Flight body degassing method, flight body degassing device, and air sac opening device

Abstract

To provide a flight body degassing method, a flight body degassing device, and an air sac opening device capable of quickly and reliably removing floating gas from an air sac of a flight body after flight while securing flight safety.SOLUTION: In a flight body degassing method for removing flight gas from an air sac 12 of a flight body 1 after flight, an air bag open device 4 is attached to one of operation ropes 3 suspended so as to be folded back in a suspension member 122 provided in a top part of the air sac 12, the other of the operation ropes 3 is pulled down to bring the air sac open device 4 into contact or proximity to the air sac 12 to open the air sac 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a gas venting method for a flying object, a gas venting device for a flying object, and a gas sac opening device for venting buoyancy gas from the gas sac of the flying object after flight has ended. [Background technology]

[0002] Balloons and airships are made by filling large bags called air bladders with gas that is lighter than the surrounding air, and fly by the buoyancy of that gas. At the top of the balloon, there is an opening and closing device to release the gas, and during flight, the flight altitude is adjusted by controlling the opening and closing of this opening and closing device.

[0003] Furthermore, after the flight, there is a risk that the balloon may be blown away or tip over due to crosswinds, so it is necessary to quickly release the gas from the air bag. However, with conventional opening and closing devices installed at the top of the balloon, even when fully opened, the opening area is small, making it difficult to release the gas, and it takes a long time. Furthermore, as balloons tend to become larger, the degassing process takes more time, increasing the risk of tipping over, so an efficient degassing technology is required.

[0004] There are high-altitude balloons used to fly observation equipment that conducts meteorological observations of temperature, humidity, etc. at high altitudes. The observation equipment needs to be recovered after the observation is completed, but with conventional observation balloons, the observation equipment is recovered by either separating the balloon from the observation equipment in mid-air and dropping the equipment, or by drilling a large hole in the air envelope in mid-air to release gas to the outside, causing the entire balloon to drop.

[0005] As a conventional device for drilling a large hole in a gas sac in mid-air, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-274994 proposes a balloon degassing device that is equipped with a heat-generating element containing a heat-generating agent on the outer surface of the balloon and an ignition device that receives command radio waves from outside and ignites the heat-generating agent (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-274994 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] It may be possible to release gas from the air sac after the flight has ended using the device described in Patent Document 1. However, the invention described in Patent Document 1 uses a technology that ignites a heat generating agent, and therefore is not safe considering the risk of fire due to malfunction. In particular, the applicant is currently implementing manned balloon flights, and if a fire were to occur during flight, there is a risk of the balloon crashing, which could be life-threatening. Therefore, there is a need for technology that can ensure safety during flight without damaging the air sac, and quickly release the gas filled in the air sac after the flight has ended.

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems and meet the needs, and aims to provide a gas venting method for a flying object, a gas venting device for a flying object, and an air sac opening device that can quickly and reliably vent the buoyancy gas from the air sac of the flying object after the flight has ended while ensuring the safety of the flight. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The gas venting method for a flying object of the present invention is a method for venting buoyancy gas from the air sac of a flying object after flight has ended, in order to solve the problem of quickly and reliably venting buoyancy gas from the flying object after flight has ended while ensuring flight safety.An air sac opening device is attached to one side of an operating rope that is hung so as to fold back from a hanging member provided at the top of the air sac, and the air sac opening device is brought into contact with or close to the air sac by pulling down the other side of the operating rope, thereby opening the air sac.

[0010] The gas venting device for a flying object of the present invention is a gas venting device for a flying object that vents buoyancy gas from the air sac of a flying object after flight has ended, in order to solve the problem of quickly and reliably venting buoyancy gas from the flying object after flight has ended while ensuring flight safety.The gas venting device has an operating rope that is hung so that it folds back on a hanging member provided at the top of the air sac, and an air sac opening device that is attached to one side of the operating rope and is lifted by pulling down the other side, thereby opening the air sac.

