US1001849A - Flying-machine. - Google Patents

Description

P. G. HOPKINS.

FLYING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION rum) APR. 28, 1906.

Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

P. G. HOPKINS.

FLYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION rmzn APR. 28, 1906.

1,001,849, Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

-P. O. HOPKLNS.

v FLYING MACHINE. APPLICATION nun APR. 2a, 1906.

1,001 ,849, Patented Aug. 29, 15 311.

IIYVENTOR B30206 0.170 2/ .dTTORNE y.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3. 9 Q 8 s UNITED STATES PATENT ornron.

Patron c. norms, ornnw roan, n. Y. ELYINLG-MAOHINE.

1,001,849. Specification of Letters Patent Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

, Application filed April 28, ,1906. Serial No. 314,119. 161121 whom it may concern: tween the longitudinal bars 1, 2 and 3 B it k th t 1,. PRINCE C .H throughout the entire length of the frame, c1t1zen of. the United States, and a resident x ept a the extreme ends thereof, where of New York, in the county and Stat of the brace bar is omitted for the reasons 5 New York, have invented certain n w a d hereinafter described. The propeller blades useful Improvements in Flying-Machines, are extremely long and narrow in contradisof which the following is a full, clear, and inction to the ordinary length of blade, complete disclosure. I and revolve in great circles, thus agitating 4 y invention relates to machines for navithe m ph Wi h n heir Cir l s at s 85 1o gating air, and particularly t that class f frequent intervals, as will be hereinafter the same in which their elevation and dim e fully ri e Th pr p llers ar rect1on are controlled by propeller blades. C p d f h l s s me of whi h Th bj t f my i ti i t id are shown broken away and are indicated at such a machine in which the same means of '-9'-.' T e e b d are ed to the 15 propulsion maybe utilized both for as n hubs 8, from which extend downwardly the sion and navigation, and by a peculiar arpropeller shafts 7, each'journaled in its rerangemcnt of the propeller blades to obtain p ti Sleeve 1 at h jH l f h a more eflicient means of propulsion nd frame bars 3, 5 and 6. Across the frame cause the movements of the machine as a b rs 5 and 6 is the brace bar 11, having a 20 whole to be more susceptible to c ntrol. sleeve 12 at its central portion, through A further object of my invention is to which passes the lower end of its respecprovlde a frame and a car so arranged that tive propeller shaft. To the lower extremthe frame may be moved relatively to the ity of e h pr p l r h f i fa t e a car to control the direction of the machine. bevel ge r 12', WhiOhme h With th bevel 25 Wrth these objects in view, my invention gear 13 onthe shaft 1414, which latter is consists of the details of construction and ourn ed at s extreme ends n the Sleeves manner of operation set forth in the fol 15-15 in the brace bars 16, WhlCll are 10- lowing description and accompanying draw cated at the extremeends of the frame, just ings, in which like reference characters indi above where the bars H are omitted, as 5 3o cate corresponding-parts. hereinbefore referred to. Each alternate In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective b e ge r 13 engages thebpposite side of iviewmf my i ve ti Parts f th frame 1ts meshlng gear 12, thus glving to the shaft and propeller blades being broken away; connected to the latter a reverse dlrectlon. Fig. 2 is a transversesection of the same, The b f these alternate h t are also 35 showing the car and frame arrang d i reversely inclined, so that the said reverse their normal relative position, and Fig. 3 is dlrection doesnot change the d1rect1on of 'a' transverse section taken in the'sa'me plane P p vThe elreles ldeserlbed y t a Fig, 2, but showing the frame v d to revolutlons of the several shafts are side incline the axes of the propellers. Fig. 4 is by side-and do not. overlap and thus the agi- 40 an elevation of the frame and car showing tation of theair 1n anyone circle is less 11athe steering gear, but having parts th r of ble to affectthat m either of 1ts ad acent broken away, and Fig. -5 lsacross section clrcles than if the said bladeswere artaken on line 5 5 of Fig.4. ranged to swlng 1n overlappmg circles, and

