US3555915A

US3555915A - Directional force generator

Info

Publication number: US3555915A
Application number: US689596A
Authority: US
Inventors: Hersey W Young Jr
Original assignee: Cannon Aeronautical Center
Current assignee: Cannon Aeronautical Center
Priority date: 1967-12-11
Filing date: 1967-12-11
Publication date: 1971-01-19
Anticipated expiration: 1988-01-19

Abstract

A DIRECTIONAL FORCE GENERATOR COMPRISING MECHANISM WHICH UTILIZES CENTRIFUGAL AND GYRATORY ACTION FOR MOVING A WHEELED VEHICLE, BOAT OR AIRCRAFT, ON WHICH THE GENERATOR IS MOUNTED, IN A PREDETERMINED DIRECTION, WITHOUT OTHER PROPELLING OR LIFTING MEANS. THE MECHANISM COMPRISES ONE OR MORE ROTATED SHAFTS SWINGABLE ABOUT A ROTATED MAIN SHAFT, EACH SWINGABLE SHAFT BEING PROVIDED ON ITS OUTER END WITH A HEAD HAVING ONE OR MORE PIVOTALLY MOUNTED WEIGHTED ARMS MOVABLE INDEPENDENTLY OF EACH OTHER. WHEN THE HEAD IS SIMULTANEOUSLY ROTATED BY THE SWINGABLE SHAFT ABOUT THE AXIS OF THE SWINGABLE SHAFT AND BODILY MOVED IN A CIRCULAR PATH AROUND THE MAIN SHAFT, BOTH CENTRIFUGAL AND GYRATORY INFLUENCES FUNCTION TO CAUSE THE PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ARMS TO MOVE OUT OF AN ANGULARLY BALANCED PLANE OF ROTATION INTO AN ANGULARLY UNBALANCED AND CONSTANTLY CHANGING PLANE OF ROTATION. THE NATURAL FORCES WHICH RESIST MOVEMENT OF THE ROTATING ARMS OUT OF THEIR BALANCED PLANE OF ROTATION RESULT IN MOVING THE GENERATOR, AND MECHANISM ON WHICH IT IS MOUNTED, IN PREDETERMINED DIRECTIONS DEPENDING ON THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF THE SWINGABLE SHAFTS AND HEADS.

Description

Jilly 1971 H. w. YOUNG. JR 3,555,915

\ DIRECTIONAL FORCE GENERATOR Filed Dec. 11, I967 33% Fig-Z HM;

INVENTOR. HERSEY W YOUNG, JR.

flmiji. 72

ATTORNEY Unit d S a s; Pm

ABSTRACT .OF DISCLOSURE,

"ice

mounted arms extend in directions angularly unbalanced relatively to the shaft on which they are mounted whlle they are being carried into constantly changing planes of rotation by the described mechanism.

The natural forces which develop to resist this out-ofbalance position of the arms cause the generator and mechv anism on which it is mounted to move in a predetermined A directional force generator comprising mechanism 1.5

which utilizes centrifugal and .gyratory action for moving a wheeled vehicle, boat or aircraft, on which the generator is mounted, in a predetermined direction,--without other propelling or lifting means. 1 i 7 The'mechanism comprises'onejor more -rotated shafts rotatedby the swingable shaft about the axis of the swing able shaft and bodily moved in a circular path around the main shaft, both centrifugal and gyratory influences function to cause the pivotally mounted-arms to move out of an angularly balanced plane of rotationjnto an angularly unbalanced and constantly changing plane of rotation. 4-: mounting on a vehicle (not shown) or relatively thereto.

The natural forces'whichresistmovement of the rotating arms out of their balanced plane of rotation result in moving the generator, and mechanism on whichit is mounted, in predetermined directions depending on the direction of rotation of the swingable shafts andheads. i

Thisrinvention relates to-andirectional force-generator which may-be embodied in;-a vehicle -such as a.-whee1e'd vehicle, boat, -or aircraft fornthe purpose 0f .-..moving the vehicle meg-predetermined direction without-the ,userof' other'propelling or lifting means.

