125results about "Air-cushion" patented technology

The invention provides a new class of transportation with a partially aerostatically supported ram air cushion ship (PASRACS) that can provide safe, fast, efficient global transport services with extraordinary comfort, luxury and amenities. The PASRACS employs inventive synergistic combinations of lift from aerostatic, aerodynamic, hydrostatic and hydrodynamic forces for different modes of operation ranging from a stationary floating configuration on a water surface, to flight in ground effect at high speed. A propulsion system can utilize hydrogen as an energy source driving fluid-dynamic thrusters, to enable zero carbon emissions operations. A transition method is provided for a PASRACS to transition from a floating mode to a takeoff mode to a flight in ground-effect mode in an inventive optimized manner. A transport method for multimodally transporting payload is provided with PASRACS vehicles and systems, with quick turn time operations enabled by the use of payload transfer transport modules and transfer vehicles.

A craft is provided with a lever that can control the power / speed of the craft and semi-automatically transition the craft in various modes of operation. This makes control of the craft somewhat similar to control of a boat, thereby bringing a maritime flight control experience to a wing-in-ground effect vehicles, hydrofoiling vessels, seagliders, and seaplanes. Further, various audio, visual, and / or haptic devices in the cockpit can provide alerts / feedback to the operator on the use of the lever and mode transitions.

The invention belongs to the field of wing-in-ground-effect ship system design, and discloses a wing-in-ground-effect ship adopting a hybrid power energy management and vector control cooperative system, which comprises a ship body, a hybrid energy system, an electric propulsion system, a data acquisition system and a flight control module. According to the invention, a plurality of groups of tilting ducted fans are adopted in front of and behind the wings, and the stable and efficient propulsion requirements of all working conditions of take-off, ground-effect flight, non-ground-effect flight, turning and short-distance landing of the wing-in-ground-effect ship are met through vector control and adjustment; an eddy current system and a power battery are adopted to achieve multi-mode switching work such as a pure electric mode, an eddy current mode, a mixed electric mode and a charging mode through a power grid, and the power requirement of the wing-in-ground-effect ship under all working conditions is met. The control strategy and cooperation scheme of the hybrid power energy management module and the ducted fan vector control module have the capability of remarkably improving the energy efficiency and the flight performance of the wing-in-ground-effect ship, and the problems that a traditional wing-in-ground-effect ship is low in energy utilization rate and poor in maneuverability are solved.

A ground effect machine GEM) system emphasizes a vehicle capable of ground effect flight with a means to control flight above the ground. Induced drag is reduced by "Lift Span Tech" which comprises an upper-surface trailing propulsor that pushes air above a trailing high-pitch surface to overcome boundary layer separation and promote air flow generating a trailing edge stagnation point due to air's interaction with the ground. Lift Span Tech in combination with a lower cavity both reduces drag and provide aerodynamic lift. Efficiency of the GEM may be increased both due to reduced drag and reduced mechanical resistance, depending on application. Applications include but are not limited to railcars, box trucks, buses, aircraft, automobiles, and boats.

A craft comprises a hull, a wing, a hydrofoil, and a control system. The wing is configured to generate upwards aero lift as air flows past the wing to facilitate wing-borne flight of the craft. The hydrofoil is configured to generate upwards hydrofoil lift during a first mode of operation as water flows past the hydrofoil to facilitate hydrofoil-borne movement of the craft through the water. While the craft is hydrofoil-borne, the control system is configured to determine the upwards aero lift generated by the wing. The control system is further configured to control the hydrofoil to generate downwards hydrofoil lift to counteract the upwards aero lift generated by the wing that maintains the hydrofoil at least partially submerged in the water while the determined upwards aero lift is below a threshold lift.

