Airship for transportation

An airship for facilitating transportation to and from one or more locations which are difficult to access or operate such as high above the ground level is disclosed. The airship can also be used in surface missions, The airship includes a cabin and a platform. The cabin is configured on a top portion of the airship. The platform is operatively connected to the cabin. The platform facilitates easy access to the cabin.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to facilitating transportation at locations which are difficult to access or operate such as high above the ground level, and more specifically, to the airship for facilitating transportation and rescue operations at locations high above the ground level and at ground level while the airship is hovering, for example.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Transportation and performing rescue operations at locations high above the ground level remains tedious and potentially dangerous. Especially, when a location where the transportation and the rescue operations need to be performed is difficult to access the task becomes even more challenging. For example, considering the rate of increase in high rise buildings, the risk involved with people living or working in those high rise buildings has also increased. The risk may be because of fire incidents, terrorist attacks, hostage situations, and civil defense, etc. Additionally, maintenance of these high rise buildings is also a time consuming and risky job.

In existing technologies, helicopters are used to rescue people trapped inside a multi-story building in case of fire break out or any hazardous incidents. Helicopters may use one or more of ropes, cables, cages, ladders, and baskets to rescue the people trapped inside the multi-story building. However, the use of ropes, cables, and ladders involves considerable amount of risk due to the dynamics of the helicopters. Additionally, the dynamics of the helicopters results in movement of hanging cages and hanging baskets. The movement of the hanging cages and the hanging baskets may create height and space limitations.

Further, elevators may also be used to overcome the above limitations. The elevators can be installed on a wall of the multi-story building. Alternatively, the elevators may be installed in the ground and may be used to access different stories of the building. However, the elevators have various limitations. For example, the elevators installed on the ground cannot be used to access stories of the building that are very high above the ground level due to height limitations of the elevators. Additionally, the elevators have limited capacity for rescuing people from the building. Similarly, individual rescue techniques are also available. However, the individual rescue techniques have limitations in case of mass evacuation of a building.

Therefore, there is a need for an airship for performing transportation and rescue operations at locations high above the ground level in a convenient manner or at ground level, as well. Accordingly, there exists a need in the art to overcome these and other deficiencies and limitations described hereinabove.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect of the invention, an airship comprises at least one balloon unit including one or more balloon chambers. The airship further comprises one or more propellers configured to propel the balloon unit, powered by one or more motors. The airship further comprises a cabin configured on a portion of the airship. The airship further comprises a platform operatively connected to the cabin which is structured to extend from the airship during flight and which facilitates ingress and egress to the cabin.

In another aspect of the invention, an airship comprises a first balloon unit including one or more balloon chambers. The airship further comprises a second balloon unit including one or more balloon chambers. The airship further comprises a structural frame connecting the first balloon unit to the second balloon unit. The airship further comprises a cabin, operatively connected to the structural frame and positioned between the first balloon unit and the second balloon unit, at a same level thereof. The airship further comprises at least one door hinge mounted to the structural frame or the cabin. The airship further comprises an extendable platform that extends from the cabin to provide ingress and egress from the cabin, wherein the extendable platform is structured to provide access to outside of the cabin during flight. The airship further comprises one or more propellers configured to propel the airship mounted to the first and second balloon unit, or the cabin.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to facilitating transportation at locations which are difficult to access or operate such as high above ground level, and more specifically, to an airship for facilitating transportation and rescue operations at locations high above ground level and at ground level while the airship is hovering, for example. It should be understood that the embodiments reside primarily in combinations of method steps and apparatus components related to the airship for transportation. Accordingly, the apparatus components, method steps and system components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

Referring to figures and in particular toFIG. 1, an airship100is illustrated, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The airship100facilitates transportation and rescue operations at one or more locations high above ground level. The one or more locations may include, but are not limited to, multi-story buildings, mountains, cliffs, bridges, cable carts, and high-rise structures. For example, the airship100may be used for transporting people from a top story of a multi-story building to the ground during rescue operations performed on the multi-story building.

