US1257740A - Aeroplane. - Google Patents

Description

11. H. @L A.- womsom.

`AEROPLANEl APPLICATION HLED- JUNE 15, 1916.

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WMA/wma" www@ J. IH. L A. E. ROBERTSON.

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15. |916.

LQWMU. Patented Feb.26,1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I. H. 6r A. E. ROBERTSON.

I AEROPLANE. APPLICATION FILED 1UNEI5| 1916-l Patented IFeb. 26, 1918..

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

JOHN 1r. ROBERTSON, or roNTrAo,

annorLanE.

Application led J une 15, 1916.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, J oHN-l-l. ROBERTSON and ALBERT 1E. ROBERTSON," citizens of the United States ofMAfmerica, residing at Fontiac and Walled Lake, in the -county of, Oakland and State of Michigam'have invented certain newA and useful Improvements in Aeroplanes, of which the following is aspeciication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in that class of heavier-thanair dying machines known as aeroplanes and its Object is to so arrange the sustaining, stabilizing, altitude, and steering planes as to insure stability and ease of manipulation, and fur-r ther, to so arrange theseplanes and propelling mechanism therefor as to give the maximum speed and so that the propellers may l be employed to assist in directing the movements of the craft and add to its stability. lt is also an object of the invention to provide a novel arrangement of altitude planes and means for operating the same, and further, to provide certain other new and useful features in the construction, arrangement .and combination of parts, all as hereinafter more` fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a machinev em` bodying the invention, with portions broken away and in section to show the construction;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a front end elevation;

Figs. 4 and a are detail views showing controlling mechanism, and

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail of change speed power transmitting mechanism.

As shown in the drawings, 1 is the main fixed sustaining plane which extends longitudinally of the machine and is curved transversely throughout itslength. rllhis main plane is of much greater length than width so'that while it has a large sustaining area its advancing edge is comparatively short and the forward edge portion of said plane.

may be curvedA upward slightly, as shown at 2. Depending from the main plane is a suitable framework comprising posts 3 converging downwardly from the plane and connected by a chassis l having ground wheels 5 at each' end and carrying intermediateits ends, a suitable motor 6. From Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb.. 26, wir,

Serial No. 103,872,

the motor a shaft 7 extends forwardly in the longitudinal center line of the chassis, said shaft being an extension of the crank shaft of the motor to turn at the same speed as said crank shaft, and is provided at its extreme forward end directly beneath'the forward end of the main plane, with a propeller wheel 8.

Forming a rearward extension of the crankl case of the motor is a transmission casing 9 having change speed power transmitting gears therein arranged in any7 suitable manner to transmit motion from the engine crank shaft to a shaft l0 extending rearwardly in the longitudinal center line of the chassis to the rear end thereof wherel it is provided with a propeller 11 which is of lesserdiameter or has blades of lesser length than the blades of the forward propeller 8. The transmission gearing may be v of any suitable construction, but as shown in Fig. 6, it is preferably of the sliding gear type having two speed changes which step up the speed from the speed of the engine shaft instead of down, as in the ordinary construction. The speed of thewrear propeller may therefore be increased at will beyond engine speed and beyond the speed of the forward propeller so that the edect of the rear propeller which is working in the air current set up by Ithe forward propeller may be eHective when desired. When motion is being transmitted to the rear propeller directly from the engine by means of the clutch 12, said'propeller, by reason of working in the air current set up by the forward propeller and also because 'of the rear propeller being of lesser area, will be less effective than the forward propeller and will simply serve to steady and assist in guiding themachine. Preferably, when second speed is employed by bringing the gears '13 and 14 into mesh, the rear propeller will be speeded up` just suficiently to bring its efficiency up to that of the forward propeller, and when third speed is used by' bringing the gears 15 and 16 into mesh, the rear propeller will be most effective and will operate to assist in certain manipulations of the machine under certain conditions. If found desirable, the transmission mechanism may be provided with'reversing gears (not shown) to effect a reversal of motion of the rear propeller.

Pivotally attached tothe rear end of the main frame, is a rearwardly extending rudder 17 which may be operated in any desired manner, as by lines 18 running forward to the drivers seat to direct the machine to the rightor left in its forward course.`

'Altitude planes -19 and 20, and 21 and 22 are arranged in pairs at the sides of the chassis and each of these planes is secured to a horizontal shaft 23' mounted in bearings upon the chassis and extending laterally therefrom. Each plane extends forwardly and rearwardly an equal distance from its shaft and turns therewith about the horizontal axis of its shaft, suitable bracing cables 24 running from the corners of each plane over vertical struts 25 projecting laterally from the shaft serving to brace and strengthen each plane. The two planes at each side of the machine are connected to turn simultaneously in the same direction, by means of cables 26 secured to the upper and lower ends of the struts above and below the planes. The shafts 23 for the two planes 1,9 and 20 are free to turn independently of the shafts carrying the planes 21 and 22 at the opposite side of the machine so that the pairs of planes are adjustable independently to provide for banking the machine upon turns, that is to balance or maintain the equilibrium of the machine when guided to the right or left in turning, the manipulated planes offering an increased resistance at one side of the machine which tends to -right 1t and prevent skidding or sidewise movement.

