High-speed air cushion vehicle

Abstract

The cargo or passenger vehicle floats on an air cushion initially created by an electrically driven compressor and has a forward propulsion engine, such as a linear induction motor or jet engine. As the forward speed increases, the vehicle body assists in changing the drag force into compressed air that is heated by waste heat from the forward propulsion engine and used by the compressor system to create an air cushion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle employing an air cushion system. Background Art

[0002] Rapidly declining transportation and industrial infrastructure, as well as growing concerns about sustainability and energy efficiency, have led to a desire for more efficient and rapid means of moving large numbers of people and industrial goods. Although magnetic levitation vehicles, traditional tracks, and even hyperloops have been explored, none offer attractive simplicity of construction and cost, as well as the desired speed.

[0003] Hovercraft vehicles that ride on air cushions have been developed, but are only suitable for specialized niche applications and are not suitable for general mass transportation. Although tracked air cushion trains have been explored, the inefficiencies and noise generated by the air cushions make them unattractive alternatives.

[0004] There is a need in the art for a more efficient system for providing an air cushion for a vehicle. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In one aspect, generally speaking, the present invention includes an air cushion system for a vehicle, the vehicle including a chassis and a forward propulsion engine, the system including:

[0006] a) An air inlet located in a high-pressure zone generated by the forward movement of the vehicle;

[0007] b) An air cushion compressor; and

[0008] c) A heat exchanger associated with the forward propulsion engine, the heat exchanger being disposed between the air inlet and the air cushion compressor to heat the air before it is compressed by the air cushion compressor.

[0009] In another aspect, the present invention includes a method of forming an air cushion under a high-speed vehicle, including the steps of:

[0010] a) Drawing in air from an air inlet located in a high-pressure zone generated by the forward movement of the vehicle;

[0011] b) Heating the air with heat from the forward propulsion engine and delivering the air to the air cushion compressor; and

[0012] c) Forming an air cushion with the air cushion compressor. Description of the Drawings

[0013] In the drawings shown in the specification, the same elements may be assigned the same reference numerals. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, but rather focus on the principles of the present invention. Additionally, each depicted embodiment is only one of a number of possible arrangements that utilize the basic concepts of the present invention.

[0014] a) Figure 1 is a schematic flowchart showing the basic operating principle of one aspect of the present invention.

[0015] b) Figure 2A -C (respectively) show a side view, a front view, and a rear view of an embodiment of a vehicle incorporating the present invention.

[0016] c) Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a transverse section of the vehicle shown in FIG. 2.

[0017] d) Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the air flow through the compression and hover unit system. The left half is a side view, while the right half is a cross-sectional view.

[0018] e) Figure 5 is a top plan view of an alternative embodiment having a linear induction motor;

[0019] f) Figure 6 is Figure 5 a side view of an embodiment of;

[0020] g) Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view along Figure 5 line A-A of. Detailed Description

[0021] Generally, the present invention includes a vehicle that is configured to be propelled at high speeds, such as greater than 200 km / h, and preferably greater than 300 km / h, and at least partially rides on an air cushion. Preferably, the vehicle rides entirely on the air cushion. The vehicle may be free to move or may be constrained by, for example, guide rails, tracks, or guideways.

[0022] The air cushion system includes a high-pressure air inlet that is coupled to the forward propulsion engine in the manner described below.

[0023] As is known to those skilled in the art, the air cushion will reduce the efficiency loss due to friction by effectively eliminating the rolling resistance to forward motion. The air cushion is maintained by diverting air from the high-pressure region generated in front of the high-speed moving vehicle and heating and pressurizing the air using the waste heat from the forward propulsion engine. This configuration has the secondary benefit of reducing the aerodynamic drag on the forward motion.

[0024] Figure 2A-C shows an embodiment of a vehicle. The vehicle is generally aerodynamically shaped as it is intended to travel at high speeds. In one embodiment, the forward propulsion engine is a jet engine, such as a turbofan engine commonly used on passenger aircraft. The compressed air inlets 21, 22, 23 in the vehicle nose are located in areas that experience high air pressure when the vehicle is moving at high speed. The jet engine air intake 24 is located in a central position, as is the jet engine exhaust 25.

