Abstract:
The present invention provides a solar-powered transformable airship, on which solar cell panels are installed all over to maximize the amount of solar energy collected. Moreover, the airship according to the present invention has a main body of variable volume, suitable for any altitude, ranging from the ground to 30 kilometers high, providing very good economic potential.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
   This application claims priority of CN Patent Application No. 200510090070.1 filed on Aug. 12, 2005, entitled “Transformable Airship”, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. 
   TECHNICAL FIELD  
   The present invention relates to a transformable aircraft, and in particular, to an airship having a main body of variable volume, which can be powered by solar-energy. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
   An airplane, which is a “heavier-than-air” craft, is urged upwardly by a force generated by the relative movement between the airfoils and the airflow, while an airship, which is a “lighter-than-air” craft, makes use of buoyancy to “float” in the air, by filling the airship with a gas having specific gravity less than that of the air. An airship has many merits, which are impossible for an airplane or a helicopter, such as low fuel consumption, long term continuous flight, large payload, less noise pollution, calm flight, simple areas for take-off and landing, etc. Modern airships can fly in the air with little power, are relatively quiet, and do not generate turbulence. Moreover, modern airships can stay in the air for a long time, being able to suspend in a certain place for several days or even weeks. All of these illustrate the major advantages of an airship. Since velocity is not necessary for generating the upward force for an airship, a massive amount of energy can be saved. Nowadays, non-renewable resources are becoming scarcer, and the shortage of energy sources has become a threat to mankind. Accordingly, the use of an airship, which needs less energy than other aircrafts, will serve mankind for today and tomorrow. However, among various kinds of modern airships developed by different countries in the world, conventional rigid, semi-rigid or blimp designs are still adopted. Thus, it is difficult to avoid notable problems in these airships, such as, a need to provide a heavy-weight (water, sandbag, compressed air), which has to be increased or decreased to change altitude; the need to change the volume of an airship as the altitude is increased; slow velocity; poor wind resistance; relatively high effect-cost ratio even when an airship can carry out versatile tasks; and the difficulty for an airship to become balanced and level off when suspended in the air. Furthermore, since an airship designed for a certain altitude is only suitable for this specific altitude, different kinds of airships have to be designed for different altitudes, thereby making the use of airships costly. At the same time, the areas where solar cells can be installed on their exterior surface are quite limited for an airship adopting a semi-rigid or blimp design. Accordingly, when the incident angle of sunshine changes, solar cell panels may not be irradiated or sufficiently irradiated, thereby making it impossible to make full use of solar energy. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
   The main object of the present invention is to provide a new type of transformable airship, wherein solar cells can be installed in many different areas on the outer shell, thereby maximizing the amount of solar energy collected. Moreover, the airship, according to the present invention, is suitable for any altitude, ranging from the ground to 30 kilometers, thus it has a very good economic potential. 
   In accordance with the invention, there is provided a transformable airship, comprising: 
   an airship frame, including longitudinal frames and radial frames; wherein said radial frames are axially symmetrical about a longitudinal central axis and extendable and retractable along a radial direction; 
   an airship shell mounted on said airship frame, comprising multiple sections of skins of rigid or weak elastic materials, each of said skins is connected with an adjacent skin, forming an envelop on said airship frame; wherein each section of said skins has a planar or curved shape, and is connected with a radially adjacent section of skins by hinge; 
   buoyant gas storing and discharging apparatus, which is installed inside the airship shell; 
   a control system including an operation control system and a transformation control system, 
   wherein under the control of the transformation control system, when buoyancy is to be increased, buoyant gas is discharged by the buoyant gas storing and discharging apparatus, and since the air pressure inside the airship is greater than that outside the airship, the pressure difference on the skins generates an outwards force to expand the airship shell, at the same time said radial frame is pulled and extended outwardly in the radial direction, axially symmetrically about said longitudinal central axis, and the airship frame&#39;s radial cross-section is enlarged; when buoyancy is to be decreased, the buoyant gas is compressed into the buoyant gas storing and discharging apparatus, since the air pressure inside the airship is less than that outside the airship, the pressure difference on the skins generates an inwards force to contract the airship shell, at the same time said radial frame is contracted inwardly in the radial direction and the radial cross-section of the airship frame is reduced. 
