428results about "Gas-bag arrangements" patented technology

A system includes: a lower sail module; an upper sail module; and a bridle assembly. The lower sail module defines a first edge and a second edge and includes: a first control surface extending between the first edge and the second edge; a set of payload instruments; and a motorized spool arranged proximal the second edge of the lower sail module. The upper sail module: is arranged above the lower sail module; defines a third edge and a fourth edge and includes; and includes a second control surface extending between the third edge and the fourth edge. The bridle assembly includes: a set of fixed sail cables coupling the upper sail module to the first control surface proximal the first edge; and a sail control cable wound about the motorized spool and coupling the upper sail module to the first control surface proximal the second edge.

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.

Described herein are features for a high altitude lighter-than-air (LTA) system and associated methods. The LTA may include one or more super-pressure balloons (SPB). One or more of the SPB's may include one or more interior volumes. One or more of the interior volumes may be configured to receive an LTA gas therein to supplement the free lift of the LTA system. There may be an adjustable valve or vent to release the LTA gas. One or more of the interior volumes may be configured to receive ambient air to provide a variable downward force. The SPB may use a compressor to pump in ambient air. The compressor or another valve may release ambient air to decrease the downward force. A zero-pressure balloon (ZPB) may be attached with the one or more SPB's. The ZPB may supplement lift for the system.

The invention discloses a ducted layout rigid-flexible mixed structure mooring aerostat type high-altitude wind power generation system which comprises an air aerostat wind power generation system, an air-ground electric energy transmission and mooring cable and a ground anchoring system, and the air aerostat wind power generation system is connected with the ground anchoring system through the air-ground electric energy transmission and mooring cable. The air aerostat wind power generation system comprises a ducted thin-wall truss bearing structure, an annular air bag, an empennage, a skin component and a wind power generator set, and the ducted thin-wall truss bearing structure is provided with a plurality of constraint spaces distributed in the longitudinal direction; the plurality of annular air bags are respectively arranged in the plurality of constraint spaces; a plurality of empennages are arranged at the rear part of the ducted thin-wall truss bearing structure; the ducted thin-wall truss force bearing structure and the multiple empennages are sleeved with the skin component. The wind generating set is installed in the ducted thin-wall truss force bearing structure through the supporting structure. The device is stable in structure, can stably generate power in a long-time air-staying mode, is low in cost, and is autonomous and controllable.

The invention comprises an apparatus, method for using the apparatus and system for balloon altitude control by in-situ characterization and active energy management. The invention presented enables transportation, autonomous operation and use of a balloon beyond the limits of conventional high-altitude ballooning to the edge of the atmosphere, or about 100 km above the surface of the Earth. The apparatus comprises at least: an envelope containing lift-gas; an envelope and lift-gas characterizer; an altitude control system operated using active energy addition and lift-gas transfer or ambient air introduction into the system; and an external payload component. The invention is capable of operating in ascent, descent, or stationary mode; the altitudinal movement of the balloon is caused by measuring in-situ envelope and lift-gas characteristics, identifying the change in the lift-gas energy needed, and facilitating the required energy change for altitude control.

The invention discloses a fan blade transportation and installation system and method and a flight device, and belongs to the technical field of intelligent transportation of fan blades. The system comprises a flight transportation module, an intelligent navigation control module, an installation auxiliary module and a scheduling module; the flight transportation module is used for suspending and loading the fan blades, and suspending, flying and transporting the fan blades according to a preset flight route; the intelligent navigation control module is used for monitoring a flight path, collecting flight data and environment data in a flight process, predicting potential obstacles according to the flight data and the environment data, and optimizing a flight strategy; the mounting auxiliary module is used for aligning and fastening the blades and the fan hub; the scheduling module is used for determining a flight plan according to the meteorological data, the performance of the flight transportation module and the priority of the transportation installation task. By combining a plurality of transportation, installation and dispatching modules, efficient and safe transportation and installation of the fan blades are achieved, and the transportation and installation difficulty and cost are reduced.

Devices, systems, and methods are directed to controlling lifting gas in a volume defined by an inflatable structure of an aircraft. For example, controlling lifting gas in the volume of the inflatable structure may account for variations in ambient and tactical conditions experienced by the aircraft over the course of flight, as may be useful for lifting the aircraft to a target altitude and / or carrying out a particular mission. Additionally, or alternatively, controlling lifting gas in the volume of the inflatable structure may facilitate lifting the aircraft using lifting gas generated by reacting stable materials with one another at a launch site in the field. As an example, aluminum may react with water to form a lifting gas including hydrogen and steam. As the steam condenses to water in the inflatable structure, a valve may expel water from the inflatable structure to assist in maintaining buoyancy of the aircraft.