, Referring particularly'to th v f a t further, the reverse direct-ion given to each 45" ture,iin which the propeller are otatobly alternate propeller has a tendency to com-- journaled, 1 and 2 represent the longitudinal pensate for any uniformly directed currents base bars of an elongated extended frame. Whl h nilgh Set up thr0l 1gh0ut the at- The said base bars are parallel 'at,their midmospheric' medlum surrounding the whole j "dle'portions and converge upwardly toward mac me by virtue of the rotation of a plu- 5 their end portions. The top longitudinal rallty" of propellers 1n the same direction. bar is indicated at 3 and is connected with The shaft 14 -14 may be d sconnected at its thebars land 2 bythe braces 5 and 6, middle portion so that the motor Wlll re- .the-latter.- .=-three} braces -formin a triangle volve only apart thereof. The said mechasubstantially at ri ht angles with thelonnlsm for. disconnecting the shaft 1s a longi- 5 gitudinal bars. T e sai d triangular .brace tudinally movmgclutchoperated by thelebars i, 5 and 6 er t, n e l b ever 20, fulcrumed onthe bar 21, attached clutch, as one of jacent to said end is keyed the meshing with the gear 26, operate by the rection, leaving the other section which project for some 55 determined by the end of which is a cord 22, pass 23 and down into the car a handle 24. By pulling lever 20 will throw the to the upper ing over a pulley 29, terminating in on the cord, the

5 clutch longitudinally of the shaft and disconnect the two sections thereof, so that the operation of one will not in any way aifect the operation, of the other. illustrated in detail any particular form of any suitable construction may be utilized;

' Referring to that section of the shaft indicated at 14', the sleeve 17 of the brace bar 18, and adear 27,

heavy compared with the frame, and by" virtue of the principle of gravi tion assumes its lowermost position re ative to the frame. When it is desired to swing the frame for the purpose of inclining the pro- 'peller blades, a shaft 33, which is rigid with the lower part of the frame, is pulled rearwardly, forcing the frame along the runners 30 until it assumes its desired position, when the lever 33 is fastened to the--rack 34 by 4 means of the locking device 35. '2 The rudder 36 is journaled to rotate in the sleeve 37, the latter being secured to the car. The stem 38 of the rudder is bent t9 any desired pos1t1on wlthin the carto ,form .a crank to enable the rotation'of the same.- The rudder may be located in any suitable position around the vertical axis *of the carandnormally lies in a vertical plane. f When turned "out of this plane, however, it comes under the influenceof a downwardcurrent'of air, induced by the rotation of the propellerlocated nearest the car, and thus turns the car, together with itsattached ,fr'ame, aroundpn its vertical axis, in a direction direction of inclination of the blade 36 thereof. The rudder, thus arranged, acts as a; single blade propeller,

of which the car is thehub, and when'any air is forced downwardly against'the same, it will cause thecar to revolve on its vertical to the direction of-inclin'ation ofr aithe i lade. A" further means of steering is dis losed in detail in Figisr. 4 and 5, inwhieh figures a portion of. the ivaxis accordin ing gear and motors have been remove'd, m

.pulleys 42-42 I have not the inner end is journaled m- .the upwardly extending wire 44- on the order to more clearly bring out the? details of the steering mechanism. On the extreme ends of the frame are journaled the blades 40-40, which are fastened to shafts 41-41 the inner ends of which carry respectively. shafts are journaled toosclllate in cross bars, one of which is indicated at 43 in Fig. 5, connecting the.frame bars 5 and 6. J ournaled in bearings-attached to, the top of the frame are the pulleys respectively,

45-45 and 46-46, v and about the center of the frame is located The .said

a drum 50. When in operation, these blades 40-40 are oscillated to incline in opposite directions, and by virtue of each bemg located under a ropeller, it come under the influence of a downwardly directed cgrrent of air, and thus causes the frame to r volve on a vertical central axis. Around the pulleys 42-42, and over the pulleys 45-45, and '46-46, and around the drum '50,'passes a cord or wire 444-45. To the lower end of the drum 50 is attacheda flexible shaft 47, which extends, down into the car, and has a lever 48 at its lower extremity. By swinging the lever 48, the drum 50 may be revolved through the medium of the flexible shaft 47, so that the pulley cord 44 will-pass upwardly 42, over the pulley 45, around the upper'part of the drum 50 and over the pulley 45', ass- 'ing downwardly on the farther side o Elie under the same, and upwar y pulley 42', on the near side of the said pulley, over the pulley 46, around the lower part of the drum 50, overthepulley 46 and down on the near side of the pulley 42, terminatingE in ar- 1 These propeller be used together the latter may be is obvious that the ther side of'the pulley 42. blades 40 and 40 'may with the rudder'36, or eliminated entirely. It

