Airship Docking Station Ground-Clearance Control for Stable Rotation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing airship ground clearance systems fail to prevent airships from touching the ground or becoming unsteady during mooring, especially for rigid airships without landing gear, and do not allow for stable rotation around a mooring mast without damaging the airship structure.
Innovation Solution
A docking station with controllable wheels and a ground connection interface that allows the airship to rotate around a mooring mast, featuring idler wheels and a winch system for cable deployment, along with a method involving cable winding and ballast transfer to stabilize the airship.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a wheel is placed under the aft nacelle or a weighted wheel is attached by cables to the rear of Goodyear blimps, then the airship is prevented from ascending or descending, but the airship can still move in the opposite direction and touch the ground
Solution Approach 1:
The ground clearance system is divided into multiple independent components: a front wheel under the nose cone for forward support, and a rear wheel under the aft nacelle for rear support. This segmentation allows each wheel to independently control ground clearance at different locations, preventing the airship from touching the ground while maintaining stability during movement.
Solution Approach 2:
Cable mechanisms act as intermediaries connecting the rear wheel to the aft nacelle, transmitting force to prevent the airship from descending. The cables provide flexible force transmission that maintains ground clearance without rigidly constraining the airship's movement, allowing controlled motion while preventing ground contact.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a landing and docking device is fitted to an airship, then the airship can dock, but the device is not suitable for airships without landing gear and does not prevent nose-up attitude or ground contact with the tail
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel-based ground clearance system serves multiple functions: it provides docking support, prevents ground contact, and maintains proper airship attitude. The same wheel structure that supports the airship during docking also prevents nose-up attitudes and tail ground contact, eliminating the need for separate landing gear components.
Solution Approach 2:
The weighted rear wheel acts as a counterweight system that balances the airship's tendency to adopt a nose-up attitude during docking. The weight positioned at the rear creates a counterbalancing moment that prevents the nose from rising too high, while the front wheel prevents the tail from touching the ground, achieving attitude control through distributed weight management.
3Ease of operation
If an airship is moored to a low or truncated mast, then the mooring is simplified, but the airship cannot turn around the mast without striking the ground or becoming unsteady
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel-based ground clearance system transforms the airship from a static grounded position to a dynamically supported configuration. The wheels provide continuous ground contact support that maintains stability during rotational movement around the mast, allowing the airship to dynamically adjust its position without striking the ground or becoming unsteady.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds a vertical dimension of support through the wheeled ground clearance mechanism, allowing the airship to maintain elevated stable contact with the ground through the wheels rather than direct body contact. This vertical support dimension enables rotational movement around the mast by providing a stable pivot point that prevents ground striking while maintaining airship stability.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
A device (500) for controlling the ground clearance of an airship (200), the airship being provided with two lateral anchoring points (212), said device comprising: a frame (502), on which a weight (504) is fixed; two (rigid) arms (506), each arm having one end, called proximal end, that is articulated on the frame and one end, called distal end; means for moving the distal end of each arm between a position, called retention position, in which each distal end is in contact with a lateral anchoring end of the airship that is said to be connected to said distal end, and a position, called unlocked position, in which there is no contact between the airship and the docking station; and means for detachably fixing, in the retention position, the respective distal end of each arm on the associated respective lateral anchoring point.