   On account of the above-described technical scheme, the present invention has advantages and effects as follows: 
   1. In accordance with the invention, the variation of the volume of the airship can be controlled by coordination of the transformation control system of the airship and the built-in buoyant gas storing and discharging apparatus. Thus, without change of the deadweight of the airship, the volume of the airship is determined based on the air density at a certain altitude, so that the airship can suspend or cruise in the specific altitude. Therefore, the application range and working capability of the airship are increased effectively. 
   2. Since the buoyancy of the airship of the present invention can be changed by 6-8 times, the airship has the transportation capability in vertical direction of the space. Because, if it is loaded on the ground at its smallest volume, as the airship is expanded in volume, it will rise continuously because of the increased buoyancy, and it will not stop rising until the buoyancy force balances with the force of gravity at a certain altitude. 
   3. The airship of the present invention has relatively faster speed and better flexibility in the medium and low altitudes, because the volume of the airship is reduced at the medium and low altitudes, and its cross-sectional area is also reduced accordingly, so that the wind resistance is relatively small. This advantage is very important for the performance and working efficiency of an airship. 
   4. In accordance with the airship of the present invention, solar cell panels can be mounted on almost all of the areas on the surface of the airship shell, enabling the geometry of the airship to be varied when it is necessary to change the buoyancy. Thus, the solar energy can be continuously obtained over the surface area of the airship shell (for example, from solar direct ray, solar side ray, and solar ray reflected by clouds, from any direction of the space), so that the round-trip flight time can be prolonged significantly. If equipped with a solar energy exchange system and fuel cell, the airship of this invention will be able to perform tasks at a certain altitude for a long time without an additional energy source. This feature has notable significance and importance for people living in parts of the world where non-renewable resources are scarce, and the shortage of energy source has become problematic. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, in combination with the appended drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a solar-powered transformable airship according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is an isometric view of the solar powered transformable airship according to the first embodiment of the present invention, wherein the geometry of the airship has been changed; 
       FIG. 3  is an isometric view of the airship illustrating the helium gas storing and discharging apparatus set within the airship in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIGS. 4   a,    4   b,  and  4   c  are cross-sectional views showing the folding process of the foldable frame of the airship in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIGS. 5   a,    5   b,  and  5   c  are isometric views showing the varying shape of the skins and the frames of the airship in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIGS. 6   a,    6   b,    6   c,    6   d,    6   e,  and  6   f  are schematic views showing the respective front and side views of the airship when the volume of the airship is the least, medium and the largest, in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIGS. 7   a,    7   b,  and  7   c  are cross-sectional views showing the process of geometry variation of the airship in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIGS. 8   a,    8   b,  and  8   c  are cross-sectional views showing the process of geometry variation of the airship in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention; and 
       FIGS. 9   a,    9   b,  and  9   c  are cross-sectional views showing the process of geometry variation of the airship in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
   As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 to 6   f,  a first embodiment of the solar-powered transformable airship of the present invention includes: an airship shell  1 , the longitudinal central axis of which is in horizontal direction; an equipment cabin  2 , skis  3  and a pair of main propellers  4 , which are located under the airship shell  1 . The solar-powered transformable airship also includes a solar energy apparatus and a control system. 
   A buoyant, e.g. helium, gas storing and discharging apparatus  15  is positioned in the central part inside the airship shell  1  along the longitudinal axis thereof (See  FIG. 3 ). 
