115results about "Vessel movement reduction by gyroscopes" patented technology

A floating wind turbine platform includes a floatation frame (105) that includes three columns (102, 103) that are coupled to each other with horizontal main beams (115). A wind turbine tower (111) is mounted above a tower support column (102) to simplify the system construction and improve the structural strength. The turbine blades (101) are coupled to a nacelle (125) that rotates on top of the tower (111). The turbine's gearbox generator and other electrical gear can be mounted either traditionally in the nacelle, or lower in the tower (111) or in the top of the tower-supporting column (102). The floatation frame (105) includes a water ballasting system that pumps water between the columns (102, 103) to keep the tower (111) in a 10 vertical alignment regardless of the wind speed. Water-entrapment plates (107) are mounted to the bottoms of the columns (102, 103) to minimize the rotational movement of the floatation frame (105) due to waves.

A floating wind turbine platform includes a floatation frame that includes at least three columns that are coupled to each other with horizontal main beams. A wind turbine tower is mounted above a tower support column to simplify the system construction and improve the structural strength. The turbine blades are coupled to a nacelle that rotates on top of the tower. The turbine's gearbox generator and other electrical gear can be mounted either traditionally in the nacelle, or lower in the tower or in the top of the tower-supporting column. The floatation frame includes a water ballasting system that pumps water between the columns to keep the tower in a vertical alignment regardless of the wind speed. Water-entrapment plates are mounted to the bottoms of the columns to minimize the rotational movement of the floatation frame due to waves.

A gyrostabilizer system that counteracts the natural rolling motion of a small boat or vessel. The invention constitutes an improvement in prior art systems of this type in that the system weighs less because it has a much lighter rotor made of composite materials spinning at much higher speeds. The gyrostabilizer system includes a lightweight rotor spinning at very high speeds to attain a large angular momentum. The mass of the rotor is concentrated away from the spin axis of the rotor to maximize angular momentum while minimizing weight. The rotor is mounted in a frame that, in turn, is mounted on gimbals so that the frame can be rotated about an axis that is normal to the longitudinal roll axis of the vessel. When the rotor is rotated about the gimbals, a torque is created that opposes the torque created by the sea and reduces the rolling motion of the vessel. The rotor may be mounted in an evacuated chamber to reduce air drag. Rotation of the rotor frame around the gimbal axis is controlled by an active servo system using information provided by roll angular position and angular velocity sensors

A boat having a deck and a hull includes a suspension for suspending the deck with respect to the hull. Sensors are employed to determine motion of the deck, with a controller adjusting the suspension such that it maintains the pose of the deck with respect to an inertial reference and with respect to pitch, roll, and heave of the deck.

The present invention provides methods and apparatus for reducing sinkage and wetted surface, and thus hydrodynamic drag of a high-speed boat through the generation of aerodynamic lift while decreasing overall aerodynamic drag. At least one lift-generating front wing proximate a bow section of the boat with at least one corresponding front air channel may be provided. At least one lift-generating rear wing proximate a transom section of the boat with at least one corresponding rear air channel may also be provided. At least one of the wings may be adjustable to generate aerodynamic lift with one of: (1) a neutral; (2) a transom-lifting; and (3) a bow-lifting pitching moment about a center of inertia of the boat. At least one wing proximate the leading edge of the tunnel of a multi-hull boat may be provided to increase the operational envelope.

System for stabilizing an offshore horizontal axis wind turbine having a tower, the system comprising sensors for generating signals representing detected movements of the tower, and gyroscopes. Each gyroscope has a spinning axis, an input axis and an output axis, and a flywheel rotatable about the spinning axis. The system further comprises an actuator for each gyroscope, said actuator being arranged with its related gyroscope in such a way that this actuator can apply a torque about the input axis of the gyroscope. The system also comprises a control unit for receiving the signals representing detected movements of the tower, and for providing the actuator with suitable control signals for said actuator to apply a torque about the related gyroscope input axis, said torque about the input axis producing a torque about the output axis of the same gyroscope that at least partly dampens the detected movements of the tower.

