US1684240A - Aeronautics - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 11, 1928. 1,684,240

J. E. PIGEON AERONAUTI C 5 Filed July 12, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 z jy edfllnventor Attorneys Sept. 11 1928.-

J. E. PI'GEON AERONAUTICS Filed July 12, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 may W lwmml {yap/31m Attorneys b b b gig Hm Patented Sept. 11, 1928.

UNITED JOSEPH r enouior HOLLYWOOD, oiin ronnin. I

annonamrro s.

,a tn anon filed July 12,

, This invention relatesto improvements in I aeronautics havingfor an object .to proyide a clirigible airship whose flightetiiciency s derived from a novel comb nation and con- 5 struction of lighter than airand plane sustainingfbodies, while propeller and'isteering .ineansare supplied, that the yehiclemay be driven upon or through aproperly navigated course. p v I vIt is also amongst the principal des deraturns of the inyention to prov de-an airship of the character mentioned wherein the body I portions oi saidsuper structure being arconstruction is suclrthat the craft maybe advantageously used for commercial purposes, space being provided therein iorthe reception o-r storage of both freight and passenger, cargos, while other space is available for thestoring of fuel for the airship motors, this reservoir receiving space l'ieingso disposed that the added weight of the fuel will giye an extremely lowcenter t gravitytothe airship :ancLhenc-e, materially stabilize the flight efliciency'thereof.

Amongst other aims ;.an d, objects of the invention there maybe noted, the proyision of ana -r hip having: propeller; meansi id a ing he samethrough:an'a-Vigated'courseand also, atwill oof a nayigator, to accelerate or Qpositively effect. ascension ofthe ship v as in the process'offttalre ofidthereofflyh n heavily laden.

a Other objects of the invention lwill be in part obvious andin part pointed out here n after. I I a In order .thatthe inyention and ts mode of operation may be readily understood by [those ,skilledin the art, Iliave in the accoinf I panying illustrativedrawings and, in the de tailed fellowingdescription based thereupgn, set out one possible embodiment of the imventiom i In these drawings:

v Figure 1 is a sideeleyationoiithe improved air ship,

Figure 2 is an enlarged ,veiftical transyerse 7 section therethroil'ghlta lieri 0 22 of Figure 1,

;'Figure 8 1s .a horizontal and longitudinal sectionlthrough the improved air ship,

Figure 4 is a .fvertical fragmentary -lO11g1 tudinal section throughthe lowerportion 0t I i the ship showingthe .nian ier 'in which the. vfuel reservoirs thereof are disposed with re-v spect to the, landing gear andthe arrange, ment of the passenger receivingfcompart ,--"m li$ a t i bodies.

7 19 27. Serial K052013171.

Figure is a fragmentary horizontal and bination with I the lighter than air sustaining Having more particular reference to the drawings, in connection with which like characters of reference willdesignate corresponding parts throughout, the improved air ship maybe stated to comprise a super structure generally indicated herein by the numeral 1,

ranged to constitute tubular bodies 2 and 3 adapted to belined and covered witha'gas impervious iabric material-1'4 whereby with thepumpingof as into the tubular enclosures paiticularly, those portions of the same outwardly and laterally of the 'tub ular bodies and 3 are formed into auxiliary tubular bod es of substant ally triangular crossfsec- .tional shape',' designated by the numeral 5, are provided, these particularbodiesi being lines with a gaseous impervious fabric or ma terial designated by the numeral '6, whereby w th nflatronof'the' same, auxiliary lighter than air sustaining bodies will-be afforded.

The whole of the super structure together with the lighterthan air sustaining bodies 2, 3 and 5 1s adapted'to; be covered'fby'a fabric or othe material indicated by the numeral 7,

thisserving as a protecting means therefor ainst the elements andl kewise, asa fricalion minimizing means.

structure-1 and arranged below the lighter wardly'and laterallydisposed plane sustaining bodies 8, these bodies, as shown'in; the

Supported upoir'portio ns of the super Figures 1 and 5,;being extended throughout the length of said super structure 1 and serv- "ing as an additional light sustaining means for the air ship. A ibody'or hull (fuselage) ture 1 and depends therefrom inthe manner as s shown in the Figure 2tl1lS body 9 being haying aplurality of vertical longitudinally and I transversely disposed partitions genen pally, "identified. numeral 12 arranged w generally indieated b-y the numeral 9,"1sadapted to besecurely oined or connected to -the super structhereupon whereby to provide freight and passenger storage and receiving spaces ,or compartments designated, respectively, by the numerals 13 and 14, doors or other suitable ways of ingress and egress being provided each partition 12 for obvious purposes.

Other compartments 15,- ma be formedlor provided for upon the upper eck and in these compartments, accommodations for the air ship crew and maintenance :torce thereof may besupplied. j l r That the air ship may be driven and steered through a navigated course, compartments 2 or rooms generally indicated by the numerals i 16 and 17 are provided the body or hull portion 9, the compartments 16 SGI'VlIlg to receive the engines or motors of the air ship, while the compartment 17 'i'sarranged ad afcentlthe bow or forward end of the air ship opposite side of the air ship body 9 and each of these propellers are connected by gearing generally indicated at 19 to motors or engines 20 mounted within the aforesaid compartments 16. Also, other propellers 21 are rotatably mounted upon, the front or how portion of the body 9 and as will be understood, assist in the drlving or propulsion of the air ship through its course.