[0025] The size of the compressed air inlets can be variable. In one example, the inlets can be covered with adjustable louvers or an adjustable cover that changes the opening size.

[0026] One embodiment of the invention is shown in Figure 3 in a cross-sectional view. The vehicle is a rail-guided vehicle that is intended to be supported entirely by air during forward movement. The jet engine 4, which serves as the forward propulsion engine, is centrally located in the vehicle chassis 17, 18 and is supported by an engine cradle 19. The jet engine is surrounded by a heat exchanger 1, which is covered by an exchanger shroud 2. The chassis are bolted together with structural bolts 15 and retaining clips 14.

[0027] In other embodiments, the forward propulsion engine can be a linear induction motor or other propulsion system that does not require ground contact. If electrical power is needed, the electrical energy can be supplied by any suitable source, such as an on-board generator (not shown) that can be powered by an internal combustion engine or a gas turbine engine, from a battery system (not shown), or from an external power source such as a "third" rail or an overhead power line, or by a wireless power transmitter (not shown).

[0028] The air entering the compressed inlets 21, 22, 23 is directed into the heat exchanger 1, where the air is heated by the heat generated by the forward propulsion engine, which heat is preferably heat that must be removed in any case. The heated air exits the heat exchanger 3 and enters the compressor duct 5, leading to the air cushion compressor intake plenum 6.

[0029] In this embodiment, the air cushion compressor includes a centrifugal fan 7 positioned within a compressor shroud 8 and supported by a base member 10 and a support bracket 11. The compressor can be driven by any suitable motor or engine, such as an electric motor 9. Electrical energy can be supplied by an on-board generator (not shown), from a battery system (not shown), or from an external power source such as a "third" rail or an overhead power line, or by a wireless power transmitter (not shown). In other embodiments, the compressor can be driven by a gas turbine engine.

[0030] Gay-Lussac's law states that when the volume is kept constant, the pressure of a given mass of gas varies directly with the absolute temperature of the gas. Thus, when heated in an enclosed space, the air will experience an increase in pressure. Since the air compressor 7 creates a low-pressure zone in its inlet, creating a suction resistance, the supply of heated air from the heat exchanger will reduce the suction resistance at low speeds due to its increased pressure, thus allowing the required air cushion to be generated with lower energy consumption. As the speed increases, the air pressure from the inlet and the heat exchanger will increase correspondingly, further reducing the energy consumption required for the air cushion.

[0031] In addition, the vehicle can be aerodynamically shaped to create a high-pressure zone near the air inlet. Typically, this high-pressure zone will increase the unwanted aerodynamic drag experienced by the vehicle. However, by providing an air inlet in this zone, the aerodynamic drag is reduced.

[0032] The output of the compressor 7 is directed into the duct 12 and into the bell-shaped hover chamber 13. The chamber is configured to distribute air around its periphery 16 and to eject it at high speed and pressure to create an air momentum curtain. The air is directed slightly inwards and is trapped above and below between the hover unit and the ground, and through the lateral momentum curtain, the air creates an air cushion that at least partially supports the vehicle.

[0033] Optionally, the hover chamber can also be placed directly in a vertical slot below the jet engine, vertically oriented as can be seen in Figure 3 As such. Since the only outlet for the air passes directly downwards through a narrow opening in the chassis 17, 18, an air cushion is created centrally between two horizontally arranged hover chambers 13.

[0034] In Figures 5 to 7 An alternative embodiment including an electric linear induction motor as a forward propulsion engine is schematically shown. The motor 30 is centrally disposed above the chassis 32, which defines a central track slot. This embodiment is a rail-guided rail vehicle designed to be fully supported by air during forward movement. The components of this embodiment can be the same or similar to the components described above in connection with the use of a jet engine.

