A distributed, jettisonable stratospheric airship capable of in-flight refueling

Abstract

This invention discloses a distributed, jettisonable stratospheric airship capable of in-flight refueling, comprising an airship body and a distributed gas tank-type storage compartment. The distributed gas tank-type storage compartment includes a cabin fixed to the bottom of the airship body, with an internal gas supply pipe and several gas tanks. One end of the gas supply pipe is connected to the airship body, and the other end has several docking joints. The gas supply pipe and the gas tanks are detachably connected via these joints. A pressure relief valve is installed on the gas supply pipe, and a valve is installed at the outlet end of each gas tank. Several through holes are provided at the bottom of the cabin, each corresponding to one of the gas tanks. A controller is installed on the airship body, connected to the cabin's control interface via a detachable connector. The controller controls the release and jettisoning of the gas tanks. This invention increases the airship's endurance and reduces maintenance costs by refueling in the air using gas tanks; using the gas tanks as counterweights increases the airship's payload capacity.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of aerospace technology, and in particular to a distributed type of heavy stratospheric airship with air-supplying function. BACKGROUND

[0002] At present, as a new type of new energy aerostat, the stratospheric airship uses the helium-filled capsule to provide buoyancy to keep the airship floating, and uses solar energy as the energy source, so that the airship can stay in the stratosphere for a long time. With the continuous maturity of the stratospheric airship technology, its application in the fields of communication, observation and scientific research is gradually expanding.

[0003] However, during the operation of the stratospheric airship, the leakage and replenishment of the buoyancy gas is a key technical challenge. Due to the extremely high altitude of the stratosphere and the extremely low air pressure, there is a certain leakage rate due to the limitation of the capsule material, which causes the lifting gas in the capsule to gradually leak, resulting in a decrease in the pressure difference of the airship capsule. In order to maintain the flight altitude and stability of the airship in the stratosphere, the capsule needs to be replenished with gas regularly. The current gas replenishment methods mainly include using ground base stations to replenish gas or using gas-carrying vehicles to replenish gas, but these methods need to be carried out after the stratospheric airship lands, which increases the operation risk and time cost of the airship and reduces the efficiency of the airship in performing tasks at high altitudes. In addition, the stratospheric airship can be mobile at high altitudes, but the ground gas replenishment operation needs the stratospheric airship to land and cooperate with the ground equipment to complete the operation, and the laying of ground equipment and the take-off and landing of the airship may be limited by certain geographical environment and weather, so that the gas replenishment can only be carried out in certain places, thereby affecting the range of activities of the stratospheric airship. On the other hand, in order to ensure a certain emergency vertical mobility when the airship is flying in the air, the airship needs to carry a certain weight of counterweight, which is usually high-density substances such as iron sand. This part of the weight is not helpful for the airship to perform tasks in the air, resulting in a larger overall weight of the airship and a loss of performance in various aspects. SUMMARY

[0004] The purpose of the present application is to provide a distributed type of heavy stratospheric airship with air-supplying function to solve the problems existing in the prior art.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the application provides a distributed throwaway heavy stratosphere airship capable of air replenishment, comprising an airship capsule and a distributed gas tank type gas storage cabin; the distributed gas tank type gas storage cabin comprises a cabin body fixedly installed at the bottom of the airship capsule, a gas supply pipeline and a plurality of gas storage tanks are arranged in the cabin body, one end of the gas supply pipeline is communicated with the airship capsule, the other end of the gas supply pipeline is provided with a plurality of docking joints, the gas supply pipeline is detachably connected with the gas storage tanks through the docking joints, a pressure relief valve is installed on the gas supply pipeline, and a valve is installed at the gas outlet end of the gas storage tank; a plurality of through holes are formed at the bottom end of the cabin body, and the plurality of through holes are correspondingly arranged with the plurality of gas storage tanks; a controller is installed on the airship capsule, the controller is electrically connected with the control interface of the cabin body through a separate navigation plug, and the controller is used for controlling the gas release and throwing away of the gas storage tanks.

[0006] Preferably, the gas supply pipeline comprises a collecting pipe, a plurality of branch pipes are fixedly communicated with the bottom end of the collecting pipe, a connecting pipe is fixedly communicated with the top end of the gas storage tank, and the connecting pipe is detachably connected with the branch pipe through the docking joint; a gas supply pipe is fixedly communicated with the top end of the collecting pipe, and the top end of the gas supply pipe is communicated with the airship capsule; the pressure relief valve is installed on the gas supply pipe, the valve is installed on the connecting pipe, an electromagnetic valve is installed on the branch pipe, and the pressure relief valve and the electromagnetic valve are electrically connected with the control interface of the cabin body.