The invention provides various types of aircraft carriers, warships, submarines and offshore platforms each with a correcting device with high efficiency, load removal, swing stoppage and turnover resistance through a load-removal self-balance swing reducing device, a load-removal airbag pad floating device, an external suspended adjustable weight balancer device, a correcting plate and wing type swing reducing plate device, a submarine ascending / descending accelerating device, an accelerated underwater suspension self-balance control device, a transversely-propelled whole-body fast moving-mooring-docking device, a safe urgent-deceleration fast-lag electric oar device and a gyroscopic magnetic-field inertia movement weight balancer device. The invention has the effects that according to the structure, the swing on six degrees of freedom of ships, warships, aircraft carriers and various offshore platforms can be solved comprehensively, so that traveling ship bodies are ensured to timely and safely avoid sudden barriers, therefore a complete and efficient swing reduction system is formed, several problems in the fields of navigation and ships are solved, the balance stability and safety of ships, aircraft carriers, submarines or aircrafts and spacecrafts in the aerospace field are improved, the ability and confidence of humans for handling offshore or aviation activities are largely promoted, swing reduction is changed into swing prevention or swing stoppage, and the aircrafts in the air never crash due to unbalance.

A gyrostabilizer system that counteracts the natural rolling motion of a small boat or vessel. The invention constitutes an improvement in prior art systems of this type in that the system weighs less because it has a much lighter rotor made of composite materials spinning at much higher speeds. The gyrostabilizer system includes a lightweight rotor spinning at very high speeds to attain a large angular momentum. The mass of the rotor is concentrated away from the spin axis of the rotor to maximize angular momentum while minimizing weight. The rotor is mounted in a frame that, in turn, is mounted on gimbals so that the frame can be rotated about an axis that is normal to the longitudinal roll axis of the vessel. When the rotor is rotated about the gimbals, a torque is created that opposes the torque created by the sea and reduces the rolling motion of the vessel. The rotor may be mounted in an evacuated chamber to reduce air drag. Rotation of the rotor frame around the gimbal axis is controlled by an active servo system using information provided by roll angular position and angular velocity sensors.

The invention relates to a control moment top module which comprises a top module shell body, a shell upper cover board, an absolute position encoder and two single-frame top units. Each single-frame top unit comprises a servo motor, inertia flywheels, flywheel supports, upper bearings, lower bearings, first gears and a second gear, wherein the servo motor is installed on a bottom board in the top module, and the second gear is installed at the shaft end of the servo motor and engaged with the corresponding first gear. When each servo motor executes a rotation action at the preset angle and the preset speed, the two corresponding flywheel supports swing at the corresponding angle and the corresponding speed, and the swinging directions of the two flywheel supports are opposite. The inertia flywheels in the two single-frame top units are the same in rotation speed but different in rotation direction. When the flywheel supports swing, the two single-frame top units generate trimming moments which are overlapped and counteract the acting moment perpendicular to the direction of the trimming moments.

The invention provides a gyrostabilizer for a ship and a stabilizing gyrorotor system. A rotor frame of the stabilizing gyrorotor system is connected with a base bearing through a precession axle; and the base is fixedly connected on a ship body structure. When a ship body transversely rolls, the base transversely rolls together with the ship body. Through transverse rolling motion, a high speed rotor generates a precession moment for pushing the rotor to do precession motion; and the direction of the precession moment is determined relative to the rotor frame. A rotor main body in high speed rotation generates a stabilizing moment, whose direction is reverse to a transverse rolling direction of the ship, during precession so as to realize ship stabilization. The direction of the stabilizing moment is determined relative to the rotor frame. According to the invention, in order to unload a locating bearing, certain magnetic acting forces, whose directions are reverse to the directions of the precession moment and the stabilizing moment, are applied in the direction of the precession moment and the direction of the stabilizing moment through a magnetic levitation bearing; therefore, the precession moment and the stabilizing moment of the rotor main body can be prevented from both directly acting upon the locating bearing in high speed rotation. And consequently, the locating bearing is unloaded, friction loss is reduced and the service life of the bearing is prolonged.

