WO2009122100A1

WO2009122100A1 - Modular structure for air-cushion vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2009122100A1
Application number: PCT/FR2009/050455
Authority: WO
Inventors: Dany Prevostat; Pascal Guitton
Original assignee: Dany Prevostat; Pascal Guitton
Priority date: 2008-03-18
Filing date: 2009-03-18
Publication date: 2009-10-08
Also published as: FR2928891A1; FR2928891B1

Abstract

The invention relates to modules (105) designed for the manufacture of an air-cushion vehicle (101), with said modules (105) having an outside shape that matches from one module to another and with their assembly forming a modular structure (103) of defined geometry.

Description

Modular structure for vehicle on air cushion

The present invention relates to the field of air cushion vehicles. More specifically, the present invention relates to modules for the manufacture of air-cushion vehicles, the assembly of which forms a modular structure of defined geometry, said modular structure of defined geometry and the air-cushion vehicle comprising said structure. modular geometry defined.

The vast majority of current air-cushion vehicles, of medium size, have a monobloc structure or shell, or made by complex assemblies in the factory, having a lower face and an upper face, the air cushion being confined. under the lower face and the upper face being adapted to receive equipment necessary for the operation of the vehicle, such as the floor, the engine or engines, the propulsion organs, the air flow generating members for the air cushion , piloting equipment, means of navigation, freight or passenger reception structures, cockpit, cabin, seats.

In the event of damage or damage, vehicles including structures as mentioned above may be immobilized far from their point of attachment and require substantial repatriation or intervention resources.

Similarly, the configuration of these structures is often frozen during their manufacture which limits the possibilities of their rapid adaptation according to the evolution of needs during operation. As a result, these structures are not very versatile.

Finally, the transport, routing or handling of these structures is difficult because of their size and requires significant lifting means. Such vehicles are described in particular in US 3,106,260, which proposes a vehicle whose structure consists of complementary rectangular-shaped assembled elements or also having curved portions, in US 3,270,827 which proposes a support for an automobile that can go on the road. water having a floor consisting of elements such as assembled identical plates or in US 5 540 169 which proposes a deck vehicle consisting of a floor on two floats, each float consisting of nestable modules one to the other.

All the disadvantages mentioned above represent a high cost in terms of manufacture and operation.

The invention therefore proposes to solve the disadvantages of the prior art by means of: modules intended for the manufacture of a vehicle on an air cushion, said modules having an external shape complementary from one module to another and their assembly forming a modular structure of defined geometry having a lower face under which the air cushion is confined and an upper face adapted to receive equipment.

The structure of the air cushion vehicle can therefore be formed of this modular structure of defined geometric shape, which has many advantages. Indeed, this modular structure can be assembled and disassembled very easily. This improves, its transport (once the disassembled modules can take place in an optimized transport volume), its repair (simply dismantle one of the modules to repair it, or replace it, on the spot by the implementation of techniques summary repair avoiding the immobilization of the vehicle), its versatility (a module having a certain function can very easily be replaced by another having another function). Moreover with the same modules an extended range of vehicles can be achieved depending on the number of modules used. The assembly / disassembly of the modular structure can also be fast and this speed then makes it possible to reduce the intervention times during the exchange of modules. Finally, the manufacturing cost is reduced because of the modularity of the structure.

More specifically, the assembly of the modules of the invention makes it possible to form a modular structure whose geometry comprises straight portions and curved portions. The modules of the invention for forming lines and curves, any geometry of structure can be considered, from round to square through the oval or more complex shapes.

Advantageously, each module has an external shape complementary from one module to another and is part of a volume of identical external shape, the volume in which it is inscribed having the outer shape of a six-sided polyhedron having two parallel, identical, trapezoid-shaped faces, each having two opposite, parallel sides, called the large D-side and the small d-side, two quadrilateral faces, parallel, but not identical, connecting one the short sides d and the other long sides D, and two quadrilateral faces), identical but not parallel, each connecting a non-parallel side of each trapezium, and forming an angle CC between them, and in that the assembly of several modules forms a modular structure of defined geometry having straight portions and curved portions, said assembly for designing structures of different size and shape. According to the invention, each module is essentially in a volume of identical external shape. This configuration has the advantage of having to manufacture only one template. In addition, any module becomes interchangeable with another. In a particular embodiment of this preferred embodiment, the same outer shape volume may be of different size. This form of the volume in which the modules are inscribed is advantageous because it allows to obtain any desired configuration of the modular shell. Indeed, as these modules are placed side by side in the same direction or in the opposite direction with respect to each other, we will obtain rectilinear or curvilinear forms. Likewise, the angle formed by the two non-parallel faces of the volume in which the modules are inscribed as well as the dimensions of the module will condition the range of sizes of modular structures that can be made.