[0035] The forced air (compressed) inlet 34 is positioned facing forward to utilize the high-pressure zone created by the high-speed forward movement. The incoming air passes directly above the linear induction motor coil 36 within the induction motor housing 30, where heat exchange occurs, and enters the forced air duct 38, thus leading to the compressor chamber 40.

[0036] The compressor 42 can be a centrifugal fan, as described above. The output of the compressor 42 is directed into the compressed air duct 44, thus leading to the hover unit 46, which can be configured as described above.

[0037] The system implemented thereby can have the advantage of higher efficiency, since the waste heat from one process is used to reduce the mechanical energy required for the compressor / cushion process. The scalability and efficiency of such a system are limited only by the size of the vehicle in which it is integrated.

[0038] Interpretation. Any term or expression not explicitly defined herein shall have its generally accepted definition as understood by those skilled in the art.

[0039] All corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of the means or step plus function elements in the claims appended to this specification are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed.

[0040] Note further that the claims may be drafted to exclude any optional element. Accordingly, this statement is intended to serve as a basis for the use of exclusive terms relating to the recitation or "negative" limitation of claim elements, such exclusive terms as "solely", "only", etc. The terms "preferably", "preferred", "preferably", "optionally", "may", and similar terms are used to indicate that the item, condition, or step being referred to is an optional (not required) feature of the invention.

[0041]

[0042] The singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The term "and / or" means any one of the items associated with that term, any combination of the items, or all of the items. The phrase "one or more" is readily understood by those skilled in the art, particularly when read in the context in which it is used.

[0043] ​The term "about" can refer to a variation of ±5%, ±10%, ±20%, or ±25% of a specified value. For example, in some embodiments, "about 50%" can have a variation from 45% to 55%. For integer ranges, the term "about" can include one or two integers greater than and / or less than the integers recited at each end of the range. Unless otherwise specified herein, the term "about" is intended to include values and ranges close to the recited range that are equivalent in terms of the functionality of the composition or embodiment.

[0044] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, for any and all purposes, particularly in providing a written description, all ranges recited herein also cover any and all possible subranges and combinations of subranges thereof, as well as the individual values that make up the range, particularly integer values. The recited ranges include every specific value, integer, decimal, or unit within the range. Any listed range can be readily viewed as fully described and enabling the same range to be broken down into at least equal halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, or tenths. By way of non-limiting example, each range discussed herein can be readily broken down into a lower third, middle third, and upper third, etc.

[0045] As will also be understood by those skilled in the art, all language such as "at most", "at least", "greater than", "less than", "more than", "or more", including the recited amounts, and such terms refer to ranges that can subsequently be broken down into subranges as discussed above. In the same manner, all ratios recited herein also include all sub-ratios that fall within the broader ratio.

Claims

1. An air cushion system for a vehicle, the vehicle including a forward propulsion engine, the system comprising: a) an air inlet located in a high-pressure zone generated by the forward movement of the vehicle; b) an air cushion compressor; and c) a heat exchanger associated with the forward propulsion engine, disposed between the air inlet and the air cushion compressor to heat the air before it is compressed by the air cushion compressor.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein, the forward propulsion engine is a linear induction motor or an internal combustion engine.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein, the forward propulsion engine is a linear induction motor.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein, the forward propulsion engine is an internal combustion engine.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein, the forward propulsion engine is a jet engine.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein, the vehicle is fully supported by an air cushion at high speed.

7. A method of forming an air cushion under a high-speed vehicle, comprising the steps of: a) sucking air from an air inlet located in a high-pressure zone generated by the forward movement of the vehicle; b) heating the air with heat from a forward propulsion engine and transferring the heated air to an air cushion compressor; and c) forming an air cushion under the vehicle with the air cushion compressor.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, the forward propulsion engine is a linear induction motor or an internal combustion engine.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, the forward propulsion engine is a linear induction motor.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein, the forward propulsion engine is an internal combustion engine.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein, the forward propulsion engine is a jet engine.

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