Provided is a mobile harbor capable of loading and unloading cargo with a ship being at anchor in the sea far from the shore, not coming alongside the pier of a stationary harbor. The mobile harbor includes a self-propulsion apparatus and a loading / unloading apparatus such that cargo can be loaded from a ship to a mobile harbor or unloaded from the ship to the mobile harbor after the mobile harbor comes alongside and couple to the ship far from the land.

The invention provides various aircraft carriers, warships, submarines and offshore platforms with efficient load-eliminating swing-stopping capsizing-resisting correction devices. Load-eliminating self-balancing swing-reducing devices, load-eliminating floating air bag cushion devices, externally-suspended weight-adjustable balancer devices, correction plate and wing-type swing-reducing plate devices, devices for accelerating floating and diving of the submarines, self-balancing control devices for accelerating underwater hovering, devices for horizontally pushing whole ship hulls to quickly shift to arrive at or depart harbors, safe quick-decelerating and quick-lagging electric propeller devices and top magnetic-field inertia moving weight balancer devices are provided. The aircraft carriers, the warships, the submarines and the offshore platforms have the advantages that according to the structures, swings, in six degrees of freedom, of ships, the warships, the aircraft carriers and the offshore platforms can be solved comprehensively, sailing ship hulls are timely and safely protected from sudden obstacles, perfect and efficient swing-reducing systems are formed, several major problems in the field of navigation ships are solved, balance stability and safety of aircrafts and spacecraft in the field of the ships, the aircraft carriers, the submarines or aerospace are improved, capability and confidence of human beings in control of offshore or aerial activities are greatly improved, swing reduction is changed into swing stop, and the aircrafts never lose their balance and fall down.

A control system architecture and algorithm to manage a gyrostabilization system for a marine craft. The control system may manage other effectors in addition to the gyrostabilization system. The objective of the control system software is to utilize any and all available control authority so as to bring about the desired change in the vessel's dynamic state. This control authority is produced by the gyrostabilization system or a combination of the gyrostabilization system with a number of other potential actuation systems or effectors. The focus of the gyrostabilizer control portion is the control and stabilization of the vessel's roll axis in particular

A swinging motion reducing apparatus includes a flywheel 20, a gimbal 11, a gimbal supporting section 12, a damper 13 and a lock mechanism 14. The gimbal 11 rotatably supports the flywheel 20. The gimbal supporting section 12 supports the gimbal 11 through a gimbal shaft 15 such that the gimbal 11 can swing. The damper 13 brakes a swinging motion of the gimbal 11. The lock mechanism 14 locks a swinging motion of the gimbal 11.

The invention discloses a ship torque gyro stabilizer. Gyroscopic torque is converted into restoring torque of a ship body. A gyrorotor is driven through a flat motor to rotate at a high speed to provide the gyroscopic torque, and the size of damping force outputted through a damper or rotating speed meter-adjustment procession speed of a servo motor can be adjusted by adopting a dynamic feedback mechanism, so that the gyroscopic torque can be converted into the restoring torque of the ship body to the great extent so as to achieve good stabilizing effect. The ship torque gyro stabilizer is simple in structure and convenient to mount; no modification is required for an existing ship when mounted, navigability and comfortableness of small ships can be improved easily, and popularization and application prospects are quite broad.

A hybrid power source and control moment gyroscope (“HPCMG”) is disclosed. The HPCMG includes a control moment gyroscope (“CMG”), a first conductive bearing, and a second conductive bearing. The CMG includes a first transverse gimbal assembly, a central mass that produces a voltage potential, and a second gimbal assembly rotationally connected to the first transverse gimbal assembly. The first transverse gimbal assembly is rotationally connected to the central mass along a first axis of rotation and the central mass is configured to spin about the first axis of rotation and the first transverse gimbal assembly is configured to rotate about a second axis of rotation of the second gimbal assembly. The first conductive bearing rotationally connects the central mass with the first position of the first transverse gimbal assembly along the first axis of rotation.

