DEVICE FOR ADJUSTMENT OF THE HEIGHT OF AN AIRSHIP

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for regulating the height of an airship, which includes a floating body of tube-like supporting gas containers and air bags, and is distinguished in that the air bags (3) are disposed outside and between the supporting gas containers (2) and connect the containers to each other, and in that the apparatus includes at least one fan-compressor means for high pressure and/or at least one fan-compressor means for low poressure.

Description: DEVICE FOR ADJUSTMENT OF THE HEIGHT OF AN AIRSHIP The present invention relates to airships, and in particular to appara¬ tus for adjusting the height of an airship, the apparatus including a floating body of tube-like supporting gas containers and air bags. In airships known up to now, the supporting body comprises one or more tube-like supporting gas containers and air bags arranged inside each container. When several containers are used they are not interconnected, but are mutually free. Air is supplied via air lines for filling the bags. In the present state of the art, only local variations in air pressure, temperature etc can be compensated for internal air bags, i.e. neither fuel nor load (i.e. available load), which are usually compen¬ sated by sandbags or the like. The object of the invention is thus to achieve a floating body with a relationship between strength and weight such that trimming required by air pressure and temperature can be carried out and the available load can be compensated within the capacity of known materials. . <*- This object is attained with the apparatus in accordance with the pres- ent invention, which is distinguished in that the air bags are disposed outside of and between the supporting gas containers such as to oin the latter to each other, and in that the apparatus includes at least one fan-compressor means for high pressure and/or at least one fan- compressor means for low pressure. The inventive apparatus is further distinguished in that each air bag contains one or more cells. - • In a preferred embodiment of the inventive apparatus, the floating body includes at least three supporting gas containers, defining by fheir air bags an interior space for supporting gas. In another preferred embodiment of the inventive apparatus, the float¬ ing body includes at least four supporting gas containers, and the in- terior space may include at-least-one further -air bag dividing the space into at least two smaller, longitudinal spaces. In addition, there can be envisaged six, seven, eight etc separated supporting gas containers. The invention will now be described in more detail below, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, where Figure 1 is a cross section through a first embodiment of the inventive apparatus, the air bags not being filled with compressed air, Figure 2 illustrates the same arrangement as in Figure 1 , but with the air bags filled with compressed air, Figure 3 schematically illustrates a second embodiment of the inventive apparatus, Figure 4 schematically illustrates a third embodiment of the inventive apparatus, and Figure 5 a fourth embodiment of the inventive apparatus. As will be seen from figures 1 and 2, the apparatus for adjusting the height of an airship in accordance with the invention a floating body 1 comprises supporting gas containers 2, which become tube-shaped due to interior excess pressure, and air bags 3, which may be filled, for reducing the height of the airship, with copressed air from an unillus- trated fan-compressor means connected thereto, and for increasing height may be vented by unillustrated valves on the air bags. The supporting gas containers 2 and air bags 3 are made from a flexible but unstretchable material, and preferably of the same material. Due to the use of several smaller supporting gas containers instead of a large one, and air bags which are each divided into several cells 4, the assort- ment of v/oven fabrics available for them is widened, since less excess pressure is required. It is particularly emphasised that there is thus afforded the opportunity of selecting a woven fabric of low weight, which of course considerably facilitates both manufacture and height adjustment. By the air bags 3 being disposed outside and between the supporting gas containers as well as connecting the latter to each other there is also obtained the advantage that the total weight of the floating body may be increased or decreased, while simultaneously de¬ creasing or increasing its supporting gas volume, resulting in more effective height adjustment than that obtained by supporting gas containers solely having internal air bags, where it is merely possible to increase or decrease the total weight. The second embodiment of the inventive apparatus illustrated in Figure 3. 3 comprises three supporting gas containers 2, each having an air bag 3 meeting at a common point, the third embodiment of the inventive appar¬ atus illustrated in Figure 4 and also having three containers 2 with their individual air bags 3 is one where the containers.2 define an 5 interior space 5, which may be filled with supporting gas, thus*- increas¬ ing the lifting capacity of the floating body. The fourth embodiment, illustrated in Figure 5, of the inventive apparatus comprises four supporting gas containers 2, each with an air 10 bag 3 and defining an interior space 5, as with the apparatus of Figure 4, and a further air bag 6 can be used to divide this space into, two smaller, longitudinal spaces 7. Finally, it is pointed out that one or more of the air bags 3 and 6 can be permanently filled with compressed air, in which case they serve as stiffening beams. 15

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Apparatus for adjusting the height of an airship, including a float¬ ing body of tube-like supporting gas containers and air bags, character¬ ised in that the air bags (3) are disposed outside and between the supporting gas containers (2) and connect the containers to each other, and in that the apparatus includes at least one fan-compressor means for high pressure and/or at least one fan-compressor means for low pressure. 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that each air bag (3) contains one or more cells (4). 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterised in that it in¬ cludes at least three supporting gas containers (2) which define by their air bags (3) an interior space (5) for supporting gas. 4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that it includes at least four supporting gas containers (3), and that the interior space (5) contains at least ' Daefurther air bag (6) dividing the interior space into at least two smaller, longitudinal spaces (7). 5. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1-4, characterised in that at least one air bag (3,7) is permanently filled with compressed air. 6. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1-5, characterised in that trimming in response to local variations in pressure and tempera¬ ture is arranged to be performed at a higher pressure than that at which compensation of the payload takes place, and in that compensation for the fuel is also arranged to be compensated at a higher pressure than that at which compensation of the payload takes place.

Inventors: NOREN TORSTEN ANDERS BERTIL, NOREN, TORSTEN, ANDERS, BERTIL
Applicants: NOREN TORSTEN ANDERS BERTIL, WINTZELL BRUNO, NOREN, TORSTEN, ANDERS, BERTIL, WINTZELL, BRUNO
Application year: 1989
Main classification: B64B1
IPC codes: B64B1