[0011] In order to solve the problem of quickly and reliably releasing buoyancy gas from a flying body, the air sac opening device of the present invention has an air sac opening member that comes into contact with or is close to the air sac of the flying body to open the air sac, and an operating rope attachment part that attaches an operating rope to the air sac opening member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, the buoyancy gas can be quickly and reliably released from the air envelope of the flying object after the flight has ended while ensuring the safety of the flight. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a flying body equipped with a gas venting device for a flying body according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the zenith portion of the air envelope in this embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view showing an air bladder opening device according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a flying object fixed to the ground after flight in this embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the air bladder opening device is attached to an operating rope in this embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 10 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the operation rope is being pulled down and the air sac opening device is being brought into contact with or close to the air sac in this embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7]10 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the air sac has been opened by the air sac opening device in this embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a gas venting device for a flying object and a gas sac opening device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] The flying object 1 in this embodiment has the shape of a so-called balloon, and as shown in Figure 1, has a cabin 11 for a person to board, an air bag 12 filled with a buoyancy gas made of a gas lighter than air (e.g., helium gas) to make the cabin 11 float, and multiple suspenders 13 connecting the cabin 11 and the air bag 12.

[0016] The cabin 11 is designed to protect passengers from the flight environment, which may be subject to changes in altitude, temperature, etc. It has an internal space sized to accommodate passengers, and is equipped with the ability to appropriately control the air pressure, temperature, oxygen concentration, etc. of the internal space.

[0017] The air envelope 12 is used to lift the cabin 11 by the buoyancy of the buoyancy gas filled therein, and is formed into a substantially spherical shape by bonding together a plurality of envelope pieces 121. In this embodiment, the envelope pieces 121 are formed from synthetic resin sheets.

[0018] A zenith member 122 is provided at the zenith portion of the air envelope 12, and in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 2, it has a substantially circular zenith main body 122a and a crown ring 122b that is placed next to the zenith main body 122a with a gap therebetween. The crown ring 122b is connected to a load tape 14 that is hung along the joints of the envelope pieces 121 and whose lower end is connected to the upper end of the hanging rope 13, and a crown rope 15 for fixing the flying object 1 to the ground or the like.

[0019] The flying object 1 is not limited to a balloon, but may be an airship equipped with a propulsion device together with the air envelope 12. Furthermore, the flying object 1 is not limited to a cabin 11 in which a person rides, but may be an unmanned exploration device or the like.

[0020] As shown in Figure 1, the gas venting device 2 for a flying object in this embodiment is a device for venting the buoyancy gas filled in the air bag 12 after the flight has ended, and has an operating rope 3 suspended from the top of the air bag 12 and an air bag opening device 4 attached to one side of the operating rope 3.

[0021] The operating rope 3 is a rope used to operate the air sac opening device 4 to contact or approach the air sac 12, and is made of a braided cord (also called a braided cord) that is resistant to twisting and has high strength. The operating rope 3 in this embodiment is hung in advance by folding it back on the hanging member 31 before the start of flight, and its lower end is tied to the cabin 11 or the like so as not to get in the way during flight.

[0022] Furthermore, in order to solve the problem of keeping the length of the operating rope 3 in this embodiment so as not to interfere with flight, it is formed in a loop shape that allows the overall length of the rope to be short, as shown in Figure 1. Furthermore, in order to solve the problem of being able to operate the operating rope 3 on the ground or on water after flight has ended, the operating rope 3 has a length that allows it to be operated when the flying object 1 has landed or on water, and more specifically, it has a length that allows it to reach the ground or on water when fixed to the ground or the like by a crown rope 15 or the like, and to be held and operated on the ground or the like.

[0023] In addition, the hanging member 31 that hangs the operating rope 3 is provided at the top of the air bag 12, and in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, is composed of a ring-shaped member 31a fastened to the crown ring 122b with a string 31b.

[0024] The operating rope 3 is not limited to a braided cord, and may be appropriately selected from woven cord, twisted cord, etc. The material of the operating rope 3 may also be appropriately selected from synthetic fibers such as nylon, polyester, polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), vinylon, etc., and natural fibers such as silk and hemp.

[0025] Furthermore, the suspending member 31 is not limited to the ring-shaped member 31a fastened to the crown ring 122b with the string 31b, but the operating rope 3 may be suspended directly from the crown ring 122b (in this case, the crown ring 122b functions as the suspending member 31). Furthermore, a pulley may be used instead of the ring-shaped member 31a to facilitate the operation of pulling down the operating rope 3.

[0026] The air sac opening device 4 is used to open the air sac 12, and in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, it has an air sac opening member 41 that opens the air sac 12, and a device main body 42 that has an operating rope attachment portion 43 that attaches an operating rope 3 to this air sac opening member 41.

