Patents Assigned to FLYING WHALES
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Patent number: 12637195Abstract: A system for the thermal management of an external electric-power-generating nacelle equipping an electrically powered airship, the nacelle comprising electrical generation means implementing at least one turbogenerator contained in a fire containment vessel and provided with an inlet duct for turbine feed air and a flue gas exhaust duct, the system comprising ventilation means for injecting external air into the fire containment vessel, and means for discharging the ventilation air from the fire containment vessel, the means surrounding the flue gas exhaust duct so as to provide a Venturi effect for the outflow energized by the turbine flue gases.Type: GrantFiled: July 21, 2022Date of Patent: May 26, 2026Assignee: Flying WhalesInventors: Pierrot Guillou, Gilles Gregoire, Olivier Desgeorges
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Patent number: 12351290Abstract: An airship comprises a main body having a rigid structure surrounding a plurality of containers for a lighter-than-air gas, a plurality of propeller units mechanically connected to the rigid structure and each comprising one or more electric motors for driving a thrust propeller, and one or more power-generating units for powering the electric motors. The airship also comprises two nacelles symmetrically arranged on either side of the main body and each configured to receive one or more of the power-generating units, each ducted nacelle comprising a mechanical structure connected to the rigid structure of the main body by joint, a “fail safe” interface, and at least one rod or stay cable between a first point of attachment on the rigid structure of the main body and a second point of attachment on the mechanical structure of the nacelle.Type: GrantFiled: July 21, 2022Date of Patent: July 8, 2025Assignee: Flying WhalesInventors: Pierrot Guillou, Clémence Taillardat
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Patent number: 12258136Abstract: An airship comprises a plurality of electric power generators; a plurality of electrical buses; and a plurality of propulsion points each equipped with a propellant bundle formed from a plurality of thrusters of the electric-motor-driven propeller type. For each of the propulsion points, a thruster is electrically connected to one of the generators by way of one of the electrical buses, and another thruster of the propulsion point is electrically connected to another of the generators by way of another of the electrical buses.Type: GrantFiled: December 17, 2021Date of Patent: March 25, 2025Assignee: Flying WhalesInventors: Jacques Bernard, Benoît Le Blanc
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Patent number: 11981414Abstract: A method for erecting the structure of an aerostat in successive horizontal sections, starting from the top horizontal section, including an iteration of the following steps, starting from a current state of completion of the aerostat structure, lifting the current state of the structure, at first lifting points, by means of lifting means arranged in a current transverse position; placing a support device in line with second lifting points for lifting the current state of the structure; transferring the current state of the structure from the lifting means to the support device; moving the lifting means to another transverse position; completely assembling the horizontal section immediately below the current state of the structure on the structure.Type: GrantFiled: July 17, 2020Date of Patent: May 14, 2024Assignee: FLYING WHALESInventors: Clément Barthe, Emmanuel Crespin, Jean-Marie Gourlin
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Patent number: 11753135Abstract: The method for transporting a payload to a target location, comprises the following steps of providing a hybrid airship comprises a buoyancy enclosure, a gondola carried by the buoyancy enclosure and a payload carrier, and at least one propeller; flying the hybrid airship carrying the payload to a target location, flying the hybrid airship carrying the payload comprising generating a lift force with the at least one propeller. Flying the hybrid airship carrying the payload comprises tilting the longitudinal axis of the buoyancy enclosure to a positive pitch to generate an aerodynamic lift force when the hybrid airship carrying the payload moves longitudinally.Type: GrantFiled: November 13, 2017Date of Patent: September 12, 2023Assignees: TOTAL SA, FLYING WHALESInventor: François Hervé Kuhlmann
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Patent number: 11731789Abstract: The present invention concerns hybrid airship comprising at least one buoyancy enclosure containing a gas lighter than air, a gondola attached below the buoyancy enclosure, the gondola extending along a longitudinal axis, at least one propeller configured to propel the hybrid airship, the at least one propeller being attached to the buoyancy enclosure, at least one generator, configured to provide power to the propeller, the generator being connected to the gondola. The hybrid airship comprises an arm protruding from the gondola and connecting the generator to the gondola.Type: GrantFiled: November 13, 2017Date of Patent: August 22, 2023Assignees: TOTAL SA, FLYING WHALESInventor: Hervé Kuhlmann
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Patent number: 11591113Abstract: A system for docking an aerostat on a receiving structure, including an unmanned aerial vehicle that can be controlled so as to move between the aerostat and the receiving structure, carrying a first end of a cable that has a second end fixed to the aerostat or the receiving structure, and to attach said first end to the receiving structure or to the aerostat such that the cable connects the aerostat to the receiving structure.Type: GrantFiled: November 27, 2017Date of Patent: February 28, 2023Assignee: FLYING WHALESInventor: Sébastien Bougon
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Patent number: 11237561Abstract: An aircraft is provided, including: at least one sensor for measuring a wind; actuators (motors, control surfaces, etc.); a data base embedded aboard the aircraft, the data base associating various values of wind measurement with various set points for the attention of the actuators. The aircraft furthermore includes a system of analysis and control, arranged so as, or programmed so as: to receive values of wind measurement originating from the at least one sensor; searching, inside the data base, for a correspondence of the wind measurement values originating from the at least one sensor, and determining (as a function of this search) the directives to be dispatched to the actuators, and dispatching these determined directives to the actuators.Type: GrantFiled: May 12, 2016Date of Patent: February 1, 2022Assignee: FLYING WHALESInventor: Hervé François Kuhlmann
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Publication number: 20200361589Abstract: The method for transporting a payload to a target location, comprises the following steps of providing a hybrid airship comprises a buoyancy enclosure, a gondola carried by the buoyancy enclosure and a payload carrier, and at least one propeller; flying the hybrid airship carrying the payload to a target location, flying the hybrid airship carrying the payload comprising generating a lift force with the at least one propeller. Flying the hybrid airship carrying the payload comprises tilting the longitudinal axis of the buoyancy enclosure to a positive pitch to generate an aerodynamic lift force when the hybrid airship carrying the payload moves longitudinally.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 13, 2017Publication date: November 19, 2020Applicants: TOTAL SA, FLYING WHALESInventor: François Hervé KUHLMANN
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Publication number: 20200283170Abstract: The present invention concerns hybrid airship comprising at least one buoyancy enclosure containing a gas lighter than air, a gondola attached below the buoyancy enclosure, the gondola extending along a longitudinal axis, at least one propeller configured to propel the hybrid airship, the at least one propeller being attached to the buoyancy enclosure, at least one generator, configured to provide power to the propeller, the generator being connected to the gondola. The hybrid airship comprises an arm protruding from the gondola and connecting the generator to the gondola.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 13, 2017Publication date: September 10, 2020Applicants: TOTAL SA, FLYING WHALESInventor: Hervé KUHLMANN
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Patent number: 10494076Abstract: A lighter-than-air aircraft is provided including a deballasting system, the deballasting system including: at least one tank containing a liquid; a system for pressurizing the liquid of the at least one tank; and at least one sprayer arranged so as to eject the liquid from the pressurization system.Type: GrantFiled: August 11, 2015Date of Patent: December 3, 2019Assignee: FLYING WHALESInventor: Hervé François Kuhlmann