US1013049A - Means for automatically operating the balancing-planes of aeroplanes. - Google Patents

Description

F. J. OBRIBN & J. E. KORTS MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY OPERATING THE BALANCING @LAN ES OF'AEROPLANES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29, 1910.

Patented Dec. 26, 1911.

OiBr-[ery KorB By I IINVENTORS 15 E Arron/m WITNESSES:

. the balancing planes so that a proper UNITED .sTATEs PATENT oFFIoE,

K J'. 'QIBRIEN AND JULIAN E. KORTS, F STAMFORD, CONN EC TI CUT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 1911.

Application filed November 29, 1910. Serial No. 594,712,

1 United States, residing-in the city of Stamford, county of Fairfield, and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new 'and useful Improvements in Means for AutomatieallyOperating the Balancing-Planes of Aeroplanes; and we do declare the tollowing to be a full, clear, and exact descrlption of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and. use thesame.

Our invention relates to' aeroplanes, and has for its object to automatically control equipoise of the machine will be at all times automatically governed and effected, and with this end in view our invention consists in certain combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter fully described and then particularly pointed. out in the claims which conclude this description.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a broken horizontal detail sectional view illustrating certain mechanisms which we employ in carrying out our invention-Fig. 2 a section at the line as, w, of Fig. i:-Fig. 3 a perspective view of an aeroplane equipped with our improvement, and Fig. 4

a detail plan view of the mechanism which is illustrated in section at Fig. 1.

Similar numerals of. reference denote like parts in the several-figures of the drawing.

Our present invention has nothing to do with the general construction of the aero-' plane, nor does it relate to any form of balancing planes or the manner of connecting the same to the aeroplane, and therefore we donot wish 'to be limited to any specific form or construction of any part of an aeroplane, since our invention relates solely to the automatic operation of the balancing planes so that the aeroplane may always preserve a proper equipoise.

1,2, are the main planes or supporting surfaces of the aeroplane which are connected by struts 3 so as to :form the main body of the aeroplane.

4: are the balancing planes which are hinged o'r pivoted at 5 to the main body of A the aeroplane and are also hinged at 6 to supporting frame7, this hinging of the billancing planes at one edge permitting them to. be swung up or down in the usual manner.

i The elements above described constitute any approved form of aeroplane body and- 'xnsnsron'suronarrcmy OPERATING THE BALANCING-PLANES or annornmns.

balanclng planes in connection with which our'improvement may be employed, and the followin description is directed toward the specific mechanism which we prefer to employ in carrying out our improvement.

8 is a cylinder and 9 a reservoir that are connectedtpgether ina rigid structure by means of. blocks 10 secured intermediate of said structure neanthe ends thereof. Within this'cylinder is a piston 11 from opposite sides whereof extends a piston rod- 12 which latter projects through ordinary .stufiing -boxes 13 beyond the ends of the cylinder.

Seated within circular chambers 14 in the blocks 10 are rotary valves 15, the end portions whereof conform closely to the circular contour of the chambers 14, while'the central portions are shorn away on oppositesides so as to leave spaces 16, 17 between the flattened portions of the valves and the walls of the chambers 14, and open.- ings 18 extend through these reduced portions of the valves and communicate with said spaces. and communicating with the cylinder 8 on opposite sides of the piston 11 are ports 19 and leading from the spaces 17 and communicating with the reservoir 9 are ports 20.

21 is any approved form of pump connected with an intake pipe 22 leading from the reservoir, and provided with an outlet pipe 23 which .is connected with a pipe 24 the extremities of which extend within the blocks 10 and are in direct communication -with the valve chambers 14. Secured to the Leading from the spaces 16 extremities of the piston rod is any suit-' pivoted, 1n each instance, to the outer faces of the valves 15 at diametrically opposite points, and 29 is a lever whosc'inner endbridges the space between these rods and is pivoted directly to the rods as designated at 30. Within the outer extremity of the lever 29 is a slot 31 through which extends a pendulumrod 32 having at its lower extremity a suitable bob 33, while the upper end of this pendulum is suspended from the -upper plane 1.