In practice, the modules of the invention may, for example, be manufactured by roto-molding. This technology makes it possible to integrate an intrinsic buoyancy layer in the module, which adds to the buoyancy that any module presents by its configuration.

The complementary external shape of a module to the other may comprise identical male and female type interlocking means of complementary shape, allowing their interlocking by placing side by side in the same direction or in the opposite direction, one by report to the other.

Each module then has at least one male interlocking means and at least one female interlocking means whose locations are such that, when two modules are placed side by side, the male interlocking means of the first module is placed opposite each other. of the female interlocking means of the second module and, the female interlocking means of the first module is placed opposite the male interlocking means of the second module. A simple example of male and female interlocking means is, for example, an outgrowth and a recess.

In one embodiment of the invention, the modules have attachment means for the equipment or for a chassis on which the equipment will be fixed. The use of a chassis makes it possible to consolidate the structure or shell by making the assembly rigid and also offering additional volumes and / or necessary to receive various components such as the engine, the platform, the cabin, etc. In some cases, the modular structure will be strong enough that the presence of a chassis becomes optional. This is the case, for example, modular structures of modest dimensions that can be self-supporting, the simple assembly of the modules contributing to achieve the necessary rigidity. In a particular embodiment, an inflated bead can serve as a securing member by clamping the modular shell at the time of inflation. Whether the fastening means are intended for the frame or equipment, examples of these may be inserts (for example, captive nuts, with or without extension to increase the grip, included at the time of molding the modules to to make fully integral with the molded module while maintaining the tightness of the module), holes when the seal is not formally required, to receive fastening means such as nut screw, quarter turn, pin, slide, clip or any other fixing means known from the state of the art. In a particular embodiment of the invention, the modules comprise receiving means for the air cushion confinement members (which can be of different types: flexible blown skirt, segmented skirt, inflated bead with bib or segments) and these receiving means may be located at the lower face of the modules, partially at this lower face and partially on the peripheral wall of the modular structure or, more rarely, on the upper face of the modules, according to the need more or less stability by expanding the surface of the air cushion.

In a particular embodiment of the invention, the modules may have at least one air conveying duct. Modules with these ducts should be placed near the generator to allow the passage of air from the generator to the cushion. This non-obligatory path can be It is present only in certain modules and only if it is necessary because there is a wide variety of possibilities for supplying the cushion with airflow.

In a particular embodiment of the invention, the modules consist of a recyclable material. The use of recyclable material such as certain polymers, such as polyethylene, allows in case of damage caused to a module to be able to replace it while not generating waste. In one embodiment of the present invention, the modules are selected from the group consisting of empty, closed, hollow and sealed modules, hollow modules whose wall consists of a skin / foam / skin sandwich, the foam constituting a permanent buoyancy volume, or hollow modules having an inflatable bladder in said hollow. In the design of the air-cushion vehicle of the invention, the modular structure contributes to the creation of the buoyancy of the vehicle. Indeed, although air cushion vehicles do not need this buoyancy to function, it is imposed by the fact that they can occasionally be brought to land on water.

Thus, each module participates, by design, in the buoyancy and can enhance this buoyancy in different ways such as, for example, by the presence of foam in the wall of the module or by the presence of an inflatable bladder in the hollow of the module.