[0007] Preferably, a plurality of protective covers are detachably connected with the inner bottom of the cabin body, and the plurality of gas storage tanks are arranged in the plurality of protective covers respectively; the docking joint is fixedly installed on the inner wall of the protective cover.

[0008] Preferably, the docking joint comprises a limiting sleeve ring, the opposite ends of the branch pipe and the connecting pipe are fixedly connected with docking flanges respectively, a sealing rubber ring is arranged between the two docking flanges, and the limiting sleeve ring is sleeved outside the two docking flanges; the limiting sleeve ring is composed of two symmetrical semicircular limiting grooves, an extension cylinder is fixedly installed on the outer wall of the semicircular limiting groove, the extension cylinder is fixedly installed on the inner wall of the protective cover, and the extension cylinder is electrically connected with the control interface of the cabin body; a sealing pad is fixedly installed on the inner wall of the semicircular limiting groove, and the sealing pad abuts against the docking flange.

[0009] Preferably, sealing strips and sealing grooves are arranged at the two ends of the semicircular limiting groove respectively, and the sealing strip on one semicircular limiting groove is matched with the sealing groove on the other semicircular limiting groove.

[0010] Preferably, a positioning sleeve is fitted on the outer side of the branch pipe, the top end of the positioning sleeve is fixedly connected to the manifold, and a docking ring groove is opened at the top end of the protective cover, the positioning sleeve being adapted to the docking ring groove.

[0011] Preferably, a support plate is fixedly installed on the top of the outer wall of the gas storage tank and on the inner wall of the protective cover. The support plate on the gas storage tank is located below the support plate on the protective cover. A connection hole is opened on the support plate, and an explosive bolt is installed in the connection hole. The gas storage tank and the protective cover are connected and fixed through the explosive bolt and the support plate.

[0012] Preferably, a parachute is fixedly installed on the outer wall of the gas storage tank. The parachute is located below the support plate on the gas storage tank. A gap is provided between the parachute and the protective cover. The diameter of the through hole is the same as the inner diameter of the protective cover.

[0013] Preferably, two annular baffles are fixedly installed on the outer wall of the gas storage tank along the vertical direction, the parachute is disposed between the two annular baffles, the annular baffles are slidably engaged with the inner wall of the protective cover, and the upper annular baffle is in contact with the top of the parachute.

[0014] Preferably, a plurality of the gas storage tanks are arranged in the middle of the cabin, and the array is either a rectangular array or a circular array.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages and technical effects:

[0016] The distributed, jettisonable stratospheric airship provided by this invention can replenish gas in the air via gas tanks, allowing the stratospheric airship to perform missions continuously for longer periods, increasing its loiter time and reducing maintenance costs. Using gas tanks as counterweights reduces ineffective weight, increases the airship's payload capacity, and enables the counterweights to be multifunctional, improving the utilization efficiency of payload weight. Replenishing gas to ascend the airship increases its maneuverability and controllability, enhancing its mission execution capabilities. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the distributed, weight-droppable stratospheric airship capable of in-flight refueling according to the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the cabin of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 For the present invention Figure 2 A magnified view of part A in the image;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the semi-circular limiting groove of the present invention;

[0022] The components include: 1. Airship body; 2. Cabin; 3. Gas tank; 4. Pressure relief valve; 5. Valve; 6. Manifold; 7. Branch pipe; 8. Connecting pipe; 9. Gas supply pipe; 10. Solenoid valve; 11. Protective cover; 12. Docking flange; 13. Semi-circular limiting groove; 14. Telescopic cylinder; 15. Sealing gasket; 16. Sealing strip; 17. Sealing groove; 18. Positioning sleeve; 19. Support plate; 20. Explosion bolt; 21. Parachute; 22. Annular baffle. Detailed Implementation

[0023] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this invention can be combined with each other. The described embodiments are merely some, not all, of the embodiments of this invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this invention. The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0024] This invention provides a distributed, jettisonable stratospheric airship capable of in-flight refueling, comprising an airship body 1 and a distributed gas tank type storage compartment; the distributed gas tank type storage compartment includes a compartment 2 fixedly installed at the bottom of the airship body 1, the compartment 2 having an air supply pipe and several gas tanks 3 inside, one end of the air supply pipe being connected to the airship body 1, and the other end of the air supply pipe having several docking joints, the air supply pipe and the gas tanks 3 being detachably connected via the docking joints, a pressure relief valve 4 being installed on the air supply pipe, and a valve 5 being installed at the outlet end of the gas tanks 3; several through holes are opened at the bottom of the compartment 2, and the several through holes are arranged one-to-one with the several gas tanks 3; a controller is installed on the airship body 1, and the controller is electrically connected to the control interface of the compartment 2 via a detachable connector, the controller being used to control the degassing and jettisoning of the gas tanks 3.