The airship100includes a balloon unit102. It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the airship100is shown to include one balloon unit102only for purpose of description; however, the airship100may include more than one balloon unit similar to balloon unit102, as discussed in more detail below. The airship100may be driven by one or more propellers (power plants)112configured on the balloon unit102. A propeller112of the one or more propellers may be powered by one or more motors. The one or more motors may include, but not limited to, electric motor, mechanical motor, hydraulic motor, and combustion engine.

The balloon unit102of the airship100includes one or more balloon chambers. The one or more balloon chambers may facilitate in lifting the airship100in the air. The one or more balloon chambers may include one or more gases lighter than air. Thus, these one or more gases facilitate in lifting the airship100in the air. In order to lift the airship100, the one or more balloon chambers filled with the one or more gases develop buoyancy force on the airship100. A gas of the one or more gases may be one of hydrogen gas, helium gas, ammonia gas, and methane gas. For example, the one or more balloon chambers of the airship100filled with hydrogen and/or helium gas creates buoyancy force on the airship100thereby resulting in lifting of the airship100. In an embodiment, the one or more balloon chambers may be vacuumed to facilitate the airship100to rise in the air.

Further, the airship100includes a cabin104. In embodiments, the cabin104is configured on a top portion of the airship100; although as discussed in more detail below, other configurations are also contemplated by the present invention. For example, it will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the cabin104may be configured on any part of the airship100such as to provide easy access to the cabin104from locations near by the airship100. The cabin104may be capable of accommodating one or more of, but not limited to, people and goods. It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the airship100is shown to include one cabin for purpose of description, however the airship100may include more than one cabin similar to cabin104. In an embodiment, the cabin104may be configured at one side of the airship100. For example, a cabin may be configured at a side portion of the airship.

Further, the airship100includes a platform106. The platform106is operatively connected to the cabin104and can be extended during the flight of the airship100. The platform106is connected to the cabin104to facilitate ingress and egress to the cabin104. In an embodiment, the platform106is operatively connected to the cabin104such that the platform106may be rotated at an angle varying from 0° to 360° with respect to the cabin104. This rotating feature of the platform106may facilitate the airship100to access locations high above the ground level from different angles. For example, the platform106may be rotated to access various locations from different angles with respect to the airship100without moving the airship100. This rotation of the platform106may be accomplished by any known mechanism such as known mechanical or electrical swivel mechanisms. In embodiments, the platform106may form part of a lower portion of a clam shell door configuration (which is discussed in more detail below). The use of platform as a lower door of the clam shell door configuration will reduce overall weight of the airship. That is, it would not be necessary to have a separate platform and door.

In another embodiment, the platform106may be extendable as represented by the double arrow inFIG. 1. It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the platform106may be extended up to different lengths using any mechanisms known in the art. The extendibility feature of the platform106may facilitate the airship100to access locations that are high above the ground level from a substantial distance. For example, the platform106may be extended to access places located at different distances from the airship100without moving the airship100. In embodiments, the platform106preferably extends past an outer surface of the airship, to provide ingress and egress during flight, e.g., to effectuate rescue operations.

Additionally, the extendibility feature of platform106may also be used to transport the one or more people and goods to the cabin104from a location and to the location from the cabin104. In this case, the platform106may have a configuration similar to a basket connected to an end of an extendable member (shown, for example, inFIG. 4). The other end of the extendable member may be operatively connected to the cabin104. Thus, people standing on the platform106may be transported outside the cabin104by moving the platform106away from the cabin104using the extendable member. Similarly, the platform106may be capable of transferring people from a location to the cabin104using the extendable member.

For example, the airship100may be used to rescue people trapped at different locations on a cliff. In this case, the airship100may be maneuvered to the cliff and kept in a position such that maximum locations on the cliff where people are trapped are easily accessible to the airship100. Further, the platform106may be rotated with respect to the airship100to access these different locations on the cliff at different angles. Thus, the people trapped in these different locations can be transferred to the cabin104of the airship100using the platform106thereby rescuing the people. Additionally, the platform106may be extended to access locations on the cliff that are located far from the airship100. In this manner, people at these locations on the cliff are transferred to the cabin104using the platform106. Thereafter, the airship100may transfer those people to a safe place.

