US856073A - Flying-machine. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED JUNE 4, 19 07. R. LEWITZ.

FLYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 13,1906.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED- JUNE 4, 1907.

'4 SHEETSSHEET z.

No. 856,073. PATENTED JUNE 4, 1907. R. LEWITZ. FLYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 13, 1906.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

PATENTED JUNE 4, 1907.

R. LEWITZ.

FLYIN APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 1a. 1906.

G MACHINE.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

s y a e REINHOLD LEWITZ, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

FLYING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

fatented June 4, 1907.

Application filed June-13, 1906. Serial No. 321,423.

To all, whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, REINHOLDLEWITZ, a

. citizen of the Empire of Germany, residing specification.

This invention relates to an improved flying machine which is raised and lowered in the air and propelled and steered in the same by motor power without a balloon-field. The lifting, lowering, driving, steering and balancing in the air in relation to the longitudinal transverse axis is accomplished by two motors which are located symmetrically to the vertical central axis and in line with the longitudinal axis of the flyingmachine.

The invention consists of a fl 'ng machine which comprises a supporti f r ame having braced front and rear ends, motors support ad by said frame in line with the longitudinal axis of the same, a pair of lowering and lifting wheels supported on independent shafts, one withinthe other, and. driven in opposite direction to each other, two sets of balancing-wheels below said lifting and lowering wheels, the wheels of each pair being moved in opposite direction to each other, a pair of forwardly or-backwardly-driving wheels which likewise are applied to independent shafts to which rotary motion in opposite di-.

. rection is imparted, said driving-wheels being located at the front end of the supporting-frame, and a steering-wheel at the rear end of v the supporting-frame, and vertical wings located at op osite sides of thesupporting-frame and a apted to impart, in connection with the rear wheel or propeller, a steering action to the structure.

The invention consists further in the novel construction of the different lifting and lowering wheels, balancing-wheels, driving wheelsand steering-wheel, and in certain additional details ofc'onstruction which will be fully described hereinafter and finally pointed out n the claims. I

In the accompanying drawin'gsLFigure 1 represents aside-elevation of my improved flying machine, Fig. 2 is a plan-view of the same, partly in section, the lifting and lowering wheels and balancing-wheels being indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 3 is-a rear-elevation of the il'lifyingmachine, Fig. 4 is'a planting and lowering wheels, show 111g one form of construction of the same,

yiew of the l bottom part, so as to permit the Fig. 5 is a side-view of Fig. 4, and "Fig. dis a vertical central section on line 6, 6, Fig. 4.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 11 represents the supporting-frame of my improved flying machine. This frame is made of oblong side, base and top tubes, preferably of aluminium, thin steel or other light iyet strong material. The oblong'sup .ortingv braced so as to have'the required degree of stiffness and strength, the bottom frame being provided with a platform on which two motors m, m, one located in the front and the other in the rear of the vertical axis of the machine and equidistantly therefrom so as to be properlybalanced, are supported. Any suitable construction of gasolene or other motor may be used, provided the same ossesses the. required strength and lightness.

n the center, between the motors m, m is arranged a suitable railing 12 forming an inclosure for passengers, while the motormen are placed near the motors in any suitable manner.

The supporting-frame is provided with a forwardly-extendlng brace-frame a and with' the tubular shaft so as to extend beyond the same, each shaft s, s carrying a driving- Wheel d, d, which wheels are rotated by suitable power transmission from the front motorin opposite direction to each other so as to produce a driving action on the flying machine either in forward direction or in backward direct on, according to the direction of motion of the two driving-wheels d, 01 The rear brace-frame 0 supports a vertical steering-wheel e, the shaft of which is supported transversely in bearings of the brace-frame a said steering-wheel receiving rotary motion from the rear motor m or any suitable power-transmitting mechanism from the same. The support' frame a is provided with a number of c ii s hion-sprin sit at the owering to and resting on theground of the flying machine. J i In. central step-and-neck bearings of the su porting-frame a is supported an upright tubular shaft 8 within w 'ch is arrangeda ame a is properly "Inc, I

second shaft 8 that turns through the tubuthe opposite direction for permitting the lOW- ering of the flying machine. Below the lifting and lowering wheels f, f and immediatel y above the to of the supporting-frame a, are arranged our rotary wheels 9, to which I have given the name of balancing wheels, which are applied to vertical shafts 9 that turn in neck-bearings of the supporting-frame near the corners thereof, all of them being of equal diameter, and smaller in size than the lifting and lowering wheels, the pair of front balancing-Wheels rotating in opposite direction to each other and the pair of rear wheels also rotating in opposite direction to each other and to the front wheels, as

clearly indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2. Motlon is imparted to the two'pairs of balancing-Wheels by the motors m, m the front Wheels receiving motion from the motor m and the rear wheels receiving motion from the motor m by means of suitable chain-andsprocket-wheel transmissions, which are indicated diagrammatically in Fig. .2. All the vertical shafts of the lifting and lowering wheels and balancing-wheels are provided with antifriction roller bearings so as to reduce the friction as much as possible.

