Rigid structural-frame dirigible comprising an internal framework divided in internal zones fixedly clearly separated and sealingly isolated therebetween through rigid partition means in fixed union with the internal frame itself, and suitable for being evacuated to a vacuum regime, respectively forming as many vacuum zones (3A; 3B; 3C).

Rigid structural-frame dirigible comprising an internal framework divided in internal zones fixedly clearly separated and sealingly isolated therebetween through rigid partition means in fixed union with the internal frame itself, and suitable for being evacuated to a vacuum regime, respectively forming as many vacuum zones (3A; 3B; 3C).

An apparatus for an airship, including: a spacer ring adapted to couple to a joint opening of a joint, the spacer ring having multiple internal protruding portions adapted to form a gap between the spacer ring and a connector inserted into the joint; an injecting clamp adapted to clamp around a first portion of the spacer ring, the injecting clamp having an injecting hole for receiving an adhesive and an outlet for injecting the adhesive to fill a space formed between the joint and a portion of the connector inserted into the joint; and a heating clamp adapted to clamp around a portion of the joint that surrounds the portion of the connector inserted into the joint, the heating clamp including a heat source adapted to heat the adhesive in the space formed between the joint and the portion of the connector during a curing process.

An airship comprising an envelope having a shape, a volume, and a frontal area. A lifting gas within the envelope. A propulsion system. A volume change mechanism arranged to change the shape of the envelope, wherein the change in shape of the envelope changes the volume of the envelope, the change in volume of the envelope causes a change in the buoyancy of the airship, and the change in shape of the envelope causes the frontal area of the envelope to change proportionally to the change in volume of the envelope.

A system, method and apparatus are proposed to assist in assembling the frame, attaching the skin, and performing other tasks in manufacturing an airship and constructing other structures that are otherwise challenging, inefficient, or unsuitable for humans to perform, and/or that traditionally require significant investments in capital intensive manufacturing facilities. Several embodiments are proposed in which these and other recurring manufacturing tasks can be performed safely and efficiently with the assistance of autonomous, semi-autonomous, and/or human-directed robots, acting independently and in robot swarms.

A system, method and apparatus are proposed to assist in assembling the frame, attaching the skin, and performing other tasks in manufacturing an airship and constructing other structures that are otherwise challenging, inefficient, or unsuitable for humans to perform, and/or that traditionally require significant investments in capital intensive manufacturing facilities. Several embodiments are proposed in which these and other recurring manufacturing tasks can be performed safely and efficiently with the assistance of autonomous, semi-autonomous, and/or human-directed robots, acting independently and in robot swarms.

A lighter-than-air airship has an exoskeleton constructed of spokes and hubs to create a set of connected hexagrams comprised of isosceles triangles wherein the spokes flex and vary in length to produce the slope of said airship's surface. In one embodiment, the exoskeleton connects to a nose cone that includes a cockpit cabin for controlling the airship's operation from a single location that can be physically separated from the exoskeleton in response to catastrophic events and for autonomous and/or remotely piloted operation. An improved means is also provided for landing and unloading cargo, and through use of unmanned aerial vehicles in another embodiment, the airship is configured for remote pickup, transport, delivery and return of payloads such as packages. In yet another embodiment, the airship provides a communications platform for beam form transmission and satellite signal relay, including in combination with the foregoing disclosed attributes.

A lighter-than-air airship has an exoskeleton constructed of spokes and hubs to create a set of connected hexagrams comprised of isosceles triangles wherein the spokes flex and vary in length to produce the slope of said airship's surface. In one embodiment, the exoskeleton connects to a nose cone that includes a cockpit cabin for controlling the airship's operation from a single location that can be physically separated from the exoskeleton in response to catastrophic events and for autonomous and/or remotely piloted operation. An improved means is also provided for landing and unloading cargo, and through use of unmanned aerial vehicles in another embodiment, the airship is configured for remote pickup, transport, delivery and return of payloads such as packages. In yet another embodiment, the airship provides a communications platform for beam form transmission and satellite signal relay, including in combination with the foregoing disclosed attributes.

In an embodiment, a system for synchronizing the rotation of multiple mainframes of an airship includes multiple belt drive systems configured to mechanically rotate the mainframes, a central control system for sending a timing instruction to cause the mainframes to rotate synchronously about their respective rotational axis, wherein the mainframes are axis-aligned about their respective rotational axes and the timing instruction specifies a desired angular displacement of the mainframes, and multiple control units for controlling the belt drive systems to rotate the mainframes, respectively, wherein, for each mainframe, the associated control unit is configured to: receive the timing instruction from the central control system; determine, according to the timing instruction, a rotation instruction based on a size of the mainframe and the desired angular displacement; and instruct the belt drive system controlled by the control unit to rotate the mainframe based on the rotation instruction.

In an embodiment, a system for synchronizing the rotation of multiple mainframes of an airship includes multiple belt drive systems configured to mechanically rotate the mainframes, a central control system for sending a timing instruction to cause the mainframes to rotate synchronously about their respective rotational axis, wherein the mainframes are axis-aligned about their respective rotational axes and the timing instruction specifies a desired angular displacement of the mainframes, and multiple control units for controlling the belt drive systems to rotate the mainframes, respectively, wherein, for each mainframe, the associated control unit is configured to: receive the timing instruction from the central control system; determine, according to the timing instruction, a rotation instruction based on a size of the mainframe and the desired angular displacement; and instruct the belt drive system controlled by the control unit to rotate the mainframe based on the rotation instruction.