\Vithin the lower deck of the body 9, compartments 22' are provided and in these eom partments, fuel storage tanks or reservoirs 23 are immovably mounted or secured through the medium of brackets or straps indicated at 24; suitable conduit connections being effeoted as between these fuel reservoirs 23 and the :variousinotors 2O that-fuel maybe de- 1 livered thereto for consumption. In this connection, it is tobe noted that the fuel tanks or reservoirs 23 are arrangedwithin the lowermost portion of the body 9, that is, in the lower deck and consequently thereupon, the added weight of these tanks, especially when filled with fuel, will serve to materially lower the center of gravity of the air ship and hence, to greater materialize its flight eiiiciency. y

Wheeled or other approved and prevalent type of landing gear designated by the numeral 25 is secured to the bottom-or lower portion of the air ship body 9 and this landing gear is preferably equipped with suitable springs or other types of'shock absorbing means or suspension devices indicated at 26, whereby to permit of an eflicient landing of the craft upon terrain, as well as to permit of smooth or even taxiing of the same during the process of a take off. Thus, it will be understood that damaging or abnormal stressin of parts or elements of'the air ship,

caking of the ship when landing upon terrain under the sustaining influence of these lateral sustaining planes 8.

WVith a view toward providing the air shi with means for accelerating or ositively e fecting ascension thereof, as w enthe ship ftakes on with a heavycargo, I, provide a plurality or seria of equi spaced' longitudinally disposed tubes generally designated by, the numeral 27 these tubes .be-

ing disposed. throughout the combined depthsof the super structure 1 and the air ship body or hull 9, as is clearly shown in the Figure 2 the upper and lowerendsof the tubes being open and having enlarged collar extensions 28 secured to the upperextrcmities thereof 'in which normally horizontally positioned rotatable propellers 29 are mounted upon driving shafts 30 arranged within and disposed longitudinally of portions of the lengths of their respective tubes 27. These driven shafts 30, as will be understood, are connected by suitable gearing (not shown herein) to the motor or en ines 20of the air ship and by propercontrol s (also not shown) may be caused rotate at such speeds as will be productiveof a maximum lifting eiiiciency of the air "ship. Therefore. it isto be understood that when an air ship constructed in accordance withmy invention isso heavily laden as to possibly prevent its ascension in a'process-of take 011, these propellers 29 may be caused to rotate at the proper velocity to bring about an increase of slighteificien'cy, which by coaction with the sustaining properties of the lighter than alDbOdlBs 2 and 3 and the lateral sustaining planes 8 will insure ascensionof the equipped 1 air ship.

By varying oriselectively operating the propellers 18 mounted upon the opposite sides of the air ship body 9,'it will be understood that'the air ship may be more or less selectively navigated through its course. As a further means for controlling navigation of the air sh1p 1n a predetermined course and:

also for controllingascension and descension, the usual rudders 31 and elevator planes 32 aretprovided adjacent the rearward endof the airship body9, suitable controls being' extended from these elements 31 and 32 (not shown herein) into the navigators compartment 17 of the air ship or elsewhere such as conditions or preference may dictate. Manifestly, the construction shown is capable of considerable modification and such modificationras is withinthe scopeof my claims, I consider within the spirit of my invention.

Iclaimf H 1. An air ship of the character described comprising a super structure, lighter than air sustaining bodies formed Within said super structure, a pair of lateral oppositely disposed sustaining planes secured to said super structure below said lighter than air sustaining bodies and disposed longitudinal partments, propeller means mounted outwardly and laterally of said body and rearwardly of the same, and other propeller means supported in normally horizontal planes above said super structure and adapt ed to accelerate and effect ascension of the air ship.

2. An air ship of the character described comprising a super structure, lighter than air sustaining bodies formed in and carried by said super structure, a body secured to and arranged below said super structure, a plurality of oppositely disposed laterally extending sustaining planes fixed to the lower portion of said super structure below said lighter than air sustaining body and arranged in PZl-litllQllSlIl'tO said last mentioned bodies, propeller means mounted outwardly and laterally of said body and below said sustaining planes, means within the body for transmitting driving motion to said propellers, a plurality of longitudinally disposed"vertically extending tubes supported in and passing through said body and super structure, an-' nular collars carried upon the upper ends of said tubular bodles above the super struc ture, normally horizontally positioned propcller means rotatably mounted in said annular collars and connected to said first mentioned propeller driving means, said body being divided into a plurality of decks, one of said decks having a multiplicity of com- I partments thereupon and the other of said decks having fuel tank receiving compartments therein adapated with the placement of fuel tanks in the same to lower the center of gravity of the air ship, and landing gear secured to the bottom of'said body and immediately below said fuel tank receiving com o partments 3. In an airship, a horizontal longitudinally extending plane, a pair of tubular lighter than air sustaining bodies mounted longitudinally on the intermediate portion of the n plane, a semi-circular roof covering the said sustaining bodies, and a fuselage secured to and suspended from the intermediate portion of the plane and extending in a longitudinal position thereunder, the sides of the plane projecting laterally beyond the sides of the roof and fuselage to provide longitudinal stabilizing Wings.

4. In an airship, a horizontal longitudinally elongated plane, a plurality of lighter than air sustaining tubes disposed longitudinally on the intermediate portion of the plane, a fuselage depending from the intermediate portion of the plane and arranged longitudinally thereunder, the longitudinal side portions of the plane being arranged to project outwardly of the sustaining body and fuselage to provide stabilizing wings, a landing gear connected to the bottom of the fuselage, a plurality of vertically disposed tubes arranged through the fuselage, plane and sustaining tubes, elevating propellers operatively mounted in the upper open ends of the vertical tubes, a plurality. of driving propellers mounted outwardly and laterallyof said body arranged in a horizontal plane, and

JOSEPH n. PIGEON.

Images