US946678A - Air-ship and aeroplane. - Google Patents

Description

E. J. LESTER & W. G. BEST.

AIR. SHIP AND AEROPLANE.

rum-r191: nun) rm. 2a, 1900 Patented J an. 18, 191.6

w/ r/vrssers Patented Jan. 18, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

E J. LESTER (S2 W. G. BEST. AIR SHIP AND AERUPLANE.

MPLIGATIO}! FILED 313.22 was 4.14. 4 w Iii 1316 1 gffl E. .1" LESTER & W. G. BEST.

MR. SHIP AND AEBOPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB 2a 1909 Patented Jan. 18, 1910.

3 SHBBTS SHEET 3 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN JOSEPH LESTER AND WILL! GEORGE BEST, OF CLLPHAM, ENGLAND.

AID-SHIP AND AEBOPLANE.

Specification of Letters latent Patented Jan. 18, 1910.

Application filed February 23, 1909. Serial Ru. 479,889.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Enwix Jossrn Lasrrn and WILLIAM Gconor: Bns'r, subjects of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing ut (.lupham, in the county of Surrey, England, have invented new and useful I mproreinents in and Relating to Air-Ships and Aeroplanes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for propelling, raising, lowering and steering airships and aeroplanes, and consists of improvements in that type of mechanism in which use is made of fans or paddle wheels contained within rotatable casings provided with sector-shaped openings.

According to our invention we provide the car of un airship or aeroplane with two or more pairs of fans or paddle wheels which are contained within rotatable casin s pro vided with sector-shaped o enings. e control movement of the airs ip or aeroplane in all directions by suitably adjusting the positions of the openings in the airs of casings and efiect steering by swire ing the fans and casings.

By means of our invention we are able by suitably adjusting the posit-ions of the openings in the casings not only to reverse the direction of movement of an airship without reversing the motor but also to cause it to rise and fall at will. Further in the case of an airship provided with a gas bag the car is always in a horizontal position and the airship will rise and fall vertically. Moreover the ballast which has in the case of other air-ships to be carried and discharged when the airship has to rise is dispensed with and the amount of gas in the gas bag is practically alwa s the some as it is not necessary to allow it to escape when the airship has to full, rising, and falling of the airship in our case being effected by altering the positions of the openings in the casings.

In car ing out our invention we provide the car 0 an airship or corn )lnnv with two or more pairs of fans or pad le wheels each of which has four or more blades. Said blades are secured to the outer peripheries of drums, and the blades and drums closely fit the interiors of rotatable casings, the spaces intervening between the poriphoriis of the drum and the interiors of the casings forming uir chambers. Sector-shaped o miryrs, preferably extending along one llld o their circumferences, are made in the cusings to allow of the entrance and expulsion of the air. The pairs of casings are moved so as to var the positions of their openings, and thus etermine the direction of the movement of the airship or aeroplane, and the drums and casings are swiveled,so as to effect turni by any suitable mechanism, which is pre erably constructed in the manner hereinafter described.

In order that our invention may be thoroughly undeistood we will now refer to the accompanying drawings illustrating the application thereof.

Figure l is a side elevation and Fi 2 is a plan illustrutin our invention app led to the car of an airs ip. Fig. 3 is a part section and part elevation showing, on an enlarged scale, an arrangement of joints and other parts which we have devised for the purpose of enabling the pairs of fans or paddle wheels to be driven, the fans or paddle wheels and their casings to be simultaneously swiveled and the casin s to be moved around the fans or paddle w eels ac cording to the desired direction of movement. Figs. 4 to 11 are diagrams showing the positions to which the cast are simultaneously rotated accordingi to t c direction of movement required, the utter being indicated by the arrows at the centers of the figures.

