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US9522733B2 - Airship launch from a cargo airship- Google Patents US9522733B2 - Airship launch from a cargo airship- Google Patents Airship launch from a cargo airshipInfo Publication number US9522733B2 US9522733B2 US13/347,371 US71A US9522733B2 US 9522733 B2 US9522733 B2 US 9522733B2 US 71 A US71 A US 71A US 9522733 B2 US9522733 B2 US 9522733B2 Authority US United States Prior art keywords airship high altitude cargo lifting gas Prior art date 2011-06-13 Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.) Active, expires 2034-09-11 Application number US13/347,371 Other versions Inventor Stephen Heppe Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)STRATOSPHERIC AIRSHIPS LLCOriginal Assignee STRATOSPHERIC AIRSHIPS LLC Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.) 2011-06-13 Filing date 2012-01-10 Publication date 2016-06-13 Priority to US13/159,215 priority Critical patent/US8864063B2/en 2012-01-10 Application filed by STRATOSPHERIC AIRSHIPS LLC filed Critical STRATOSPHERIC AIRSHIPS LLC 2012-01-10 Priority to US13/347,371 priority patent/US9522733B2/en 2012-10-08 Assigned to STRATOSPHERIC AIRSHIPS, LLC reassignment STRATOSPHERIC AIRSHIPS, LLC ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS).
Assignors: HEPPE, STEPHEN B. RELATED DOCUMENTSThe present application is a continuation-in-part and claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. Application Ser. 13/159,215, to Stephen Heppe, filed Jun. 13, 2011 and entitled “Tethered Airships,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUNDHigh-altitude airships can be used as platforms for a variety of missions, including weather and astronomical observations. High-altitude airships are typically designed to be lightweight and hold large volumes of lifting gas to provide the desired amount of buoyancy in the upper atmosphere. A stratospheric balloon or airship is generally designed with a light-weight hull to contain lifting gas while minimizing overall airship mass. For example, airships intended for operation in the upper stratosphere may have a hull with a thickness that is less than 50 μm and an areal density less than 100 g/m 2 of effective hull surface area, with a surface area on the order of tens of thousands of square meters.The large surface area and thin hull can make the airship vulnerable to damage, particularly during launch. To launch an airship, a suitable launch site is selected and a launch window is selected when little or no wind is anticipated.
The conventional launch method restricts the amount of slack balloon material that is subject to wind drag or “sail” effect during the launch. The launch site also includes a large open area where the balloon can be laid out and inflated without risk of the fragile hull coming into undesirable contact with external objects. Typically, the bulk of the balloon is laid out lengthwise on a suitable launch surface. Very large balloons (20-40 million cubic feet displacement; 500,000 to 1,000,000 cubic meters displacement) can require 800 ft (240 meters) or more of layout space. The top portion of the balloon is placed under a roller arm of a launch vehicle. This launch vehicle confines the lifting gas to the top portion of the balloon during inflation.
At the completion of inflation, the launch arm is released and the balloon rises vertically over a payload release vehicle. Typically this payload release vehicle includes a crane that suspends the payload. The payload release vehicle can be driven downwind to minimize the wind effects on the hull. Even with these precautions, these launch techniques can only be used in calm or near calm winds and still result in a significant risk of the hull and/or payloads being damaged.
Further, these operational constraints severely limit the locations and times that a high-altitude balloon can be launched. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe accompanying drawings illustrate various examples of the principles described herein and are a part of the specification. The illustrated examples are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims.FIGS. 1A and 1B show illustrative cargo airships with payload doors that can be opened when launching a high-altitude airship, according to one example of principles described herein.FIG. 1C is a side view of an illustrative cargo airship that has been partially cut away to show storage of a high-altitude airship and launching apparatus, according to one example of principles described herein.FIG. 1D shows an illustrative high-altitude airship being launched from a cargo airship, according to one embodiment of principles described herein.FIG. 1E is a side view of a high-altitude airship and payload at altitude, according to one example of principles described herein.FIGS.
2A and 2B are diagrams of an illustrative high-altitude airship with an illustrative inflation tube, according to one example of principles described herein.FIG. 3A-3C show a storage concept for a high-altitude airship carried within a payload bay of a cargo airship, according to one example of principles described herein.FIG. 4 is a diagram deployment of a high-altitude airship that has been folded in a payload bay of a cargo airship, according to one example of principles described herein.FIG. 5 is a flow chart of an illustrative method for deploying a high-altitude airship from a cargo airship, according to one example of principles described herein.FIGS.