Described herein are features for a high altitude lighter-than-air (LTA) system and associated methods. A zero-pressure balloon (ZPB) is attached in tandem with one or more air super-pressure balloons (SPB). The ZPB provides lift for the system while the SPB may provide a variable amount of ballast air by pumping in or expelling out ambient air. Various advanced performance targets relating to ascent rate, descent rate, range and maximum altitude are achievable with various scaled versions of the basic design of the LTA system. Advanced navigation and control techniques, such as more efficient high altitude station-keeping approaches, made possible with the LTA system are also described.

According to the deformable multi-rotor airship, an air bag filled with light gas is mounted in a rack, and the air bag can be inflated and deflated with the light gas from a gas tank at any time through an airborne gas pump. The multi-rotor aircraft is high in maneuverability and stable in attitude control, and the air bag can provide extra buoyancy, so that loads of the rotors are reduced, the overall flight efficiency is improved, and the endurance time is prolonged. Air in the air bag can be compressed into the air tank through the air pump, and the size of the air bag is reduced to reduce wind resistance and enhance control capacity. Firstly, additional lift force is provided by adding the air bag, the power consumption of the aircraft is greatly reduced, and the aircraft is suitable for long-time hovering and low-speed cruising. And secondly, the design reserves the flexibility and controllability of the multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle, more complex and efficient control can be carried out, and the dynamic response speed of the aircraft is effectively improved. And finally, the air bag capable of inflating and deflating air in real time greatly enhances the environmental adaptability of the aircraft, and can effectively cope with various complex environments in low-altitude scenes.

Described herein are features for a high altitude lighter-than-air (LTA) system and associated methods. The LTA may include one or more super-pressure balloons (SPB). One or more of the SPB's may include one or more interior volumes. One or more of the interior volumes may be configured to receive an LTA gas therein to supplement the free lift of the LTA system. There may be an adjustable valve or vent to release the LTA gas. One or more of the interior volumes may be configured to receive ambient air to provide a variable downward force. The SPB may use a compressor to pump in ambient air. The compressor or another valve may release ambient air to decrease the downward force. A zero-pressure balloon (ZPB) may be attached with the one or more SPB's. The ZPB may supplement lift for the system.

The invention belongs to the technical field of aviation mechanical equipment, and provides aviation monitoring flight equipment and an implementation method thereof. The device comprises a framework, a floating ball arranged in the framework and restrained by the framework, spiral wings symmetrically arranged on the two sides of the framework, a control host arranged at the bottom of the lower end of the framework and a monitoring camera carried at the bottom of the control host, and a mounting table is arranged in the middle of the upper end of the framework; a wind speed and direction sensor and an adjustable mounting frame mechanism are arranged on the mounting table, and a flexible solar cell panel is mounted on the adjustable mounting frame mechanism. According to the unmanned aerial vehicle, the floating balls and the spiral wings adopted by the unmanned aerial vehicle are creatively combined, the floating balls are filled with helium, on one hand, the operation energy consumption of equipment can be reduced through buoyancy of the floating balls, the cruising ability of equipment operation is improved, on the other hand, based on the arrangement of the floating balls, the spiral wings can adopt small wing equipment, and the operation noise is lower.

The invention relates to a pressure adjusting system and method for an aerostat lighter than air. The aerostat comprises a floating body capable of being filled with light gas, the floating body is composed of at least two layers of skin, at least one middle buffer chamber is formed between the two layers of skin, and the middle buffer chamber can be filled with buffer media so as to form at least two pressure gradients between the floating body and the external atmosphere. The pressure adjusting system is provided with a first gas adjusting module and a second gas adjusting module so as to reduce the diffusion rate of the light gas towards the outside atmosphere. The pressure adjusting method comprises the steps that the first gas adjusting module is used for loading light gas into the first gas bag, and the loading process is carried out in a pressure controlled mode; the pressure of the light gas in the floating body is monitored, and the needed pressure level is maintained; when it is detected that the light gas leaks, the gas separation unit is started to separate the light gas from the mixed gas; and the separated light gas is sent back into the first gas bag or the first gas storage tank.

The invention comprises an apparatus, method for using the apparatus and system for balloon altitude control by in-situ characterization and active energy management. The invention presented enables transportation, autonomous operation and use of a balloon beyond the limits of conventional high-altitude ballooning to the edge of the atmosphere, or about 100 km above the surface of the Earth. The apparatus comprises at least: an envelope containing lift-gas; an envelope and lift-gas characterizer; an altitude control system operated using active energy addition and lift-gas transfer or ambient air introduction into the system; and an external payload component. The invention is capable of operating in ascent, descent, or stationary mode; the altitudinal movement of the balloon is caused by measuring in-situ envelope and lift-gas characteristics, identifying the change in the lift-gas energy needed, and facilitating the required energy change for altitude control.