said blades, when inclined in reverse directions r untifthey are turned back into their normal vertical plane. The direction of the turn- -ing of'the' frame is determined by the direction of inclination of the s'aid blades.

As hereinbefore mentioned, the blades 9-9 and 9'-9 of the several propellers are much longer and narrower than the blades of ordinary propellers, so that when revolved they enerategreat circles by virtue g by one blade has 12 0 of which the air agitated time to recoger from its disturbance before being ag by at the circumference of the circle wherethe blades are the widest. This feature enables me'to utilize a maximum resistance 0 air thus increasingthe eificiency of the; propulsion means. The several propeller are journaled at such a distance apart from on the farther side of the pulleywill cause-the frame to twist around the next' blade, especially one another that the Qcircle generated by the blades of one is independent of and does not overlap the circles 'generaTtedby the blades sary, however,

vided that the revolutions balance of the adjacent ones. As the machine always travels in such a direction that these propellers will be abreast, or, in other words, the frame of the machine to the direction of propulsion, the atmospheric medium surrounding and agitated by any one propeller is not in the path of nor- 1n any way extends into the medium agi-' tated by any of the other propellers. heretofore stated, the alternate propeller shafts are geared to rev'olve in a reverse direction and have their blades reversely inclined in order that their direction of propulsion willalways be upward, like that of the other propellers. Having the blades of the alternate propellers revolving in reverse directions from the other propellers has a tendency to compensate for any general direction of the air surrounding the entire machine, due to the revolution of all the ro pellers in one direction, and further, should the atmospheric medium within the circle of one propeller, by virtue of the continuous rotation ofthe blades in one direct-ion, cause the said medium to assume a moving action followin the medium of the adjacent propellers will have a tendency to retard the motions thus set up in the several atmospheric mediums within the several circles. It is not necesthat I should have the alternate propellers revolving in opposite directions, for, if desired, all those on the one end may be revolved in one direction while those on the other end may be revolved in the opposite direction, and further, in the case of alarge propeller being used in the center and smaller propellers on the end port-ions, the direction of revolution of the large one may be opposite to that of the smaller ones,

or -I may have the oppositely revolved propellers arranged in any other manner, proeach other, and are not such as to result in any turning effect upon the frame.

Having now described the construction of.

my device, I will eration thereof.

proceed to explain the op- Assuming that the car is resting on" the ground and is supporting the framein its nor mal positiom. asindicated in Figs. 1 and 2,1 turn the rudder blade 36 into a vertical plane, and start all the propellers. The downward propulsion of the air will soon cause the machlne to rise vertically until an arbitrary elevation is reached, when, by means of the depending rod 33, I swing the framemearwardly on the runners 30 until the. axes of the several propellers are inclined, as shown in Fig. 3. The propellers, thus swung to revolve in an oblique plane, cause the machine to travel in a horizontal direction, which direction is coincident with the resultant of the upward force of propulsion and the downward force of gravity, omitbeing transverse the blades, the reverse motion in ting, of course, the other various factors, such as currents of air, etc., which surround a machine in the progress of its flight. When the angle of inclination of the axes is finally determined, the lever 33 is locked to the rack 34, attached to the car 29, by means of the" locking device 35.

As heretofore stated,'the rotation of the .machine in a horizontal plane can be effected by turning the rudder 36 out of its vertical plane, bringing the same under the influence of one of the propellers, and thus the entire machine may be faced or directed toward any desired point. The raising and lowering of either end of the machine independently of the other may be effected by means of rotating the propellers on said ends either 5 alone or simultaneously in opposite directions. To cause the machine to soar, aeroplanes may be attached in any suitable manner. In the form of my machine described herein, I have illustrated two aeroplanes 28-28, attached to the top bar 3, and to a pair of the bottom cross bars 44. These aeroplanes have no function whatever when the machine is ascending, but when the frame is inclined the aeroplanes are likewise inclined, and present an oblique surface against the forward motion of the machine, thus tending to raise the same or prevent it from descending.