I The object of the invention .is to produce :meehanismior the purpose stated in. which 1 arr.- unbalanced r-condition. .of

weightedarins piyotally mounted on arot'ated shaft results P from rotation of such a shaft about its axis couplelcl: with; travel of the swingable rotated shaft and its pivotally m n ed m .abqnt hs. xis Qf-= -.m i sha wh h m t-3 erably is perpendicular to thgswingable shaft',-and-,touti-" Iiz the ef rt o nat ral f9 .ll l Zi h -unb l nced cotldition s qduced o h u pose. vehicle in predetermined direetionsa: 3

One or more: swingable shafts, eac .provided on -its outer-end with a head having one or. moreiar-ms pivotallymounted thereon, may be utilized. When not influencedby swinging -of the -rotat'ed shafts around the axis" of the main shaftfthearinsrotate with the "shaff'iinderinfluence of centrifugal force in a plane perpendiculai to'th arise? the shaft on which they are mounted. This is a single plane ofp-rotation in which the weighted arms extendzfrom the head on the rotated shaft in directions which-are angularly' balanced and perpendicular t9 the shaft. When the "swing" able shaft is bodilymoved in a circular. path around the scribed simultaneous rotary motions, namely, the. rotation of ofthe 'pivoted arms with the swingable ,'sha.ft

about the axisof-the 'shaft, coupled with the 3mm; tion of 'the'swingable shaft and head in" a circular'f path around the main' sh,aft, 'is' thatfthe, piveany m n the 7 2 1 nati rss ii dicplar to the shaft. The combinedhe'sultof the two de direction depending on the direction of rotation of the swingable shafts and heads.

The objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the drawings and following specification.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational side view, partly in section, of a directional force generator embodying my invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan View, partly in section, in the plane of the line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an elevational view, partly in section, in the plane of the line 3-3 of FIG. l2.

FIG. 4 is an elevational side view of the head construction of FIG. 3, showing one of the arms in an unbalanced position.

The embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings comprises a main shaft 10 rotatably mounted in a frame in dicated at 11. For convenience in describing the mechanism, the shaft 10 will be assumed to be vertically disposed, but the apparatus as a whole may be tiltable in its The main shaft 10 has fixed thereon by any suitable means (one example of which may be the variable speed pulley 12 shown) operatively connected to pulley 13 on the shaft of a motor 14. The latter is mounted in the frame by any suitable means (not shown).

Extending radially, preferably at right angles to the main shaft 10, are swingable shafts 15 each consisting of two axially aligned sections spaced apart at their inner proximate ends to accommodate pinions 16 mounted thereon. Other types of gearing may be used. As shown in FIG.

2, two such shafts 15 each consisting of two axially aligned sections are embodied in this example of the mechanism, but one or lmore could be used. The pinions 16 mesh with a gear '17 connected to pulley 18 operatively connected by belt 19 or other means to the pulley 20 fixed on the shaft of the motor 21, also suitably mounted in frame 11. A single motor, operatively connected to the main shaft 10 and swingable shaft or shafts 15, may be used in placeof the two motors shown in the drawings. In the embodiment shown,"the gear 17 and'pulley 18 a rel'ooselyrriounted on the main shaft 10. 'Motor21'*th'us rotates the sh afts about the'iraxes. V f The"sh'afts -15'are rotatably supported in bearlngs 22 and extend through tubularcarriers '23 which are mounted I in carrier struts 24 connected to a collar 25 fixedly mounted I on the main shaft 10. Rotation of shaft '10 thus rotates the collar 25', causing swinging or travel in circular pathsof the carriers 2324, and of theshaf-ts 15 carried'thereby.

A" head indicated as a whole at 30 mounted on the"outer" end'of each shaft 15.-Each head comprises ahub 31- fixedly surrounding'shaft 15, and one or morearms 32 equally circumferentially spaced-apart, each having a weight 33 on its outer free end, pivotally connectedat its inner end to thehub 31 as indicated at 34 and movable independently of. each 0ther. T-he heads 30 rotate .with the shafts 15.

. force-to positions perpendicular-to the shaft 15 on which they are mounted and rotate in a single plane. Whenv the motor 14 is energized, the carrier members 23, 2.4,.

and the. rotated shafts =15 swing around the shaft 10,

causing each head 30 to rotate in constantly changing planes of rotation in which the arms extend in directions which are angularly balanced relatively to the shaft 15. Y

but not perpendicular thereto.

