(12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 9,623,954 B2 Kempshall (45) Date of Patent: Apr
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USOO9623954B2 (12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 9,623,954 B2 Kempshall (45) Date of Patent: Apr. 18, 2017 (54) HYBRID LIGHTER-THAN-AIR VEHICLE B64C3/14: B64C 2001/0045; B64C3/00; B64C 1/064; B64C 220 1/105; B64C (71) Applicant: Scott R. Kempshall, St. Petersburg, FL 25/56; B64C 3/44; B64C 3/56 (US) USPC .............................................................. 244/5 (72) Inventor: Scott R. Kempshall, St. Petersburg, FL S ee appl1cauonlication Illefile fIor completelet searcnh historv.n1story (US) (56) References Cited (73) Assignee: Hyalta Aeronautices, Inc., St. U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Petersburg, FL (US) 3,907,218 A 9, 1975 Miller (*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this 3.913,871 A 10, 1975 Miller patent is extended or adjusted under 35 3,970,270 A 7, 1976 Pittet, Jr. U.S.C 154(b) bV 166 davs 3,976,265 A 8, 1976 Doolittle M YW- y yS. 3,993,268 A 11/1976 Moore 4,052,025 A 10, 1977 Clark et al. (21) Appl. No.: 14/341,184 4,085,912 A 4/1978 Slater 4,102,519 A 7/1978 Crosby, Jr. (22) Filed: Jul. 25, 2014 4,261,534 A 4, 1981 Roselli 4,366,936 A 1/1983 Ferguson (65) Prior Publication Data 4,482,110 A 1 1/1984 Crimmins, Jr. (Continued) US 2016/OO23748 A1 Jan. 28, 2016 Primary Examiner — Valentina Xavier (51) Int. Cl. Assistant Examiner — George Andonyan B64B I/20 (2006.01) (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm — Nicholas Pfeifer; Smith B64C 3/44 (2006.01) & Hopen, P.A. B64B I/08 (2006.01) B64B I/4 (2006.01) (57) ABSTRACT B64C3/54 (2006.01) The present invention is a variable geometry lighter-than-air B64B I/58 (2006.01) (LTA) aircraft that is adapted to morph its shape from a FO3D 9/00 (2016.01) symmetric cross-section buoyant craft to an asymmetric (52) U.S. Cl. lifting body and even to a symmetric Zero lift configuration. CPC .................. B64C3/44 (2013.01); B64B I/08 The basic structure is a semi rigid airship with movable (2013.01); B64B I/14 (2013.01); B64B I/58 longerons. Movement of the longerons adjusts the camber of (2013.01); B64C3/54 (2013.01); F03D 9/002 the upper and/or lower Surfaces to achieve varying shapes of (2013.01); B64B 2201/00 (2013.01); F05B the lifting-body. This transformation changes both the lift 2240/921 (2013.01); Y02E 10/725 (2013.01) and drag characteristics of the craft to alter the flight (58) Field of Classification Search characteristics. The transformation may be accomplished CPC ......... B64B 1/00; B64B 2201/00; B64B 1/20; while the craft is airborne and does not require any ground B64B 1/06; B64B 1/58; B64B 1/14: Support equipment. B64B 1/26: B64C 1/34; B64C 39/10: B64C 3/30; B64C 2700/6273; B64C 3/10; 12 Claims, 16 Drawing Sheets 136 4 14 136 US 9,623.954 B2 Page 2 (56) References Cited U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 4497,272 A 2/1985 Veazey 4,695,012 A 9, 1987 Lindenbaum 4,779,825 A 10, 1988 Sams 5,005,783 A 4/1991 Taylor 5,823,468 A * 10/1998 Bothe ....................... B64B 1.08 244, 12.3 2004/0084565 A1 5/2004 Albrecht ................... B64B 1/20 244/5 2011 0163198 A1* 7, 2011 Leaver .................... B64C 27.20 244/12.1 * cited by examiner U.S. Patent Apr. 18, 2017 Sheet 1 of 16 US 9,623,954 B2 124 136 FIG. I. U.S. Patent Apr. 18, 2017 Sheet 2 of 16 US 9,623,954 B2 FIG. 2 FIG. 3 U.S. Patent Apr. 18, 2017 Sheet 3 of 16 US 9,623,954 B2 136 120 FIG. 4B U.S. Patent Apr. 18, 2017 Sheet 4 of 16 US 9,623,954 B2 U.S. Patent Apr. 18, 2017 Sheet S of 16 US 9,623,954 B2 3. 5 U.S. Patent Apr. 18, 2017 Sheet 6 of 16 US 9,623,954 B2 U.S. Patent US 9,623,954 B2 U.S. Patent Apr. 18, 2017 Sheet 8 of 16 US 9,623,954 B2 U.S. Patent US 9,623,954 B2 §101H U.S. Patent Apr. 18, 2017 Sheet 10 of 16 US 9,623,954 B2 U.S. Patent Apr. 18, 2017 Sheet 11 of 16 US 9,623,954 B2 U.S. Patent Apr. 18, 2017 Sheet 12 of 16 US 9,623,954 B2 U.S. Patent Apr. 18, 2017 Sheet 13 of 16 US 9,623,954 B2 FIG. 14A FIG. I.4B U.S. Patent Apr. 18, 2017 Sheet 14 of 16 US 9,623,954 B2 U.S. Patent Apr. 18, 2017 Sheet 15 of 16 US 9,623,954 B2 112 110 112 102 108 102 |- s—- FIG. I 74 112 112 102 102 - 110 S -108 110 - FIG. 17B U.S. Patent Apr. 18, 2017 Sheet 16 of 16 US 9,623,954 B2 FIG. 18 r-107 112 110 108 112 = H(s) = FIG. 19 107 108 110 112 112 "1 FIG. 20 107-N 147 112 7 112 FIG 21 US 9,623,954 B2 1. 