US1778273A - Dirigible airship - Google Patents

Description

oct. 14', 1930. PARK n AL 1,778,273

DIRIGIBLE AIRSHIP Filed 001'.. 2, 1929 w h l .g5/enfans Patented Oct. 14, 1930 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HARRY PARK AND WILLIAM R. LITZENBERG, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA DIR'IGIBLE AmsHIP Y Application led October 2, 1929. Serial No. 396,663.

Our invention relates to dirigible air ships, and more particularly to certain improve- Y ments therein whereby we provide means for moving said dirigible air ship transversely of 1 L; its longitudinal aXis, whether up or down or to either side, and independently of the propelling means.

Broadly considered, our invention contemplates the provision through said dirigible air shipk body of open wells or shafts therethrough, with means therein or associated therewith and wholly within said well or shaft forcausing a forced draught therethrough in either direction for the purpose of i.; causing said air ship to rise or to descend or f to move sidewise in either direction.

In order to explain our invention, we have illustrated one form of air ship with two vertical shafts therethrough and with intersecting transverse shafts horizontally therethrough, and have shown propellers or fans Vtherein for creating a forced draught therethrough, and in the particular embodiment of .our invention here shown for explanatory purposes, we have shown a fan or propeller mounted in the shafts in such position that it can be turned up or down or to horizontal positions for vcreating such forceddraught in either direction horizontallyy through v the horizontal shafts. y

We have also provided means forclosing each end of each shaft, realizing that open wells or shafts would cause resistance in the movement of said air ship. Ve havealso provided a construction and arrangement which is wholly within the body of the air ship with no projections to offer resistance to its Vforward movement. We are aware thatany suitable power can be used, and any suitable driving connections made for driving the fans or propellers, and f y Y I tion, we have shown one fan or propeller, as

vthat separate and independent fansv can be provided for each shaft, and that various kinds of means can be used for reversing the direction of the draught created through said shafts or wells. 7e are aware that it will not require the same power to move the air ship bodily axially of said open shafts by the l creation of the forced draught therethrough, as Ait takes for propelling the air shipV forwardly at traveling speed. Ve have not shown the propelling power plants, as any suitable and standard power means can be used and forms no part of this invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a dirigible air ship embodying our invention, with portions broken out to show the open shafts therethrough, and with a middle portion broken to reduce the size of the figure;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view over one of the vertical wells or shafts;

Figure 3 is a view showing the driving connections and motor for driving the fans or propellers;

Figure 4 is an enlarged view showing a form of closure shutters for closing the well or shaft, there being one at each end of each well or shaft; and

Figure 5 is an edge view of the same, showing the operating means for opening and closing said shutters.

, Referring in detail to the drawings, the dirigible body isvdesignated 6, with cabin 7 supported thereunder, and with traction wheels 8, .8, under the opposite ends of said icabin. The size and shape of the body is immaterial and forms no 'special part of our invention. We have shown no means for propelling the air'ship, it being understood that .any suitable motor propelling means can be used. .'Our invention resides 1n the provision of Aopen wells or shafts through the body of the air ship.V In the drawings we have shown two vertical shafts,designated, 9 and 10, re-

spectively, andftwo horizontal shafts, designated 11 and 12, and in the present showing, the horizontal shafts are positioned to intersect the vertical shafts 9 and 10.

In the `present embodiment of the inven- 13, foreachwell or shaft, said propeller in each case beingsupported in a bracket 14, rotatably supported in the wall or frameof y the structure designated 15, Fig. 3, with a driving shaft 16, shown extended through Afrom one propeller mechanismto the other,

as illustrated in Fig. 3. Each of the brackets 14 is provided with a drum portion 14 inside the wall structure supporting it, and is provided with a cable 17, running to a similar drum, 18, on a shaft 19, in the cabin, and provided with a hand wheel 20, whereby the pilot or operator can revolve said supporting braclrets 14, 14, together for the purpose of turning the fans or propellers into dierent positions-l, for changing the direction of the forced draught through the well or shaft.