At opposite sides of the sup orting-frame a and centrally to the side-ffames of the same, are pivoted in suitable bearings two wings w, w

- ward or backward direction, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2, and which are adjusted slmultaneousl y at an angle of 90 to the sideframes, or at a lesser angle, according as the machine is to bedriven to the right or lefthand side, the position of the wings holding balancing-wheels, are

the machine before the wind, in connection with the steering action of the fund propeller,

according as the same is turned in one or the opposite direction. r

he lifting and lowering wheels, and the referably made of the construction shown in igs. 4 to 6, in which a central group u of vertical tubes is arranged around a shaft, a second group 'v, concentric to the inner group, of slightly inclined tubes, and a third group of sti l more inclined tubes, which gradua 1y decrease in size from the inner toward the outer circumference of the group, and which overlap? each other at the ends, as shown clearly in igs. 4 to 6.

The tubes forming the wheelsare made of thin waterproofed or parchmentized pa er, or canvas-covered-tubes, or alumln um to es, so

ich are capable of motion in for that the required degree of lightness is obtained. As the different groups'of tubes forming the wheels are rapidly moved through the air, the air is forced through all the inclined tubes, whereby the lifting action is imparted when the two pairs of wheels f, f are turned in one direction toward each other, or the lowering action imparted when the same are turned in opposite direction to the former motion. The group it of vertical tubes is used merely for sup orting the inclined tubes. The construction 0 these wheels is based on the same principle, a pair of each being arranged with the exception of the steeringwheel, which is a single wheel. The arrangement inpairs of the lifting and lowering, driving and balancing wheels, is for the purpose of equalizing the effect of the same on the supporting-frame of the machine. Each of the driving and steering wheels is construct- .ed-of a single group of inclined tubes arranged as shown in Fig. 1.

Any approved power-transmitting mechanism between the motors and the shafts of the different wheels is employed for imparting the different motions required. The steering-wings are, operated by a suitable lever mechanism .by the man attending the rear motor, who also has charge of the direction of motion in which thesteering-wheel e is to be rotated. By permitting the steeringwheel to rotate in one or the opposite direc-' tion and setting simultaneously the steering wings in one or the opposite direction to the vertical transverse axis of the flying machine, the steering of the same toward the right or the left hand is produced, while the motion in forward or backward direction is obtained by the driving-wheels d, (P, and the lifting and lowering of the structure by the pairs of lifting and lowering wheels f, f and the two pairs of balancing-wheels g. a

By the cooperation of the different rotating wheels, the required motions are imparted to the flying machine and its steady position in the air obtained, While the steering takes lace by the rear wheel in connection with t e steering-wings at the sides of the supporting-frame.

My improved flying machine combines great lightness with strength as the material employed in making the supporting-frame, Wheels and wings is of the greatest possible lightness consistent with strength. By wa terproofing the different wheels, the flying machine can be used while it rains as the rain has no effect on the'same. Owing to the eed imparted to the different sets of wheels,

s the flying machine can be raised or lowered,

moved forward or backward, or steered to one side or the other, it being within the control of the motorman, and built of the proper size,'as calculated by the weight of the machine, .;its motors andaccessories. Ascensions can be made regardless- 0f the temperature of the air and the direction and velocity of "the wind, the machine being propelled with greater ease in a direction opposite the direction of the wind than with the same, and guaranteeing by the almost entire substitution of rotary motion in all the driving-wheels and the avoidance of reciprocating motion, that approach to a motor-driven flying machine which has been sought after for some time, and is still sought after, by the inventors devoted to this class of machines.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent: 7

1. A flying machine consisting of a supporting-frame with tapering front and rear brace-frames, two large-sized lifting and lowering wheels above the supporting-frame ro' tating in op osite direction to eachother, two. pairs of alancing-wlieels, the wheels of each pair rotating inopposite directionto each other, a pair of front drixring-wheels rotating in opposite direction to each other, a rear steering-wheel, motors on the supportmg frame, and motion-transmitting mechanism between the motors and the shafts of the different wheels. V

2. A flying machine consistingof a supporting-frame with tapering front and rear race-frames, two large-sized lifting and lowering wheels above the supporting-frame rotating in o posite directlon to eachother, two pairs 0 alancing-wheels, the wheels of each pair rotating in opposite direction to each other, a pairof front driving-wheels rotating in opposite direction to each other, a rear steering-wheel, motors on the supporting frame, motion-transmitting mechanism between the motors and the shafts of the different wheels, steering-wings attached to opposite sides of the supporting-frame, and means for setting the same at suitable angles to the transverse center-plane of the machine in connection with the motion of the steeringwheel.

3. In a flying machine, a wheel constructed of a number of groupsqof air-cutting tubes,

an inner central vertical group, an intermediate inclined set of tubes, and a set of cir- REINHOLD LEWITZ.

Witnesses:

PAU GoEPEL,

\ HENRY J. SUHRBI'ER.

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