6A-6B show a flow chart of an illustrative method for deploying a high-altitude airship from a cargo airship, according to one example of principles described herein.FIG. 7 is perspective view of an airship equipped with a parafoil and a parachute, according to one example of principles described herein.FIG. 8 illustrates a high altitude balloon with controllable aerodynamic elements, according to one example of principles described herein.Throughout the drawings, identical reference numbers designate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTIONThe figures and specification below describe a two stage deployment concept that includes a robust low-altitude airship that can carry a high-altitude airship as a payload, and deploy it at a suitable altitude. The low-altitude airship can be launched (along with its cargo) from a convenient launch site and flown to a different site for the deployment and launch of the high-altitude airship. This enables direct insertion into difficult environments such as polar or mid-oceanic areas.The robust low-altitude airship can be launched in a greater variety of wind conditions and a greater variety of launch sites (airports), as compared to a fragile high-altitude airship, thereby increasing launch opportunities and reducing certain transportation and logistics costs.
Also, by deploying the high-altitude airship at a suitable altitude away from the ground while the low-altitude airship (which may also be called the cargo airship, first-stage airship, or other suitable name) is in drifting flight, airspeed and wind gusts are minimized, thereby easing the launch of the high-altitude airship and minimizing the potential for damage.The inventive concepts represent a technological alternative to the special-purpose launch site and special-purpose support equipment and personnel typically required for the launch of high-altitude airships. Additionally, less handling of the balloon is required and risk of damage to the hull is considerably reduced.Some or all of the expense of building and operating the low-altitude airship is offset by the avoided expenses associated with the prior-art special-purpose launch site and special-purpose support equipment typically required for the launch of high-altitude airships. Also, because of the increased operational flexibility of the inventive concept, its costs can be amortized over a greater number of launches.In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present systems and methods. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present apparatus, systems and methods may be practiced without these specific details. Reference in the specification to “an example” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the example is included in at least that one example, but not necessarily in other examples. In some cases, the components shown in the figures may not be drawn to scale. Further, the relative scale of the components in a given figure may be varied for purposes of illustration.FIG.
1A illustrates the general outline of a cargo airship 100 equipped with a payload bay door or flap 120 on its upper surface. The cargo airship 100 could also be described as a “low-altitude airship”, “first stage airship”, “launch airship”, “logistics tug”, or other appellations. A payload bay, which is located inside the airship 100, contains a high-altitude airship intended to be launched using the inventive concept.
The payload bay communicates with the outside environment via the payload bay door or flap 120. The cargo airship 100 comprises sufficient buoyant volume, separated from the payload bay, to carry itself and its payload to a desired deployment altitude. The cargo airship 100 may be manned, unmanned, or optionally manned. The cargo airship 100 may include other subsystems such as energy or fuel storage subsystems, propulsion subsystems, aerodynamic control subsystems (such as lifting surfaces and/or aerodynamic control surfaces), buoyancy control subsystems, and communications, navigation, and control subsystems appropriate to the manning concept employed. The payload comprises the high-altitude airship intended to be launched, all necessary support hardware, and a source of lifting gas for the high-altitude airship such as e.g. Tanks of compressed hydrogen or helium, or a reservoir of chemical stocks that can be used to generate hydrogen gas at will.FIG. 1B illustrates the general outline of a cargo airship 110, similar in many respects to the cargo airship 100 previously illustrated, equipped with a payload bay door or flap 130 on its upper and lateral surface.FIG.
1C is a side view of an illustrative cargo airship 100 that has been partially cut away to show storage of a high-altitude airship 200 and launching apparatus ( 122, 124, 126) in a payload bay. The cargo airship 100 includes a number of internal ballonets 128.
The ballonets 128 provide containment of the lifting gas and allow for the distribution of lifting gas to be shifted to achieve more desirable flight characteristics. In this example, a space between the ballonets 128 may be used to store: the high-altitude airship 200 on a reel 126; supplies of lifting gas 124; as well other gear such as command and control equipment 122. The payload bay door 120 is opened to allow the high-altitude airship 200 to be deployed.
As discussed below in greater detail, the hull of the high-altitude airship can be inflated from the supplies of lifting gas 124 and/or from the lifting gas in the ballonets 128 of the cargo airship 100. The reel 126 rotates to allow the high-altitude airship 200 to be deployed upward through the payload bay door 120 of the cargo airship 100 as shown in FIG.
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1E is a side view of a high-altitude airship 200 at altitude with an optional payload 204 suspended from the airship by shroud lines 202. In this implementation, the high-altitude airship 200 includes a “pumpkin lobed” hull balloon intended for operation in the upper stratosphere.FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate the general outline of one type of high-altitude airship 200 that can be deployed using the inventive concepts disclosed herein. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, an inflation tube 210 runs from a point near the crown of the airship to a point near the base or collar of the airship.
