US1331299A - Flying-machine - Google Patents

Description

H. 0. WATTS.

I FLYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED IuLY 30.19III.

Patented Feb. 17, 1920.

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FLYING MACHINE. APPUCATION FILED JULY 30.1918.

Fatented Feb, 17, 1920.

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H. 0. WATTS.

FLYING MACHINE.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY O. WATTS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

FLYING-MACHINE.

Application filed July 30, 1918.

To all LU/0m t may concern Be it known that I, HENRY O. WATTS, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at lvVashington, District of Columbia, have invented new`and useful Improvements in Flying-h/iachines, of which the following is a specification.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a fiying machine of the ornithopter type in which there is provided both a novel form of body or fuselage and a novel form of wing, there being also a novel form of steering mechanism. The wings are attached to the fuselage by unique means and are oscillated by a continuously rotating mechanism having connection therewith.

The wings comprise skeleton frames with canvas coverings inclosing the same, the character of the construction being such that an air space exists interior to the wings. By this means the wings are made to simulate those of a bird in shape while the construction is such that a minimum of weight is obtained as well as a maximum of strength.

Other and further purposes of the invention are set forth in the following description wherein the same is described in detail.

To the exact construction in which it is shown and described, the invention is not to be restricted. The right is reserved to make such changes or alterations as the actual reduction to practice may suggest provided these changes or alterations are compatible in spirit with the subjoined claims.

The same numerals of reference designate the same parts throughout the several iigures of the drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the improved machine.

Eig. 2 is a side elevational view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the steering means detached from'the machine.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the mechanism by means of which the wings are oscillated.

Eig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Eig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view showingy a portion of the winged frame and the man-Y ner in which the canvas coveringy of the frame is secured thereto.

Fig. 8 is a detail plan view of the con- Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1'7, 1920.

Serial No. 247,446.

` necting ends of the canvas covering for the wings.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of one of the winged frames.

As shown the invention comprises the body or fuselage A, the wings B, and the steering mechanism C.

The fuselage A consists of an open frame 1 the bottom 2 of which is inclined, as shown, when the legs 3 or landing means stand in a horizontal plane. This construction gives the whole fuselage A a tilt with respect to the horizontal. At the bottom 2 of the fuselage there are carried two bearing supports d in whose bearings there is `iournaled the shaft 5. One of these bearing supports el, the rear one, supports for rotar 1 movement a shaft 6 to the opposite ends of which pedals 7 are connected, the pedals being disposed 180 degrees from each other and being provided for the obvious purpose of turning the shaft 6. This shaft 6 carries a bevel gear 8 meshing with the bevel pinion 9 carried by the shaft 5. Thus the turning of the pedals 7 results in a ro tary movement bceing imparted to the shaft 5 on which there is mounted, in addition to the pinion 9, an eccentric l0 which plays in a rectangular shaped open frame 11, the latter having inturned flanges straddling the eccentric to prevent its, the frames, lateral displacement. Since the eccentric 10 revolves with the shaft 5, an up and down movement is imparted to this open frame 11 and that during this up and down movement the frame may be held with its greater dimension in a horizontal position, there are provided the guides 12 which are mounted on the bottom 2 and which abut opposite sides of the frame l1. v

An operators seat 14 is mounted on a suitable supporting bracket 15 carried by the frame 1 and this seat is, as shown, positioned conveniently for the operation of the pedals 7.

The top 16 of the frame 1 is closed and at the forward end is of globular conformation, inclining from the top of this globe toward the rear.

The wings B each embody a longitudinal tubular member 17 which is hingedly attached, as indicated at 18, one on each side of the machine at the top thereof. The hinged connections 18 are not at the extremities of the tubular member 17 but are so positioned that they inner ends of the said tubular members may project into the fuselage or body underneath the top 16 and to each of these inwardly projecting ends there is pivotally attached a connecting rod 19, the two connecting rods 19 pivotally connecting with the open frame 11 on the upper YVedge adjacent the center .with one pivotal connection on each side of the center. Since the movement of the pedals 7 serves to raise and lower the frame 11, it is obvious that the connecting lrods 19 are similarly raised and lowered with the result that the members 17 are rocked on the hinged connections 18, thus resulting` in the oscillation of the wings B of which the tubular members 17 are Van essential structural element.

The tubular member is a part. of the frame -of the wing and attached to it there are a plurality o'f rodsr20, the latter being uniformly spaced along the tubular member from the hinged connections 18 to the outer extremity. Each of these rods 2O is bent to the peculiar conformation shown in Fig. V6, this conformation, of course, varying slightly in shape with each succeeding rod 20 beginning at the hinged connection 18, since the wing B tapers in plan from its point of connection with the fuselage or body A to its outer or free end.

The rods 2,0 being bent to the shape shown and` described, their end portions 21 are threaded and passed transversely through the tubularmember 17 on the opposite sides of the center of the latter, these threaded ends -receiving nuts 22 which seat against washers 23 wedge-shaped in cross-section, as shown, and bearing upon the tubular member 17. It is thus apparent how the rods 20are attached to the tubular member and how b oth they and the latter serve to form a frame which when inclosed will provide a wing of the desired shape but with a hollow interior.

