US1331221A - Aeroplane - Google Patents

Description

C. H. SWANSON.

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 10. 1918.

Patented Feb. 17, 1920.

3 SHEETSSHEEI I- WI TNESS:

C. R. SWANSON.

AEROPLANE.

APPLXCATION FILED OCT. 10. 19l8.

1, 3 31, 22 1 Patented Feb. 17, 1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

1N VEN TOR.

QQQDI BY Qm R suhknson L I ATTORNEY-S c. R. SWANSON.

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT.10. 918- 1,331,221 Patented Feb. 17,1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

INVENTOR.

UNITED fiARL It. SWANSQN, 0F MARSHALL, MINNESOTA.

' AEROPLANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- Application filed October 10, 1918. Serial No. 257,599.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL R. Swnnson, a citizen of the United States, residin at Marshall, in the county of Lyon and tate of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aeroplanes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descri tion of the invention, such as will enableotiiers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an aeroplane and particularly to a machine of the helicopter type adapted to navigate either on air, land or water.

The invention. has for an object to provide a novel and improved construction of raising or elevating propellers disposed to operate in a vertical plane and in casin s so that their action may be directly app ied, said casings being provided with a valved upper portion to constitute when closed a sustaining plane.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved construction of horizontally disposed propellers for driving the machine forward or backward, said propellers being adapted to be swung upon a vertical axis for the purpose of turning or steering the machine.

A further object of the invention is to 1'0- vide an improved construction of parac lute provided with inflatable members and pivotally mounted above the machine so as to sustain the same when desired or to be folded and lowered when not in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved construction of rudder mechanism for steering purposes, the members thereof being separable and adapted to be folded toward and secured against the body of the machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide traction Wheels for the machine having thereon propelling cups extending laterally from the wheels so as to act against the air in the forward movement of the wheels and not interfere with the wheels when in use upon the ground. 4

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation with the lifting propeller or blade casings in section and the sealing cover removed;

Fig. 2 IS a top plan with the parachute staff in section and the inclosing cover removed;

Fig. 3 is a detail section of the parachute mounting;

Fig. 4 is a similar cross section of one of the drivin connections for the lifting propellers on Tine 44, Fig.-1;'

Fig. 5 is a detail section of the rudder mounting; and

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on line 6-6, Fig. 1.

Like numerals refer to like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

The numeral 10 designates the frame or car of the machine which may be of any desired material, construction or configuration and is provided with the usual traction wheels 11 mounted upon the rear axle 12 and the front axle 13 in the usual manner, both axles being adapted to be driven from the main drivlng shaft 14. This driving shaft may be actuated by. any desired type of motor located in proper position to balance the frame or car 10, for instance, as shown at 15 where the shaft 16 thereof is connected by the driving chain 17 with the main shaft 14, as shown in Fig. 1.

At the front and rear of the car 10 driving propellers 18 of similar construction are mounted by means of a shaft 19 having a pivotal bearing at 20 upon a vertical axis 21, and extending from this bearing is a lever arm 22 provided with a rack sector 23 for the purpose of swinging the propeller in a horizontal plane. The shafts 19 may be driven from the main shaft 14 in any desired manner, for instance by means of the vertical shafts 24 carrying the beveled gears 25 meshing with the cooperating gear 26 on the shaft .19. The shaft 24 is driven in any suitable manner from the shaft 14. For the purpose of shifting the propellers 18in a horizontal plane for steering or turning the car an operating shaft 27 is provided and has at each end a pinion 28 cooperating with the geared sector 23. This shaft is also provided with the hand wheel 29 to effect a rotation thereof. As shown in Fig. 1, the operating shaft 27 is disposed in a horizontal plane below the shaft 19 and connected with a gear 30 upon the stub shaft of the pinion 28 by means of a chain 31. The propellers 18 herein shown are of the preferred type but any desired type thereof may be used.

he traction wheels are provided upon their outer periphery with a series of blades 32, these being preferably cup-shaped or semi-spherical with their concaved portion Patented Feb. 17, 1920.

directed toward the direction of travel. If

the traction wheels be driven in unison with the driving propellers, the cups thereon act to effect a propelling movement in water, and are so disposed upon the outer periphcry of the wheel that they do not interfere with the driving of the machine upon an ordinary street or road when used for land transportation. These cups also act as propeller blades'if the machine be used upon the water as the body of the machine is closed water-tight and constitutes a boat or vessel construction. This body 10 may if desired be provided with a deck portion 32 from which a. cabin 33 arises and is provided with any desired type of glazed openings 34. When the car is to be used as a vessel or boat, this cabin may be effectually sealed from water by means of a removable roof section 35 adapted to be clamped water-tight thereon by any desired means, for-instance the clamps 36 as shown in Fig. 4.

For the purpose of elevating or lifting the machine in the air a series of suitably disposed lifting propellers or blades are arranged thereon for instance as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. These propellers 37 are each similar in construction and a series thereof disposed at each side of the cabin 33 and each propeller is inclosed within a casing 38 opened at its lower end 39 and adapted .to be closed at its upper end 40 when desired, by means of a pivoted valve 41. When closed the series of these valves constitute a sustaining plane and when open permit the casing to constitute air funne s by which the most efli-cient action of the lifting propellers is secured. For the purpose of simultaneously operating the cover members 40 of the series of propellers the pivots 42 thereof are provided with crank arms 43, these arms being connected together by a rod 44 adapted to be controlled by any desired means, for instance a lever connection 45 as shown in Fig. 1. I

For the purpose of steering the machine when used upon the water or otherwise, a rudder member 46 is provided and comprises opposite sections 47 normally secured together when. in use by connectors 48. These sections are ivotally mounted at 49 and extending therefrom are the operating cables 50, each provided with a connecting hook 51 for attachment to a pull rod 52 which extends through a water-tight packing 53 in the body of the car. From the rods 52 steering lines 54 extend to a post 55 located in any desired position and are op positely wound upon a drum 56 thereon. As shown in Fig. 2 this post 55 may be located at the front of the car and provided wit-h the usual steering wheel 57 which may be also connected for operating the front wheels 11 in the usual manner. When the sections of the rudder are disconnected they may be folded in opposite directions against the rear of the car, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5 and secured in folded position by the cables 50 extending to the fixed posts 58.

