1. A system for the airborne launch refuelling and recovery of an aircraft fromby a larger carrier aircraft and for refuelling and recovering the aircraft, the system comprising a holder on the carrier aircraft to which the aircraft is detachably connectable, and an extendible and retractable refuelling device mounted on or in the holder detachably connectable to the aircraft, whereby to launch the aircraft the aircraft is disconnected from the holder and the refuelling device is extended with the aircraft detachably connected thereto to cause the aircraft to trail behind the carrier aircraft and the refuelling device is disconnected from the trailing aircraft, the system enabling the aircraft to be refuelled in flight by connecting the aircraft in flight to the extended refuelling device and passing fuel from the carrier aircraft to the aircraft through the refuelling device, the aircraft also being recoverable by connecting the aircraft in flight to the extended refuelling device, retracting the refuelling device with the aircraft connected thereto and reconnecting the aircraft to the carrier aircraft.
2. A system according to claim 1 in which the refuelling device is in the form of a hose having means thereon for connection to the aircraft.
3. A system according to claim 2 in which the means on the hose is in the form of a drogue.
4. A system according to claim 2 or 3 in which the hose is wound on a drum, the drum being rotatable to enable the hose to unwind therefrom to extend the refuelling device.
5. A system according to any preceding claim in which the holder has at least one latching device thereon for detachably connecting the aircraft to the holder.
6. A system according to any preceding claim in which part of the carrier aircraft adjacent the holder has a latching device thereon for detachably connecting the aircraft to the carrier aircraft.
7. A system according to claim 4, 5 or 6 when appendant to claim 4 in which a drive unit is provided for operating the drum andor the or each latching device on the holder.
8. A system according to any preceding claim in which a latching device is provided for detachably connecting the aircraft to the refuelling device.
9. A system according to any preceding claim in which the holder is detachably connectable to the carrier aircraft.
10. A system according to any preceding claim in which the aircraft is an unmanned aerial vehicle.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for manufacturing a precursor lens for a rim-shaped lens, the precursor lens having a circular or elliptical external shape, the precursor lens being processed into a rim-shaped lens by cutting off a peripheral edge thereof so as to be fitted in a predetermined spectacle rim, the precursor lens being provided with rotationally asymmetric lens characteristics corresponding to a prescription of a user, the method comprising:
a processing data input step of inputting data to specify at least a shape of the rim-shaped lens, and
a precursor lens manufacturing step of manufacturing the precursor lens by processing a material block by a processing means based on processing data of the rim-shaped lens,
wherein an upper borderline and a lower borderline are imaginarily set to be extended in a rightwardleftward direction with a predetermined interval therebetween in an upper part and a lower part, respectively, of a rim shape of the rim-shaped lens,
wherein processing is performed while reflecting the processing data until the borderlines are reached, and
wherein parts outside the borderlines are processed while correcting the processing data so that an edge thickness of the manufactured precursor lens securely becomes larger than a predetermined thickness.
2. The method for manufacturing a precursor lens for a rim-shaped lens according to claim 1, wherein the upper borderline and the lower borderline are respectively virtual curves located at positions facing each other with a lens center therebetween, each serving as a part of a curve defined by I) or II) mentioned below:
I) a single ellipse or circle,
II) an outwardly convex closed-curve shape that does not make self-crossing and that is obtained by combining together parts of a plurality of curves selected from a single or a plurality of ellipses, circles, and hyperbolas so as to obtain a smooth continuity.
3. The method for manufacturing a precursor lens for a rim-shaped lens according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the upper and lower borderlines is a straight line extended in the rightwardleftward direction.
4. The method for manufacturing a precursor lens for a rim-shaped lens according to claim 2, wherein each of the upper and lower borderlines has a contact point being in external contact with a rim shape of the rim-shaped lens or a proximity point close thereto.
5. The method for manufacturing a precursor lens for a rim-shaped lens according to claim 4, wherein the material block has a predetermined convex or concave surface to be processed that has been pre-formed, and, in the step of manufacturing the precursor lens, processing is applied by the processing means onto either the convex or the concave surface to be processed.
6. The method for manufacturing a precursor lens for a rim-shaped lens according to claim 5, wherein the surface to be processed is an inner surface side of the lens in the step of manufacturing the precursor lens.
7. The method for manufacturing a precursor lens for a rim-shaped lens according to claim 6, wherein correction of the processing data denotes setting a lens-inner-surface-side curve in a lens cross section that passes through a lens center area so as to become deeper outside the borderlines than inside the borderlines.
8. The method for manufacturing a precursor lens for a rim-shaped lens according to claim 7, wherein setting a curve so as to become deeper outside the borderlines than inside the borderlines denotes that a curve obtained when the processing data is corrected becomes deeper outside the borderlines than a curve obtained when the processing data is not corrected.
9. The method for manufacturing a precursor lens for a rim-shaped lens according to claim 8, wherein a second borderline is imaginarily set outside each of the borderlines, and a deep curve set outside each of the borderlines is corrected so as to become shallower outside the second borderline.
10. The method for manufacturing a precursor lens for a rim-shaped lens according to claim 9, wherein a lens-inner-surface-side curve in a lens cross section that passes through a lens center area of the precursor lens is corrected to become convex outside the second borderline.
11. The method for manufacturing a precursor lens for a rim-shaped lens according to claim 10, wherein parts around the rim-shaped lens part processed in the step of manufacturing the precursor lens have at least an area that is contiguous to the rim-shaped lens part and that is continuous in all directions.
12. The method for manufacturing a precursor lens for a rim-shaped lens according to claim 3, wherein each of the upper and lower borderlines has a contact point being in external contact with a rim shape of the rim-shaped lens or a proximity point close thereto.
13. The method for manufacturing a precursor lens for a rim-shaped lens according to claim 12, wherein the material block has a predetermined convex or concave surface to be processed that has been pre-formed, and, in the step of manufacturing the precursor lens, processing is applied by the processing means onto either the convex or the concave surface to be processed.
14. The method for manufacturing a precursor lens for a rim-shaped lens according to claim 13, wherein the surface to be processed is an inner surface side of the lens in the step of manufacturing the precursor lens.
15. The method for manufacturing a precursor lens for a rim-shaped lens according to claim 14, wherein correction of the processing data denotes setting a lens-inner-surface-side curve in a lens cross section that passes through a lens center area so as to become deeper outside the borderlines than inside the borderlines.
16. The method for manufacturing a precursor lens for a rim-shaped lens according to claim 15, wherein setting a curve so as to become deeper outside the borderlines than inside the borderlines denotes that a curve obtained when the processing data is corrected becomes deeper outside the borderlines than a curve obtained when the processing data is not corrected.
17. The method for manufacturing a precursor lens for a rim-shaped lens according to claim 16, wherein a second borderline is imaginarily set outside each of the borderlines, and a deep curve set outside each of the borderlines is corrected so as to become shallower outside the second borderline.
18. The method for manufacturing a precursor lens for a rim-shaped lens according to claim 17, wherein a lens-inner-surface-side curve in a lens cross section that passes through a lens center area of the precursor lens is corrected to become convex outside the second borderline.
19. The method for manufacturing a precursor lens for a rim-shaped lens according to claim 18, wherein parts around the rim-shaped lens part processed in the step of manufacturing the precursor lens have at least an area that is contiguous to the rim-shaped lens part and that is continuous in all directions.