Referring now toFIG. 2, the airship100used for performing transportation and rescue operations on a building202is illustrated in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The airship100facilitates transportation of people or goods to or from one or more stories of a multi-story building202. The one or more stories may be located high above the ground level.

The airship100includes one or more balloon units102. The airship100may be driven by one or more propellers configured on the balloon unit102. A propeller of the one or more propellers112may be powered by one or more motors, as discussed herein. The balloon unit102includes one or more balloon chambers, which facilitate in lifting the airship100in the air. The one or more balloon chambers may include one or more gases. The one or more gases may be lighter than air to lift the airship100in the air. In order to lift the airship100the one or more balloon chambers filled with the one or more gases develop buoyancy force on the airship100. In an embodiment, the one or more balloon chambers may be vacuumed to facilitate the airship100to rise in the air.

Further, the airship100includes the cabin104. The cabin104is configured on a top portion of the airship100. The cabin104may be positioned such as to provide easy access to the cabin104from different stories of building202when the airship100is located near to the building202. The cabin104may be capable of accommodating one or more of, but not limited to, people and goods. In an embodiment, the cabin104may be configured at one side of the airship100. In a scenario, the cabin104is configured on a top portion of the airship100to have easy access from different stories of building202as illustrated inFIG. 2; although other locations are also contemplated by the present invention.

Further, the airship100includes the platform106, which is operatively connected to the cabin104. As discussed with respect toFIG. 1, the platform106may be part of a lower door of a clamshell door configuration. The platform106is connected to the cabin104to facilitate easy access to the cabin104from outside, even during flight of the airship100. In an embodiment, the platform106may be rotated at an angle varying from 0° to 360° with respect to cabin104, by use of a mechanical or electric swivel unit106a. This rotating feature of the platform106may enable the airship100to have access to different stories of the multi-story building202. For example, the airship100may be positioned near building202during a fire break out in building202. The platform106of the airship100may be maneuvered at different angles and may extend from the airship at different lengths (as explained in greater detail below) to gain access to different stories of building202. Thus, people trapped in these stories can be easily transferred to cabin106using platform106. Thereafter, the airship202may land on the ground and the people present in the cabin104may move out to the ground safely through the platform106. The platform106may be extended using, for example, any electric motor, or other mechanical or pneumatic system such as, for example, rack and pinion gear or hydraulic system all of which are represented by reference numeral106b.

FIG. 3illustrates another configuration of the airship100in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In embodiments, the airship100is shown to include a first balloon unit102aand a second balloon unit102b, connected together by a structural frame102c. The structural frame102ccan be made from any aviation grade structural material such as, for example, aluminum or other materials used for structural material in the aviation field. The first balloon unit102aand the second balloon unit102bmay include chambers filled with gases for providing buoyancy, as described herein.

The structural frame102cencompasses the cabin104. In embodiments, the cabin104is accessible through one or more doors108a,108b. The cabin104can also include a cockpit110. In embodiments, the door108acan be an upper door and the door108bcan be a lower door, both of which are hinge mounted to portions of the structural frame102cor cabin104. In embodiments, the doors108a,108bare clamshell type doors, which dropped down and lift upwards to open. In embodiments, the lower door108bmay be used as the platform106; although, it is contemplated that the platform106can also be a separate unit. In embodiments, the platform106need not be extendable; although such extensions are still contemplated by the present invention. In a specific embodiment, the lower door108bacts as the platform106and may be about one third of the opening (deployed); whereas, the upper door108amay be two thirds of the opening. For example, in embodiments, the lower door108b(platform106) may be about 60-70 cm of the total ingress/egress opening.

In embodiments, the bottom door108bcan act as the platform106, which can be extended outwards at different angles, depending on the opening angle of the door108b, itself. Also, the door108bcan be extended by use of additional platforms, for example. More specifically, the platform106can be a trifold type system, which unfolds upon opening of the door108b. The cabin104is preferably completely enclosed for the safety of the passengers and crew, with the doors108a,108bproviding access to the cabin104and the cockpit110. The opening, extending and rotating of the platform106can be performed by any of the mechanisms already described herein.

