Relevance

Today, the transportation of people and goods is accompanied by critical conditions such as:

• the emission of green house gasses,
• the consumption of fossil fuels,
• increasing transport costs related to fuel prices and to costs for environmental impacts,
• high costs for the construction and maintenance of transport routes (train, motorways, airports);
• additionally, classic transport systems are facing an increasing number of people wishing to travel.

These aspects inevitably result in:

• Traffic jams,
• Large consumption of soil for new infrastructure-related projects,
• Noise pollution (cars, trains, aircraft),
• Increasing costs,
• Increasing emissions of greenhouse gasses.

Therefore, a new mode of transport –both economically and ecologically attractive-is necessary.

Purposes and objectives

1. Identify and design the most functional cruiser/ airship architectures based on a discoid innovative airship able to remain airborne for long periods of time and to travel great distances.
2. Design the best type of propulsion both for cruiser and feeder so they can contribute together to the propulsion of an innovative modular airship.
3. Minimizing environmental impacts by annulling fossil fuels energy consumption as both cruiser and feeder are energetically autonomous.
4. Development of a control system that allows the system to operate autonomously without a pilot, and greatly facilitate the task of managing in manned mode.
5. Design the best procedure of automatic docking operations of cruiser and feeder in order to obtain the minimum disruption to passengers and the maximum safety for themselves and for goods.

Deadlines

2012 – 2015

Customer

The project was funded by the European Commission within the framework of FP7 program.

Project members

Project Leader: Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Italy Coordination & Overall System Design	Southern Federal University, Russia Control and telecommunication system
The University of Hertfordshire Higher Education, United Kingdom Flight Mechanics and PV Coverage	LogisticNetwork Consultants GmbH, Germany Dissemination and Logistics
Engys Ltd., United Kingdom CFDs Flight Mechanics	Politecnico di Torino, Italy Energy and Propulsive System
Alma Mater Sudiorum–Università di Bologna, Italy Overall System Design	University of Lincoln, United Kingdom Energy and Propulsive Systems
eDL S.A., Uruguay Cabins, Cargo and Transfer Systems	Aero Sekur S.p.A ,Italy Cabins, Cargo and Transfer Systems
Universidade da Beira Interior, Portugal Energy and Propulsive Systems	Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium Cruiser/Feeder Docking and Joints

The geography of project members

Results

 МААТ transport system structure

Multilevel MAAT transport system consists of stratospheric airships-cruisers, moving at an altitude of 16 km, using steady air flow for transportation passengers and cargo over long distances. An important component of the system is the airship – feeder, which serves as a lift. Its mission – delivery of people and cargo from the ground to the cruiser and back again and also it’s ground hub airport – a conceptually new type of airport with low-cost for the airship-feeder, which can be easily being constructed in small transport hubs.

Control system

Specialists of the Institute have developed traffic control system of the cruiser-feeder in manned and unmanned modes, and automatic docking control system of the feeder to the cruiser, as well as manufactured and tested demonstrators of these systems on the basis of mini-airships.

The structure of the control system and telecommunication

Demonstrators

The structure of the demonstrator control system

 Additional materials

Download the booklet

Publications

1. V.Kh. Pshikhopov, M.Yu. Medvedev, R.V. Fedorenko et al. The system of position-trajectory control of robotic aeronautical platform [Text]. Part 2. Control Algorithms // Mechatronics, Automation, Control. — 2013. — № 7 (148). — pp. 13-20
2. V.Kh. Pshikhopov, M.Yu. Medvedev, R.V. Fedorenko et al. The system of position-trajectory control of robotic aeronautical platform [Text]. Part 1. Mathematical Model // Mechatronics, Automation, Control. — 2013. — № 6 (147). — pp. 14-21
3. Neydorf, R., Novikov, S., and Fedorenko, R., “Continuous-Positional Automatic Ballonet Control System for Airship,” SAE Int. J. Aerosp. 6(2):598-606, 2013, doi:10.4271/2013-01-2236.
4. R.A.Neydorf, S.P.Novikov, R.V. Fedorenko. Control tasks and methods of airships multi-ballonet systems// Proceedings of the Eighth All-Russian scientific-practical conference “Perspective Systems and Control Problems”. – Taganrog: Publishing house of TTI SFU, 2013. – pp. 247 – 256
5. K. Pshikhopov, M. Yu. Medvedev, R.V. Fedorenko et al., “Mathematical model of robot on base of airship,” 52nd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, Firenze, 2013, pp. 959-964.
6. Kh. Pshikhopov, M.Yu. Medvedev, A.R. Gaiduk, R.V. Fedorenko, V.A. Krukhmalev, B.V. Gurenko, Position-Trajectory Control System for Unmanned Robotic Airship, IFAC Proceedings Volumes, Volume 47, Issue 3, 2014, Pages 8953-8958, ISSN 1474-6670
7. Pshikhopov, V., Medvedev, M., Krukhmalev, V., Fedorenko, R. et al., “Method of Docking for Stratospheric Airships of Multibody Transportation System,” SAE Technical Paper 2014-01-2162, 2014, doi:10.4271/2014-01-2162.
8. Roman Fedorenko, Victor Krukhmalev Indoor Autonomous Airship Control and Navigation System // MATEC Web of Conferences 42 01006 (2016) DOI: 10.1051/matecconf/20164201006
9. R.A.Neydorf, A.A.Boldyreva. The MAAT system feeders ascending/descending control volume principle. – Proceedings of SFU. Technical science. – 2013. — No 7(144). Thematic issue Intelligent CAD– pp.184 — 190.
10. A.A.Boldyreva. Efficiency of mass using in aerostat type aerial vehicles. — Perspective Systems and Control Problems // Proceedings of the 7-th All-Russian scientific-practical conference – Taganrog: Publishing house of TTI SFU, 2012. – pp.112 — 117.
11. A.A.Boldyreva. Diurnal temperature changing of flight altitude of stratospheric airship and the methods of this compensation. – System analysis, control and information processing: Proceedings of the III International scientific seminar, Divnomorskoye settlement, 27 September — 2 October [Electronic resource] / DSTU. – Rostov on Don, 2012. — pp. 170 — 176.
12. R.A.Neydorf, S.P.Novikov, A.A.Boldyreva. Ballonet subsystem of the airship state control and its mathematical model. – Innovation, ecology and resource-saving technologies. // Proceedings of the X Intern. scientific and engineering forum [Electronic resource] / DSTU. — Rostov on Don, 2012.— pp. 386 — 390.
13. R.A.Neydorf, A.A.Boldyreva. Energetic problems of ascending control of MAAT system feeder. // Proceedings of the Eighth All-Russian scientific-practical conference “Perspective Systems and Control Problems”. – Taganrog: Publishing house of TTI SFU, 2013. – pp. 274 — 282.
14. R.A.Neydorf, A.A.Boldyreva. Influence of MAAT feeder design features on tasks and control capabilities. // Proceedings of the Eighth All-Russian scientific-practical conference “Perspective Systems and Control Problems”.- Taganrog: Publishing house of TTI SFU, 2013. — pp. 272 — 273.
15. Voloshin V., Chen Y., Neydorf R., Boldyreva A. Aerodynamic characteristic study and possible improvements of MAAT feeder airships. – Proceedings of SAE 2013 AeroTech Congress & Exhibition, 2013. – doi: 10.4271/2013-01-2112.