According to our invention we provide the car 1 with two or more pairs of fans or paddle wheels, each of which fans or wheels consists of a drum 2 and :lour or more blades 3, which closely lit the interiors of rotatable casings 4. The casings 4 are pro vided with sector-shaped openings 4, which act as inlets and outlets for the part-annular spaces or chambers intervening between the pfil'llllN'llPS of the drums and the interiors of t \e casings. Said o wnings l, which are preferably of the shape shown, extend along one thirr of the rircumfcrcnws of the cusinlgs. \Vhen two pairs of fans or puddle w tools are employed, as shown, the openings 4' in the casings of the two pairs of fans or wheels are. preferably arranged so as to face opposite ways so as to prevent the currents of uir prmluccd by one pair of fans or wheels interfering with those. produced by the other pair. The shafts Stl) orting the fans or puddle wlu-cls nro divu cd into three parts, a central port 5 and two outer purls 6. 'I'hc central parts 5 are connected at their fllilll' ends in the outer portions 6 of the shall by means of universal joints 7. The fans or paddle wheels are driven by means of a suitable motor 8, driving connection between the motor 8 and the central parts 5 of the shafts of the fans or addle wheels being attracted by any suitab e means, such as a fian ed or grooved alley 9 fixed to the sha of the motor, bolts 10 and 10', and pulleys 11 secured to the central arts 5 of said shafts. When the openings in the easings are arranged in the manner described above and shown on the drawin 0 en and crossed belts 10 and 10' are used? The casings 4 are secured to the outer ends of sleeves 12 which are arranged so as to rotate within swiveling arms 13. The swiveling arms 13 are supported in bearings 14 carried by the framework of the car and are provided with steering arms 15. The steering arms 15 of each pair of wheels are connected together by means of rods 16 which are simultaneously actuated, so as to swivel the casings 4, by any suitable arrangement such as that shown in Fi 1 and 2, where 17 is a steering wheel w ich actuates an arm 18 connected by suitable cords 19 to arms 16' on the rods 16.

To enable the casings =1 to be simultaneously rotated to an ual extent around the fans or paddle wheii l s we prefer to use the following construction and arrangement of parts. The inner ends of the sleeves 12 are secured to the movable parts 20 of swiveling joints the other or relatively fixed portions 21 of which are connected by arms 22 to chain wheels 23. The chain wheels 23 are carried by bushings 24, which serve as sup ports for the outer ends of the central parts 5 of the shafts carrying the fans or paddle wheels. The chain wheels 23 may either r0- tate on the bushin 24, in which case the latter would be fix to the frame of the car, or the wheels may be secured to the bushings, which would then rotate in hearings provided in the frame of the car. The Clltllll wheels 23 are connected to and the casin s 4 are rotated by any suitable means within easy reach of the occupant of the car. Such means may consist, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, of a wheel 25 fixed to a horizontal shaft 26, the rotation of which is transmitted to the chain wheels 23 by means of the chain wheels 27 and ion ths of chain 25 engaging the chain whees 27 and cminectvd )3 wire ropes 29 to similar lengths of chain 30 en ging with the chain wheels 23. Saltable eviccs, not shown, are provided for lcee ing the chains taut, such as turn buc les and eyes.

Instead of using chain wheels as above described flanged pulleys and wire ropes, fastened at one point to said )ulle vs, may be employed. Again, instead 01 forming the fans or paddle wheels of blades secured to the peripheries of drums, as shown in tindrawings, each fan or wheel may consist of blades secured to the ed e of a disk. the central portions of the si es of the casings being carried inward to form the part-annular air spaces or chambers above referred to.

Figs. 4 to 11 show the positions to which the openings in the casings must be rotated in order to move the airship or aeroplane in the directions indicated by the central arrows.

Having now described our invention what we have discovered and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 2- 1. In airships and aeroplanes, provided with mechanism of the type specified herein, means for efi'ecting the propulsion, raising and lowerin thereof consistin of fans or paddle whefis connected toget 1er in pairs and contained within casin sector-shaped openings an simultaneously rotated to an equal extent, substantially as described herein.

2. In airshjps and aeroplanes )lOVltlUtl with mechanism of the type speciiie herein, means for eti'ectin the propulsion, raising. lowering and steering thereof consisting of fans or paddle wheels connected together in pairs an contained within casings )rovided with sector-sha ed openings and a opted to be simultaneous y rotated and also swivels-d, substantially as described herein.

3. In airships and aeroplanes, rovided with mechanism of the type specifies herein, the combination of fans or paddle wheels connected together in pairs, coupled to the central portions of their shafts by means of universal joints and supported at their outer ends within swiveling arms connected together in pairs, casings surroundin" the fans or paddle wheels, provided wit) sectorshaped openin s, adapted to swivel with the fans or paddi wheels and to be rotated around the latter, and means for rotntingthe casin 's and means for swiveling the fans or padd e wheels and the casings. substantialtv as described herein.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDVIN Jt )SEIH LESTER. WILLIAM GEORGE BEST. Witnesses:

)nannns Furrcnnn Plums, Pnnor Wmunv/mn.

provided with adapted to be

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