GB2164910A

GB2164910A - Device for mooring airships

Info

Publication number: GB2164910A
Application number: GB08523608A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hiroo Kondo; Tatsuo Hayashi
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1984-10-02
Filing date: 1985-09-25
Publication date: 1986-04-03
Also published as: GB8523608D0; JPS6185297A; JPH0310559B2; GB2164910B

Abstract

A device for mooring an airship comprises a rotatable drum 24 carrying outwardly extending guide ribs 30 which are curved forwardly in the direction of rotation. Each guide rib affords an outwardly broadening aperture or groove. In use, a mooring cable 8 carrying an engagement ball 36 is lowered into contact with the drum 24. The cable passes through an aperture whilst the engagement member is larger than at least the inner end of the aperture and is thus guided inwardly towards the axis of the drum. The cable is thus automatically wound up on the drum. The device is preferably incorporated in mooring apparatus comprising a turntable, a tail holding member extending rearwardly of the turntable and adapted to restrain the tail portion of an airship and a nose holding member which extends forwardly of the turntable and on which the mooring device is mounted. The nose and tail holding members may be pivoted in a vertical plane by respective remote controlled actuators. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Device for mooring airships The present invention relates to a device for mooring airships and to an apparatus including such a device.

Airships are sometimes too large to be housed in an airship hangar so that they must be moored outside. Mooring an airship outside necessitates special attention to the wind which directly acts on the airship. Wind drag, especially lateral wind drag, may be so strong that it is difficult to moor an airship in a completely stationary state. The most commonly used method is to moor the airship at its nose, letting it float with the wind so as to minimize the adverse effects of the lateral wind drags on the airship.

In a conventional airship mooring system, mooring lines are dropped from the airship to the ground and the nose of the airship is moored at a pivotal mooring mast. The airship is then pulled down until wheels on the gondola of the airship contact the ground. Thus the airship is moored at the mooring mast and follows the wind about the mooring mast in the manner of a weathervane.

A ground crew is needed to moor an airship in the manner described above and a large parking area is required to permit the moored airship to move about the mooring mast in the wind. There is also the problem that the tail of the moored airship tends to rise due to wind and gusts. The raised tail then falls back on the ground, which may result in damage of the ship's hull.

It is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus for mooring an airship which eliminates the need for a ground crew.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such an apparatus which minimises the necessary size of the airship mooring or parking area.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such apparatus which enables the safe mooring of an airship even in a storm regardless of whether or not there is a hangar available.

According,to the present invention a device for mooring an airship comprises a rotatable drum with a plurality of guide ribs extending radially outwardly from the axis of rotation of the drum, each of the guide ribs having an aperture in it which is open in the radially outward direction, whereby an engaging member, e.g. a ball, which is connected to the free end of a mooring cable and whose size is greater than the width of the inner end of the aperture, is guided on contact with any one of the guide ribs towards the axis of the drum on rotation of the drum with the cable passing through the aperture in the guide rib.

Thus in the device in accordance with the invention once rotation of the drum has been commenced the mooring cable with an engaging member at its end need only be lowered into contact with the guide ribs and the mooring cable will then be wound up on the drum with the innermost turn or turns accommodated in the apertures.

The preferred embodiment includes means to rotate the drum in the direction of rotation and each guide rib preferably extends radially outwardly and also forwardly in the direction of rotation and is preferably curved forwardly.

This shape facilitates the guiding of the engagement member towards the axis of the drum and thus engagement of the engaging member in an aperture through which the cable passes.

The invention also embraces apparatus for mooring an airship and in one embodiment this comprises a mooring mast or pole to the top of which a mooring device of the type referred to above is mounted. The mooring mast or pole may be inclinable in a vertical plane.

The preferred embodiment of apparatus for mooring an airship comprises a turntable, a tail holding member extending rearwardly of the turntable and adapted to restrain the tail portion of an airship and a nose holding member which extends forwardly of the turntable and on which a mooring device of the type referred to above is mounted, each of the nose and tail holding members being pivotable in a vertical plane, preferably by means of remote control actuators. The tail holding member is preferably bifurcated to clamp the tail portion of the airship in position, whereby the two arms of the tail holding member extend on opposite sides of the tail of the airship.

Further features and details of the invention will be apparent from the following description of certain specific embodiments which is given by way of example with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figures 1 to 3 are views showing successive stages in the mooring of an airship using the present invention; Figure 4 is a side view of an airship mooring apparatus in accordance with the present invention; Figure 5 is a top view thereof; Figure 6 is a fragmentary side view on an enlarged scale of the portion of the apparatus for holding the airship at the nose; Figure 7 is an enlarged plan view thereof; Figure 8 is a side sectional view of a mooring device in accordance with the present invention; Figure 9 is a plan sectional view thereof; Figure 10 is a view in the direction of the arrows B in Figure 8; and Figure 11 is a sectional view of the free end of a mooring cable.