[0027] The air sac opening member 41 is a member that opens the air sac 12 by coming into contact with or close to the air sac 12 of the flying object 1, and in this embodiment, it cuts and opens the air sac 12 by coming into contact with the air sac 12.

[0028] Specifically, the air sac opening member 41 is made up of a plurality of cutters 45, and is arranged at the bottom of the device body 42 in order to solve the problem of lowering the center of gravity of the air sac opening device 4 to make it easier to maintain its posture. Also, the cutters 45 are arranged radially in a substantially horizontal direction with their cutting edges facing upward in order to solve the problem of being able to open the air sac opening device 4 even if it shakes and rotates.

[0029] The device main body 42 is the main body that is attached to the operating rope 3, and in this embodiment, it has an operating rope attachment portion 43 and is formed in a vertically elongated shape to solve the problem of making it easier to maintain a position in contact with the air bag 12.

[0030] In this embodiment, the operating rope mounting portion 43 is configured as an insertion hole at the top of the device main body 42 through which a rope can be inserted, and an attachment rope 44 separate from the operating rope 3 is inserted into the operating rope mounting portion 43 and connected to the operating rope 3.

[0031] The air sac opening device 4 is not limited to the configuration of this embodiment, and for example, the cutters 45 may be arranged radially, not only horizontally but also vertically or diagonally, so that the air sac 12 can be opened even when contacted from any angle. Also, instead of the cutters 45, the air sac 12 may be opened by melting it with heat from an electric heating wire or the like.

[0032] Furthermore, the air sac opening device 4 is not limited to a configuration that opens the air sac 12 by directly contacting it, and although not shown, a device such as an air gun that opens the air sac 12 by drilling a hole from a position close to the air sac 12 and slightly away from it may also be used.

[0033] Next, a method for venting gas from the flying object 1 using the flying object venting device 2 of this embodiment will be described.

[0034] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, after flight, the flying object 1 is fixed to the ground or the like with a crown rope 15 or the like at the point where it lands on the ground, a river, or on a ship or at sea. The lower end of the control rope 3 is detached from the cabin 11 or the like to which it is attached. Because the control rope 3 is suspended from the suspension member 31 in advance, the method for venting gas from a flying object, which will be described below, can be quickly carried out simply by detaching the lower end of the control rope 3.

[0035] In the method for venting gas for a flying object, as shown in Fig. 5, an air sac opening device 4 is attached to one side of an operating rope 3. In this embodiment, an attachment rope 44 is passed through an operating rope attachment part 43 of a device main body 42, and the attachment rope 44 is connected to the operating rope 3. In this way, the air sac opening device 4 is attached so that it is suspended from the operating rope 3 with the device main body 42 on the upper side. Furthermore, because the air sac opening device 4 is attached to the operating rope 3 after the flight has ended, no holes are made in the air sac 12 during flight, ensuring flight safety.

[0036] Next, in order to solve the problem of increasing the safety and efficiency of the degassing work by having multiple people share the work using the operating rope 3, different operators hold one end of the operating rope 3 and the other end, and one operator pulls down the operating rope 3 while the other operator brings the air sac opening device 4 into contact with or close to the air sac 12.

[0037] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 6, one operator holds the operating rope 3a on the side not equipped with the air sac opening device 4, and the other operator holds the operating rope 3b on the side equipped with the air sac opening device 4. In this case, the number of operators holding each of the operating ropes 3a and 3b may be one or more.

[0038] One operator, holding the operating rope 3a on the side not equipped with the air sac opening device 4, pulls down the operating rope 3a that he or she is holding. Because the operating rope 3 is hung so as to be folded back on the hanging member 31, this pulling up operation pulls up the operating rope 3b on the side equipped with the air sac opening device 4.

[0039] At this time, the other operator holding the operating rope 3b on the side to which the air sac opening device 4 is attached operates the operating rope 3b being pulled up to adjust the distance and positional relationship between the air sac opening device 4 and the air sac 12, and bring the air sac opening device 4 into contact with or close to the air sac 12. In this embodiment, the operation is performed so that the air sac opening member 41 of the air sac opening device 4 avoids the position of the load tape 14 and comes into contact with the part of the substantially spherical air sac 12 with the largest horizontal diameter (near the so-called "equator").