The frame itself is built in skeleton form, having its brace bars composed of drawn steel tubing, or of aluminum, bamboo or other material which will have the necessary strength and at the same time the required lightness. Any form of motor may be used, lriinimum weight and maximum power being the desired elements; The car may beconstructed in any suitable manner, and may be of basket form,,ca'ge-like or other configuration common in this art. If desired, an annular air cushion 39 may be fastened to the bottom of the car, for the purpose of avoidingany shock which might result in the machines' landing too abruptly.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is;

1. In a machine for navigating air, the combination with a normally horizontal propeller arranged above the frame of the machine, a rudder arranged in a normally vertical plane beneath said propeller and in the current of air delivered from said propeller,a. car suspended beneath said frame, means to incline said rudder to turn said machine to the right or left under the action of said propeller, and means to incline said propeller from its normally horizontal plane to propel said machine substantially horizontally, byv altering the angular relation between said frameand said car.

2. A flying machine comprising an elontially horizontallyby altering the angular track:

relation between said frame and said can 3. In a machine for navigating air, the combination with a rigid frame, of normally horizontal propellers arranged upon opposite ends of said frame, normally vertical blades journaled insaid frame beneath said propellers, -means to oscillate said blades simultaneously in opposite directions to turn said machine, and meansfor inclining said propellers from their normally horizontal planes to propel said machine substantially in a horizontal directiondby altering the transverse angular elevation of said frame.

- i. A machine for navigating air, comprising a transverse frame, normally horizontal propellers journaled to rotate adjacent to the ends thereof, normally vertical blades journaledto oscillate in said frame under the influence of said propellers, means whereby the bladesmay be simultaneously inclined in opposite directions and means to incline the axes of said propellers from their normally vertical plane and in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of said frame to propel said machine substantially in the, direction in which the said axes of said propellers are inclined by altering the transverse angular elevation of said frame.

5. A machine for navigating air, comprising a transverse frame, horizontal propellers journaled to rotate adjacent to the; ends thereof, normally vertical blades j ournaled to oscillate in said frame under the influence of said propellers, pulleys connected to said blades, adrum and connections be-v tween said drumand said pulleys whereby said blades may be simultaneously inclined in opposite directions by the rotation of the said drum. j

6. A machine for navigating air, comprising a frame, a horizontal propeller carried by said frame, guides secured to said frame, a track supported: in said guides, a car secured'to said track and means for moving said framealong said track. I 7. A machine for navigating air, comprising a frame, a horizontal propeller carried by said frame, guides secured to saidframe, a curved'track supported in said guides, a can secured to said track and means for moving said frame along said 8. A machine for .navigatmg air, comprising" a triangular frame, a horizontal propeller supported at one edge of said frame,

1 respect to the said car.

guides secured to the two lower edges of said frame, a track supported by said guides, a car secured to said track and means for moving'said frame along said track.

9; A machine for navigating air, compris ing a frame, of triangular cross-section, an aeroplane and a propeller carriedby said frame, guides secured to the two lower edges of said frame, a track supported by said guides, a car s cured to said track and means for'moving said frame 'along said track.

10. A machine for navigating. air, comprising a frame of triangular cross-section, a horizontal propeller and a vertical aeroplane supported by said frame, guides carried b said frame from its two lower edges, a tracl i supported by said guides, a car secured to said track and means for moving said frame along said track.

11. A machine for navigating air, comprising a frame triangular in cross section and extending transversely of said machine,

a propeller mounted adjacent to the upper edge of said frame and carried thereby, a,

car sup orted by said frame from the two lower, e ges thereof and means for adjusting the an larity of said frame with respect to sai car. 4

12; A machine for navigating air, comprising .a triangular frame, a propeller sup-- ported by. said frame adjacent to the upper edge thereof, guides secured to the two lower edges of said frame, a curved track slidably supported in said guides, a car rigidly secured to said track and means for .inovini said frame along said track.