In embodiments, the cabin104can be provided between the two airships, e.g., first balloon unit102aand second balloon unit102b, and preferably with a passenger cabin in the front and upper half of the airship100. The remaining portion of the cabin104(including below a floor of the cabin) can be used for mechanical and electrical systems, as well as storage, etc. Accordingly, the placement and configuration of the cabin104between the first balloon unit102aand second balloon unit102bprovides for added payload and passenger capacity. Also, the overall airframe design contributes to the overall lift generation of the airship100.

Moreover, by placing the cabin104between the first balloon unit102aand second balloon unit102b, it is possible to achieve different configurations of the airship100, e.g., wider or narrower spacing between the chambers for optimal sizing. This configuration also allows the airship100to be easily configured by merely changing the width of the cabin104. Additionally, the shape of the cabin104, in combination with the first and second balloon units102a,102b, also contributes to the overall aerodynamic shape of the airship100.

Still referring toFIG. 3, the airship100can be covered with a hard skin, known to those of ordinary skill. For example, the skin can be aluminum, carbon fiber, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, and combinations thereof to name a few illustrative examples. The airship100also includes a power plant system which comprises a main power plant112and side or auxiliary power plants114. In embodiments, the power plant system can comprise four units, e.g., two main power plants112are located at the back for thrust function and two auxiliary power plants114are located at the sides for steering and support functions. The power plants112,114can comprise internal combustion engines, electrical motors or any combinations thereof.

FIG. 4shows an enlarged view of a passenger cabin ofFIG. 3in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. As shown more clearly inFIG. 3, the skeletal frame102clinks together the two balloon units102a,102b. Then the cabin104and other components are assembled on this frame102c. The gap between the two airships (102a,102b) is covered by upper and bottom hoods (hard skin) to obtain the final shape. As further shown, the platform106can be a basket-like platform. For example, the platform106can resemble a stair wall/hitch/guide system, represented at reference numeral109. The hitch109is attached to the lower (step) door108band is foldable, much like systems on conventional aircraft. For example, the hitch109is extended as the door108bis opened, and folded as the door108bis closed, as in conventional small aircraft configurations. The cockpit110can be at the same level as the cabin104.

FIG. 5shows a side view of the airship in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. As shown in this view, the balloon unit102aincludes a side or auxiliary power plant114. At the rear of the airship100is the main power plant112. The platform106is shown to be extending from the cabin, at a front end of the airship100. However, it should be recognized by those of skill in the art that the platform106can equally extend from other locations from the cabin or airship100. In the view shown, the platform104is fully extended, with the hitch109opened for the safety of the passengers.

FIG. 5also shows various angles of the side or auxiliary power plants114for powering and/or maneuvering of the airship in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. As shown by the arrow inFIG. 5, the side or auxiliary power plants114can be rotated at different angles. Additionally, in this configuration, the side or auxiliary power plants114are mounted to the outside shell of the airship of the cabin104, e.g., balloon units102aand102b(not shown).

FIG. 6shows a front view of the airship in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. As shown in this view, the side or auxiliary power plant114extends from each of the balloon units102aand102b. Also, the cabin104includes the cockpit110which can accommodate one or more pilots “P”. The platform106extends from the cabin104, with a passenger “P1” ready to disembark or perform a rescue operation.

FIG. 7shows a fragmented (exploded) view of the airship shown inFIGS. 5 and 6in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention. More specifically,FIG. 7shows the balloon unit102aand balloon unit102b, each including a side or auxiliary power plant114mounted to the outside shell. The structural frame102cconnects the balloon unit102aand balloon unit102b. The structural frame102cmay also be used as the flooring for the cabin. The structural frame102ccan be made from any aviation grade structural material such as, for example, aluminum or other materials used for structural material in the aviation field. The cabin and other components are assembled on this frame102c, which is covered by an upper hood116aand bottom hood116bto obtain the final shape. The upper hood116aincludes an opening118for the pilot(s) and an opening120for the door(s) and/or platform. The main power plants112can be mounted to the upper hood112aand/or structural frame102c.