[0040] In the air sac opening device 4 of this embodiment, the upper part of the device body 42 is suspended from the operating rope 3, and the cutter 45 is disposed at the lower part of the device body 42, thereby lowering the center of gravity and making it easier to maintain the suspended position. Therefore, the cutter 45 is pulled up with the cutting edge facing upward and comes into contact with the air sac 12, so that the air sac 12 can be reliably cut open. Furthermore, because the cutter 45 is disposed radially, it comes into contact with the air sac 12 even when it swings and rotates, and can more reliably open the air sac 12.

[0041] Each operator pulls down the operating rope 3 and adjusts the position of the air sac opening device 4, and cuts the air sac 12 from near the equator to the zenith, opening it wide, as shown in Figure 7. At this time, because the device body 42 is formed in a vertically elongated shape, it is easy to maintain a position in contact with the air sac 12, and the air sac opening device 4 can easily cut the air sac 12 all the way to the zenith.

[0042] The buoyancy gas filled in the gas bag 12 is discharged to the outside through the large slit opening. In this embodiment, as described above, the opening extends to the vicinity of the zenith, so the buoyancy gas, which is lighter than the surrounding air, is quickly discharged to the outside through the opening due to its own buoyancy.

[0043] After the opening operation is completed, the air sac opening device 4 is quickly retrieved by pulling down the operating rope 3b on the side where the air sac opening device 4 is attached, and is removed from the flying body 1 together with the operating rope 3. The removed air sac degassing device 2 can be reused in another flying body 1.

[0044] According to the present embodiment as described above, the following effects can be achieved. 1. A large hole can be opened in the air envelope 12 of the flying object 1 after the flight has finished. 2. The air bag 12 can be opened up to the zenith, so that the buoyancy gas, which is lighter than the surrounding air, can be quickly expelled to the outside by its own buoyancy. 3. The air sac opening device 4 can be reliably brought into contact with or close to the air sac 12 by operating the operating rope 3. 4. By separating the operation into pulling down the operating rope 3 and adjusting the position of the air bag opening device 4, the operation becomes easier and the reliability of the opening work can be improved. 5. During flight, the air sac opening device 4 is detached from the operating rope 3, so the air sac 12 will not be accidentally opened, ensuring flight safety. 6. The gas degassing device 2 for a flying object can be removed from the flying object 1 after the degassing operation and can be reused in another flying object 1.

[0045] The method for venting a flying object, the device for venting a flying object, and the device for opening a gas sac according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified as appropriate. For example, one operator may perform both the operations of pulling down the operating rope 3 and bringing the device into contact with or close to the gas sac 12. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1 Projectile 2. Gas venting device for projectiles 3 Operation rope 4. Air sac opening device 11 Cabin 12 Air sac 121 Bulb piece 122 Zenith member 122a Zenith body part 122b Crown Ring 13 sling 14 Road Tape 15 Crown Rope 31 Hanging member 31a Ring-shaped member 31b String 41 Air bladder opening material 42 Device body 43 Operation rope attachment point 44 Mounting rope 45 Cutter

Claims

1. A gas venting method for a flying object for releasing buoyancy gas from the air sac of the flying object after flight has ended, comprising: attaching an air sac opening device to one side of an operating rope that is hung so as to fold back from a hanging member provided at the top of the air sac; and pulling down the other side of the operating rope to bring the air sac opening device into contact with or close to the air sac, thereby opening the air sac.

2. 2. A method for venting a flying object as described in claim 1, wherein one end of the operating rope is held by a different operator, and one operator pulls down the operating rope while the other operator brings the air sac opening device into contact with or close to the air sac.

3. A gas venting device for a flying object for venting buoyancy gas from an air envelope of the flying object after flight has ended, an operating rope suspended from a suspension member provided at the top of the air envelope so as to be folded back; a sac opening device attached to one of the operating ropes and lifted by pulling down the other rope, thereby opening the sac.

4. 4. The gas venting device for a flying object according to claim 3, wherein the operating rope is formed in a loop and has a length that allows the rope to be operated when the flying object has landed on the ground or on water.

5. A sac opening device having a sac opening member that is brought into contact with or close to the sac of a flying object to open the sac, and an operating rope attachment portion that attaches an operating rope to the sac opening member.

6. The device body including the operating rope attachment portion is formed in a vertically elongated shape, 6. The air sac opening device according to claim 5, wherein the air sac opening member comprises a plurality of cutters arranged radially on the lower part of the device body.

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