An apparatus for stabilizing a vessel is provided. The apparatus, or “hydrogyroscope,” includes a liquid container disposed along the hull of a floating vessel. The liquid container provides a rotational flow path therein for a spinning liquid mass. The liquid container also preferably includes a valve for receiving water or other liquid into the rotational flow path of the container. The liquid is preferably supplied from the marine environment in which the vessel operates. In one embodiment, a motor is provided for rotating the liquid container, causing the water to rotate along the rotational flow path within the container and relative to the hull of the vessel. A method is also provided for stabilizing the vessel. The method in one embodiment includes the steps of moving the vessel to a desired location within a marine body, filling the liquid container of the vessel stabilizing apparatus, and actuating a motor that causes liquid to flow along the rotational flow path of the liquid container.

Cooling apparatus for transferring heat from and cooling one or more heat generating components that support or drive a flywheel or other spinning members. The apparatus may include a first heat transfer element connected to and spinning with the spinning member, a second heat transfer element stationary with respect to the spinning member, wherein the first and second heat transfer elements moverelative to one another, and wherein the first and second heat transfer elements are shaped and positioned in close proximity to one another so that substantial heat is transferred from the first heat transfer element to the second heat transfer element.

The present invention provides methods and apparatus for reducing sinkage and wetted surface, and thus hydrodynamic drag of a high-speed boat through the generation of aerodynamic lift while decreasing overall aerodynamic drag. At least one lift-generating front wing proximate a bow section of the boat with at least one corresponding front air channel may be provided. At least one lift-generating rear wing proximate a transom section of the boat with at least one corresponding rear air channel may also be provided. At least one of the wings may be adjustable to generate aerodynamic lift with one of: (1) a neutral; (2) a transom-lifting; and (3) a bow-lifting pitching moment about a center of inertia of the boat. At least one wing proximate the leading edge of the tunnel of a multi-hull boat may be provided to increase the operational envelope.

A vessel having at least one hull, a body and a suspension system for supporting at least a portion of the body above the at least one hull is described. The suspension system includes at least one support means, and the vessel further includes at least one gyroscopic stabiliser for attenuating rotation of the body about at least one stabilising axis.

The invention discloses a follow-up anti-rolling device applied to a small high-speed ship. The follow-up anti-rolling device applied to the small high-speed ship comprises an intelligent control system, a ship data acquisition system and a ship transverse momentum providing system; the ship data acquisition system is used for acquiring ship navigation parameters and ship attitude parameters in real time in the ship navigation process; the intelligent control system is used for analyzing and processing the ship navigation parameters and the ship attitude parameters, calculating the scheme thatthe ship transverse momentum providing system provides the momentum in the current state in real time, converting obtained results into corresponding signals and transmitting the corresponding signals to the ship transverse momentum providing system; and the ship transverse momentum providing system is used for adjusting and controlling the momentum wheel rotation speed and the platform angle inreal time and feeding the adjusted momentum wheel rotation speed and platform angle back to the intelligent control system. According to the follow-up anti-rolling device applied to the small high-speed ship, the inclination angle generated when the small high-speed ship turns around can be effectively decreased, the stability of the ship is improved, the safety of the ship is improved, operationis convenient for navigators in a complex water area, and the rollover and overturn possibility is reduced.

The invention provides a ship horizontal attitude indicator, belonging to the field of ship electric equipment. The ship horizontal attitude indicator comprises a single chip microcomputer, a liquid crystal display, keys, a communication level conversion module, a gravity accelerometer transducer, a buzzer and a stable-voltage power source module. A signal wire on a pin of the single chip microcomputer is respectively connected with the liquid crystal display, the keys, the communication level conversion module, the gravity accelerometer transducer and the buzzer; and the stable-voltage power source module is connected with the single chip microcomputer, the liquid crystal display, the communication level conversion module, the gravity accelerometer transducer and the buzzer by leads, and supplies power to the components. The ship horizontal attitude indicator uses a digital integrated circuit sensor LSM303DLH to communicate with a chip through the single chip microcomputer and reads component information of three earth gravity accelerations of the internal gravity acceleration sensor in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, so that a front-back pitch angle and a left-right inclination angle of a ship can be calculated and displayed by using an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) liquid crystal. When the front-back pitch angle or the left-right inclination angle exceeds a certain range, the buzzer also can be used for alarming.