Only a portion of the tube is shown in FIG. 2B the airship 200 has been illustrated as transparent to show the full length of the tube 210. The inflation tube 210 allows lifting gas to be selectively introduced into the crown of the airship during initial inflation of the airship. By inflating the crown of the airship first, the airship deployment proceeds smoothly and allows the reel to continuously unroll the high-altitude airship as the crown of the airship rises out of the payload bay 120, FIG. If the high-altitude airship 200 is constructed along the lines of a pumpkin-lobed balloon as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the inflation tube 210 may be integrated with one of the seams between gores of the balloon.
However, other integration methods could be used, including supporting the inflation tube 210 from the crown of the airship so that the tube hangs down the center of the airship when the airship 200 is inflated. The purpose of the inflation tube 210 is to allow hydrogen gas to be introduced in such a way that the crown of the airship is the first portion to be significantly inflated, as opposed to its base (more generally, the purpose of the inflation tube is to first inflate the part of the high-altitude airship or balloon that is outermost on the drum or spindle 250, and which will be deployed first).FIG. 3A illustrates a general stowage concept for a high-altitude airship carried within the payload bay of the cargo airship 100 (or 110), in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. This particular embodiment is adapted to the form of the airship 200 illustrated in FIG. 1A-1D, but may be used for certain other airship types and geometries as well. As illustrated in FIG. 3A, the hull comprising the envelope of the lifting volume of the high-altitude balloon or airship 200 is wound loosely on a reel 255.
In this example, the reel 255 includes a spindle 250 between end plates 260 and 270. The reel 255 may be supported by additional equipment that is not shown and may include a variety of additional components including motors, brakes, and sensors.The inflation tube 210 is constructed to resist crushing so that it maintains an open cross-section along its entire length when subjected to the expected compression loads associated with the hull of the high-altitude airship 200 (along with the inflation tube 210 itself) being wound on the reel 255. As the airship 200 is wound onto the reel 255, tension in the direction of winding is carefully managed to insure that compressive forces do not crush the inflation tube 210.The inflation tube 210 is connected, through the action of a commandable valve that is part of the balloon 200, and a reversible mating apparatus, to a filling port on the reel 255. The filling port, in turn, is fluidically connected to an external supply of lifting gas. One or more of these connections includes a rotating joint (such as a slip ring joint) that allows a first half of the connector to rotate with the reel 255. The other portion of the connector is connected to the external gas supply and remains stationary.The inflation tube 210 may include one or more diffusers on its terminal end to ensure that hydrogen gas is distributed into the crown of the balloon without damage to the balloon material by the temperature or pressure of the hydrogen.
For example, if the hydrogen is taken from cryogenic storage, the hydrogen may be very cold. The diffuser allows the hydrogen to be more effectively distributed and warmed.
The diffuser may include an end cap with multiple openings, multiple openings along the length of the tube, or other appropriate configuration. The diffuser may allow the hydrogen to be delivered at higher pressures for more rapid inflation of the balloon. Further, if the tube is used to extract gas from the balloon, the diffuser provides multiple openings that are less likely to be blocked.In operation, the apparatus and structures illustrated generally in FIG. 3A allows the high-altitude airship 200 to be filled with lifting gas even while it is being unspooled from the drum or spindle 250. Specifically, after the cargo airship 100 (or 110) reaches a desired deployment and launch altitude, and is allowed to drift with the wind so that it achieves close to zero airspeed, the payload bay door or flap 120 is opened or retracted, exposing the payload bay with its high-altitude airship 200 wound on the reel 255.
A small amount of lifting gas is introduced into the high-altitude airship 200 by way of the previously-noted plumbing contained in the drum or spindle 250, the filling port, the reversible mating apparatus, the commandable valve, and the inflation tube 210. This causes the crown of the high-altitude airship (or other portion that is wound outermost on the drum or spindle 250) to inflate, become buoyant, and start to pull upward and away from the reel 255. This will naturally tend to cause the drum or spindle 250 to unwind. Additional lifting gas can be introduced as already described, taking care to avoid an excessive inflation rate that could cause the hull of the high-altitude airship to rupture. A motor and brake apparatus, associated with the reel 255 is included in some embodiments to enhance the deployment sequence by assisting in initial deployment (through motorized turning of the drum or spindle) and also slowing the rate of deployment (braking, if necessary).As illustrated in FIG.
In which the inflation tube is configured to receive lifting gas from an external source and convey the lifting gas to the crown.