US1379390A - Aeroplane - Google Patents

Description

F. W. BRAUNSCHWEIG.

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED Aue. n. 1919.

1,379,390. Patented May 24, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 WITNESS: INVENTOR.

@www BY A ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED W. BRAUNSCHWEIG, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

AEROPLAN E.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRED WV. BRAUN- SCHWEIG, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of M ilwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Aeroplanes, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the acconipanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in aeroplanes, and has for one of its objects to provide an aeroplane having means for moving its propeller to change its axis of rotation with respect to the longitudinal axis of the aeroplane whereby to direct the line of flight of the plane.

Another object of the present invention is to provide auniversally pivotally supported passengers seat having means leading therefrom and connected to the ailerons and elevators whereby the stability of the aeroplane on its lateral longitudinal axis will be maintained as the passengers seat will at all times seek the center of gravity and in this way effect the necessary change in the controls to maintain the stability of the-plane. a

Another obj ect of the present invention is to provide means for` collapsibly maintaining the supporting wings in extended position for flight whereby the saine may be readily dropped to lie against the sides of the nacelle and permit the ready removal of the plane from the field to a hangar under its own motive power. Another object of the present invention is to provide a transparent portion in the 4g collapsible wings whereby t e vision of the pilot will not be restricted when the wings are in collapsed position folded against the sides of the nacelle.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a control lever commonly termed joy stick, which is connected with the elevators and rudder and which maynbe connected to means for changing the axis of rotation of the propeller with respect to the longitudinal axis of the aeroplane whereby the plane will readily respond to manipulation of the controls to change the line of flight.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Application led August 11, 1919. Serial No.

Patented May 24, 1921.

Another object of the present invention is to provide means for moving the ground engaging wheels to a position adjacent the sides of the nacelle to thus substantially decrease tlie head resistance of the plane.

Another object of the present invention is to provide means for pivotally supporting the forward ground engaging wheels whereby the direction of travel of the aeroplane along the ground may be directed at will.

Another object of the present invention is to provide brake means connected with the rear wheels for maintaining the control of the plane while taxiing.

A further object of the present invention is to provide means secured to the tip of the propeller for substantially decreasing slippage.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined 'by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the herein disclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

1n the accompanying drawings I have' illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of my invention constructed according to the best mode I have so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure l is a view looking at the front of an aeroplane embodying the various features of my invention, the supporting wings being shown in dotted lines as folded or collapsed.

Fig. 2 is a side view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a top plan View looking at the interior of the nacelle, parts being broken away and in section.

Fig. i is a side view looking at the interior of the nacelle, parts being broken away and in section to more clearly illustrate details of construction.

Fig. 5 is a view looking at the rear of the nacelle.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the tail surfaces of the plane, and

Fig. 7 is a view of the concave serrated or perforated member for maintaining the lever for changing the axis of rotation of the propeller with respect to the longitudinal axis of the aeroplane.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings my aeroplane may be said to consist generally of a nacelle or body 10 having a supporting wing surface 11, ground engaging wheels 12, a propelling motor 13, and propeller 14.

The wing surfaces 11 are supported above the nacelle 10 by means of vertical struts 15, which are connected to the nacelle and to the center section 16 of the wing surfaces. The center section is also further supported or braced by means of a pair of spaced apart struts 17 which are secured centrally to the nacelle near its forward end and centrally to the leading edge of the center section. The struts 17 have secured thereto an engine supporting base 18 for universally pivotally connecting or securing the engine 13 thereto as will be later described.

As best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the wing panels 19 have a. pivotal connection with the center section 16 and are maintained in operative position by means of diagonal braces 20 having their outer ends pivotally connected to the panels as at 21 medially of their `ends and their inner ends pivotally con- 30` nected as at 22 to sliding collar members 23 slidably mounted upon the struts 15, the sliding members being connected with means for raising and lowering the same to raise and lower the wing panels.

The means for raising and lowering the collar members 23 includes a shaft 24 transversely journaled in the nacelle adjacent the foremost struts 15 and having fixed thereto near each side of the nacelle, a sprocket member 25 having a circumferential groove in its periphery, and a plurality of spaced apart recesses. Lach sliding member 23 mounted upon the rear struts 15 has connected thereto, one end of a lifting or raising cable 26 which passes through or is trained about an eyelet or pulley 27 secured to its rear struts 15 and extends forwardly toward the adjacent strut 15 and then through or over the eyelet or pulley 27 and then down and is secured as at 28 to a hoisting cable 29 which is trained about the adjacent wheel 25 and has one end connected to the bottom of the collar 23 mounted upon the adjacent strut 15 and its other end passed through or trained about the eyelet or pulley 27 and secured to the top of said collar. The cables 29 have secured thereto a plurality of spaced apart globular enlargements 30 for engagement in the recesses of the wheels 25 so that upon the rotation of shaft 24 the cables 29 will be operated to raise or lower the wing panels as will be readily apparent. The means for rotating the shaft 24 to raise or lower the wing panels comprises a hand wheel 40 mounted thereon adjacent the pilots seat 41 and has its periphery notched or serrated as at 42 for engaging with a pivoted dog or pawl 43 for maintaining the same in adjusted position. The pawl is normally urged to engage the periphery of the hand wheel 40 by means of an extensile spring 44, and to permit the release of the wheel 40 so that the wing panels may be dropped or folded I provide a release lever 45 connected to the pawl 43 and disposed adjacent the pilots seat as best shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