2 HYBRD LIGHTER-THAN-AR VEHICLE U.S. Pat. No. 4,102,519 to Edward L. Crosby, Jr. teaches a variable lift inflatable airfoil. However, this invention lacks BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION internal moveable structures, which prevent the airfoil from achieving multiple configurations. Additionally, the airfoil 1. Field of the Invention 5 lacks a propulsion system and/or control Surfaces. This invention relates, generally, to aircrafts. More spe Accordingly, what is needed is an improved variable cifically, it relates to aircrafts convertible between lighter geometry aircraft having a simple, moveable internal struc than-air and heavy-than-air configurations. ture to easily convert the aircraft between an LTA configu 2. Brief Description of the Prior Art Lighter-Than-Air (LTA) aircrafts have some characteris- 10 ration and an HTA configuration. However, in view of the art tics not shared with Heavier-Than-Air (HTA) aircrafts in considered as a whole at the time the present invention was that they can maintain altitude without moving in a medium made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in the field and can do so as long as buoyancy is maintained. LTA of this invention how the shortcomings of the prior art could aircrafts use low-density gas, such as helium or hydrogen to be overcome. float in higher density air. These aircrafts usually employ 15 All referenced publications are incorporated herein by one or more gasbags filled with low-density gas to create a reference in their entirety. Furthermore, where a definition or buoyancy force that offsets the weight of the aircraft. The use of a term in a reference, which is incorporated by downside of LTA aircrafts is their large size, which is reference herein, is inconsistent or contrary to the definition accompanied by large drag characteristics, preventing them of that term provided herein, the definition of that term from traveling at higher speeds. The current speed record for 20 provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the an LTA aircraft is 112 Km/hr (69.6 mph). reference does not apply. HTA aircrafts use Newton's third law and Bernoulli’s While certain aspects of conventional technologies have principle to achieve flight. These aircrafts are generally fixed been discussed to facilitate disclosure of the invention, wing or rotor wing aircraft. In either case, part or parts of the Applicant in no way disclaims these technical aspects, and structure (e.g., wing, rotors, propellers, fuselage, and control 25 it is contemplated that the claimed invention may encompass Surfaces) have a characteristic shape called an airfoil. Air one or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed foils are generally asymmetric in cross-section with the herein. upper Surface having a greater length than the lower Surface. The present invention may address one or more of the This causes air moving across the upper Surface to travel problems and deficiencies of the prior art discussed above. faster than the air traveling across the lower Surface causing 30 a pressure decrease on the upper Surface resulting in lift. However, it is contemplated that the invention may prove Lift can also be achieved/altered by altering the angle of useful in addressing other problems and deficiencies in a attack (AoA) of an airfoil relative to the oncoming airflow. number of technical areas. Therefore, the claimed invention Increased AoA causes mass deflection resulting in lift (New should not necessarily be construed as limited to addressing tons third law). Generally, increasing AoA increases lift 35 any of the particular problems or deficiencies discussed until the angle reaches a point at which the airflow separates herein. from the Surface of the airfoil causing aerodynamic stall. In this specification, where a document, act or item of Regardless of means for creating lift, an HTA requires a knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or wing-like structure moving through a fluid. Movement discussion is not an admission that the document, actor item requires a power Source and no power source can last 40 of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority indefinitely. Therefore, the HTA aircrafts can only maintain date, publicly available, known to the public, part of com flight for limited periods of time. Even powerless gliders mon general knowledge, or otherwise constitutes prior art have duration limits as they trade airspeed for altitude under the applicable statutory provisions; or is known to be gained from thermal lift.