   The airship frame comprises longitudinal frames  12  and  13 , radial frames  112  and  113 , and reinforcement poles  11  extending circumferentially around the longitudinal axis. Multiple sections of skins  14 , made of rigid or weak elastic materials, are mounted on the airship frame, each of the skins  14  is connected with the adjacent skins  14 , forming an envelop on the airship frame, wherein each section of said skins  14  has a planar or curved shape, and is connected with a radially adjacent section of skins  14  by a hinge. The reinforcement poles  11  are disposed under the skins  14  and are in the shape of a straight pole or a curved pole conforming to the inner surface of the skins  14 , so that the reinforcement poles  11  are conforming to the shape of the airship shell  1 . The radial frames and the reinforcement poles have stretchable and movable components, and can be driven to move in a predetermined manner, so that, when buoyancy is to be changed, the buoyant gas is discharged or compressed by the buoyant gas storing and discharging apparatus to produce a pressure difference between inside and outside of the airship shell  1 , which generates an outwards or inwards force on the airship skins  14 , thus the skins  14  are moved in a manner defined by the moveable frames. As a result, the cross-sectional shape of the airship shell  1  is changed, the volume of the airship is changed, and accordingly the buoyancy is changed. 
   The control system includes: 
   an operation control system for controlling the movement of the airship; 
   a transformation control system, which controls the movement of the movable components in the frame; 
   a pressure sensing and analyzing system for analyzing and monitoring the pressure difference between inside and outside the airship shell  1 , which includes several pressure sensors positioned in the interior and on the outer surface of the airship shell  1 ; and 
   a buoyant, e.g. helium, gas storing and discharging control system, under the control of which, the buoyant gas can be compressed into the buoyant gas storing and discharging apparatus  15 , or can be released into the inner cavity of the airship shell  1  from the buoyant gas storing and discharging apparatus  15 . 
   The solar energy apparatus includes solar cell panels  17  which can be positioned on the outer surface of the entire airship shell  1  or on the outer surface of partial skins  14  of the airship. 
   The buoyant gas storing and discharging apparatus  15  is positioned in the central part inside the airship shell  1 , and is combined with the longitudinal components of the airship frame. 
   The equipment cabin  2 , the skis  3  and the main propellers  4  are positioned under the airship shell  1 , while a cross type tail fin  16  and a tail propeller  5  are positioned at the tail end of the airship shell  1 . The cross type tail fin  16  is composed of a vertical stabilizer  161 , a horizontal stabilizer  162 , and an elevator  163 . 
   The longitudinal frames comprise joists  12  and trussed beams  13 ; the radial frames comprise extendable rod  112  and fixed rod  113 ; the reinforcement poles  11 , conforming to the surface of the airship, are composed of multiple groups of foldable spacing frames extending circumferentially around the longitudinal axis of the airship shell  1 . The rigid or weak elastic skins  14  are flexibly hinged with the joists  12  and the trussed beams  13  along the longitudinal direction. A central strengthened component  111  is positioned in the center of the foldable spacing frame  11 . When maximized, the cross-section of the airship shell  1  is in the shape of a circle, while the foldable spacing frames, i.e. reinforcement poles  11 , are also spread into a circle, and each group of the foldable spacing frames  11  is constructed of sixteen sections of curved poles joined side-by-side, with eight joists  12  and eight trussed beams  13  alternately positioned there between. There are eight radial frames, with four stretchable rods  112  and four fixed rods  113  alternately disposed, wherein one end of the radial frame is connected with the trussed beam  13 , the other end is connected with the central strengthened component  111 . There are multiple groups of skins  14  along the longitudinal axis, each group is composed of sixteen connected sections of rigid or weak elastic skins  14 , forming an envelop on the airship frame  1 . The cross-section of the airship is reduced in the following steps: from a circle ( FIG. 4   c ) to a four-petal flower-like shape ( FIG. 4   b ) and then to a four square-star-like shape ( FIG. 4   a ). 
