RU2310581C1 - Method of mooring airship and aero-towing tug for realization of this method - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: aerodrome equipment.

SUBSTANCE: proposed towing-tug has aerostat platform and first part of coupling unit located on this platform which may be raised to airship flight altitude; airship has second part of coupling unit. Towing-tug is provided with ground winches with ropes whose ends are secured to aerostat platform formed by aerostats interconnected by means of beam used for mounting the first part of coupling unit. Method of mooring the airship consists in towing it to ground surface with the aid of ground winches with towing lines.

EFFECT: fast and effective mooring of airship without relieving the carrier gas.

3 cl, 3 dwg

Description

The invention relates to the field of aeronautics.

The level of technology.

From [1, 2, 3] known mooring devices of airships and the corresponding methods of mooring. All of them are placed on the ground, have docking devices on flexible connections or on rigid mechanical manipulators with several degrees of freedom, as a rule, with longitudinal, transverse and vertical movements. Moreover, all movements are small. The airship is moored by the following sequence of actions:

- the carrier gas is vented to the atmosphere from the airship envelope and, due to the reduction in aerostatic force, the airship is reduced from the flight altitude to the height of the docking zone of the berthing device;

- control the relative movements of the airship and the berthing device until the ground part of the docking station is combined with the airborne part of the docking station;

- dock the berthing device and the airship;

- fix the position of the docking station, mooring device and airship.

The first operation is the longest, most complex and expensive, as it is associated with prolonged release of carrier gas into the atmosphere and aerostatic reduction of the aircraft with high windage and six degrees of freedom from a flight altitude almost to the ground. Maneuvering such an apparatus near the ground increases the risk of damage to it. With wind speeds of more than 5 m / s and turbulence, mooring becomes excessively risky. With the number of take-offs and landings of more than five, over a period of time up to one day, such a method of mooring becomes unacceptable. Departure is carried out in the reverse order and is associated with the replenishment of the volume of carrier gas from ground tanks and a slow aerostatic lift. At a wind speed of more than 5 m / s, turbulence and frequent take-offs / landings, it is also unacceptable.

Airships with soft shells [1], as a rule, are moored using a mooring command from 2 people or more (in proportion to the size of the airship), which manually catch mooring cables and fix them on hard ground consoles.

The device [3] has a mooring balloon with the function of docking and transfer of helium gas, which rises by aerostatic force, and lowers by means of a cable and a winch. Being attached to the airship’s drain-fill valve, it accompanies the airship at the descent stage and is used exclusively for receiving expensive carrier gas - helium. In contrast to the mentioned approach method, here the carrier gas is vented from the airship shell not to the atmosphere, but to the shell of the mooring balloon, while the airship is reduced by the mentioned method due to the reduction of aerostatic force. Further mooring is also carried out by the mentioned means.

The device [3] and the method used in it, according to the greatest number of features, coincide with the invention, therefore, they are accepted as the closest analogue.

Disclosure of the invention.

The essence of the air mooring tugboat is a balloon platform with a part of the docking station located on it. Its rise is carried out due to the aerostatic lifting force of balloons attached to it, and landing is carried out using ropes with ground winches.

The essence of the proposed method of mooring the airship is the docking of the airship and air mooring tug at the altitude of the airship and their joint descent to the ground. The essence of the proposed method of descent of the airship consists in lifting the docked airship and air mooring tugboat to the flight altitude of the airship and undocking them at this altitude.

The claimed invention solves the following problems:

- increase the speed of landing of the airship;

- elimination of carrier gas bleeding during landing of the airship and carrier gas filling during take-off of the airship.

Description of the invention.

The proposed air mooring tug includes (see figure 1, figure 2, figure 3):

- two balloons 1;

- a rigid beam 2 with a length exceeding the sum of the transverse, overall dimensions of the airship 5 and the balloon 1, at the ends of which balloons 1 are attached;

- guide rails 9 fixed in the center of the beam 2 in the horizontal plane and rails 10 in the vertical plane;

- cables 3 with one end attached to the ends of the beam 2, and the other to the drums of the winches 4, which are placed on the ground.

Balloons 1 and beam 2 make up the balloon platform. Reiki 9 and 10 constitute the receiving part of the docking station. The mating part of the docking station is located on the airship 5 and includes a cable 6 with an anchor 7 on the winch 8.

The proposed method of approaching / descent of the airship is as follows.