Any desired driving means may be used for actuating the driving shafts 60 for the lifting propellers 37, a preferred form thereof being shown in detail in Figs. 4 and 6. In this construction the main shaft 14 is provided with a beveled gear 61 meshing -with a coiiperatinggear 62 upon a cross shaft 63, this shaft being mounted in a suitable standard 64 and carrying a sliding clutch member 65 adapted to engage a cooperating head 66 upon the hub of the gear 62. These parts are duplicated on opposite sides of the main shaft and may be jointly operated by means of levers 67 Connected by a rod' 68 and pivotally supported upon the arms 69 of the standard 64. One of the levers 67 may be provided with the usual handle 70. The outer end of the cross shaft 63 is provided with a beveled gear 71 meshing with a coiiperating gear 72 on the counter-shaft 73, while the shafts 60 of the lifting propellers are each provided at their lower ends with a beveled gear 74 adapted to mesh with the gear 72 or similar gears.

In the event of an accident or stopping of the motors or when additional sustaining means is desired when the machine is in the air a parachute member 75 is provided and comprises an ordinary flexible folding device or cover 76 pivotally connected at 77 t0 the upper end of a standard 78 which is mounted by a pivot 79 to swing in a vertical plane. This standard may be supported in .any desired manner for instance by means of a post 80 secured to the body of the car and adapted to be detachably connected therewith by means of the socket 81 and the removable bolt 82, as shown in Fig. 3. This parachute may be tilted at the desired inclination by means of cords or cables 83 extending from eyes 84 upon the standard 78 and connected to the car in any desired manner. Beneath the folding cover 76 of the parachute one or more inflatable bags 85 are secured and connected by means of a pipe line 86 with a supply tank 87 for gas or compressed air. This pipe 86 is also provided with a suitable valve 88 to control the flow of gas or air to the inflatable bags .85. When these bags are inflated they act to open .the parachute and also 'fornr a. buoyant member to assist in sustaining the machine in the air. y

The operation of this invention will be apparent from the foregoing description from which it will be seen that when the machine is used as an aeroplane it may be raised by the helicopter or lifting blades and drlven jointly by the front and rear propellers assisted by the winged traction wheels. When the' desired elevation has been reached the lifting blades may be stopped and their casings closed to form a supporting plane at each side of the body while the driving movement may be continued and its direction changed by shifting the front and rear propellers in a horizontal plane by the means shown. The driving connections disclosed permit the operation of the several propellers in unison or separately as the conditions of use may dictate and when at an elevation above the ground additional supportin means is provided by the parachute carrie by the body Which is also capable of a tilting movement toward the front or rear in order to direct an ascending or descending movement of the machine. This parachute is also ada ted to be opened by air or gas pressure Which affords additional buoyant supporting means for the weight of the machine. l/Vhen used upon land,.it is adapted to travel upon the ordinary streets or roads as the traction wheels act as an ordinary automobile. When used upon the water the body or car forms a boat, the cabin of which may' be sealed to afford protection and the driving propellers operated to propel the machine in either direction and control its movement. The construction of rudder also assists in the guiding of the machine upon water, and when used upon land this rudder may be folded out of operative position. It will be seen that the invention presents a structure capable of use either in the air, upon land, or upon water and covers all uses of such' a machine for war or commercial purposes.

While the details of construction of this machine have been fully described and also the driving connections, the invention is notspecifically limited thereto as any desired means for accomplishing these functions may be used as' defined by the following claims.

What I claim is i 1.- In an aeroplane, a body having a central longitudinal cabin, a air of lon 'itudinal series of lifting propel ers along the opposite sides of the cabin, casings inclosing said propellers, movable closures pivoted within the upper portions of said casings, means for simultaneously operating said closures, driving means, and gearings for each series of lifting propellers having means for connection to and disconnection from the driving means.

2. In an aeroplane, a. body portion provided with a cabin, a removable closure for said cabin, vertically disposed driving propellers at opposite ends of said body, liftin propellers disposed at opposite sides of said cabin, casings surrounding said lifting propellers, movable closures for the upper portions of said casings, and means for simultaneously operating said closures.

3. In an aeroplane, a body portion, vertically disposed driving propellers at the front and rear thereof, means for shifting said propellers in a horizontal plane, lifting propellers disposed at opposite sides of said body, a casing surrounding said lifting propellers, a movable cover disposed at the top of said casings to produce a plane surface, traction Wheels carried by said body, and means for driving said lifting propellers 1ndependently of the driving propellers.

4:. In an aeroplane, a body portion, vertically disposed drivin propellers at the front and rear thereof, means for shifting said propellers in a horizontal plane, lifting propellers disposed at opposite sides of said body, a casing surrounding said lifting propellers, a movable cover disposed at the top of said casings to produce a plane surface, traction wheels carried by said body, means for drivin said lifting propellers independently of the driving propellers, and wings extending laterally from said traction wheels.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CARL R. SWANSON. Witnesses: H. REGNIER,

MARIE FAULON.

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