Figures 1 to 3 show an airship 1, a mooring apparatus 2 and a mooring device 3. The mooring apparatus 2 has a nose holding arm 5 extending forwardly of a turntable 4 and a bifurcated tail holding arm 6 extending rearwardly of the turntable 4. Both the arms 5 and 6 are vertically pivotable. The mooring device 3 is connected to the leading end of the arm 5.

In preparation for mooring the airship 1, the nose holding arm 5 is raised in the windward direction while the turntable 4 is held stationary. An auxiliary rope 7 on the airship 1 is loosened so that a mooring cable 8 is dropped (see Fig. 1). The mooring cable 8 is engaged at its lower end with the mooring device 3. The mooring device 3 is then activated to wind the mooring cable 8 until the nose of the airship 1 is brought almost into contact with the nose holding arm 5. Next, the arm 5 is lowered and an auxiliary mooring cable 10 dropped from a gondola 9 is connected to the turntable 4. Auxiliary cables 11 are dropped from the tail of the airship 1 and are connected to the tail holding arm 6 (see Fig. 2). The arm 6 is raised to surround the tail portion of the airship 1 while the auxiliary cable 11 is wound in. Thereafter the turntable 4 is released (see Fig. 3).

In order to release the airship 1, the above procedure is reversed.

Referring next to Figures 4 and 5, the mooring apparatus 2 will now be described.

The turntable 4 is mounted on a carriage 13 which can freely travel in a pit 12 in the ground in such a manner that the turntable 4 may rotate on the carriage 13 but may be selectively held stationary thereon. The nose holding arm 5, which comprises a four-bar linkage and extends forwardly of the turntable 4, may be inclined in a vertical plane. A cylinder 14 is connected between the turntable 4 and the arm 5 so that as the cylinder 14 is extended or retracted the arm 5 is raised or lowered. A triangular frame 15 is pivotally connected to the leading end of the arm 5 such that it can be inclined towards the centre of the turntable 4. Pivotai movement of the frame 15 is effected by a cylinder 16. The mooring device 3, which will be described in detail below, is connected to the leading end of the frame 15. Reference numeral 17 denotes a working stand.

The bifurcated tail holding arm 6 extends rearwardly of the turntable 4 and may be inclined in a vertical plane by means of a cylinder 47. Shock absorbers 18 are attached to the leading ends of the tail holding arm 6 so as to protect the airship 1. Reference numeral 19 represents a ladder; 20 a leg of the airship 1; and 21 a recess for receiving the leg 20 therein.

Shock absorbers 22 of foamed urethane or the like are attached to both sides of the mooring device 3 so that the nose of the airship 1 can fit snugly into the space between them when the airship 1 is moored.

The mooring device 3 includes a drum case 23 supported by the triangular frame 15 and a drum 24 is rotatably disposed within it. A portion of the drum case 23 directed towards the airship 1 is open to facilitate engagement of the drum 24 with the mooring cable 8 dropped from the airship 1. The drum 24 is carried by a rotatable shaft 25 to rotate with it. One end of the shaft 25 extends beyond the drum case 23 and carries a sprocket wheel 26. A motor 27 is mounted on the working stand 17 and a sprocket wheel 28 on the output shaft of the motor 27 is connected to the sprocket wheel 26 by an endless chain 29 so that the drum 24 may be rotated in the direction indicated by an arrow A.Side plates 24' of the drum 24 diverge radially outwards in the manner of a wedge and the drum 24 has four equiangularly spaced guide ribs 30 which are in the form of part of a helicoid, that is to say they extend radially outwards and curve forwards in the direction of rotation of the drum. A groove 32 substantially equal in diameter to the mooring cable 8 is formed at the inner portion of each guide rib 30 so that the mooring cable 8 engages in these grooves 32 and an engaging ball (which will be described below in detail) at the leading end of the mooring cable 8 engages the inner end of one of the guide ribs 30.

As best seen in Figure 11, the engaging ball 33 has a core 34 in which the wires at the leading end of the mooring cable 8 are embedded and the wires above and below the core 34 are clamped together by means of clamping members 35. A ball cover 36 covers and clamps the lower end of the mooring cable 8 in which the core 34 is embedded.

The ball cover 36 comprises two parts 37 and 38 split in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the mooring cable 8. Each of the split parts 37 and 38 comprises an inner partspherical metal member 39 and 40, respectively, and an outer cover member 41 and 42 made of an elastic material such as urethane rubber. The opposing surfaces of the members 30 and 40 are formed with male and female screws and when the split parts 37 and 38 are screwed together, they firmly clamp the leading end portion of the mooring cable in which the core 34 is embedded.

A connecting ring 43 at the other end, i.e.

the airship end, of the mooring cable is rotatably attached by means of a hollow pin 45 to an eyepiece 44 at the nose of the airship 1.