The reservoir and cylinder are filledwith water, any suitable stand pipe 34 being provided leading into the reservoir for this purpose which pipe is of course closed tightly during the operation of the machine, and a stand pipe 35 projects upwardlyfrom the reservoir-to provide for ready communication with the outside air so as to prevent the formation of a vacuum at the intake strokes of the piston. I

The position of parts shown at Fig; 1 is such as would be assumed when the aeroplane is in a proper state of equipoise, the pump operating constantly and a free communication being established between the cylinder, the reservoir and the extremities of the pipe 24, so that the water will merely circulate throughout the entire system without'efi'ecting any movement of the piston. Should the aeroplane tilt, the lever 29 will I be swung to one side thereby causing the rods 28 to move in reverse directions, and 1f the tilting is pronounced enough one of the valves will thus be operated to out off the communication between the reservoir and the cylinder on one side of. the piston and to preserve communication pump outlet and the cylinder on that Sld of the piston just referred to, while the other valve will be operated to cut oft communication between the pump outlet and the cylinder on the. gpposite side of the piston, and direct communication will be pre served between the reservoir and said side, the result being that the water will be driven by the pump against the piston on one side thereof only, thus effecting the lengthwise movement of the rod 12 and the corresponding adjustments of the balancing planes as hereinbefore referred to. Of course, a tilting in the opposite direction of a suliicient. degree will eil'ect the reverse positions of the parts referred to and will cause the balancing planes to be swung in directions reverseto those caused in the first instance. Since the pump is always'working, andsince the movements of an aeroplane are more or less unstable and vibratory, the valves are frequently working more or less, and therefore the ports of Communication hcrcinbefore referred to are often contracting and enlarging even it the tilting is not suilicient to cause them toaltcrnately open and close en-- tirely in the manner above described, and therefore the piston is always working more or less, so that it will be clear that the most delicate compensating adjustments of the balancing planes may be eil'ected as well as adjustments that respond to sudden or pronounced tilting's.

\Ve do not wish to be limited to any particular pump, valves. or to the specific conbetween the struction and layout of the valve controlled communications, nor is our invention limited to the use of any particular style or construetion of balancing planesor to the precise connections shown between the ends of the piston rod and these planes, our improvement residing in the broad idea of a cylinder containing a piston whose rod is operatively connected to the balancing planes, and automatically controlled instrumentalities dependent upon the tilting of the aeroplane and operating to movethe piston in opposite directions.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In combination with the balancing planes of an aeroplane, a cylinder, a piston -in said cylinder having oppositely projecting rods operatively connected to said balancing planes, a reservoir paralleling said cylinder, conduits connecting the adjacent ends of said cylinder and reservoir, oppositely'- operating valves. in said conduits, means connecting said valves to cause their simultaneous operation, a common conduit connecting the chambers of said valves, a pump for drawing water from said reservoir and driving it through said common conduit and said valves back to said reservoir, said valves being constructed to automatically establish alternate isolated communication with the opposite ends-of said cylinder when the aeroplane'is tilted, whereby the piston will actuate said planes, and means to automatically actuate said valves. 2. In an aeroplane, the combination with the balancing planes, of a cylinder having a piston whose rod extends from opposite faces thereof and projects beyond the opposite ends of said cylinder, operative connec-' tions between the balancing planes and the ends of said rod, a water containing reservoir, valve casings oining said cylinder and reservoir and with which said cylinder and reservoir communicate. a pump having an intake leading from said reservoir and provided with a common conduit connnunicating with said casings, and valve controlled comn'ninieations between said cylinder, reservpir and common conduit, whereby water pressure from the pump may be brought to bear alternately on either side of said pistons.

Tn -an aeroplane, the combination with the balancing planes, of a cylinder having a piston whose rod projects from opposite faces thereof and extends beyond the oppo site ends of said cylinder, ope 'ative connections between said planes andthe ends of said rod, a water containing reservoir, a pump having an inlet from said reservoir,- valves' for controlling eonnnunirations between said reservoir and the cylinder on opposite sides of the piston, parallel rods waose extremities are pivetecl 20 said valves at diameiricelly opposite paints, a lever Whose rear end bridges the spaces hetween said rorls and is pivelieel thereto and has a slot in its outer end, a pendulum Whose rod is swung from the top plane of the aeroplane and which passes thmugll said slot and a common conduit connecting said pump and sand valves, sald 00nd mt normally mam- 10 mining a circuit iahrough said pump, reservoir mull valves, and. forming pew of the circuit through said cylinder, il'eseweir and valves when the aeroplane is tilted.

In testimony whereof We our tures in presence 01 two Witnes FRANK J QBRIT JULIAN E. KURTS.

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fi itnessesz MABEL lElAMIL'JDON GEORGE R, 01,032.

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