The frame comprising the member 17 and rods 2O is inclosed by a canvas or fabric covering 24;, the edges of the latter being brought together in the vicinity of the 'member 17 where the said edges are appropriately connected by means of the lacing 25. That air may be kept from readily entering the interior of the wing thus formed, marginal flaps 26 are stitched or cemented to the covering and after the latter has had its edges laced together, these flaps 26 are cemented togetherover the row of lacing, thus precluding the ready entrance of air into and the ejection of air 'from the interior ofthe wing.

It is intended that the canvas covering AV211 of the wings shall be continuous over both wings and over vthe-top 16, the necessary `shaping of the canvas, of course, be-

ing resorted to to have it lie snugly against the wing frames and the top 16'. The cov.- ering thereby, at the junctions of the wings 'appropriate arms 40.

just below this latter there is mounted an indicator 3() in the form of a spirit level whose function is to indicate to the operator the lateral inclination of the machine, if it should have any.

In addition to the parts previously describedi'there is the steering mechanism C, the latter comprising a plate 31 whose one edge is hingedly connected with the end of a shaft 32 which is carried in bearings 33 attached to the top of the frame 1. rlhis shaft 32 may move angularly in the said bearings but it is precluded from longitudinal movement therein; At its forward end which projects beyond the foremost bearing 33, the shaft 32 has pivotally attached to it one end of a depending lever 34C which at a designated point between its handle 35 and its connection with the shaft 32 carries a transverse rod or bar member 36, at the ends of which there are pivotally connected the connecting rods 37. The remaining ends of the connecting rods 37 hingedly or pivotally connect with the plate 31 on the under face thereof.

A pair of counter-balancing weights 39 are provided and attached to the plate 31 by Since the shaft 32 may not move longitudinally but may move afngularly, it is obvious that a lateral movement imparted to the handle 35 of the lever 34 will turn the plate 31 out of the plane in which the machine is flying and, if the han- -dle 35 be moved forwardly or rearwardly at Vor into aposition the resultant of any of these'two movements.

While the invention has Vlbeen illustrated as a foot operated device, it is Yobvious that a power mechanism may be employed and geared or otherwise connected to the shaft 5, so that the machine may operate as a power machine.

It is to be observedthat the distance between the pivotal connections between the connecting rods 37 and the pivotal connections between the shaft 32 and the lever 34 is substantially twice the distance between the pivot of the hinged connection between the plate 31 and the fuselage and the pivotal connection between the said plate and the said connecting rods. Thus in shifting the plate 31 in a vertical plane by means of rocking the lever 34 on its pivotal connection with the shaft 32, substantially twice the angular movement is imparted to the plate 3l that is imparted to the lever 34.

From the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings, it is believed that a clear enough understanding of the invention is to be had and further description is, therefore, omitted.

The invention having been described7 what is claimed as new and useful is:

l. In a flying machine, an open frame, wings hingedly attached to the frame at the upper end, a steering mechanism attached to the frame, a shaft, bearing supports carried by the frame for said shaft, an eccentric carried on the shaft, means for rotating the shaft, an open rectangular frame surrounding the eccentric and provided with inturned flanges straddling the eccentric, guides for the said rectangular frame, and connections between the said rectangular frame and the wings whereby the rotation ofthe shaft will cause the oscillation of the wings.

2. In a flying machine, a fuselage, wings hingedly attached to said fuselage, and means for oscillating said wings, the wings each comprising a skeleton frame and a canvas covering therefor, the frame consisting of a tubular member hingedly attached to the fuselage and a plurality of rod members spaced uniformly along the said tubular member but positioned transversely thereon and connected to the said tubular member, the rod members being of a conformation to give the wing a hollow interior, the canvas covering inclosing the said rod members and being provided with lacing attaching its marginal edges together and being further provided with marginal flaps whose edges are secured together to inclose the said lacing for the useful purpose hereinbefore specified.

3. In a iiying machine, a fuselage, wing frames hingedly attached to said fuselage, each frame embodying a longitudinal tubular member and a plurality of transversely disposed rod members of arched conformation, the said rod members being i-n the form of open frames, the extremities of the rod members passing through the tubular member and receiving nuts which are threadingly engaged with them to secure them to the tubular member, and a canvas covering inclosing each frame.

4t. In a flying machine, a fuselage, wings hingedly attached to the fuselage on opposite sides thereof, an eccentric, means for turning said eccentric, an open rectangular frame surrounding the eccentric, guides for said frame whereby a reciprocating movement of the latter is secured upon rotation of the eccentric, and operative connections between said rectangular frame and the wings for the purpose specified.

5. In a flying machine, a fuselage, wings hingedly attached to the fuselage, a rotating shaft carried in the fuselage, an eccentric carried by said shaft, means for rotating the shaft, an open rectangular frame surrounding` the eccentric, guides for said frame whereby a reciprocating movement of the latter is had upon rotation of the eccentric, and a pair of connecting rods, the one end of each of which is pivotally connected to said frame and the remaining end respectively to said wings so that oscillating movement may be imparted to the same by the movement of the said frame.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature.

HENRY O. VATTS.

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