Method and apparatus for moving a ship over land

A method of moving a load over a ground surface in a direction of travel, including:

• arranging the load on an inflatable cushion assembly,
• the cushion assembly including a plurality of inflatable compartments and a plurality of interconnected flexible walls;
• each compartment being separated from an adjacent one or ones of the compartments by a respective one or ones of the flexible walls, the flexible walls being arranged to define at least a first layer of said inflatable compartments, the first layer including at least first said inflatable compartments;
• the cushion assembly further including a tension means;
• the first compartments being inflated to define an inflated rest condition of the first layer in which all of the first compartments are inflated, each to an inflated condition, to form together a first fluid cushion which supports the load above the ground surface;
• and deflating and re-inflating selected ones of the first compartments in a sequence so as to produce a deflated region of the first fluid cushion which travels through the first fluid cushion in the direction of travel;
• and energizing the tension means so as to induce a tension force which acts between respective ones of the flexible walls on deflation of each respective first compartment from the inflated condition to a deflated condition;
• and pulling, by the tension force, a respective said flexible wall or walls of each deflating or deflated first compartment in a base region of the first layer forwardly in the direction of travel or upwardly away from the ground surface so as to produce a contraction in the deflated region of the first fluid cushion,
• the contraction travelling through the first fluid cushion so as to move the base region of the first layer of the cushion assembly progressively in the direction of travel.

An apparatus for moving a load over a ground surface in a direction of travel, including an inflatable cushion assembly and an inflation means for inflating the cushion assembly with a fluid;

• the cushion assembly including a plurality of inflatable compartments and a plurality of interconnected flexible walls;
• each compartment being separated from an adjacent one or ones of the compartments by a respective one or ones of the flexible walls, the flexible walls being arranged to define at least a first layer of said inflatable compartments;
• the first layer including at least first said inflatable compartments and having an inflated rest condition in which all of the first compartments are inflated, each to an inflated condition, to form together a first fluid cushion which supports the load above the ground surface;
• the cushion assembly further including a tension means;
• wherein the tension means is arranged to induce a tension force between respective ones of the flexible walls,
• and to pull, by the tension force, a respective flexible wall or walls of each respective first compartment in a base region of the first layer, in the inflated condition of the said first compartment, forwardly in the direction of travel or upwardly away from the ground surface, so as to produce a local contraction in the first fluid cushion;
• and the tension means is operable to apply the tension force to the said respective flexible walls of selected ones of the first compartments in a sequence, so that the contraction travels through the first fluid cushion and moves the base region of the first layer of the cushion assembly progressively in the direction of travel.

A method of moving a load over a ground surface in a direction of travel, including:

• arranging the load on an inflatable cushion assembly,
• the cushion assembly including a plurality of inflatable compartments and a plurality of interconnected flexible walls;
• each compartment being separated from an adjacent one or ones of the compartments by a respective one or ones of the flexible walls, the flexible walls being arranged to define at least a first layer of said inflatable compartments, the first layer including at least first said inflatable compartments;
• the cushion assembly further including a tension means;
• the first compartments being inflated to define an inflated rest condition of the first layer in which all of the first compartments are inflated, each to an inflated condition, to form together a first fluid cushion which supports the load above the ground surface;
• and energizing the tension means so as to induce a tension force between respective ones of the flexible walls;
• and pulling, by the tension force, a respective flexible wall or walls of each respective first compartment in a base region of the first layer, in the inflated condition of the said first compartment, forwardly in the direction of travel or upwardly away from the ground surface, so as to produce a local contraction in the first fluid cushion;
• the tension means being energized to apply the tension force to the said respective flexible walls of selected ones of the first compartments in a sequence, so that the contraction travels through the first fluid cushion and moves the base region of the first layer of the cushion assembly progressively in the direction of travel.

An apparatus for use in moving a load over a ground surface in a direction of travel, including:

• an inflatable cushion assembly,
• an inflation means for inflating the cushion assembly, and
• a control system;
• the cushion assembly including a plurality of inflatable compartments separated by a plurality of interconnected flexible walls, the flexible walls being arranged to define at least a first layer of said inflatable compartments;
• the first layer including at least first said inflatable compartments and having an inflated rest condition in which all of the first compartments are inflated, each to an inflated condition, to form together a first fluid cushion for supporting the load above the ground surface;
• the inflation means including a plurality of valve assemblies, each valve assembly being arranged to control a flow of fluid to and from a respective one or group of said inflatable compartments;
• each valve assembly being individually controllable by the control system to selectively inflate and deflate the respective one or group of said inflatable compartments;
• the cushion assembly being flexibly foldable or rollable in a deflated condition from a use configuration to a storage configuration;
• wherein the inflation means includes a plurality of individual flow control modules, each flow control module including a respective one of the valve assemblies, and the flow control modules are distributed through the cushion assembly;
• and
• wherein the cushion assembly further includes a first network of first flexible hoses which connect together the flow control modules and conduct the fluid to the respective inflatable compartments, and
• a second network of second flexible hoses which connect together the flow control modules and conduct the fluid away from respective deflating ones of the inflatable compartments;
• and
• wherein each flow control module includes a pump for pumping the fluid, and each pump is arranged to pump the fluid from the second network to the first network.

A method of moving a load over a ground surface in a direction of travel, including:

• providing an inflatable cushion assembly,
• an inflation means for inflating the cushion assembly, and
• a control system;
• the cushion assembly including a plurality of inflatable compartments separated by a plurality of interconnected flexible walls, the flexible walls being arranged to define at least a first layer of said inflatable compartments;
• the first layer including at least first said inflatable compartments and having an inflated rest condition in which all of the first compartments are inflated, each to an inflated condition, to form together a first fluid cushion for supporting the load above the ground surface;
• the inflation means including a plurality of valve assemblies, each valve assembly being arranged to control a flow of fluid to and from a respective one or group of said inflatable compartments;
• the cushion assembly being flexibly foldable or rollable in a deflated condition from a use configuration to a storage configuration;
• wherein the load is supported on the first fluid cushion while a base region of the cushion assembly is moved progressively over the ground surface in the direction of travel;
• and the inflation means includes a plurality of individual flow control modules, each flow control module including a respective one of the valve assemblies, and the flow control modules are distributed through the cushion assembly;
• and the valve assembly of each flow control module is individually controlled by signals from the control system to selectively inflate and deflate the respective one or group of said inflatable compartments;
• and after deflating the cushion assembly to the deflated condition the cushion assembly including the flow control modules together with the inflatable compartments and flexible walls is folded or rolled to the storage configuration;
• and wherein
• a plurality of pumps are provided, each of the flow control modules including a respective one of the pumps, and the pumps are operated to pump the fluid from respective deflating ones of the inflatable compartments to respective inflating ones of the inflatable compartments.