The invention discloses a wing-shaped sail split floating aircraft and a flight control method thereof. The problems that an existing floating aircraft is large in energy consumption and complex in control mode are solved. The airfoil-shaped sail split floating aircraft comprises a ship-shaped main body, a plurality of sails are arranged on the upper portion of the ship-shaped main body, and a manned cabin is arranged on the lower portion of the ship-shaped main body; a power strip type air bag mechanism, a fixed type air bag mechanism and a lifting control air bag mechanism are arranged in the ship-shaped main body, a wind power propeller is arranged on the ship-shaped main body and provides thrust for steering and horizontal movement, and the wing-shaped sails provide assistance for horizontal flight. According to the ship-shaped aircraft, a large number of independent split helium-filled air bags are integrated into the ship-shaped aircraft body, and the flight safety coefficient is increased; the suspension of the aircraft in the air is realized through the balance weight of the power strip type variable air bag at a balance state critical value; the expansion volume change of the air bag is changed by pressing and releasing the air bag to control the lifting of the aircraft; through coupling of the control systems, the aircraft can fly safely, stably and flexibly with low energy consumption.

A flight craft comprises: an intermediate member, which has an annular shape in a plan view and has a flat cross-sectional shape when cut along a plane that includes a straight line in a direction of the plan view; a plurality of gores, each of which extends from an outer side to an inner side of the intermediate member in the plan view, passes through an inner opening of the intermediate member, is folded back, and then extends from the inner side to the outer side of the intermediate member in the plan view; a front side member, which is positioned on a front side of the intermediate member, where the front side is defined as a side facing outward in the plan view, and a rear side is defined as a side opposite to the front side; a rear side member that is positioned on a rear side of the intermediate member; and a tightening mechanism that tightens the front side member and the rear side member in a direction that brings them closer to each other.

The invention provides a novel eVTOL with a small air bag, which can also be called as a lifting and floating integrated manned electric airship and comprises a single lens-shaped bag body 1 and a passenger cabin 6, curtain cloth 3 in the single lens-shaped bag body 1 is connected to a carbon fiber embedded part 2 located at the bottom through a tie bar 4, and a metal ring 5 is arranged at the exposed part of the carbon fiber embedded part 2. And the passenger cabin 6 is arranged on the metal ring 5. The eVTOL with the small air bag lifts off and flies by simultaneously utilizing dynamic lift force and buoyancy force, is long in hang time, low in power consumption and convenient to disassemble, and has good flight performance, take-off and landing performance and economical efficiency.

According to one aspect, an aerostat may include an inflatable structure including a balloon and a neck collectively defining a volume, a valve including a funnel supportable in the neck and defining a first opening, a second opening, and a cavity therebetween, the cavity in fluid communication with the volume via the second opening, a stem defining a channel at least partially outside of the inflatable structure, a stopper disposed in the cavity, a rod coupled to the stopper and at least partially disposed in the channel, and an actuator electrically actuatable to move the rod relative to the channel such that the stopper moves relative to the first opening of the cavity to control fluid communication between the volume and the channel via the cavity.

The invention belongs to the technical field of agricultural engineering and intellectualization, and particularly relates to a buoyancy air bag rapid adjusting device and a wind resistance cooperative control method thereof.The buoyancy air bag rapid adjusting device comprises a buoyancy providing original module and a flight control module, the buoyancy providing original module comprises an inner balloon, an outer balloon and a hot-air balloon, and the inner cambered surface of the inner balloon and the inner cambered surface of the outer balloon are provided with inflation cavities; a rope is connected to the bottoms of the outer cambered surfaces of the inner and outer balloons and the hot-air balloon, one end of the rope is connected with a frame in a penetrating manner, and a burner assembly is fixedly mounted on the upper surface of the frame; wind power is sensed in real time through an anemograph and a monitoring sensor, in combination with cooperative response of a flight control module, a buoyancy module and a connection adjusting module, measures of posture fine adjustment, height avoidance and safe landing are adopted in the gentle breeze, stroke and strong wind environments, so that the device keeps precision operation below multiple wind levels, safe risk avoiding is achieved in the strong wind, and the safety and reliability of the device are improved. The problems that a traditional aerostat is poor in wind resistance and prone to being out of control are solved.

