WO1988000906A1

WO1988000906A1 - Airship handling system

Info

Publication number: WO1988000906A1
Application number: PCT/GB1987/000534
Authority: WO
Inventors: Farouk Husain; Edwin Mowforth
Original assignee: Farouk Husain; Edwin Mowforth
Priority date: 1986-07-28
Filing date: 1987-07-28
Publication date: 1988-02-11
Also published as: GB8717891D0; GB8618319D0; US5143323A; EP0315634A1; EP0315634B1; AU7757887A; JPH01503772A; GB2198399A

Abstract

A platform (2) rests upon a circular track (3) such that the platform may be aligned with the wind to facilitate handling of a suitably-equipped airship (1). The platform incorporates arrester gear (8, 9) to bring the airship to rest at a specified point, a mooring system (13, 14, 15) to hold the airship in position for subsequent handling operations, lifts and transfer track (16, 17, 18), to remove the loaded module (5) from the airship and repalce it by a second loaded module, a further lift (22) to transfer modules between the platform and a ground level station for loading and unloading, and an accelerator gear (10, 11) to accelerate the airship to take-off speed within the available length of platform.

Description

AIRSHIP HANDLING SYSTEM This invention relates to the ground handling of an airship at an operating base.

Airships generally operate in a condition of either neutral or negative buoyancy. A neutrally buoyant airship can hover and hence can operate from a small ground area, but time is lost in manoeuvring at airspeeds too low for precise aerodynamic control in unsteady conditions, and in decelerating to and accelerating from the hovering mode. A negatively buoyant or 'heavy' airship cannot hover but must take off and land with an extended ground run which greatly increases the base area requirement, although control problems are less severe. If passengers are to be carried using either mode of operation, a further time penalty is inherent in disembarkation and embarkation, particularly where the mooring facilities are such that a 'one in, one out' sequence must be used to prevent the airship from rising. These factors may not be significant when airship applications permit relatively relaxed scheduling, but become critical if the airship is to be used for high-density scheduled passenger movement.

This invention is intended to facilitate rapid passenger flow through an airship terminal using a small ground area and permitting operation over an adequate range of weather conditions.

The invention provides an operating platform which can be rotated upon a circular track for the purpose of aligning it with the wind direction and may incorporate additional articulation to raise, lower or tilt the platform for particular modes of operation and which also incorporates facilities for arresting, mooring and launching a suitably-fitted airship. The platform further incorporates means of handling a loaded passenger module such that the module may be detached from or attached to the moored airship and transferred to and from a suitable position for the disembarkation and embarkation of passengers independently of the position of the airship.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:- Figure 1 shows an airship suitably equipped for use with this system: Figure 2 shows in simplified form ah elevation of the platform: Figure 3 shows in simplified form a partial plan of the platform. The airship 1 alights upon and takes off from a platform 2 which is mounted upon a circular track 3 so that it may be rotated by a suitable power unit about a vertical axis 4 and hence aligned with the wind direction.

The airship carries passengers or cargo in a module 5 which may be readily attached to or detached from the airship body, and is further fitted with a retractable arrester hook 6.

A sunken rail 7 in the surface of the platform guides an arrester link 8 attached by cable to an arrester unit 9, and an accelerator link 10 attached by cable to an accelerator unit 11. Both links are attached to carriages running in the rail 7 so that upward loading may be resisted.

Two further sunken rails 12 guide a mooring carriage 13 which carries four retractable mooring stays 14 and iή*corporates a mooring link 15 running in the rail 7. The mooring carriage may be connected to the arrester link 8 or may be moved separately by a separate power unit which is not shown.

A forward module lift 16 and an.aft module lift 17 transfer loaded modules 5 between the airship and the module rails 18, by means of which a suspended module 21 may be moved within the body of the platform using the powered forward module shunt 19 or the aft module shunt 20, running on the same suspension rails 18.

A third module lift 22 transfers loaded modules between the rails 18 and ground level, rotating the module in transit to align its axis either with the platform axis or with that of the ground reception unit through which passengers or cargo enter or leave the module.

The operational sequence commences with the platform aligned with the wind and the airship approaching into wind with the arrester hook 6 extended to engage a cable frame (not shown) and hence the arrester link 8. The arrester unit 9 thereby retards the airship so that it comes to rest over the forwardmodule lift 16, final registration being adjusted through movable wheel pads which are not shown. In this position the arrester link 8 is connected to the mooring link 15 and the mooring stays 14 are extended and coupled to the body of the airship to hold it in position.

The incoming module is now detached from the airship and transferred by the forward module lift 16 to the suspension rails 18, and the arrester unit 9 is activated as a winch to draw the airship back above the aft module lift 17, drawing with it the accelerator link 10 which has meanwhile been attached to the airship body.

The aft module lift now transfers the outgoing module from the suspension rails 18 to the airship.

Finally the arrester link 8 and the mooring stays 14 are disconnected from the airship which then takes off under the combined impulse of its own power unit and the pull of the accelerator link 10, maintained by the accelerator unit 11.

During these airship movements on the platform, the outgoing module, after loading at ground level, was raised by the module lift 22 to engage the suspension rails and was then moved by the aft module shunt 20 into a suitable position to await elevation to the airship. The incoming module was then moved by the forward module shunt 19 to the module lift 22 and lowered to ground level for unloading.

After take-off all the units decribed are rearranged to receive the next incoming airship, the last incoming module now being serviced as necessary and presented as the next outgoing module.

Alternative arrangements of the system may incorporate:

- a retractable mast or mooring cables attachable to the nose of the airship, in place of the forward pair of the mooring stays 14:

- a single module lift to handle both incoming and outgoing modules, in place of the two module lifts 16 and 17, with an appropriate rearrangement of the handling sequence.

Claims

1 A platform on which an airship may alight and exchange its load, and from which the airship may take off, mounted on a circular track such that the platform may be turned to align its axis with the wind.

2 A platform as claimed in Claim 1, where in incorporated an arrester system such that a suitably equipped airship may be brought to rest on the platform in a shorter distance than would otherwise be normally practicable.

3 A platform as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein is incorporated a mooring system such that whilst moored the airship may have load added or removed and may be moved along the axis of the platform without using its own power.

4 A platform as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 or Claim 3, wherein is incorporated an accelerator system such that a suitably equipped airship may be brought to take-off speed on the platform in a shorter distance than would otherwise be normally practicable.

5 A platform as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 or Claim 3 of Claim 4, wherein is incorporated a suspension track with lifts such that a module containing passengers or cargo may be transferred between a suitably equipped airship and an appropriate exchange point at which passengers or cargo may be loaded and unloaded independently of the position of the airship.

6 A platform as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 or Claim 3 or Claim 4 or Claim 5 wherein as claimed the circular support track on which the platform rotates is mounted upon hydraulic actuators such that the platform may be raised and lowered vertically to facilitate the adherence of the airship to an appropriate flight path on the landing approach.

7 A platform as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 or Claim 3 or Claim 4 of Claim 5 of Claim 6 wherein the circular support track on which the platform rotates is mounted upon actuators which may operate either collectively in order to raise or lower the platform vertically or differentially in order to tilt the platform about the longitudinal and lateral axes for purposes of facilitating water borne installation or on a vessel.