A craft comprises at least one hull; at least one wing configured to generate upwards aero lift as air flows past the at least one wing to facilitate wing-borne flight of the craft; a front hydrofoil connected to the at least one hull via a front hydrofoil strut and configured to generate upward hydrofoil lift as water flows past the front hydrofoil to facilitate hydrofoil-borne movement of the craft through the water; a rear hydrofoil connected to the at least one hull via a rear hydrofoil strut and configured to generate upward hydrofoil lift as water flows past the rear hydrofoil to facilitate hydrofoil-borne movement of the craft through the water; and a control system. While the craft is hydrofoil-borne, the control system is configured to facilitate transition of the craft from hydrofoil-borne operation to wing-borne operation via a process comprising: while the upwards aero lift generated by the at least one wing is below a threshold lift, controlling one or both of the front hydrofoil and the rear hydrofoil to generate a downward hydrofoil lift that causes the front hydrofoil and the rear hydrofoil to remain at least partially submerged in the water; and after the upwards aero lift generated by the at least one wing has increased above the threshold lift, transitioning the craft from hydrofoil-borne operation to wing-borne operation at least in part by controlling one or both of the front hydrofoil and the rear hydrofoil to switch from (a) generating the downward hydrofoil lift to (b) generating an upward hydrofoil lift that pushes the craft up and out of the water.

A craft comprises at least one hull, at least one wing configured to generate upwards acro lift as air flows past the at least one wing to facilitate wing-borne flight of the craft, at least one retractable hydrofoil configured to generate upwards hydrofoil lift during a first mode of operation as water flows past the at least one hydrofoil to facilitate hydrofoil-borne movement of the craft through the water, and a control system that comprises data storage having instruction code stored thereon that causes the control system to during a takeoff operation when the craft is accelerating through the water and is supported by the at least one hydrofoil, control the at least one hydrofoil to generate downwards hydrofoil lift that maintains the at least one hydrofoil submerged at a predetermined hydrofoil depth threshold below the water surface; and when the craft reaches a takeoff condition, cause the least one retractable hydrofoil to release the craft from the water to facilitate wing-borne flight of the craft.

A hover drone system includes a hull extending from a front end to a rear end and from a first side to a second side; ducted fans integrated into the hull, the ducted fans provide lift and propulsion for the hover drone system, the fans operated by a power source; a first sidewall extending from the first side of the hull; a second sidewall extending from the second side of the hull; and a flexible skirt extending from the front end of the hull and from the first sidewall to the second sidewall; the rear end of the hull is open.

While hull-home and operating in a heading adjustment mode, the control system of the disclosed craft receives indications of a target craft heading and an observed craft heading. Embodiments include determining that the difference in heading is above a threshold, determining an adjusted wing-affixed control setting for affecting a change in the observed heading of the craft based on at least (a) sensed environmental conditions, (b) the initial wing- affixed control setting, (c) the target craft heading, and (d) the observed craft heading; and operating wing-affixed control element(s) according to the adjusted wing-affixed control setting to change the observed heading of the craft to the target craft heading. After determining that the heading difference is not above the threshold heading difference, the wing-affixed control setting is adjusted to forgo affecting further change in the observed heading of the craft.

The present invention relates to a multi-functional integrated control steering wheel device for an air-cushion vehicle, which integrates the control functions of various pneumatic control surfaces of the air-cushion vehicle and the corresponding control devices on a control mechanism to form a control steering wheel device similar to an automobile steering wheel. Through this control steering wheel device, pneumatic control surfaces such as variable pitch air propellers, air rudders, and vector nozzles can be effectively controlled to achieve the heading control, turning, braking, speed adjustment and setting of the air-cushion vehicle. The present invention integrates multiple control functions such as heading control, turning, braking, speed adjustment and setting, and at the same time integrates the relevant control devices of various pneumatic control surfaces, realizing the linkage of pneumatic control surfaces. Thus, it not only simplifies the design of the control console, improves the friendliness of the operation interface, but also simplifies the operation process, achieves the effect of the driver's hands not leaving the steering wheel during operation, and avoids the need for the driver to frequently leave the hands to switch control devices to complete the control of various pneumatic control surfaces during navigation.

Wheels are arranged on the lower portion of a ground carrier in a bilateral symmetry mode, a power system and a communication and automatic driving control system are arranged in a vehicle head on the front portion of the ground carrier, and a connecting clamping groove is formed in a floor of the ground carrier. Electromagnetic spring buckles are arranged on the lower portion of the flight cabin and correspond to the four connecting clamping grooves formed in the ground carrier floor in position. Wings with upward inverted inner sections and straight outer sections are respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the upper part of the flight cabin; the inner section and the outer section of each wing are averagely divided into two sections; when the hydraulic mechanism is opened and closed, the inner section and the outer section can be folded or unfolded around the hinge connecting mechanism, and after folding, the spring positioning pins are inserted into the positioning holes. Oblique empennages are arranged on the left side and the right side of the tail portion of the upper portion of the flight cabin respectively, and deflection rudders are arranged on the rear edges of the outer ends of the oblique empennages. The hovercar can run on the ground, can take off and land vertically, can hover in the air or fly horizontally and can sail underwater; the safety and reliability are high, and the use efficiency is high.