[0025] In use, when the airship capsule 1 is low on gas or needs to be inflated for ascent, the controller on the airship capsule 1 sends a deflation command to the cabin 2 and simultaneously opens the pressure relief valve 4, allowing high-pressure helium from the gas tank 3 to replenish the airship capsule 1, increasing the airship's buoyancy. If the stratospheric airship needs to gain further altitude, the controller can send a jettison command to separate the gas tank 3 from the airship, reducing the overall weight of the airship. By replenishing gas in the air using the gas tank 3, the stratospheric airship can perform missions continuously for longer periods, reducing the frequency of gas replenishment and lowering airship maintenance costs. Using the gas tank 3 as a counterweight allows for multi-functionality of the counterweight, improving the utilization efficiency of the payload weight. Moreover, the gas tank 3 can be reused after the airship's mission is completed, even without jettisoning the counterweight. Increasing gas to allow the airship to ascend increases its maneuverability and controllability, enhancing its mission execution capabilities.

[0026] Furthermore, to ensure that the normal replenishment of other gas storage tanks 3 is not affected during the tank disposal process, the gas supply pipeline includes a manifold 6, with several branch pipes 7 fixedly connected to the bottom end of the manifold 6, and a connecting pipe 8 fixedly connected to the top end of the gas storage tank 3. The connecting pipe 8 and the branch pipes 7 are detachably connected via a butt joint. A gas supply pipe 9 is fixedly connected to the top end of the manifold 6, and the top end of the gas supply pipe 9 is connected to the airship hull 1. A pressure relief valve 4 is installed on the gas supply pipe 9, a valve 5 is installed on the connecting pipe 8, and a solenoid valve 10 is installed on the branch pipe 7. Both the pressure relief valve 4 and the solenoid valve 10 are electrically connected to the control interface of the cabin 2.

[0027] Furthermore, during the can-throwing process, in order to ensure that the gas storage tank 3 can be thrown out normally and to avoid affecting other gas storage tanks 3, several protective covers 11 are detachably connected to the bottom of the interior of the cabin 2. Several gas storage tanks 3 are respectively set inside several protective covers 11, and the docking joints are fixedly installed on the inner wall of the protective cover 11.

[0028] The top of the protective cover 11 has a door for assembling the gas tank 3 with the protective cover 11. After the gas tank 3 is connected to the protective cover 11, the door is locked to the protective cover 11.

[0029] Furthermore, to facilitate the connection between the gas storage tank 3 and the airship capsule 1, and to ensure that the gas ejection is not affected during the ejection process, the docking joint includes a limiting collar. A docking flange 12 is fixedly connected to the opposite end of the branch pipe 7 and the connecting pipe 8. A sealing ring is provided between the two docking flanges 12. The limiting collar is fitted onto the outside of the two docking flanges 12. The limiting collar consists of two symmetrically arranged semi-circular limiting grooves 13. A telescopic cylinder 14 is fixedly installed on the outer wall of the semi-circular limiting groove 13. The telescopic cylinder 14 is fixedly installed on the inner wall of the protective cover 11 and is electrically connected to the control interface of the capsule 2. A sealing gasket 15 is fixedly installed on the inner wall of the semi-circular limiting groove 13, and the sealing gasket 15 abuts against the docking flange 12.

[0030] Furthermore, to ensure the sealing effect of the mating joint, sealing strips 16 and sealing grooves 17 are respectively provided at both ends of the semi-circular limiting groove 13, and the sealing strips 16 on one half of the semi-circular limiting groove 13 are adapted to the sealing grooves 17 on the other half of the semi-circular limiting groove 13.

[0031] Furthermore, to facilitate the connection between the gas storage tank 3 and the gas supply pipeline, a positioning sleeve 18 is fitted on the outside of the branch pipe 7. The top end of the positioning sleeve 18 is fixedly connected to the manifold 6. A docking ring groove is opened at the top end of the protective cover 11, and the positioning sleeve 18 is adapted to the docking ring groove.