When approaching:

- raise the balloon platform of the air mooring tugboat to the flight altitude of the airship;

- dock part of the docking station, located on the airship, with part of the docking station, located on the aerostat platform of the air mooring tugboat;

- tow the airship docked with the aerostat platform of the air mooring tugboat to the earth's surface using ropes and winches placed on the ground;

- fix the aerostat platform of the air mooring tugboat and the airship in the moored position.

When sailing, they perform the opposite operations, in the reverse order:

- release the aerostat platform of the air mooring tugboat and the airship from fixation;

- the airship docked with the aerostat platform of the air mooring tugboat to the flight altitude;

- make undocking of the airship and the balloon platform of the air mooring tugboat;

- lower the aerostat platform of the air mooring tugboat to the ground.

A brief description of the drawings.

Figure 1 shows the frontal projection of the air mooring tugboat and airship.

Figure 2 shows the profile projection of the air mooring tugboat and airship.

Figure 3 shows a horizontal projection of an air mooring tugboat.

The implementation of the invention.

The proposed air mooring tug consists of a balloon platform, a docking station and a power drive (see figure 1, figure 2, figure 3). A balloon platform is a horizontal, rigid beam 2 made of composite materials with two attached gas balloons 1 at the ends. The length of the beam should be greater than the sum of the transverse, overall dimensions of the airship 5 and the balloon 1. In the middle of the beam 2, the receiving part of the docking station is fixedly placed between the balloons. It is made in the form of rigid, intersecting rails 9 in the horizontal plane and rails 10 in the vertical plane. At the points of attachment of the balloons 1 to the beam 2, cables 3 are attached, which at the other end are attached to the drums of the winches 4 placed on the ground at a distance equal to the length of the beam 2.

On the airship 5 place the mating portion of the docking station. It includes an anchor 7, which is a rod with a mechanical or electromagnetic grip. A cable 6 is attached to the upper part of the anchor, which is attached by the second end to the drum of the winch 8, which is fixedly placed on the lower surface of the airship 5.

The proposed method of approaching / descent of the airship is as follows.

When approaching:

- raise the aerostat platform of the air mooring tugboat with the part of the docking unit located on it to the flight altitude of the airship 5 due to the aerostatic lifting force of balloons 1;

- dock part of the docking station, located on the airship 5, with part of the docking station, located on the balloon platform. Docking is carried out by relative movements of the anchor 7 and the beam 2 with the guide rails 9 and 10. It is considered complete when the anchor 7 captures the beam 2 in its center. Next, winch 8 select the cable 6 and fix the beam 2 relative to the airship 5, on its lower surface;

- tow the airship 5 with a balloon platform to the earth's surface with the help of cables 3 attached to the balloon platform and winches 4 placed on the ground;

- fix the balloon platform and the airship 5 in the moored position, for example, using sling-braces.

When sailing, they perform the opposite operations, in the reverse order:

- release the airship 5 with a balloon platform from fixing in a moored position;

- raise the airship 5 with the balloon platform to the flight altitude due to the aerostatic lifting force of the airship 5 and balloons 1;

- make undocking of the balloon platform and the airship 5 by releasing the beam 2 from fixation and capture by the anchor 7;

- tow the balloon platform to the earth's surface using ropes 3 attached to the balloon platform and winches 4 placed on the ground.

The increase in the speed of the airship reduction is achieved through the use of powerful ground-based winches that provide a large mechanical force instead of a small aerostatic one, while the carrier gas bleeding operation is excluded. The increase in the speed of take-off of the airship is achieved by eliminating operations on refueling the airship with carrier gas and the additional lifting force of the aerostats of the air mooring tugboat.

Bibliographic data

1. UDC 629.73 (09). Boyko Yu.S., Turyan V.A. The blue dream of centuries. - M.: Engineering, 1991.128 s., Ill. ISBN 5-217-01369-9.

2. USSR author's certificate No. 58384 (E.Kh. Berkovich. Mobile mooring mast for airships), 11/30/1940.

3. Patent JP 2001122194 A (TANAKA KIMITO), 05/08/2001.

Claims (2)

1. An air mooring tug containing an aerostat platform and a first part of a docking station located on an aerostat platform, which is configured to rise to a flight altitude of an airship having a second part of a docking station, characterized in that it is equipped with ground winches with cables, the ends of which are attached to the balloon platform, which is formed by balloons that are connected by a beam designed to accommodate the first part of the docking station. 2. The method of mooring the airship, including descent, docking, fixing, characterized in that the aerostat platform of the air mooring tugboat is raised to the flight altitude of the airship, the second part of the docking unit located on the airship is docked with the first part of the docking unit located on the aerostat platform of the air mooring tug, and the airship is towed to the earth's surface by ground winches with cables.

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