When the whole length of the mooring cable 8 has been wound around the drum 24, the eyepiece 44 is caused to enter the drum case 23. An engaging pin 46 may then be inserted through the drum case 23 and the connecting ring 43 (see Fig. 10) to hold the nose of the airship 1 securely in position.

The method of mooring the airship 1 with the mooring apparatus 2 and the mooring device 3 will now be described in more detail.

The nose holding arm 5, which comprises a four-bar linkage, is raised or lowered by means of the cylinder 14 so that the triangular frame 15 always assumes the same posture.

The tail holding arm 6 is raised or lowered by means of the cylinder 47 and when it is in the raised position it clamps the tail portion of the airship via the shock absorbers 18.

It is to be noted that when the airship 1 is moored, the centre of the lateral wind drag acts on the tail portion of the airship 1 about the centre of rotation of the turntable 4. Variation of the inciination of the triangie frame 15 by means of the cylinder 16 will alter the distance between the centre of the wind drag force and the centre of rotation, whereby the magnitude of the torque produced by the wind drag can be adjusted.

The pit 12 and the carriage 13 are provided in the case where an airship hangar is provided. The airship 1 may be moved by the carriage 13 along the pit 12 into the hangar.

When the leading end of the mooring cable 8 connected to the nose of the airship 1 enters the drum of the mooring device 3, the drum 24 is rotated by the motor 27 via the pinion sprocket 28, the chain 29 and the sprocket wheel 26 in the direction indicated by the arrow A. The engaging ball 33 at the lower end of the cable 8 engages a guide rib 30 of the drum 24 and moves along it towards the centre of the drum 24. The engaging ball 33 engages in a groove 32, as best seen in Figure 8. The cable 8 is thus automatically wound around the drum 24. In other words, no ground crew is needed to manually engage the leading end of the mooring cable 8 with the drum 24.

The moored airship 1 can move around in the wind like a weathervane due to the offset between the centre of rotation of the mooring apparatus 2 and the centre of the wind drag force. The maximum radius of rotation of the airship can be reduced to one half of that in the case when the airship is moored in the conventional manner.

In the embodiment described above, the mooring apparatus and the mooring device are used in combination in order to moor the airship, but it is to be understood that the mooring device may be used alone without the described mooring apparatus. Thus, when the mooring device is attached to the top of a mooring mast, the airship mooring operation can be substantially facilitated as compared with the case in which the airship is manually moored by a ground crew.

The nose holding arm, the triangular frame and the tail holding arm may be each in the form of a mast or pole which can be inciined in a vertical plane and the means for inclining them may comprise cylinders, winches or motors. The tail holding arm has been described as clamping the tail portion of the airship, but the latter may be anchored or moored to the tail holding arm by means of a cable.

The mooring device has been described as being provided with side plates 24' having guide ribs 30, but it is to be understood that the side plates 24' may be eliminated and that the drum may include only the guide ribs. Furthermore, instead of curved guide ribs, radial guide ribs may be employed.

The engaging ball 33 at the leading end of the mooring cable 8 need not have the construction shown in Figure 11 and any engaging member capable of engaging with the guide ribs may be used.

The advantages of the present invention can be summarised as follows: The airship mooring operation is much facilitated. No ground crew is needed to engage the leading end of the mooring cable with the drum. The maximum radius of rotation of the moored airship may be substantially reduced so that the size of the parking or mooring area can be reduced. Remote control of the apparatus is possible so that no ground crew is needed.

As a result, the operating cost of the airship can be considerably reduced.

Claims

1. A device for mooring an airship comprising a rotatable drum with a plurality of guide ribs extending outwardly from the axis of rotation of the drum, each of the guide ribs having an aperture in it which is open in the radially outward direction, whereby an engaging member, which is connected to the free end of a mooring cable and whose size is greater than the width of the inner end of the aperture, is guided on contact with any one of the guide ribs towards the axis of the drum on rotation of the drum with the cable passing through the aperture in the guide rib.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which each recess is of increasing width in the radially outward direction.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 which includes means to rotate the drum in a direction of rotation and each guide rib extends radially outwardly and forwardly in the direction of rotation.

4. A device for mooring an airship substantially as specifically herein described with reference to Figures 8 and 9 of the accompanying drawings.

5. Apparatus for mooring an airship comprising a mooring mast or pole to the top of which a mooring device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims is mounted.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 in which the mooring mast or pole is inclinable in a vertical plane.

7. Apparatus for mooring an airship comprising a turntable, a tail holding member extending rearwardly of the turntable and adapted to restrain the tail portion of an airship, and a nose holding member which extends forwardly of the turntable and on which a mooring device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims is mounted, each of the nose and tail holding members being pivotable in a vertical plane.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 in which the holding member is bifurcated to clamp the tail portion of the airship in position.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 or claim 8 including remote controlled actuators for pivoting the nose and tail holding members, respectively.

10. Apparatus for mooring an airship substantially as specifically herein described with reference to Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings and including a mooring device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4.