Hybrid Airship Generator Mounting via External Arm
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Hybrid airships face difficulties in maintaining generators in remote locations due to accessibility issues and vibrations from generators disrupting sensitive sensors, while existing solutions do not adequately address these challenges.
Innovation Solution
The hybrid airship design features generators remotely located from the gondola via an arm, allowing easy access for maintenance and reducing vibrations, which improves cooling efficiency and minimizes disruption to sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the generator is located inside the gondola, then the structure is compact, but the maintenance access is difficult and tedious
Solution Approach 1:
The generator is extracted from the gondola interior and relocated to an external position on the buoyancy enclosure. This extraction resolves the maintenance access problem by allowing operators to reach the generator from outside the airship, eliminating the need to enter the confined gondola space for routine maintenance operations.
Solution Approach 2:
A flexible connection system (comprising flexible cables and mechanical linkages) serves as an intermediary between the externally located generator and the gondola interior. This intermediary mechanism transmits power and control signals while accommodating the spatial separation, enabling the generator to be positioned optimally for maintenance access while maintaining functional integration with the airship systems.
2Ease of repair
If the generator is attached directly to the gondola and buoyancy element, then the structure is simplified, but the maintenance operation remains complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The generator mounting system is segmented into distinct modular components: the generator unit itself, the attachment mechanism to the buoyancy enclosure, and the connection interface to the gondola. This segmentation allows the generator to be independently accessed, removed, and replaced without affecting the overall airship structure, significantly simplifying maintenance operations while maintaining structural integrity.
3Temperature
If the generator is located at the back of the gondola, then the structure is compact, but the thermal cooling is not efficient
Solution Approach 1:
The generator is relocated from the confined three-dimensional space inside the gondola to an external position on the buoyancy enclosure surface. This dimensional relocation provides access to the surrounding atmospheric environment, enabling effective thermal cooling through natural convection and radiation to the ambient air, while the flexible connection system maintains the functional link to the gondola.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the generator is located inside the gondola, then the structure is compact, but the vibrations disrupt sensitive sensors
Solution Approach 1:
The generator, which is a significant vibration source, is extracted from the gondola interior and positioned externally on the buoyancy enclosure. This physical separation removes the vibration source from proximity to the sensitive sensors located within the gondola, thereby eliminating the harmful vibrational interference while the flexible connections maintain operational functionality.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design facilitates easier and quicker maintenance of generators without entering the gondola, reduces sensor interference, and enhances thermal cooling, making operations more efficient and reliable in remote areas.
Implementation Method 1
at least one buoyancy enclosure (32) containing a gas lighter than air
Implementation Method 2
at least one propeller (36), configured to propel the hybrid airship (10)
Implementation Method 3
at least one generator (38), configured to provide power to the propeller (36)
Implementation Method 4
They are silent and can be propelled with thermal generators providing electrical power to propellers
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The present invention concerns hybrid airship (10) comprising at least one buoyancy enclosure (32) containing a gas lighter than air, a gondola (34) attached below the buoyancy enclosure (32), the gondola (34) extending along a longitudinal axis, at least one propeller (36) configured to propel the hybrid airship (10), the at least one propeller (36) being attached to the buoyancy enclosure (32), at least one generator (38), configured to provide power to the propeller (36), the generator (38) being connected to the gondola (34). The hybrid airship (10) comprises an arm (40) protruding from the gondola (34) and connecting the generator (38) to the gondola (34).