The rear struts 15 are spaced a slight distance from the rear of the nacelle to form a guideway 30 for the axle 3l of the rear wheels, and the axle has connected thereto near each rear strut a cable 32 which passes over the pulley 33 secured to the adjacent strut and then extends forwardly along the adjacent side of the nacelle to a pulley 34 and is then trained about a shaft 35 having its forward end journaled as at 36 to the front of the nacelle and its rear end journaled as at 37 to a T bearing carried by the transverse shaft 24, the shaft being medially journaled or braced as at 38 by a transverse brace member 39 extending across the nacelle adjacent the struts 17. W'hen the shaft 35 is rotated in one direction, the cable 32 will be wound upon the shaft 35 and the axle 31 raised in the slot 30 to bring the wheels 12 to a position above the bottom of the nacelle to reduce head resistance and when the cables 32 are being wound upon the shaft 35 a cable 46 which is connected with the under side of the axle 31 will be unwound, and by this structure it will be apparent that upon the rotation of the shaft 35 in a reverse direction the axle 31 will be drawn downward to bring the wheels 12 in the position depicted in the drawings so that the same will be permitted engagement with the ground. The rear wheels 12 have suitable shock absorbers connected therewith, but as the specific details of the same constitute no important part of this invention, the same have not been shown.

The front wheels 12 are mounted upon spindles 47 pivotally carried by standards 48 vertically adjustably carried by the forward portion of the nacelle. The standards 48 have inwardly projecting stub shafts 49 which pass through guide openings in the nacelle and are disposed therein and have connected therewith suitable shock absorbing springs 50, see Figs. 3 and 4.

The standards 48 are adapted to be moved, with the shafts 49 as their pivots. to a position extending inwardly so that the forward wheels 12 will be in a line with the sides of the nacelle when in Hight. The means for moving the standards 48 on their pivots include cables 51 having one end connected with the standards 48 and their other ends wound about the shaft 35. Cables 52 also lead upwardly from the standards 48 and are wound about the shaft 35 in opposite direction from that of the cable 51 whereby upon the rotation of the shaft 35 to raise the wheels 12, the standards 48 will be moved to position the wheels in line with the sides of the nacelle or vice versa.

The spindles 47 are pivotally connected together by means of a transverse steering rod 53 so that they will work in unison to guide the course of the plane along the ground. The spindles 47 are connected to a shaft 54 by means of control or guide cables 55 wound therearound in opposite directions and connected with the arms 47 of the spindles 47. By this structure when the shaft 54 is rotated, the spindles 47 will be moved on their pivots to guide the wheel and the wheel 56 for rotating the shaft 54 is interchangeable with the end of shaft 35 for operating the same to position the wheels 12 inside the nacelle. The inner ends of the shafts 35 and 54 are squared to receive the wheel 56 and are disposed juxtaposed the seat 41. The rear wheels have formed thereon suitable brake drums 57 engaged by brake bands 58 controlled by a lever 59 fixed to a shaft 60 adjacent the seat 41 and having leading therefrom control `rods or cables 61. By this structure when the lever 59 is drawn rearwardly toward the seat 41, the brakes will be applied so that the momentum of the aeroplane upon the ground may be checked.

The wing panels 19 are equipped with the usual ailerons 62 for directing the movement of the plane on its longitudinal axis, the ailerons having upper and lower levers 63 and 64 connected thereto for receiving the ends of the usual control wires 65 and 66 respectively. The control wire 65 extends across the leading edge of the wing structures and passes through or trains about a pulley or eyelet 67 secured to each wing panel near its leading edge adjacent the levers 63, said wire governing the drag of the ailerons 62. The control cables 66 are connected with suitable means for moving the ailerons to maintain the plane at all times true on its longitudinal axis. The passengers seat 68 is secured to a cradle 69 which is universally pivotally supported from the transverse shaft 24 and the transverse brace 70, and as the seat 68 will at all times seek the center of gravity by reason of its universal pivotal suspension the same will move as the plane moves on its lateral or longitudinal axes and the same is connected to the ailerons and elevators so that the same will be operated upon the movement of the seat to maintain the plane at all times stable. The rear member 71 of the cradle 69 has leading therefrom two control cables or wires 72 and 73 which are connected to lower and upper elevator control levers 74 and 75 respectively. By this structure when the seat 68 moves rearwardly with its cradle 69 by reason of the nose of the aeroplane being elevated, the control wire 72 will be lengthened and control wire 73 shortened to manipulate the elevator 76 to lower the planes nose as will be readily apparent. A movement of the seat in a forward direction will operate the rudder in a reverse direction, and the ends of the control wires 72 and 73 are adjustably connected to the members 71 as at 77, so that the stabilizing device may be adjusted to agree with the rigging of the plane.