[0032] Furthermore, in order to maintain the stability between the gas storage tank 3 and the protective cover 11 and not affect the detachment of the gas storage tank 3 from the cabin 2, support plates 19 are fixedly installed on the top of the outer wall of the gas storage tank 3 and the inner wall of the protective cover 11. The support plate 19 on the gas storage tank 3 is located below the support plate 19 on the protective cover 11. The support plate 19 has a connection hole, and an explosion bolt 20 is installed in the connection hole. The gas storage tank 3 and the protective cover 11 are connected and fixed by the explosion bolt 20 and the support plate 19.

[0033] Furthermore, to prevent the falling gas canisters from causing damage to personnel or property on the ground, a parachute 21 is fixedly installed on the outer wall of the gas tank 3. The parachute 21 is located below the support plate 19 on the gas tank 3. A gap is provided between the parachute 21 and the protective cover 11, and the diameter of the through hole is consistent with the inner diameter of the protective cover 11.

[0034] Furthermore, to ensure that the gas tank 3 can be detached from the protective cover 11, two annular baffles 22 are fixedly installed on the outer wall of the gas tank 3 in the vertical direction. The parachute 21 is disposed between the two annular baffles 22. The annular baffles 22 slide in cooperation with the inner wall of the protective cover 11, and the upper annular baffle 22 contacts the top of the parachute 21.

[0035] The use of the annular baffle 22 in conjunction with the explosive bolt 20 allows the generated fluid and the gas ejected from the gas tank 3 after the explosive bolt 20 is detonated to push the gas tank 3 out, ensuring the separation of the gas tank 3 from the cabin 2.

[0036] Furthermore, to facilitate the balance of the cabin 2, several gas storage tanks 3 are arranged in an array in the middle of the cabin 2, and the array form is either a rectangular array or a circular array.

[0037] The distributed, jettisonable stratospheric airship provided by this invention can achieve in-flight refueling, canister jettisoning for weight reduction, and emergency weight jettisoning.

[0038] In-flight refueling: When the gas level in airship capsule 1 is insufficient, the controller on airship capsule 1 will send a refueling command to capsule 2. Upon receiving the command, capsule 2 will open the pressure relief valve 4 and simultaneously send a command to solenoid valve 10 to open valve 5 via the disconnect connector connecting capsule 2 and gas tank 3. This allows high-pressure helium from gas tank 3 to enter airship capsule 1 through the gas supply pipeline, replenishing the airship's buoyancy. After refueling is complete, the controller will determine which gas tank 3 to replenish gas from based on the airship's center of gravity balance, thereby adjusting the airship's overall center of gravity position.

[0039] Weight reduction through canister jettison: When the airship needs to ascend with sufficient gas, or when it needs to maintain altitude after the gas tank 3 has run out of gas, the controller will issue a canister jettison command to the cabin 2. Upon receiving the command, cabin 2 will select a gas tank 3 that has run out of helium, detonate the explosive bolt 20 connecting the designated gas tank 3 to the protective shield 11, and control the retraction cylinder 14 to retract, jettisoning the tank. After the tank is away from the airship, it will be ejected by the airflow and a parachute 21 will be deployed, achieving a safe landing and preventing the gas tank 3 from causing damage to people or property on the ground. At the same time, it helps to realize the reuse of the gas tank 3.

[0040] Emergency Jetlift: When the airship encounters an emergency requiring weight reduction to gain altitude, the controller can issue an emergency jettison command. This command closes the pressure relief valve 4 and all solenoid valves 10 in the cabin 2, then detonates the explosive bolts 20 and controls the telescopic cylinders 14 on the corresponding docking joints to shorten, thus jettisoning the weight. During jettisoning, each gas tank 3 is dropped sequentially, with a safe interval between each jettison to ensure a safe distance between the gas tanks 3 for deploying the parachutes 21. The jettisoning mission stops when the target weight reduction is achieved.

