Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02557771 2006-08-21
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
BACKGROUND
Large airships have the capacity to transport much heavier load than the
largest transport
plane built, but large airships have their limitations. Adverse weather
condition has been
the cause of destruction of numerous large airships in the past and it
continues to be a
major limiting factor in their operation. Moreover, nearly all conventional
airships are
made of soft skin fabric that doesn't last long when exposed even to normal
weather.
Currently, there is a growing need for the transportation of outsized cargoes
by air. Big
transport airplanes with large wingspan that require long runway are limited
to large
airports that can accommodate them. These large airports are fast becoming
congested.
Typical airships and airplanes are shown, for example, in the following
Canadian patents:
2137278 GELHARD
2207362 HAMILTON
2117098 FERGUSON
2391252 COLTING
And United States of America patents:
6427943 YOKOMAKU
6581873 MC DERMOTT
6142414 DOOLITTLE
5823468 BOTHE
6311925 RIST
A hybrid airship having a hard shell body but with a deployable and
retractable blimp can
sustain windy condition better than conventional airships and can carry
heavier load than
transport airplanes without the need for a large wingspan or long runway.
CA 02557771 2006-08-21
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention pertains to a hybrid hard-shell/soft-shell airship that combines
aerodynamic
surface lift, powered lift and buoyant lift to transport air cargoes.
Accordingly, an
aerodynamic hard-shell embodiment containing buoyant gas cells is equipped
with a
deployable soft skin blimp-like envelope containing a buoyant gas. This soft
skin
envelope, when deflated, is advantageously stored in an overhead compartment
within the
hard shell embodiment for protection from weather while the airship is on the
ground or
when it flies light.
Another aspect of the invention is that the airship does not carry ballast, it
is built to be
heavier than air when its blimp-like envelope is not deployed. When its blimp
is deployed
and filled with a buoyant gas, the airship is lighter than air.
In the drawings, which form a part of this specification,
FIG. I is the side view of the airship, showing the blimp-like envelope
deployed and with
the loading ramp extended.
FIG. 2 is the top plan view of the airship with the top hatch closed.
FIG. 3 is the side view of the airship with the blimp-like envelope deflated
and contained
within the overhead compartment.
FIG. 4 is the front view of the airship.
FIG. 5 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of the airship with its blimp
deployed.
FIG. 6 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of the airship with its blimp
tucked away.
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DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
With reference to the drawings, in particular FIG.1 comprises a hard shell
blended wing-
body, indicated generally at 1. It is typically fabricated with aluminum alloy
for frame and
carbon fiber for shell. A blimp-like envelope 2 extends the length and
encompasses the
upper portion of the hard shell body 1. The blimp-like envelope 2 is made with
a durable
material having low gas permeability such as Tedlar. The airship
advantageously uses a
swiveling propulsion system 3 to also provide vertical powered lift. The
thrust of tail-
mounted rotors 4 together with the rudder 5 controls the airship's general
direction of
travel.
As depicted in FIG. 2, a top hatch 6 is provided for the deployment of the
blimp-like
envelope 2. Accordingly, it extends along the length and at the upper portion
of the hard
shell body. The hatch doors 6 would close snuggly around the stem of the blimp
once it
has been deployed to preserve overall aerodynamic form of the embodiment.
To economize weight, the invention is provided with a landing air cushion 7 as
shown in
FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4. This configuration of the landing system contributes
advantageously to
the airship's operation and will be discussed in more detail next with FIGS. 5
and 6.
As revealed in the exemplary cross sectional view in FIGS. 5 and 6. The
construction of
the frame of the hard shell blended-wing body is similar to the construction
of
conventional aircraft's wings, with spars-like members and dividing ribs-like
members
bracing its entire length and form a rigid stress supporting frame 8. As
illustrated therein, a
central passageway forms the cargo hul19 with a blimp storage compartment 10
situated
overhead. Also illustrated therein are numerous interconnecting buoyant gas
cells 11. The
airship performs demanding maneuvers such as pitch or roll by varying the
volume of
buoyant gas within these cells 11, thus, causing a shift of its center of
gravity while it is in
motion which results in a change in the direction of travel. The functions of
buoyant gas
cells in flight control of airship are well understood to person in the art.
CA 02557771 2006-08-21
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Further more in FIGS. 5 and 6 are cross sectional view of the landing air
cushion. Within
the landing air cushion are numerous buoyant gas storing cells 12, these
storing cells 12
are directly connected to the blimp 2 through piping. As the airship ascends,
buoyant gas
within the blimp above expends. To maintain the blimp desirable pressure, the
excess
buoyant gas volume is pumped down to storing cells 12 inside the landing air
cushion
below, while excess air volume within the air cushion is being vented into the
atmosphere.
As the airship descends, the process is reversed. This advantageous
configuration allows
the numbers of air ballonets within the deployable blimp-like envelope to be
drastically
reduced or even eliminated altogether.
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.