   The control method for the take-off of the solar-powered transformable airship comprises the following steps:
         a) The cross-section of the airship is minimized, e.g.  FIG. 4   a,  the compressed helium gas is stored in the buoyant gas storing and discharging apparatus  15 , the pressure inside the airship balances that outside the airship, then the airship takes off;   b) With the altitude increasing, the pressure sensing and analysis system senses the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the airship, and commands and controls the compressed helium gas to be gradually discharged from the buoyant gas storing and discharging apparatus  15  to charge the airship shell  1 ; at the same time, the pressure difference on the airship skins  14  impels the cross-section of the airship shell  1  to be increased, and the transformation control system assists to control the movement of the movable components, so as to ensure the steady variation of the cross-sectional shape of the airship shell  1 , and the pressure inside the airship shell  1  gets balanced with that outside the airship shell  1 , whereby the airship continues ascending;   c) With the altitude continuously increasing, the pressure sensing and analysis system continues to sense the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the airship shell  1 , and controls the compressed helium gas to be continuously discharged from the buoyant gas storing and discharging apparatus  15  to charge the airship shell  1 ; at the same time, the pressure difference on the skins  14  impels the cross-section of the airship shell  1  to be increased (e.g.  FIG. 4   b ), the transformation control system assists to control the continuous movement of the movable components, so as to ensure the steady variation of the cross-sectional shape of the airship shell  1 , the cross-section of the airship shell  1  continues to increase isotropically, the pressure inside the airship shell  1  gets balanced with that outside the airship shell  1 , and the airship continues ascending;   d) The cross-section of the airship shell  1  becomes a maximum (e.g.  FIG. 4   c ) at a predetermined altitude, and the pressure inside the airship shell  1  is balanced with that outside the airship shell  1 , and the airship stops ascending.       

   The buoyant gas storing and discharging apparatus  15  installed in the airship is used to dispense the buoyant gas, which provides the pressure required to change the volume of the airship, so as to adapt to the pressure demands as the altitude changes. The storing and discharging of the buoyant gas can be controlled by the buoyant gas storing and discharging control system. 
   In the initial state, the airship has the minimum volume, suitable for aviating at a high speed in a low altitude. The airship of the present invention has better flexibility and wind resistance, and thus can perform the tasks of low speed aircrafts, at a much lower cost. 
   In addition, the airship and the loaded apparatus can be powered by a hydrogen fuel cell and/or assisted with solar energy cells. The solar energy cell panels  17  can be positioned on the entire outer surface of the airship shell  1 . 
   The main propellers  4  can produce a thrust force along the X direction to increase the aviation speed, and a torque about the Y-axis to alter the aviating direction quickly, as well as a thrust force along the Y direction to increase the rising speed. The tail propeller  5  can produce a thrust force along the Y direction to control pitching, and the thrust force in the z direction to the right or left to control the aviating direction when the airship is suspended in the air, as well as a thrust force in the X direction to push forward. 
   It can be expected that the volume of the airship can be altered by 6-8 times from the minimum volume to the maximum volume, so that the airship can fly and conduct tasks in any altitude within the predetermined altitude range (for example, from 0 to 30 km altitude). Preferably, the longitudinal components of the airship shell  1  are made stretchable, to improve the airship and enable it to be used for different applications. 
   In conclusion, by adding pushing and pulling poles, stretchable poles or combinations thereof, various forms of a transformable structure can be derived. The mechanical motions, such as pushing, pulling, and stretching of the poles, can be achieved by utilizing worm wheels and worm gears, pneumatic actuation, hydraulic pressure, and/or electronic motion. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 7   a,    7   b  and  7   c,  a second embodiment of the present invention includes longitudinal frames comprising joists  212  and trussed beams  213 ; radial frames comprising cross type stretchable rods  312  and slidable rods  314  extending axially and symmetrically about the longitudinal central axis; and reinforcement poles conforming to the surface of the airship shell  200  is composed of multiple groups of foldable spacing frames  311  generally perpendicular to and surrounding the longitudinal axis. The rigid or weak elastic skin  214  is flexibly hinged with the joist  212  and the trussed beam  213  along the longitudinal direction. When maximized, the cross-section of the airship is in the shape of a circle ( FIG. 7   c ), while the foldable spacing frame  311  is also spread into a circle, and each group of the foldable spacing frames  311  is constructed of eight sections of curved poles joined side-by-side, with four joists  212  and four trussed beams  213  alternately positioned there between. One end of the slidable rods  314  is fixed to a joist  212 , and the other end is moveably connected to the middle part of the stretchable rod  312 , which can slide along the stretchable rod  312 . There are multiple groups of skins  14  along the longitudinal axis, each group is composed of eight connected sections of rigid skins  14 , forming an envelop on the airship shell  200 . The cross-section of the airship is reduced in the following steps: from a circle ( FIG. 7   c ) to American-football-like shape ( FIG. 7   b ) then to a flat-lotus-root-like shape ( FIG. 7   a ). 
