Autonomous stratospheric unmanned airship

摘要

An autonomous stratospheric unmanned airship with an operating altitude from 5-22 km and with a multi-month operational cycle. Spheroid rigid geodesic frame of constant volume formed by a multitude of struts, with an outer envelope enclosing the frame defining the eigenfrequency spectrum of the airship above 20 Hz, with vibrational amplitudes between 0.1 and 1 cm. Independently controllable electrical propulsion units, attached to the frame in the horizontal plane passing through the center of mass, can change the direction and value of the thrust vector. Buoyancy is controlled with a system integrated inside the geodesic frame including buoyant fluid pressurized tanks, valves for the release of the buoyant fluid through the buoyant fluid conduit into the buoyant gas cell which fills the geodesic frame. Valves at the subsystem support platform enable ambient atmosphere to fill the internal volume of the frame not occupied by the buoyant gas cell.

主权项

1. An autonomous stratospheric unmanned airship, comprising:
a spheroid rigid body of a constant volume derived from a geodesic frame formed from struts mutually connected with connectors and with a derived outer envelope enclosing the entire frame; a propulsion system fixed to the frame; a buoyancy control system integrated within the geodesic frame; a power system comprising batteries within the geodesic frame and of photovoltaic cells placed at the upper part of the envelope; a narrow-band and broadband communication system with corresponding antennas; and a control unit, wherein: the propulsion system of the airship comprises two or more identical and independently controlled propulsion units placed in a horizontal plane passing through a center of mass of the airship calculated for a specific operating altitude where swivel frames of the propulsion units are placed in a way to have points of their connections with an electromotor servo drive on the frame forming tips of a regular polygon in the horizontal plane passing through a center of mass; the buoyancy control system of the airship comprising: one or more pressurized tanks with buoyant fluid placed at a subsystem support surface lowering the center of mass of the airship towards the subsystem support surface, one or more valves for releasing the buoyant fluid through a fluid conduit into the buoyant gas cell which by expanding fills out geodesic frame; and one or more atmospheric valves placed at the subsystem support surface enabling the rest of the geodesic frame's volume to be filled with ambient atmosphere.