The invention discloses a low-altitude heavy-load transportation airship and a buoyancy control method in the loading and unloading process, and belongs to the technical field of heavy-load transportation aircrafts. Comprising a bag body filled with buoyancy gas, a high-pressure air bag and an air bag which are located in the bag body, a pressure control system used for controlling the high-pressure air bag and the air bag to be inflated and deflated and a flight control system used for controlling the pressure control system to act, the density of the buoyancy gas is smaller than that of air, and the pressure control system comprises a first pressure control system and a second pressure control system; the first pressure control system controls buoyancy gas to flow into or out of the high-pressure air bag. The second pressure control system controls external air to flow into or out of the air bag. The flight control system is in signal connection with the first pressure control system and the second pressure control system. The buoyancy and gravity of the airship are adjusted by inflating and deflating the high-pressure air bag and / or the air bag, so that the problem that the airship rises rapidly due to the fact that the net buoyancy of the airship is increased sharply during cargo unloading is solved, and flight safety is guaranteed.

The invention discloses an inflatable aerial carrying platform and a flying method, and relates to the field of aerostats, and the key point of the technical scheme is that the inflatable aerial carrying platform comprises a platform main body cabin with an annular structure, a spherical auxiliary balance cabin arranged above the platform main body cabin and connected through a cable, and a balance control system. A plurality of groups of partition sheets are arranged in the platform main body cabin, the platform main body cabin is uniformly divided into a plurality of independent air chambers which are symmetrically arranged, and each air chamber is provided with an independent inflation and deflation hole, so that fine air pressure regulation and control and high-altitude attitude stability are realized. The auxiliary balance cabins form a composite buoyancy system through upper and lower layered layout, and the gravity center control and anti-instability capacity of the whole platform under load fluctuation or airflow disturbance is improved. According to the invention, the fault resistance, the safety and the pneumatic stability of the aerial platform are obviously improved.

The invention provides an unmanned aerial vehicle for repelling birds, and relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles. Comprising an unmanned aerial vehicle mounting part, a butt joint driving part is mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle mounting part, and a movable power connection part is mounted on the butt joint driving part; the butt joint driving part is used for adjusting the balance weight of the unmanned aerial vehicle mounting part; a magnetic suction connecting piece is mounted on the movable power connection piece; the magnetic suction connecting piece is used for ventilation; a hydrogen traction piece is mounted on the magnetic suction connecting piece; the hydrogen traction piece is used for reducing the load; and a row of bird repelling devices are mounted on the hydrogen traction piece. The adopted butt joint driving part is matched with the unmanned aerial vehicle mounting part, air butt joint and transfer of the bird repelling device can be achieved, and the problems that an existing bird repelling unmanned aerial vehicle is limited by the electric quantity of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle needs to be used after rotation or battery replacement, but the bird repelling equipment is heavy in load and inconvenient to use are solved. And uninterrupted aerial butt-joint bird repelling is inconvenient to realize.

The invention comprises an apparatus, method for using the apparatus and system for balloon altitude control by in-situ characterization and active energy management. The invention presented enables transportation, autonomous operation and use of a balloon beyond the limits of conventional high-altitude ballooning to the edge of the atmosphere, or about 100 km above the surface of the Earth. The apparatus comprises at least: an envelope containing lift-gas; an envelope and lift-gas characterizer; an altitude control system operated using active energy addition and lift-gas transfer or ambient air introduction into the system; and an external payload component. The invention is capable of operating in ascent, descent, or stationary mode; the altitudinal movement of the balloon is caused by measuring in-situ envelope and lift-gas characteristics, identifying the change in the lift-gas energy needed, and facilitating the required energy change for altitude control.

An airship may include a plurality of struts and a plurality of hubs joined to form a geodesic frame. A material may at least substantially enclose the frame. The material may be configured to contain a gas within a volume enclosed by the material, and may also be configured to absorb solar radiation for heating the gas. The airship may include a vent configured to selectively open and close to regulate one or more of a temperature and a pressure of the gas. When the vent is open, the volume enclosed by the material may be in fluid communication with an exterior of the material. When the vent is closed, the volume enclosed by the material may be at least substantially hermetically sealed from the exterior of the material. Also disclosed are methods of carrying a payload with the airship.