The present invention relates to a ground-effect maritime craft (1) of the flying-boat type, comprising at least one hull (2) and an aerofoil having a pair of front wings (3) and a pair of rear wings (4) having an aerodynamic profile with a suction side (40) on top, as well as side panels (5) connecting the front wings (3) and the rear wings (4); in alignment with each of the side panels (5), two plates (6) projecting on top of and from a nascent end (60) to an upper end (61) forming a leading edge inclined in an ascending manner on top from the front to the rear of the craft (1); the nascent end (60) of each of the two plates (6) being located at the suction side (40) of each rear wing (4) within the upstream portion (400) of each rear wing (4).

The invention discloses a large-size rotary cylinder which comprises an outer wall and an inner wall of a cylindrical structure with a wing-shaped section, and two groups of corresponding ends of the outer wall and the inner wall are connected; the outer wall is defined by sequentially connecting a plurality of outer wall sections, the inner wall is defined by sequentially connecting a plurality of inner wall sections, and the outer wall sections and the inner wall sections are both of a sandwich structure formed by wrapping a foam core material with composite skin; and a first parting surface between the two outer wall sections and a second parting surface between the two inner wall sections are staggered from each other. The composite material barrel is applied to the field of composite material barrels, so that the barrel has higher structural strength and axial deformation resistance, other auxiliary supporting devices are not needed except that the bottom of the barrel needs to be supported by a fixed base, the occupied space is greatly saved, and the assembly difficulty is reduced.

Wing-in-ground effect (WIG) vehicles are disclosed herein. Hovercraft takeoff and landing modes are disclosed herein. Uses of WIG vehicles, including for maritime monitoring, are disclosed herein.

The application discloses a structure of a tail gas seal of an air cushion vehicle, which comprises a tail gas seal body installed at the tail of a ship body, a partition plate in the tail gas seal body, a plurality of capsules formed by the partition plate, a plurality of air holes formed on the partition plate, a slant side of the tail gas seal body, an arc side of the tail gas seal body, and a plurality of air outlets formed on the tail gas seal body. The tail gas seal body has a plurality of layers and has high strength. The slant side of the tail gas seal body can be matched with the sailing direction and the air flow direction of the air cushion vehicle, and the tail gas seal body can effectively reduce the resistance. When the tail gas seal body is pressed by an obstacle, the tail gas seal body can discharge the excess gas through the air outlets, so that the buffer and the impact force are reduced. The structure of the tail gas seal of the air cushion vehicle can better match the sailing of the air cushion vehicle, reduce the sailing resistance, improve the sailing stability, better cope with the obstacle environment, and improve the sailing safety.