A gyrostabiliser control system and method for stabilising marine vessel motion based on precession information only. The control system employs an Automatic Gain Control (AGC) precession controller (60). This system operates with a gain factor that is always being gradually minimized so as to let the gyro flywheel (12) develop as much precession as possible—the higher the precession, the higher the roll stabilising moment. This continuous gain change provides adaptation to changes in sea state and sailing conditions. The system effectively predicts the likelihood of maximum precession being reached. Should this event be detected, then the gain is rapidly increased so as to provide a breaking precession torque. Once the event has passed, the system again attempts to gradually decrease the gain.

A boat having a deck and a hull includes a suspension for suspending the deck with respect to the hull. Sensors are employed to determine motion of the deck, with a controller adjusting the suspension such that it maintains the pose of the deck with respect to an inertial reference and with respect to pitch, roll, and heave of the deck.

A vessel is disclosed having a body portion that is at least partially suspended above at least one left moveable hull and at least one right moveable hull, each hull being moveable with respect to the body portion. At least one sensor is arranged to sense at least one operational parameter of the vessel. The roll attitude of the body portion is adjustable and controlled during operation in response to the at least one operational parameter to ensure that the sum of the gravitational force and the centrifugal force acting on the vessel during a turn has a line of action that is substantially perpendicular to a deck of the vessel, i.e. that the vessel executes a coordinated turn.

A vehicle stabilising means comprising a cradle (23) supported from a mounting (17) to lie to one side of the mounting, a rotor (19) supported from the cradle between a pair of spaced supports (25) to be rotatably supported by the supports, a drive coupled to the rotor enabling the rotor to rotate at a substantially constant angular velocity, the rotor being rotatable about a first axis, the supports located to the side of the cradle remote from the mounting, the cradle further comprises a base (31) which is rotatably supported from the mounting to be rotatable around a second axis which is perpendicular to the first axis of rotation of the rotor and which intersects the first axis of the rotor, the mounting intended in use to be fixed to the vehicle such that in operation the mean orientation of the first and second axes are substantially perpendicular to the direction of the axis of stabilisation.

The invention belongs to the technical field of ship stabilization, and particularly discloses an anti-rolling gyro. The anti-rolling gyro comprises a base, a flywheel frame rotationally connected with the base and a flywheel rotationally connected with the flywheel frame, and is characterized by further comprising a torque applying device used for applying braking torque to the flywheel frame. The torque applying device comprises: a permanent magnet synchronous motor, wherein a motor shaft of the permanent magnet synchronous motor is coaxially connected with a precession shaft of the flywheelframe; a resistive load, wherein the winding outgoing line of the permanent magnet synchronous motor is electrically connected with the resistive load to form an energy consumption brake circuit; anda controller electrically connected with the resistive load, wherein the controller is configured to adjust the resistance value of the resistive load so as to adjust the magnitude of the braking torque. According to the stabilization gyro and a ship, the cost of the anti-rolling gyro can be reduced, the safety and reliability of the anti-rolling gyro are improved, and the seaworthiness and passenger comfort in the ship navigation process are improved.

A gyrostabilizer control system and method for stabilizing marine vessel motion based on precession information only. The control system employs an Automatic Gain Control (AGC) precession controller (60). This system operates with a gain factor that is always being gradually minimized so as to let the gyro flywheel (12) develop as much precession as possible—the higher the precession, the higher the roll stabilizing moment. This continuous gain change provides adaptation to changes in sea state and sailing conditions. The system effectively predicts the likelihood of maximum precession being reached. Should this event be detected, then the gain is rapidly increased so as to provide a breaking precession torque. Once the event has passed, the system again attempts to gradually decrease the gain.