13. 'machine for navigating; air, comprising a frame of. triangular cross section, a propeller supported by said frame ad-I jacent to the upper edge thereof, guides secured tothe two lower edges of said frame, a curved track slidably supported in said guides, a car rigidly secured to said track and means for mov-ing said frame along said track, said-means comprising a lever rigidly secured to said frame and extending into said car and means for locking the lever 1n varlous posltlons with'respect to said car.

14:. A machine for navlgating air, comprising' an oblong frame trlangular in cross section, a series of propellers with horizon tally extending blades rotatably mounted uponsaid frame along the upper edge there- 0 vertical shafts carrying said ropellers and extending downwardly insa d frame} bevel gears connected to the loWei'end of said shaft, a shaft extending longitudinally of said frame, bevel-gearsmpon said tudinal, shaft en aging with said gears of said vertical sha s, means for rotating said- -longitudinal shaft to drlve said propellers, .a car s'u ported by said frame from the two lower e ges thereof and means for adjusting the angularity of the said frame with long? simultaneously,

to the direction of the 15. A machine for navigating air, comprising an oblong frame extending transversely of said machine, horizontal propellers carried upon each side of said frame, a shaft extending longitudinally of said frame for rotating all of said propellers means for disconnecting said shaft centrally so as to throw out of operation the propellers upon one side of said machine, and means for adjusting the angularity of said frame with respect to said machine.

16. A machine for navigating air, comprising an. extended rigid frame, a series of propellers journaled longitudinally thereof, the axes of said propellers being at such a distance apart that the circles described by their blades will not overlap, means for r0- tating one group of propellers independently of anotheragroup, a car suspended from the middle of sand frame, and "means for moving said frame to incline the axes of the propellers in a vertical plane.

17. A machine for navigatlng air, comprising an extended rigid frame, a series of propellers arranged longitudinally thereof, means for rotatmg said propellers, a car suspended from the middle of said frame, having curved runners ri 'd therewith, and means for moving said ame transversely to said car on said runners.

18. A machine for navigating air, comprising an extended rigid frame, a series of propellers arranged longitudinally thereof, means for rotating said propellers, a car suspended from the middle of said frame, means for moving the frame transversely to incline the axes of the propellers in a vertical plane, and normally vertical blades journaled to oscillate adjacent to the extremities of'said frame and under the influence of the propellers.

19. In a flymg machine, the combination with an elongated rigid frame, the longitudinal axisof which extends transversely flight of said machme, a series of propellers extendin longitudinally of said frame and arrange normadly in a horizontal plane above said rame, rudders beneath saidpropellers and above said frame .rection, and arranged normally in a vertlcal plane arranged normally in a vertical plane, means for simultaneously inclining said rudders in opposite directions, and means to incline said propellers from their normally horizontal plane and in substantially the direction of the flight of said machine by altering the transverse angular elevation of said frame.

20. In a machine for navigating air, the combination of a frame, a series of propellers mounted in said frame andarranged in a normally horizontal plane, means carried by said frame for actuating said propellers, a car suspended from said frame, means to move said frame with respect to said car to incline said propellers with respect to said car to propel the said machine in agenerally horizontal diand a rudder carried by said car beneath a propeller to change the direction of the flight of said machine.

21. In a machine for navigating air, the combination of a frame, a series of propellers arranged longitudinally of said frame and normally in a horizontal plane above said frame, said propellers being arranged symmetrically with respect to the central vertical axis of said frame, means to rotate each propeller in a direction opposite to the direction of its adjacent propeller, a car suspended from said frame, means te move said frame with respect to said car to incline said propellers from their normally horizontal plane and in a direction of the fllght of saidmachine transversely to the horizontal axis of said frame, steering blades located beneath said propellers and under the influence of the air delivered from said propellers and in a normally vertical plane, and means to. incline said steering blades from their normally vertical position to turn said machine in its flight.

' In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 25th day of April, A. D., 1906.

PRINCE o. HOPKINS.

Witnesses:

GEORGE F. NEWCOMB, ARTHUR S. JAMESON.

Images