When the module has been chosen from those mentioned above, it may also be chosen from the group consisting of modules made of isothermal material, modules made of transparent or semi-transparent material. The modules can, in fact, in addition to participating in the buoyancy, have other functions. These modules having particular functions may be, for example, fuel tank modules (by presenting, for example, a plug, a vent, a gauge, a partitioning), storage modules (comprising, for example, a hatch allowing the closure of the access to the storage space), ballast modules (helping to restore an optimal attitude in flight or in stationary stationary or floated), modules involved in lighting, etc. The location of these modules will obviously have to meet technical, operational, normative or security requirements. For example, in order to respect the concept of load centering, it will be necessary to take into account the particular weight of each module, empty or full, as well as variations of its weight during the use of the vehicle. For example, the installation of a single reservoir module is preferentially done on the longitudinal axis of symmetry passing through the center of gravity of the air-cushion vehicle, whereas if two reservoir modules are installed, they will preferably be placed symmetrically. on either side of an axis passing through the center of gravity of the air cushion vehicle. Finally, when all the necessary functions are ensured (all modules with particular functions are placed in the modular structure), the free slots can be filled by modules whose function is exclusively that of buoyancy, while participating in the constitution of the global modular shell. The invention also relates to a modular structure of defined geometric shape, having a lower face and an upper face, for the manufacture of a vehicle on an air cushion, the upper face being adapted to receive equipment and the cushion of air being confined below the lower face, the structure comprising a combination of modules as defined above. Thus, the modular structure can be realized only with modules inscribing in a volume of identical external shape. Finally, the invention relates to an air-cushion vehicle comprising a modular structure as defined above. The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

- Figure 1 is a partial view, in elevation, of a vehicle on an air cushion, said vehicle having a modular structure according to a first embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic representations of the volume in which the modules of the invention are inscribed according to the first embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C are diagrammatic representations of modular shell portions according to the invention consisting of modules according to the first embodiment of FIG. 1; and FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of a modular shell portion according to the invention consisting of modules of a particular embodiment of the first embodiment of FIG. 1.

In the drawings, the same numbers (unit and tens) refer to corresponding structures from one figure to another, the number of hundreds distinguishing the different variants.

For the sake of convenience, the expression "module" will sometimes be used in place of the expression "volume in which the modules are inscribed", in fact in some embodiments the module will have the schematic form of the volume. in which he fits.

FIG. 1 shows an air-cushion vehicle 101 comprising a skirt 102, an oval-shaped air cushion confinement member, and a modular structure 103, according to a first embodiment of the invention, said skirt 102 being attached to said modular structure 103. The air cushion generating member is not shown for reasons of clarity. The modular structure 103 is also of oval shape but of slightly smaller perimeter than that of the skirt 102 and has a center 104 without modules 105. upper face of the modular structure 103, a motor 106 is placed at one end of the center 104 and a propulsion member 107 is located at one end of the modular structure 103 (in this figure 1, on the same side that the engine 106). The volume in which the modules 105 constituting the modular structure 103 are inscribed is shown in more detail in FIGS. 2A and 2B.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are a schematic representation of the volume in which the modules 105 are inscribed according to the embodiment of FIG. 1. This volume in which the modules 105, in FIG. 2A, are inserted has a polyhedron shape. six-sided: two parallel faces, identical and trapezoid-shaped (each trapezoid having two opposite sides, parallel, called large side D and small side d), two rectangular faces 109, parallel, but not identical (connecting one the short sides d and the other the long sides D) and two rectangular faces 110, identical but not parallel (each connecting a non-parallel side of each trapezium). The two faces 110 make an angle OC between them (see FIG. 2B).

The modules that are part of this volume can have complex shapes defined according to the needs and constraints of assembly, sealing of the air cushion, etc. When forming the modular shell 103, the modules 105 must be positioned face 110 against face 110. The faces 108 then form the upper and lower faces of the modular structure 103.

The very particular and complementary external shape of the volume in which the modules 105 are inserted is important because it makes it possible to produce many forms of modular structures. Indeed, if we place modules 105 next to each other and in the same direction, that is to say that the long sides D are found side by side and the short sides side by side, we gets a curved shape (see Figure 3A). In addition, according to the angle CC chosen during the manufacture of the modules 105, the number of modules 105 necessary to obtain a precise semi-circle can be calculated by means of the following equation:

CC = 180VN-1

with N = number of modules in the semicircle. If we place modules 105 next to each other, but this time one in one direction then its neighbor in the other direction, that is to say that there is alternation of small side d / large side D / small side d / large side D side by side, we then obtain a rectilinear shape (see Figures 3B and 3C).

By choosing the positions of the modules 105, one can obtain any desired shape for the modular structure 103 (see also the shape of the modular structure portion of Figure 4).

