CA2554747A1 - Airship - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention is related to a semi-buoyant airship. The airship is provided with two aerodynamically shaped buoyant gas envelopes that are interconnected and mounted in tandem to a frame. The airship provided also including a propulsion system that are mounted at a fixed angle to said frame to provide both vertical thrust as well as horizontal propulsion.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

BACKGROUND
A variety of airship and hybrid airship designs has been made over the years, but invariably for them to be economical nearly all of they have to be of large scale and therefore cumbersome to operate. These designs offer very poor flight control and nearly all require a support ground crew just for the take-off and the landing.
Helicopter and new technology such as tilt-rotors aircraft can be small and versatile, but their complexity makes them difficult to operate and very expensive. The purpose of this invention is an airship that requires little or no ground support. It aims to provide a personal aerial transporter that is economical, versatile and easy to operate. This type of airship is useful in transporting persons, aerial surveillance and, search-and-rescue applications.

Typical airships are shown, for example, in the following Canadian Patents:
1054124 May, 1979 PIASECKI, MEYERS
2117098 Apr., 2003 FERGUSON
2137278 Dec., 1994 GELHARD
2207362 June, 1997 HAMILTON
2493466 Aug., 2003 VERCESI

And in the following United States of America patents:
5082205 Jan., 1992 CAUFMAN
5383627 Jan., 1995 BUNDO
5538203 July, 1996 MELLADY
5823468 Oct., 1998 BOTHE
6142414 Nov., 2000 DOOLITTLE
6311925 Nov., 2001 RIST
6427943 Aug., 2002 YOKOMAKU

6581873 June, 2003 MC DERMOTT
6843448 Jan., 2005 PARMLEY
7055777 June, 2006 COLTING
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention pertains to a semi-buoyant airship that combines powered lift, buoyant lift and aerodynamic surface lift to transport weight. Accordingly, the embodiment comprises a first and a second aerodynamically shaped buoyant gas envelopes in the form of elliptical disks. These disk-shaped buoyant gas envelopes are interconnected to each other through gas hoses and are mounted in tandem to said frame, with the aft buoyant gas envelope positioning higher than the rest of the airship's embodiment.
Within each buoyant gas envelope are numerous ballonets containing ambient air. The airship performs demanding maneuvers such as pitch or roll by varying the volume of air within various ballonets, in turn, displacing an equal volume of buoyant gas to an opposite side which causes the center of gravity of the airship to shift. Their use in airship is well understood to the person in the art.

One aspect of the invention is that the airship provided including a propulsion system that is fixed to said frame at a tilted angle. The propulsion system interchangeably acts as a vertical thruster or a lateral thruster or a horizontal propeller or a combination of them depending on the angular position of the airship in relation to the earth's gravity. The airship of the present invention exercises nearly all the range of directional movements and exhibits precise vertical take-off and landing.
Another aspect of the airship is that a significant amount of lift is generated by the aerodynamic surfaces of its buoyant disks when it is in motion. The amount of which is depended on the angle of attack and the velocity of the airship.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The advantages of the present invention will become more apparent following detail description taken in conjunction with the following drawings:

FIG. 1 is the side view of the airship on the ground position.

FIG. 2 is the top plan view of the airship showing the propulsion system connected to the said frame at a fixed angle.

FIG. 3 is the front view of the airship with their disk-shaped buoyant gas envelopes connected in tandem to the said frame, with the aft envelope positioning higher than the forward is.

FIG. 4 is the cross sectional view of the gas envelopes taken generally from the side.
FIG. 5 is a top plan cross sectional view of the gas envelopes.

FIG. 6 is the front cross sectional view of gas envelopes.