This changing of the planes of rotation of the arms 32 of each head 30 forced by the swinging or turning of the shafts 15 around the main shaft is resisted by the arms 32 in accordance with gyroscopic principles. When the shafts are rotated while being swung or turned in one direction around shaft 10, the arm 32 of each head which reaches the upwardly extending position of 32a in FIG. 4 moves inwardly toward the shaft 10, and the arm 32 which reaches the downwardly extending position of 32b in FIG. 4 moves outwardly away from the shaft 10 by gyroscopic action. Simultaneousl centrifugal forces also act on the arms 32 due to rotation of the carriers and shafts 15, causing the arms 32a to move away from shaft 10 back toward a nearly perpendicular position relatively to shaft 15, while arms 32b move further outwardly from shaft 10 by the same centrifugal force so that the arms assume the positions shown in FIG. 4. Thus the arms extend at unequal angles relatively to shaft 15. This is an unbalanced condition of the arms which natural forces seek to correct by causing the hub 31 to move up toward arm 32a. This effort to overcome the unbalance resulting from enforced movement of the arms 32 out of their centrifugally influenced single plane of rotation has the effect of moving the vehicle upwardly when the arms are in the FIG. 4 position. When the shafts 15 are swung to travel in the opposite direction, the movements of the arms 32 are reversed, and the arm 32a moves outwardly away from the shaft 10 and the arms 32b move inwardly toward the shaft 10, by gyroscopic action. Simultaneously, centrifugal forces acting on the heads 30 move the arms 32b away from the shaft 10 back toward a near perpendicular position relatively to shaft 15, while arms 32a move further outwardly from shaft 10.

The out of balance condition caused by the

arms

32a and 32b is compensated by movement of the hubs of the heads 30 in the direction of arms 3211 when carriers are swinging in one direction, and in the direction of arms 32b when the carriers are swinging in the opposite direction. The combined action of all the heads causes the entire machine to move in the direction of shaft 10 in the direction of the arm which has its weighted end the greatest distance from shaft 15. The resultant force exerted by each head 30 is not parallel to the shaft 10, but the average of the forces exerted by heads is in the direction of the shaft 10.

The intermediate arms 32, by which is meant the arms which assume the positions between

arms

32a and 32b during the rotation of the heads 30, are neutral so far as lifting or depressing action are concerned, but the swinging or turning of the carriers and the shafts 15 around the shaft 10 causes the leading one of the arms of each head to be drawn away from shaft 10 and the trailing one toward the shaft 10. This movement requires the heads and arms to rotate in constantly chang- Changes may be made in details of construction and in the form and arrangement of parts without departing from the invention. Weights and proportions of parts will be varied, depending on required speeds and uses of the mechanisms on which the generator is mounted.

I claim:

1. A directional force generator which comprises a rotated head having a plurality of independently movable members which are movable from balanced positions in a single plane of rotation to unbalanced positions in changing planes of rotation when the head is simultaneously rotated about its axis and moved bodily around a center, means for rotating the head and means for moving the rotating head around a center.

2. The generator defined by claim 1, in which head comprises a hub mounted on a rotated shaft, and arms pivotally mounted and equally circumferentially spaced on the hub, said arms extending radially from the hub and movable independently into and out of positions perpendicular to the hub.

3. The generator defined by claim 1, in which the independently movable members are weighted arms pivotally mounted on a rotated shaft.

4. A directional force generator for moving a vehicle in a predetermined direction comprising:

(a) a main shaft,

(b) a swingable shaft which extends axially at an angle to the main shaft and is swingable about said main shaft,

(c) means for rotating the swingable shaft,

(d) means for rotating the main shaft and swinging the swingable shaft around the main shaft, and

(e) a head on the outer end of the swingable shaft which has a plurality of independently movable arms rotatable in a single plane which extends transversely of and perpendicular to the axis of the swingable shaft when the swingable shaft is rotated about its own axis, and rotatable in constantly changing planes which extend at unequal angles to the swingable shaft when the head is simultaneously rotated and carried in a circular path around the main shaft, thereby producing an unbalanced condition causing the generator to move in a predetermined direction depending on the direction of rotation of the swingable shaft and head.

5. The generator defined by claim 4, in which the head on the outer end of the swingable shaft comprises a hub and the plurality of pivotally mounted weighted arms are equally spaced apart circumferentially of the hub and movable independently of each other.

6. The generator defined by claim 4, in which the, means for rotating the main shaft and swinging the swingable shaft around the main shaft comprises a carrier ing planes of rotation which is resisted in accordance with gyroscopic principles, causing movement of the apparatus as a whole in a given direction depending on the direction of rotation of the shafts 15 and of the carriers and shafts 15 about the shaft 10.

It will be understood that if rotor 21 is idle, and motor 14 is operating, the pinions 16 are rotated by reason of their meshing with gear 17, thereby also rotating shafts 15 which carriers 24 are being swung about axis of shaft 10. Thus in one direction of rotation of shaft 10, the rotary speed of pinions 16 is added to the speed of motor 14 while in the opposite direction of rotation of shaft 10, the rotary speed of pinions 16 is subtracted from speed of motor 14. As previously stated, a single motor operatively connected to the

shafts

10 and 15, may be substituted for the two motors and gearing shown herein.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,239,391 9/1917 Henry 743X 3,404,854 10/1968 Di Bella 7484X MILTON KAUFMAN, Primary Examiner