   When shrunk into a flat shape, the solar-powered transformable airship of the present invention can fly calmly and limit radar reflection. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 8   a,    8   b  and  8   c,  in a third embodiment, the longitudinal frames comprise joists  412 ; the radial frames comprise cross type stretchable rods  512 ; the reinforcement poles conforming to the surface of the airship  400  is composed of multiple groups of foldable spacing frames  411  generally perpendicular to and surrounding the longitudinal axis. The rigid or weak elastic skin  414  is flexibly hinged with the joist  412  along the longitudinal direction. When maximized, the cross-section of the airship shell  400  is in the shape of a circle ( FIG. 8   c ), while the foldable spacing frame  411  is also spread into a circle, and each group of the foldable spacing frames  411  is constructed by four sections of curved poles joined side-by-side. One end of each stretchable rod  512  is connected with the node between the joists  412 , the other end is fixed to the center part of the airship. There are multiple groups of skins  414  along the longitudinal axis, each group is composed of four connected sections of rigid or elastic skins  414 , forming an envelop on the airship shell  400 . The cross-section of the airship is reduced in the following steps: from a circle ( FIG. 8   c ) to lip-like shape ( FIG. 8   b ) and then to a double-American-football-like shape ( FIG. 8   a ). 
   As shown in  FIGS. 9   a,    9   b  and  9   c,  in a fourth embodiment, the longitudinal frames comprise joists  612 ; the radial frames comprise cross type stretchable rods  712 ; the reinforcement poles conforming to the surface of the airship  600  is composed of multiple groups of foldable spacing frame  611  vertical to the longitudinal axis. The rigid or weak elastic skin  614  is flexibly hinged with the joist  612  along the longitudinal direction. When maximized, the cross-section of the airship shell  600  is in the shape of a square, while the foldable spacing frame  611  is also spread into a square, and each group of the foldable spacing frames  611  is constructed by four sections of straight poles joined side-by-side. One end of the stretchable rods  712  is connected with a corner point of the airship&#39;s cross-section, the other end is fixed to the center part of the airship  600 . There are multiple groups of skins  614  along the longitudinal axis, each group is composed of four connected sections of rigid or weak elastic skins  614 , forming an envelop on the airship shell  600 . The cross-section of the airship shell  600  is reduced in the following steps: from a square ( FIG. 9   c ) to a rhombus-like shape ( FIG. 9   b ) and then to a flat-rhombus-like shape ( FIG. 9   a ). 
   Since the buoyancy of the solar-powered transformable airship according to the present invention can be altered by 6-8 times and the volume can be altered by 6-8 times, the demand for various applications can be achieved by compressing the helium gas in the helium gas storing and discharging apparatus  15  by up to eight times. Therefore, a very high strength material is not required for the wall of the helium gas storing and discharging apparatus  15 , and the material commonly use in the prior art can be used in the invention satisfactorily. 
   Although the invention has been described in relation to certain preferred embodiments, it is not limited thereto. Rather, the invention includes numerous other embodiments, which can be improved and changed by those in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the idea of varying the geometry the airship shell  1  can be used in the design of a submarine and will be the technical scheme for a new generation of submarines.