When mounting a vehicle air cushion 101, therefore, several modules 105 are assembled, the number and shape of which are chosen according to the desired modular structure geometry 103, thanks to their complementary external shape. Then, the skirt 102 is fixed on a portion of the modular structure 103 (lower part and / or peripheral wall) so as to maintain a certain freedom of movement while confining a volume of air under slight pressure. Finally, the different equipment is placed on the upper face of the modular structure

103, either directly or via a chassis

(not shown in Figure 1). FIG. 4 represents a particular embodiment of the modules 105 of FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B and 3C. The complementary outer shape of each module 205 comprises, in this particular embodiment, interlocking means of the type growth and recess. The representation of the modules 205 in FIG. 4 is such that each presents to the reader one of its faces 208. These faces 208, in the form of a trapezium, have two non-parallel sides 211 and 212, a small side d and a large side D. Each of the sides 211 and 212 has a protrusion 213, said male, and a recess 214, said female. On a module 205, the side 211 has, in the direction from the short side d of the trapezium to the large side D of the trapezium, a recess 214 followed by an outgrowth 213, while the opposite side 212 has, in the direction going from the short side d of the trapezium to the long side D of the trapezium, an outgrowth 213 followed by a recess 214. When two modules 205 are placed side by side and this, whatever the direction of the modules 205 is -desire large sides D side by side or not, this particular position of the excrescences 213 and recesses 214 allows an outgrowth 213 can always be opposite a recess 214. Thus, when assembling modules 205 to form a modular structure 203, as explained above, all the modules 205 will, in addition to being complementary, fit through the protuberances 213 / recesses 214. The structure or modular shell 203 will be found more strengthened.

It is advantageous to choose the distribution of the protuberances 213 and the recesses 214 so that it increases the rigidity of the modular structure 203 in the vertical and horizontal planes. This distribution will be conditioned by the constraints of assembly and disassembly envisaged for the vehicle on the air cushion considered.

Sealing solutions can be implemented. In a particular embodiment, a seal is placed judiciously at the excrescences 213, seal which is found between adjacent modules 205 at the time of assembly, in order to increase the airbag seal.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and shown. Means for securing between modules could be envisaged, for example the fixing means mentioned above, in order to to consolidate the modular structure while maintaining ease of assembly / disassembly quick and easy.

Claims

claims

Module (105, 205) for the manufacture of an air-cushion vehicle (101), said module (105, 205) being characterized in that it has an external shape complementary to a module another and is in a volume of identical external shape, the volume in which it is inscribed having as outer shape a six-sided polyhedron having two identical, trapezoid-like, parallel faces (108, 208), each having two opposite sides, parallel, called large side D and small side d, two quadrilateral faces (109), parallel, but not identical, connecting one the small sides d and the other the long sides D, and two quadrilateral faces ( 110), identical but not parallel, each connecting a non-parallel side of each trapezium, and forming an angle CC between them, and in that the assembly of several modules forms a modular structure (103) of defined geometry comprising straight portions. and curved parts es, said assembly for designing structures of different size and shape.

2. Module (205) according to claim 1, characterized in that the outer shape complementary from one module to the other comprises complementary male (213) and female (214) interlocking means, allowing their interlocking by placing side by side in the same or opposite direction to each other.

3. Module (105, 205) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has fastening means for a frame on which will be attached equipment or equipment.

4. Module (105, 205) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises receiving means for the confining members of the air cushion.

5. Module (105, 205) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has at least one air conveying conduit.

6. Module (105, 205) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is preferably made of a recyclable material.

7. Module (105, 205) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is selected from the group consisting of an empty module, closed, hollow and sealed, hollow module whose wall consists of a skin / foam / skin sandwich or hollow module having an inflatable bladder in said hollow.

8. Module (105, 205) according to claim, characterized in that it is selected from the group consisting of modules made of isothermal material, modules made of transparent or semi-transparent material.

9. A modular structure (103) of defined geometric shape, having a lower face and an upper face, for the manufacture of a vehicle on an air cushion, the upper face being adapted to receive equipment and the air cushion being confined below the lower face, said modular structure comprising a module assembly according to one or more of the preceding claims.

10. Air-cushion vehicle (101), characterized in that it comprises a modular structure as defined in claim 9.