FIG. 8shows a fragmented (exploded) view of another variation of the airship in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention. More specifically,FIG. 8shows an upper hood116a1and bottom hood116b1, which are used to obtain the final shape. In this configuration, the upper hood116a1and bottom hood116b1completely or substantially completely cover the components of the airship100including, for example, the balloon units, cabin, cockpit, etc. The interior components are assembled using suitable structural components, known to those of skill in the aviation field; that is, the structural components can be made from any aviation grade structural material such as, for example, aluminum or other materials used for structural material in the aviation field. The upper hood116a1includes an opening118for the pilot(s) and an opening120for the door(s) and/or platform.

FIG. 9shows an alternative airship design in accordance with aspects of the present invention. As shown in the airship design ofFIG. 9, the ingress and egress to the cabin104is provided at a bottom portion of the airship100. In embodiments, the cabin104can be at the bottom, front of the airship100and can be configurable to be at two or more levels of the airship. In this configuration, the door108and platform106are provided in the bottom hood116b, which can extend to the ground when deployed. That is, in this configuration, a single door108cextends downward when deployed, and is used for the platform106c. This configuration serves for surface (ground) rescue (as well as transporting) missions such as floods, earthquakes, etc. where it is difficult to land or reach ground or to use helicopters which blow air towards the ground which increases the risks of rescue operations. This configuration thus provides superior access to evacuees and provides superior pilot vision for better rescue operation, through the opening120. As in other embodiments, the main power plants112can be mounted to the upper hood112a, and the side or auxiliary power plant114are mounted to the balloon units102aand102b(and/or the upper or lower hoods).

FIG. 10shows an alternative airship design in accordance with aspects of the present invention. As shown in the airship design ofFIG. 10, the ingress and egress to the cabin104is provided at both a bottom, front portion and top, front portion of the airship100. In embodiments, the cabin104can thus be at two or more levels of the airship. In this configuration, the door108cand platform106care provided in the bottom hood116b, which can extend to the ground when deployed. That is, in this configuration, a single door108cextends downward when deployed, and is used for the platform106c. This configuration serves for surface (ground) rescue (as well as transporting) missions such as floods, earthquakes, etc. where it is difficult to land or reach ground. The top, front portion of the airship100also includes the clamshell type doors108a,108b, which drop down and lift upwards to open. In embodiments, the lower door108bmay be used as the platform106. In embodiments, the platform106need not be extendable; although such extensions are still contemplated by the present invention. In a specific embodiment, the lower door108bacts as the platform106and may be about one third of the opening; whereas, the upper door108amay be two thirds of the opening.

The embodiment ofFIG. 10also includes a reconfigured cockpit, having an upper cockpit110aand a lower cockpit110b. As can be seen in this figure, the pilot seat111is movable upward (position “A”) and downward (position “B”) and the dash-board/control panel113is rotatable/swivel between the two positions “A” and “B”. This will save considerable weight in that there is no need for redundant components. In the upper cockpit110a, the pilot may obtain assistance from external video cameras122.

Generally speaking, pursuant to various embodiments, the invention provides the airship. The airship facilitates transportation from a location which is difficult to access or operate such as high above the ground level or at a location which is difficult to land such as, for example, earthquake locations, flooded areas or sea surfaces. The airship includes a cabin and a platform. The cabin is configured on a top portion of the airship. The platform is operatively connected to the cabin. The platform facilitates access to the cabin.

Various embodiments of the invention provide the airship for facilitating transportation from and to one or more locations high above the ground level or for surface missions as discussed herein. As a result, the airship is used to evacuate high rise buildings in case of fire break out or any other hazardous incidents. The airship may also be used to deploy special task forces to the one or more locations in case of situations like civil defense, terrorist attacks, hostage situation, etc. Further, the airship may also be used in construction and maintenance activities. In this case, the airship facilitates transportation of workers and tools for the construction and maintenance activities from one location to another. The airship may also be used for wild life observations. Additionally, the airship has a platform which can be extended and rotated in any direction. As a result, the airship is capable of accessing different places at different angles or distances with respect to the airship without moving the airship. Those skilled in the art will realize that the above recognized advantages and other advantages described herein are merely exemplary and are not meant to be a complete rendering of all of the advantages of the various embodiments of the invention.