Mass transfer system for stabilizing an airship and other vehicles subject to pitch and roll moments
AssigneeLTAS Holdings, LLC
InventorsGeorge H. Heaven, Jr., Michael K. Walden
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to a mechanism to control the pitch and/or roll and/or center of gravity of a vehicle. The first embodiment is a track-based mass transfer system in which pathways are positioned along or radially terminate at a central horizontal plane of the vehicle to move one or more mass transfer devices to a desired location to control the pitch and/or roll and/or center of gravity of the vehicle. A second embodiment is a fluid mass distribution system in which one or more conduits selectively distribute a fluid to one or more tanks positioned near a central horizontal plane of the vehicle to control the pitch and/or roll and/or center of gravity of the vehicle.
Claims25
An airship comprising:
- a hull having an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface is configured to contain a gas under a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure;
- a propulsion device coupled to the outer surface of the hull;
- a sensor for detecting a pitch or roll moment of the hull;
- a pathway positioned around a central perimeter of the hull;
- a plurality of mass transfer devices configured to move along the pathway;
- and
- a control device for receiving a pitch signal or a roll signal and, using the pitch signal or the roll signal, controlling the movement of the plurality of mass transfer devices along the pathway to achieve a desired pitch or a desired roll of the hull.
An airship comprising:
- an enclosed hull containing a gas;
- means for providing propulsion;
- means for allowing the movement of a mass within the hull;
- a plurality of mass transfer devices that move along the means for allowing the movement of a mass within the hull;
- and
- means for receiving a pitch signal or a roll signal and, using the pitch signal or the roll signal, controlling the movement of the plurality of mass transfer devices along the means for allowing the movement of a mass within the hull to achieve a desired pitch or a desired roll of the hull.
An airship comprising:
- a hull having an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface is configured to contain a gas under a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure;
- a propulsion device coupled to the outer surface of the hull;
- a sensor for detecting a pitch or roll moment of the hull;
- an inner track positioned adjacent to the inner surface of the hull;
- a plurality of mass transfer devices configured to move along the inner track;
- and
- a control device for receiving a pitch signal or a roll signal and, using the pitch signal or the roll signal, controlling the movement of the plurality of mass transfer devices along the inner track to achieve a desired pitch or a desired roll of the hull.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.