FIG. 7 is the side cross sectional view of the airship in an exemplary vertical take-off position with exemplary air ballonets volumes.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are the front cross sectional views of airship in exemplary lateral thrusts.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the drawings, in particular FIG.1 comprising a said frame indicated generally at 1. It is fabricated typically with aluminum alloy and carbon fiber composites.
It supports a typical fuselage containing the pilot and crew compartment 2, the first buoyant gas envelope 3 and the second gas envelope 4, as well as the propulsion system 5.
The frame 1 extends in length into the buoyant envelopes and forms a gas-sealed embodiment. The buoyant gas envelopes 3 and 4 are preferably made with a durable material and having low gas permeability such as Tedlar, and are aerodynamically shaped into the form of the elliptical disk. The propulsion system 5 is advantageously mounted at a fixed angle to frame 1. This advantageous configuration of the propulsion system greatly simplifies the airship's operation and will be discussed in more detail with FIG. 7.
Referring to top plane view FIG. 2, the airship is approximately 30% heavier than air. The buoyant gas in its first and second gas envelopes, 3 and 4, provides approximately 70% of the total lift. The remainder of the lift is provided by the vertical thrust component of its propulsion system and the aerodynamic lift generated by the airship's aerodynamic surfaces when it is in motion. The inner buoyant gas pressure together with the shape supporting rings 12(FIG. 5) help maintain the airship's aerodynamic shape.

Front view FIG. 3 shows the angle of attack of the aerodynamic surfaces of the buoyant gas envelopes, 3 and 4 during horizontal flight. FIG. 3 also shows the elevated position of the aft buoyant envelope 4. This elevated position of the aft envelope is an advantageous design. The inner buoyant gas of the elevated aft envelope creates a constant vertical lifting force that stabilizes and prevents the airship from going inverse should one of its engine suddenly fails. This vertical stabilizing force is therefore critical in hovering and in vertical flight and is an advantageous substitute comparing to the very complex design of the vertical take-off and landing tilt-rotors aircraft.

Cross sectional FIG. 4, 5 and 6 reveal the various inner components of the airship while it is in an exemplary horizontal flight. They are:
Forward air ballonet 6.
Forward left air ballonet 7.
Foward right air ballonet 8.
Aft air ballonet 9.
Aft left air ballonet 10.
Aft right air ballonet 11.
Shape supporting rings 12.
Catenary Curtain and Suspension Cables 13.
Landing skids 14.
Foward and aft landing cushions 15.
Vertical stabilizing fin 16.

Their locations and corresponding functions are well understood to person in the art. Also commonly known in the art are the air scoops and the air valves that are not shown in pictures.

FIG. 7 is the cross-sectional view of the airship in an exemplary vertical take-off position.
To be in a vertical take-off position, the fixed angle propulsion system 5 of the airship naturally must be oriented vertically comparing to the ground. This vertical orientation is achieved when enough buoyant gas is rushed from the aft gas envelope 4 into the forward gas envelope 3, and causes the airship's front end to raise off the ground.
The airship thus pivots on its landing skids 15 and is held in balance by the two volumes of buoyant gas of its forward and aft envelopes 3 and 4. Similarly to a vertical take-off position, a swift in balance of these two volumes of gas while the airship is in hovering flight would propel it into a forward or a rearward flight.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are the front cross sectional views of airship in exemplary lateral thrusts.
The volumes of the air ballonets 7, 8, 10, 11 can be adjusted collectively or individually while maintaining a constant buoyant gas pressure. An increase on one side in volume of the air ballonets 8, 11 (FIG. 8) combining with a decrease in volume of the air ballonets on the opposite side 7, 10(FIG. 8) create a lateral imbalance in buoyancy and cause the airship to list. While it is in this position the airship's fixed propelling system acts both as a lateral thruster and a horizontal propeller, which results in a change in the general direction of travel.

Although the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it should be understood that various modifications, additions and alterations may be made to the invention by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (7)

1. An airship comprising: a frame, a fuselage, a first and second aerodynamical shaped buoyant gas envelopes and a propulsion system.

2. The airship of claim 1, wherein a first and second aerodynamically shaped buoyant gas envelopes provide a combining static lifting force that is less than the total weight of said airship.

3. The airship of claim 2, wherein a first and second aerodynamically shaped buoyant gas envelopes are interconnected.

4. The airship of claim 2, wherein a first and second aerodynamically shaped buoyant gas envelopes are mounted in tandem.

5. The airship of claim 1, wherein the aft aerodynamically shaped buoyant gas envelope is mounted in an elevated position comparing to the center of mass of said airship.

6. The airship of claim 1, wherein the propulsion system is mounted at a fixed angle to said frame.

7. The airship of claim 1, wherein the direction of travel of said airship is controlled by the manipulation of the ballonets'air volumes.