| 主权项 |
1. An aerial vehicle comprising:
an elongate envelope of impervious flexible material within which are at least one first compartment for holding a lighter than air gas and at least one second compartment for holding atmospheric air and said at least one second compartment having an inlet and an outlet; the shape of the envelope being maintained, at least in part, by the pressure of the lighter than air gas; at least one solar panel for converting sunlight into electricity; a compressor for pumping atmospheric air through the inlet into a second compartment; the at least one second compartment having an outlet valve; a controller for controlling the buoyancy of the vehicle, said controller operating the compressor to drive atmospheric air into at least on of said second compartments to render the aerial vehicle heavier than the surrounding air or said controller operating the outlet valve to release air from the at second compartment rendering the vehicle lighter than the surrounding air; at least one pair of wings extending laterally from the envelope; said wings being planar units with a leading and trailing edge, the width of the wings from their leading edges to their trailing edges being substantially less than the length of the envelope; airfoil portions fitted between the leading and trailing edges of the wing: the top and bottom of the wings are mirror images of one another; and wherein, when the vehicle is lighter than the surrounding air the vehicle pitches upwards and rises upwards and forwards and when the vehicle is heavier that the surrounding air the vehicle is pitched downwards to fall downwards and forwards; forward motion of the vehicle thus obtainable without thrust through alternate diving and climbing motion. |