A shaft .21T is shown extended from l a motor 22, with beveled'gear's 23I and 24 atitsdower' A end, and beveled gears 25 and 26 atits :upper end for driving the shaft 16. Thewopp''site" ends of said shaft 16, are connectedfby-fmeans Yeo of beveled gears at each end, designated 27 and 28,'with the pr'opellers 13,.f1j3, as clearly sh'own, foridriving saidfpropellers.-

f Vilehaveiprovided. in theaends ofsaid open shafts v or `vwells, closureV shutters designated as a-whole 29, Figs. 4 an'd''', andincluding shutter L'members29, hingedly'mounted inthe frame 29a' and connected for simultaneous operation bym'ean's of members, 'as '30, connecte'dytoalbell crank 31 and by means off an operatingirod or connectionV 32,- extended to any suitable? orco'nvenientplace for manual lmanipul'at'ionl.` fh'isvshutter closure being old, itfiformslno part of ou'r'finvention other than a closure niean's'forA the open' shaftsy which makes it possible for these open shafts to' be closed' whenA not usedv for the; purpose forwhich they are providedin our air ship bod-y;y f

ltF will be apparent that our'jhorizontal shafts, with the propellers'properly adjusted 'foir-creat'ing a Yforced draught' therethrough,

can be lused in steering thefair ship, and might by!A a 'very' effective lemergency steering and maneuvering means, andrv ilf the. propellers were adjusted to'develop draughts indifferent directions through the horizontal shafts,

it will be seen-that'lthe air fshipooul'd be -turnedy around about its 4middle fverticalj axis,

or substantially so.

"- TWhile v'vev-lifaweshown and ,described one Vembodi-ment of our invention for descriptive purposes, we are aware that many changes in j the VVgenerall construction and 'arrangement Avvcan-*be'-I'nade ywithoutv departing from the 'f 'spit thereof, and wefdo not, therefore, limi-t "our in "scribed, other than wemay be limited bythe fheret'oa'ppended claims. `vflilllec'lainf'i:v A' n Y Y Y A "1. A dirigiblel airzshi'p'having an open shaft th'ere'througl'i vertically'and an open shaft 'therethrough horizontally', yaj fan for causing v na forced draught't-hrough said open lshafts l .'for'movifng 'said airshipaXially of said-open vention to the detailsvrshown-'andl detersecting open shafts through the body of said airship vertically and horizontally, a fan for causing a forced draught through said open shafts for moving said airship axially of said shafts, said fan being operable for either the vertical or the horizontal shaft as desired for moving saidairship up and down vertically or sidewise, and'power means for driving said fan.

3. ln combinat-ionwith a dirigible airship and itsV propelling mechanism, of means for moving said air ship vertically on a horizon talL lee'l`,said means including two Vvertical open; vshafts vlthrough the body thereof fore and aft and provided with closure shutters 1n their-endsfor closing saidshafts to eliminate resistance therefrom when not in use, propel'- ler means in said shafts near the longitudinal anis `of said airship for causingv forced draught therethrough for'raising or lowering said VaIii-ship, and power means. ,for driving said propeller means within said shafts, said propeller means beingadjustable toVV change ythe:direction of the'forced draught.

- ln combination with a dirigible air'ship andl its propelling mechanism, of means for vmoving said airship vertically andsidewise on a horizontal .keel and including vertical and horizontal air shafts through the body of said` airship, closure shutters in theends vof said shafts for closing'them when desired', propeller means operable to selectively create a-forced' 'draught'..through said air shafts for Araising or lowering or moving said-airship sidewise'axial-ly' of theshaft through which the forced Vdraughtisv created, and power means for driving said propeller means. 'j

5. A dirigible airslii-phaving an openshaft t'l'iereth'rough vertically land anv open shaft shafts, meafnsfor adjusting said fan fronithe' .veift'ical.*tol :the horizontal shaft at will, and

its/propelling mechanism, means for Y 65 i'maneuvering said' airship which includes ini l A "therethrough horizontally and intersectingn.11"v

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