Y The aileron control wires 66 are connected to the rear brace member 71 of the cradle 69 so that a lateral movement of the cradle 69 due to a shift of the aeroplane on its longitudinal axis will operate the ailerons to bring the plane back to a level position. This structure prevents the plane from flying with one wing low and renders the plane inherently stable.

The engine 13 has a substantially universal pivotal connection with its base 18 so that the same may be moved in all directions to change the axis of rotation of the propeller 14 with respect to the longitudinal axis of the aeroplane and thus assist in directing the line of flight thereof. The movement of the engine 13 with respect to its base is governed by means of operating rod 78 which has its lower end pivoted as at 79 to an operating lever 80 universally journaled as at 81 between the struts 17. The movement of the lever 80 in any direction will effect a corresponding movement in the engine 13 and the same is held in any desired position by means of a pin 82 extending beyond its forward end and engageable with the concave serrated face of a disk member 83. The center of the disk member has an aperture 84 therein so that the center or true adjustment of the motor 13 with respect to the longitudinal axis of the plane may be readily obtained and a control handle 85 is mounted on the end of the lever 80 adjacent the pilots seat so that the pin 82 may be readily held from engagement with the disk 83. The lever 80 may be moved independently or moved simultaneously with the usual joy stick or control lever 86, and has its end adjacent the pilots seat apertured to be engaged with the hook or other attaching member 87 formed on the end of the joy stick.

The joy stick inthe present instance 1s universally connected as at 88 to a standard 89 disposed in the rear end of the nacelle and in the present instance is disposed normally horizontally instead of vertical as in the planes now in use. The joy stick has a pair of laterally projecting arms or levers 90 connected therewith from which run the control wires 91 for the rudder 92. The joy stick also has connected therewith the control wires 93 connected to the elevators 76 independently of the control wires 7 2 and 7 3 connected to the stabilizing seat. As will be readily obvious, the movement up and down or laterally of the joy stick 86 will effect a similar movement in the elevator 7 6 or rudder 92 to direct the line of flight of the plane.

When the joy stick 86 and the lever 80 are coupled together, the movement of the joy stick 86 to turn the rudder to the left to make a left-hand turn, will also turn the engine 13 on its base to the left whereby the torque of the propeller will assist in turning the plane to the left. In manipulating the elevators to climb or descend, a corresponding movement of the engine on its base will be effected to assist the same. When the joy stick and lever 80 are coupled together a catch or latch 94 will engage, the lever 85 will depress the same to withhold the member 82 from engagement with the disk 83.

As best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the propeller 14 has formed on its outer ends a flange member 14: which projects beyond both the front and rear faces of the propeller. This structure provides means for reducing to a minimum the slippage of the propeller and thus greatly increases its efiiciency. In the type of propeller now in common use, a large proportion of the energy of the propeller is lost due to the slippage thereof and the forming of the flanges 14 serves to reduce this slippage as before stated.

The wing panels 19 are formed on their outer ends with depending vertical fins 19 which serve to maintain the same on its line of flight without side slipping as they offer a resistance to lateral movement as will be readily apparent. The side fins 19 function much on the order of the usual vertical fins employed on a number of modern aeroplanes and located at the tail surfaces.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be readily apparent that when desired to move the plane from place to place, the wings 19 may be collapsed or folded,see dotted lines, Figs. 1 and 2. In order that the pilot may have an unobstructed view while taxiing along the ground with the wings collapsed, a suitable transparent portion or window 95 is formed in each panel 19 and adjacent the portion thereof juxtaposed the pilots seat when folded. This permits the driver to look on. either side or either to the front or rear as will be readily apparent.

It will also be apparent that should it be desired to land upon water the wheels 12 may be raised, and as the nacelle is water tight, the same may be used as an ordinary hydroaeroplane.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. An aeroplane including a body, wing panels hingedly connected with said body, substantially rigid brace members for maintaining said wing panels in operative position and having their inner ends connected with the body and their outer ends connected with the under sides of the wing panels, said brace members providing means for supporting the wing panels when the aeroplane is in the air and on the ground, and means connected with said brace members for permitting the folding of said wing panels to a position against the body.

2. An aeroplane including a body, a wing panel hingedly connected with the body, a brace member having one end pivotally connected with the wing panel outwardly of its hinge connection and its other end slidably connected with the body, and means for moving said slidably mounted end of said brace member vertically to fold the wing panel in inoperative position and to spread the same in operative position.

3. An aeroplane including a body, a center section supported above the body, wing panels hingedly connected with said center section, means for folding said wing panels against the body, and window means in said wing panels whereby an unobstructed view may be had from the interior of said body.

4:. An aeroplane including a body, a center section, supporting struts supporting said center section above the body, wing panels hingedly connected with the center section, diagonal brace members, sliding members mounted on said struts, said diagonal brace members having their inner ends pivoted to said sliding members and their outer ends pivotally connected with the wing panels, and means for vertically moving said sliding members to retain the wing panels in extended position when the plane is in Hight and to fold said wing panels against the sides of the body when the aeroplane is inoperative.

In testimony whereof, I aiiix my signature FRED W. BRAUNSCHWEIG.

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