The invention relates to a long-endurance floating unmanned aerial vehicle carrying platform, belongs to the technical field of aerial carrying platforms, and aims to solve the problem of how to improve the endurance and stability of an equipment carrying platform. According to the scheme, the device mainly comprises an air bag filled with light gas; the unmanned aerial vehicle is provided with a motion system and a rack, the motion system is installed on the rack, and the unmanned aerial vehicle is fixedly connected with the air bag through the rack; the winch mooring system is used for connecting the carrying platform with a fixed object so as to help the carrying platform keep balance; the winch mooring system comprises a plurality of winches and corresponding mooring ropes, the winches are used for regulating and controlling the lengths of the mooring ropes, and the ends of the mooring ropes are connected with the air bag or the rack; the positioning system is used for acquiring speed, acceleration, inclination angle, displacement and height data of the carrying platform; and the controller is in communication connection with the unmanned aerial vehicle, the winch and the positioning system.

The invention relates to the technical field of airship loading, in particular to a heavy-load airship unloading balance control system. The problems that huge buoyancy is generated after a large-scale load-carrying airship is unloaded, balance is difficult to keep, and airship flight control is difficult are solved. According to the heavy-load airship unloading balance control system, when the airship is fully loaded, high-pressure buoyancy gas in the high-pressure gas tank is released by the heavy-load airship unloading balance control system to enter the buoyancy air bag, so that the buoyancy air bag is full, and the total lift force of the airship reaches the designed total lift force so as to meet the lift force required by full load; when the airship is unloaded, the heavy-load airship unloading balance control system is utilized, buoyancy gas in the buoyancy air bag is compressed to the high-pressure gas tank in a multi-stage mode, the volume of the buoyancy gas is reduced, and the total lift force of the airship is reduced, adjusted and controlled after the airship is unloaded.

The invention relates to the technical field of airship control, in particular to a floating aircraft control method and system oriented to an extreme environment. The control method comprises the following steps that environment parameters and running state data of the floating aircraft are collected in real time through a multi-mode sensor, and the environment parameters comprise the air speed of the stratosphere or under the stratosphere, the ultraviolet radiation intensity, the external temperature gradient and the air pressure fluctuation value; the operation state data comprises an air bag sealing index, propeller output power, a counterweight slide rail position and the residual capacity of the energy storage unit. Through the dynamic pressure compensation and self-repairing technology, the problem of sealing failure of the floating aircraft in an extreme environment is solved; and multi-mode wind resistance control and hybrid energy optimization are combined, so that the flight path precision and the cruising ability are remarkably improved.

The invention relates to the technical field of the large aviation equipment design precision manufacturing industry, in particular to a modular design structure of a large load-carrying airship. The engineering manufacturing problem that a single-hull load-carrying airship is too large in load (huge in geometric dimension) is solved. According to the invention, two or more buoyancy modules are integrated on one load-carrying airship; the structure of the load-carrying airship comprises an airship control module unit, a buoyancy module unit, a skeleton structure module unit, a load structure module unit, a power module unit, an unloading balance control module unit and an auxiliary function module unit which cooperate with one another to complete an airship flight task.

According to one aspect, a reactor for generating lifting gas may include a first port, a second port, a coupling releasably securable in fluid communication with an aerostat, and a tank including a base and a crown defining at least a portion of a chamber therebetween, the first port and the coupling each supported on the crown, the second port supported on the tank away from the crown, the chamber in fluid communication with each one of the first port, the second port, and the coupling, the chamber expandable between the crown and the base from an uninflated state to an inflated state and, with the tank in the inflated state, a maximum height of the chamber less than a maximum dimension of the base.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”) having an envelope and a drone body capable of delivering packages is disclosed. Methods for utilizing UAVs to deliver packages and systems for housing UAVs are also disclosed. In one aspect, a UAV includes a dual cavity envelope having an ellipsoid shape with a first internal cavity and a second internal cavity, the first internal cavity configured to hold a lighter than air gas, the second internal cavity configured to hold a heated gas, and a drone body attached to and located below the dual cavity vertical envelope.

The invention belongs to the technical field of floating equipment, and particularly relates to a tethered airship with a propelling device and a conveying system for the tethered airship. A connecting part is arranged on the outer surface of a boat body, a propelling device comprises a horizontal propelling part and a vertical propelling part, the horizontal propelling part is arranged on the peripheral surface of the boat body and used for moving the boat body in the horizontal direction, and the vertical propelling part is arranged on the peripheral surface of the boat body and used for moving the boat body in the vertical direction. The horizontal direction is perpendicular to the vertical direction, and the mooring rope is detachably connected with the connecting part. According to the tethered airship with the propelling device in the technical scheme, the horizontal propelling part is used for providing propelling force in the horizontal direction to achieve the functions of headwind adjustment, yaw control and the like of the airship body, and the vertical propelling part is used for providing pulling force in the vertical direction to achieve height adjustment and pitching control of the airship body. The propulsion device improves the propulsion efficiency of the boat body, and further enhances the wind measurement resistance and attitude stability of the boat body.