Ground effect vehicle with floating propulsion unit (1) consisting of at least one floating propulsion unit (3), a wing (2) and at least one connecting element (3c), wherein the wing (2) in plan view, left and right each has a rearwardly curved leading edge (2a), which ends in the outer wing areas (2e) in each case in an upwardly directed wing tip (2f), and thus has a ray-like shape, the outer wing areas (2e) on the left and right are lower than the entire central area of the wing (2), the entire passenger cabin (24) including rows of seats (25), the cockpit (27) and the necessary rooms such as toilets (26), kitchen (29), access stairs (15) and luggage storage (30) are integrated and distributed in the wing (2), so that no fuselage is necessary, wherein the floating propulsion unit (3) comprises an elongated and streamlined floating body (3a) which is positioned in the center of the wing and along the longitudinal axis (LA) below the wing (2) in the water (22) and has at least one motor integrated in the floating body (3a) for generating the necessary propulsion for the entire vehicle (1), wherein the wing is permanently and movably connected to the drive unit (3) by at least one elongated connecting element (3c) with one or more joints (4), wherein the wing (2) can be guided and towed by the floating propulsion unit (3) via the connecting element (3c) and its joint(s) (4), so that at normal cruising speed and due to the resulting airstream and lift, the rear wing region can be lifted completely out of the water, and a horizontal position of the cabin (24) along the longitudinal axis (LA) can be achieved. A ground-effect vehicle with a floating propulsion unit, consisting of at least one floating propulsion unit, a wing, and at least one connecting element, characterized in that, in plan view, the wing has a rearwardly curved leading edge on the left and right and ends in an upwardly directed wing tip in the outer wing regions, wherein the two outer wing regions are lower than the entire central region of the wing, and the entire passenger cabin is integrated into the wing, wherein the floating propulsion unit,a streamlined floating body positioned in the water below the wing in the center of the wing and along its longitudinal axis, and generating thrust with at least one integrated motor, wherein the wing is permanently and movably connected to the floating drive unit by a long connecting element, and the wing is guided and towed by the drive unit via the connecting element, so that the wing assumes a stable flight attitude along its longitudinal axis at full speed.

The invention relates to a control system of a hovercraft comprising one engine and one propulsion fan (1) enclosed in a duct (2) in which swivel side flaps (3) are located, said control system being characterized in that downstream the duct (2) there are at least three rudders (5), each of the rudders (5) operating in the full range of angular position, regardless of the position of the swivel side flaps (3). Furthermore, the invention relates to a control method of said hovercraft.

The invention provides a new class of transportation with a partially aerostatically supported ram air cushion ship (PASRACS) that can provide safe, fast, efficient global transport services with extraordinary comfort, luxury and amenities. The PASRACS employs inventive synergistic combinations of lift from aerostatic, aerodynamic, hydrostatic and hydrodynamic forces for different modes of operation ranging from a stationary floating configuration on a water surface, to flight in ground effect at high speed. A propulsion system can utilize hydrogen as an energy source driving fluid-dynamic thrusters, to enable zero carbon emissions operations. A transition method is provided for a PASRACS to transition from a floating mode to a takeoff mode to a flight in ground-effect mode in an inventive optimized manner. A transport method for multimodally transporting payload is provided with PASRACS vehicles and systems, with quick turn time operations enabled by the use of payload transfer transport modules and transfer vehicles.

An example wing-in-ground effect vehicle includes (i) a main wing having main wing control surfaces; (ii) a tail having tail control surfaces; (iii) a blown-wing propulsion system arranged along the main wing or the tail; (iv) a retractable hydrofoil configured to operate in: (a) an extended configuration in which the retractable hydrofoil extends below a hull of the vehicle for submersion below a water surface and (b) a retracted configuration in which the retractable hydrofoil is retracted at least partially into the hull of the vehicle; and (v) a control system configured to maneuver the vehicle by (i) causing a change in orientation of the retractable hydrofoil when the retractable hydrofoil is operating in the extended configuration, and (ii) causing a change in orientation of the main wing control surfaces and tail control surfaces when the retractable hydrofoil is operating in the retracted configuration.

This invention relates to an engine for an aircraft, wherein an annular vortex guide, in cross-section, has an air inlet centrally located about the longitudinal axis of the engine and an air outlet centrally located about the longitudinal axis, spaced apart from the air inlet. The air inlet and air outlet are in fluid communication with each other via an air intake duct, which is defined by the vortex guide and houses an air supply device. The air outlet is overlapped by an air deflector. When the engine is operating normally, the air deflector is positioned above the vortex guide from a geodesic angle, extending radially outward from the air outlet and defining an exhaust gap in fluid communication with the air outlet. According to the invention, the vortex guide is a body of revolution formed by rotating a closed curve with a continuous thread at least radially outward about a rotation axis; the air inlet directly connects to the external environment of the engine, so that when the engine is operating normally, air from the side of the engine opposite to the air deflector is delivered through the air inlet into the air intake duct.

To provide a moving body capable of quickly moving in the width direction and preventing devices provided on the main body from being wetted with water. [Solution] The moving body 1 comprises a main body 2 capable of floating on the water surface WS, a fan 6 provided on the main body 2 and capable of generating an air current directed outward from the main body 2 in the width direction of the main body 2, and a guide surface 72a provided on the main body 2 and receiving a reaction force by guiding the air current generated by the fan 6. The guide surface 72a is positioned at a position offset from the center point CP of the main body 2 in the width direction, and is configured to change the traveling direction of the air current generated by the fan 6 and increase the upward directivity of the air current.