A hand wheel 27 is provided adjacent the drivers seat 28 and thiswheel is secured upon a steering post 29 having a suitable geared connection indicated at- 30 with a cross shaft -31 mounted in suitable bearings on the chassis or a downward extension of the frame indicated at=`32. One of the gears of the geared connection 30 is formed with a clutch member ,33 to be engaged by a clutch member. |34 .which is slidable longt'e tudinally upon and operatively connected to a sleeve 35 /on the shaft by a key or spline 36 on,l the sleeve. Arms 37 at one end of the shaft 31 extend laterally therefrom in oppositedirections parallel with the plane 19 above to which they are connected by cables 38 or the like, and similar arms 39 on the sleeve are connected by cables 40, rods or the like to the plane 21 above. When the clutch member 34 is engaged with the mem'- ber 33, the sleeve 35 is connected to the shaft 31 to turn therewith and as the pair of planes 21 and 22at one side are connected to the sleeve and the pair of planes 19 and 2O at the other side are connected to the shaft 31, all of said planes are controlled and operated simultaneously by the hand wheel which is geared to the shaft.

1f it is desirable to operate the pair of planes 1.9 and 20 only, the clutch 34 is remember 41 is loosely mounted to turn freely j upon the sleeve and adapted to be connected to the sleeve to turn therewith, by the clutch member 34 when said member is shifted out of engagement with the member 33 and into engagement with said member 41. clutch member 41 is provided with a laterally extending arm 42 which is connected in any' suitable manner as by rods 43 and bell crank 44 with a hand lever 45 having a latch and sector 46 for holding the lever in any position to which it may be adjusted. The planes 21 and 22 may thus be operated by thehand lever 45 independently of the planes 19 and 20 or locked in the position to which they are adjusted while the other planes are being operated by the hand wheel. A fork 47 is provided to shift the clutch member 34 and this fork is turned by means of a floot pedal 48 and suitable connections 49 between said pedal and fork.

By this arrangement of propellers at the front and rear ends of the main plane, which propellers may be driven at different speeds, a high velocity of travel may be secured, and the arrangement of altitude planes and manner of operating the saine obviates danger of skidding and maintains the equilibrium of the machine under all conditions. i

Obviously changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts and particularly in the manner of operating the altitude planes without departing from the spirit of the invention, and we do not therefore limit ourselves to the construction and arrangement shown.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim is:

1. In a self-propelled air craft, the combination with a single longitudinally extending main sustaining plane, a propeller for effecting a forward movement of said plane and beneath said plane, a pair of altitude planes at each side of the vertical plane of the longitudinal center line of said main plane, said altitude planes being tiltable -about horizontal axes, and means for tilting said pairs of altitude planes independently of each other.

2. In a self-propelled air craft, the combination with a single longitudinally extend ing main sustaining plane, a propeller for effecting a forward movement of said plane, a pair of altitude planes at each side of the vertical plane of the longitudinal center line of said main plane and beneath said plane, the planes of each pair being connected to turn together in the same direc- The Lamme tion about horizontal axes and means for turning said pairs of planes independently of each other.

3. ln a self-propelled air craft, the combination with a single longitudinally extendmain sustaining plane, a propeller for 1n egecting a forward movement of said plane, a pair of altitude planes at each side of the vertical plane of the longitudinal center line of said main plane and beneath said plane, the planes of each pair beingconnected to turn together in the same direction about horizontal axes, and means for turning all of said planes simultaneously in the same directionLor for turning thepairs of planes independentl 4. l[n a -self-propelle air craft, the combination with a single longitudinally extending main sustainingplane, a propeller/for eecting a forward movement of said plane, a pair of altitude planes at each side of the vertical plane of the longitudinal center line of said main plane and beneath said plane, the planes of each pair being connected to turn simultaneously in the same direction about horizontal axes, and means for turnin each pair of planes independentl of the ot er pair, and clutch mechanism or connecting the turning means foreach pair of planes to effect the simultaneous movement of all of the planes.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN H. ROBERTSON.

, ALBERT E. RBERTSON. Witnesses:

L'nwrs E. FLANDERS, ANNA M. Donn.

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