIG) which travels at a very low altitude above the water surface with a very small distance therebetween utilizing the ground effect produced between its fuselage and wings and the water surface, comprising:
a sensor rendered in contact with the water surface constantly during its travel, for supplying informa~ion on _ 5 _ '~ 33 the distance between the water surface and the fuselaye to a control system of said vehicle; and a connecting means for mechanically connecting the sensor to said vehicle, whereby an elevator under control by a maneuvering system is operated based on the information from said sensor on the distance between the water surface and the fuselage to allow said vehicle to fly maintaining the distance between the water surface and the fuselage thereof at a constant level.
As described above, since the present altitude control apparatus for a ground-effect winged vehicle essentially has a means for providing mechanical connection between the vehicle and the water surface, the vehicle is physically connected constantly to the water surface so that it can legally be treated, in Japan for example, as "vessel," not aircraft. Accordingly, the legal regulations on vessels which are very lax as compared with those on aircraft can entirely apply to the ground-effect winged vehicle, thus making it easier to clear the qualifications for pilot and other conditions, such as servicing and inspection. In addition, since the present ground-effect winged vehicle can be used as an optimum commuter means to connect the main land with remote islands, the present vehicle is expected to gain worldwide popularity as well as in Japan.
When the altitude of the ground effect winged vehicle becomes above the predetermined level during its navigation, a command is sent to the maneuvering system based on the information from the sensor to allow the elevators to maintain the fuselage automatically at the desired altitude. It is therefore possible to control the navigation of the ground effect winged vehicle very fast at a speed of 200 to 500 km per hour, regardless of the level of waves and wave drag.
~ 6 --BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figs. 1 and 2 schematically illustrate an embodiment of a ground-effect winged vehicle employing the altitude control apparatus of this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
~ preferred embodiment of the altitude control apparatus for a ground-effect winged vehicle according to this invention will now be described referring to the accompanying drawings. Since the ground-effect winged vehicle shown with the reference numeral "10" in Fig. 1 is well known in itself, detailed description therefor will be omitted. The vehicle 10 has a stretchable multitelescopic arm 12 incorporated at the bottom of the fuselage, with part of said arm 12 being obliquely extended downward from the rear of the fuselage. More specifically, with the upper end of the arm 12 being secured to a damper mechanism 14 which utilizes hydraulic pressure such as oil pressure, the arm 12 extends obliquely downward in a damped state and is retracted to the shortest size as shown in Fig. 2 when the ground-effect winged vehicle is moored as floating on the water. As the vehicle 10 is started and lifted up from 2S the water surface by the aforementioned ground effect, the arm 12 is designed to be automatically stretched obliquely downward from the rear of the fuselage.
The telescopic arm 12 has a float 16 provided at the other end, which is intended to float on he water constantly while the ground-effect winged vehicle 10 is in navigation or moorage. The float 16 has a sensor 20 housed therein which detects the distance between the water surface and the fuselage of the ground-effect winged vehicle 10 and supply distance information to a maneuvering system 1~
_ 7 provided in the winged vehicle 10. Various operational principles, such as of laser-applied distance measuring system, ultrasonic system, ultrashort wave system and capacitance system, can selectively be applied to the sensor 20 for the distance detection depending on the specific conflguration. The telescopic arm 12 serving as the means to mechanically connect the ground-effect winged vehicle 10 to the water surface may be replaced with a rewindable wire and the like.
Claims (3)
1. An altitude control apparatus for a ground effect winged vehicle utilizing a ground effect produced between its fuselage and wings and a water surface to fly at a very low altitude above the water surface with a slight distance therebetween, which comprises:
a sensor rendered always in contact with the water surface during navigation, for sending information on the distance between the water surface and the fuselage to a maneuvering system of said vehicle; and a connecting means for mechanically connecting the sensor to said vehicle, whereby an elevator under control by a maneuvering system is operated based on the information from said sensor on the distance between the water surface and the fuselage to allow said vehicle to fly keeping the distance between the water surface and the fuselage thereof constant.
a sensor rendered always in contact with the water surface during navigation, for sending information on the distance between the water surface and the fuselage to a maneuvering system of said vehicle; and a connecting means for mechanically connecting the sensor to said vehicle, whereby an elevator under control by a maneuvering system is operated based on the information from said sensor on the distance between the water surface and the fuselage to allow said vehicle to fly keeping the distance between the water surface and the fuselage thereof constant.
2. The altitude control apparatus for a ground effect winged vehicle according to Claim 1, wherein the sensor is provided in a float floatable on water.
3. The altitude control apparatus for a ground effect winged vehicle according to Claim 1, wherein the mechanical connecting means for connecting the sensor to the ground effect winged vehicle comprises a stretchable telescopic arm.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB9018217A GB2247216B (en) | 1990-08-20 | 1990-08-20 | Altitude control apparatus for ground effect winged vehicle |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
CA2025233A1 true CA2025233A1 (en) | 1992-03-13 |
Family
ID=10680926
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
CA 2025233 Abandoned CA2025233A1 (en) | 1990-08-20 | 1990-09-12 | Altitude control apparatus for ground effect winged vehicle |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
CA (1) | CA2025233A1 (en) |
FR (1) | FR2666668B3 (en) |
GB (1) | GB2247216B (en) |
SE (1) | SE467775B (en) |
Families Citing this family (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US6164401A (en) * | 1997-03-06 | 2000-12-26 | Vollmerhausen; Robert Henry | Ground effect ship |
CN1075012C (en) * | 1998-04-08 | 2001-11-21 | 任清海 | Marine flying-boat refitted from airplane |
ES2190869B1 (en) * | 2001-04-06 | 2005-02-01 | Gamesa Desarrollos Aeronauticos, S.A. (Soc. Unip) | COMBINED VEHICLE OF SOIL EFFECT AND CONVENTIONAL FLIGHT. |
CN113093807B (en) * | 2021-04-07 | 2022-06-21 | 中国船舶科学研究中心 | Ground effect flight control device of unmanned ground effect wing ship |
-
1990
- 1990-08-20 GB GB9018217A patent/GB2247216B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1990-09-04 SE SE9002814A patent/SE467775B/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1990-09-12 FR FR9011279A patent/FR2666668B3/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1990-09-12 CA CA 2025233 patent/CA2025233A1/en not_active Abandoned
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
GB9018217D0 (en) | 1990-10-03 |
FR2666668A1 (en) | 1992-03-13 |
SE9002814D0 (en) | 1990-09-04 |
GB2247216A (en) | 1992-02-26 |
GB2247216B (en) | 1994-02-16 |
FR2666668B3 (en) | 1993-01-15 |
SE467775B (en) | 1992-09-14 |
SE9002814L (en) | 1992-03-05 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
FZDE | Dead |