[0041] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A distributed disposable heavy stratospheric airship that can be air-supplied, characterized in that, The utility model provides a kind of airship envelope (1) and distribution gas tank type gas storage cabin including airship envelope (1), the distribution gas tank type gas storage cabin includes the cabin (2) of fixed installation in the bottom of airship envelope (1), gas supply pipeline and several gas tanks (3) are provided inside the cabin (2), one end of gas supply pipeline is communicated with airship envelope (1), the other end of gas supply pipeline is provided with several butt joints, gas supply pipeline is detachably connected with the gas tank (3) by the butt joint, pressure relief valve (4) is installed on gas supply pipeline, valve (5) is installed on the gas outlet end of gas tank (3);The bottom end of the cabin (2) is provided with several through holes, and several through holes are one-to-one corresponding with several gas tanks (3);Controller is installed on airship envelope (1), and the controller is electrically connected with the control interface of the cabin (2) by separate navigation plug, and the controller is used to control the gas release and throw of the gas tank (3); The gas supply pipeline includes the manifold pipe (6), the bottom end of the manifold pipe (6) is fixedly communicated with several branch pipes (7), the top end of the gas tank (3) is fixedly communicated with the connecting pipe (8), and the connecting pipe (8) is detachably connected with the branch pipe (7) by the butt joint;The top end of the manifold pipe (6) is fixedly communicated with gas supply pipe (9), and the top end of gas supply pipe (9) is communicated with airship envelope (1);Pressure relief valve (4) is installed on gas supply pipe (9), valve (5) is installed on connecting pipe (8), electromagnetic valve (10) is installed on branch pipe (7), and pressure relief valve (4) and electromagnetic valve (10) are electrically connected with the control interface of the cabin (2); The bottom end inside the cabin (2) is detachably connected with several protective covers (11), and several gas tanks (3) are arranged in several protective covers (11) respectively, and the butt joint is fixedly installed on the inner wall of the protective cover (11); The butt joint includes a limiting sleeve, and the opposite end of the branch pipe (7) and the connecting pipe (8) is fixedly connected with butt flange (12), and sealing rubber ring is arranged between the two butt flanges (12), and the limiting sleeve is sleeved on the outer side of the two butt flanges (12);The limiting sleeve is composed of two symmetrical semicircular limiting grooves (13), and telescopic cylinder (14) is fixedly installed on the outer wall of the semicircular limiting groove (13), and the telescopic cylinder (14) is fixedly installed on the inner wall of the protective cover (11), and the telescopic cylinder (14) is electrically connected with the control interface of the cabin (2);Said semicircular limiting groove (13) is fixedly installed on the inner wall of the semicircular limiting groove (13), and the sealing pad (15) is abutted with the butt flange (12).

2. The air-breathing distributed disposable heavy-payload stratospheric airship of claim 1, wherein, The two ends of the semicircular limiting groove (13) are respectively provided with sealing strip (16) and sealing groove (17), and the sealing strip (16) on one semicircular limiting groove (13) is matched with the sealing groove (17) on another semicircular limiting groove (13).

3. The air-breathing distributed disposable heavy-payload stratospheric airship of claim 1, wherein, The outer side of the branch pipe (7) is sleeved with a positioning sleeve (18), the top end of the positioning sleeve (18) is fixedly connected with the collecting pipe (6), the top end of the protective cover (11) is provided with a butt joint ring groove, and the positioning sleeve (18) is matched with the butt joint ring groove.

4. The air-breathing distributed disposable heavy-payload stratospheric airship of claim 1, wherein, The outer wall top of the gas storage tank (3) and the inner wall of the protective cover (11) are fixedly provided with support plates (19), the support plate (19) on the gas storage tank (3) is below the support plate (19) on the protective cover (11), the support plate (19) is provided with a connecting hole, the connecting hole is provided with an explosion bolt (20), and the gas storage tank (3) and the protective cover (11) are connected and fixed through the explosion bolt (20) and the support plate (19).

5. The air-supplyable distributed disposable heavy-payload stratospheric airship of claim 4, wherein, The outer wall of the gas storage tank (3) is fixedly provided with a parachute (21), the parachute (21) is below the support plate (19) on the gas storage tank (3), a gap is arranged between the parachute (21) and the protective cover (11), and the hole diameter of the through hole is consistent with the inner diameter of the protective cover (11).

6. The air-breathing distributed disposable heavy-payload stratospheric airship of claim 5, wherein, The outer wall of the gas storage tank (3) is fixedly provided with two annular baffles (22) in the vertical direction, the parachute (21) is arranged between the two annular baffles (22), the annular baffles (22) are in sliding fit with the inner wall of the protective cover (11), and the upper annular baffle (22) is in contact fit with the top end of the parachute (21).

7. The air-breathing distributed disposable heavy-payload stratospheric airship of claim 1, wherein, A plurality of gas storage tanks (3) are arranged in the middle of the cabin body (2) in an array, and the array is one of a rectangular array and a circumferential array.

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