The invention provides a multifunctional automatic maritime single sick and wounded transferring device and method, and relates to the technical field of maritime rescue, the multifunctional automatic maritime single sick and wounded transferring device comprises a hovercraft body, a middle-layer plate is fixed to the top of the hovercraft body, and a central controller, a cardio-pulmonary resuscitator, a defibrillation monitor, a mechanical ventilator, a pressurization infusion apparatus and a lithium battery are fixed in the middle-layer plate; a first plate body is fixed to one end of the top of the middle-layer plate, and a second plate body is hinged to one end of the first plate body. According to the device, the central controller is set according to the position needing to be transported, then the hovercraft body and the wounded person are moved to the sea surface from the ship, fan blades are driven by a servo motor to rotate, wind power is generated to push the hovercraft body to move, an electric telescopic rod stretches out and draws back, a conveying rod is driven to move, and then a rotating shaft is driven to rotate by a certain angle; the moving direction of the hovercraft body is controlled by changing the direction of the fan blades, and the hovercraft body is navigated to a designated place, so that the effect of quickly and automatically transporting the wounded can be achieved.

The utility model relates to the related technical field of hovercraft aprons, and discloses a flexible apron fixing structure for a hovercraft, which comprises an apron body and a fixing band arranged on the circumferential edge of the apron body, and a connecting base used for being connected with a contact surface of a hull is further arranged on the inner side of the apron body. And the connecting assembly is used for connecting the fixing belt and the connecting base. A better sealing interface can be formed through the arrangement of the three-layer structure of the apron body, the fixing belt and the connecting base, the pressure loss of the air cushion is in the lowest state, the purpose of quick assembly and disassembly can be achieved through the arrangement of the clamping grooves and the clamping teeth in the limiting parts, the whole connecting structure is relatively flexible, and the service life is long. The stress of the whole hovercraft apron is evenly distributed, the whole structure can be more conveniently disassembled through the arrangement of the emergency disengaging device, and the problem that the whole structure cannot be disassembled under the emergency condition is avoided.

Vehicles that capture falling objects are a plurality of air cushion units, each configured to generate a thrust force for driving the vehicle and a lift force for lifting the vehicle; a connecting structure arranged to connect the air cushion units to each other; a receptacle positioned to receive the falling object, the receptacle being coupled to the connecting structure.

The present application relates to the technical field of aircraft control, and discloses a distributed power ground effect aircraft convenient to control and a control method thereof; the present application replaces traditional rudder control with a distributed power system, realizes full-range efficient control from static to high speed, and directly generates multi-dimensional control torque through power difference by adopting independent control of positive and negative rotors in cooperation with differential adjustment, so that not only the failure defect of traditional rudder at low speed stage is completely eliminated, but also precise attitude adjustment and in-place turning are completed at zero airspeed, and the response capability of the aircraft in a complex environment is improved; in combination with air cushion effect optimization design, directional airflow of front and rear rotors forms a stable air cushion in combination with a skid structure, low-speed maneuverability is improved, a body-level turning radius is realized, and the risk of touching water is avoided. The distributed architecture simplifies the mechanical system, relies on pure electric driving, seamlessly integrates short take-off and landing, cruising and landing processes, reduces energy consumption, and enhances adaptability in narrow water areas.

The present invention relates to a marine craft (1), particularly a ground-effect craft, comprising at least one hull (2), provided with two lateral walls (20) forming a hull and joined below at the level of a keel line (21), a center of gravity, and at least one pair of forward lifting and submerged surfaces (3) of similar shapes extending symmetrically in projection from said at least one hull (2), with a leading edge (30) situated frontally with respect to said center of gravity; said at least one hull (2) having inclined sections converging from said horizontal plane (A-A') towards the keel line (21) and towards the stem (24), and each of the forward surfaces (3) has its leading edge (30) along a portion of said inclined section, said portion having an inclination of at least 40°. Figure for the abstract: Fig. 2