US2638290A - Control means for flying machines - Google Patents

Description

May 12, 1953 J. A. M. LECARME vCQNTROL MEANS FOR FLYING MACHINES Fil ed Feb. 9, 1949 considerable weight.

Patented May 12 n 1953 oNrrso- OFFICE K- yf affilain'rs.:A (c1. 24a-s6) My invention has for its'objectimprovements inthe contro1 meansvfor nyingmachines', more particularly for the actuation ofthe rudders f The object ofthe present invention is to improve the comfort'of the pilot and' to providefor complete'zfreedomof` the space-located infront of his feet through the 'omission' of 'the yconven` tional rudder bar system`-To this'purpose, the

`means controlling the control surfaces andthe transmission of movements theretoy are brought back insidethe pilots seat-and underneath said seat, the control-members 'replacing the 'rudder bar appearing` as ysupportsfor the thigh,A leg and foot of the pilot andjbeing pivotally arranged-so as to carry" the lower limbsof the pilot throughout their length'and in all theirfpossible positions; Said arrangement enables a reduction of e'lo'rts that the` pilot may have to exert vand gives him the possibility of -resting his lower'mlimbs permanently whic/hgiveshim a sensation 'of 'comi fort that is of particular interest in modern machines having ra large lrangeof y operation and a The followingdescription ci an embodiment illustrated in the' accompanying drawing'sby way of example and by nomeans' in a limiting sense will indicate readily how .the invention maybe executed'in practice. In saiddrawings:

Fig. l illustrates `diagrammatically the vjoints of the pilots limbs and the pivotal connections'of the rsteering control device associated therewith according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of an embodiment of a pilots seat provided With the improvements according to the invention.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the carrier provided for the cushion underlying the right hand thigh.

The seat of the pilot having for instance the shape of an armchair, Fig. 1 shows the pilot I seated in said armchair in a position corresponding to the mean position of steering control. He leans then against the back rest 2. His feet rest on the foot rests 3 and the axis 4 of his legs passes through the pivotal connections of the foot rests 3 and through the joints 5 of his knees and 6 of his hips. i

In the same manner as in a conventional steering control system, when the pilot shifts for instance his left foot up to 1, his right foot returns rearwardly up to 8 and conversely. His legs may reach during such movements extreme positions wherein the theoretical axes 4 are located in the positions illustrated in the drawings by the interrupted lines 9 and IIJ,

The `part ofthe armchair forming the actual seat includes vtwo lcushions Il carried by two movable'supports IZpivotally secured at 6 to thestationary frame of the armchair. Each supf port I2 carries'pivotally on one hand at I5 a link lI 3 adapted to control the rudder and, on vthe other hand,at AEi-'the movable support I4 that carries the cushion I6` forming a support for the leg calf. At its other end, the support I4 is pivotally secured'to the foot rest 3. lWhen the foot is" shifted from I to 8, the pivot 5 is shifted from 5a to 5b and the pivot I5 from |512 to I5a.

During the above described displacements, the foot rest 3 is guidedin grooves I1 that are illustrated as being horizontal or parallel to the lflooring but they mayas Well be more or lessl slopingly arrangedtowardsthe front so that the foot sinks when it is urged forward.

This guiding through slideways as disclosed byway of lexample may bereplaced by any suitable arrangement of levers that allows a frontto rear and rear to frontshifting of the foot along asubstantially rectilinear path in a horizontal planeor in aplanesloping slightly forwardly.

f Itis apparent from the above disclosureof the principle illustrated in Fig. 1 that' the space to the front `ofthe feet of the pilot is entirely free andathat the pilot benetspermanently by per-` fect comfort byreason vof the different cushions carryinghis thighsfa'nd legs. .In-Fig .2 is .illustratediriA perspective view a practical embodiment of a piloting armchair according to the invention. In said figure, the thigh carrying cushions are shown at I8 and those for the calves at I9. The supports `2li and 2| of the thigh cushions I8 are pivotally secured at 22 and 23 to the stationary frame 24 While thev I be made either of wood or metal or any other suitable material.

The supports 20 and 2l are made in this embodiment of folded sheets of light alloy.

Fig. 3 illustrates the support 20 of the right thigh cushion. It includes a sheet of metal 36 folded at` its lower end along 'a straight line 31 so as to form a bottom 38 that is folded in its turn along its edges to form flanges 39', 40 and 4I enclosing a recess adapted to hold the cushion for the thigh. The metal sheet 36 is riveted or Welded to a member 42 assuming the shape of an inverted U and bent to match the curve formed by the upper edge of the metal sheet 36. The pivots 2,2v and 3| ,arel carried by said arcuate member '42. 'y

Two elements 43 and M having a U-shaped cross-section are secured to the metal sheet 36 and form a lever the lower end o-f Which carries the pivot 27 for the link 25 forming'the elevator control. These U-shaped members 43 and 44 are connected so as to form a box structure firstly by the metal sheet 26 and beyond the bottom 38 thereof by a metal sheet 45 folded at 90 so as to form a supporting bracket while the surface of said members opposed to that corresponding to the metal sheet 36 is reinforced by a metal sheet 46.

The device controlling the rudder bars forming the object of the present invention may be associated with any elevator and warping control means and in particular with those disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 726,802, filed February 6, 1947. This association venables in particular the construction of the armchair, including its control means, as a single unit'adapted to be mounted directly in the flying machineand which may also be produced in mass production under particularly economical manufacturing conditions.

What I claim is:

1. In a control device for a flying machine having at least a vertical control surface,` a pilot seat comprising ak frame xedly mounted on the ying machine and which carries a back-rest, a pair of rst supports on which respectively bear the under parts of the pilots thighs, said supports being independently pivoted on said frame around a common horizontal axis located under said back-rest and being respectively formed with substantial vertical and downwardly directed extensions which ac t as levers, a pair of second supports on which respectively bear the pilots calves, said second supports being pivotally secured respectively to the outer ends of said rst supports, foot-rests respectively carried by the outer endsof the supports of said second pair, guiding devices for guiding the outer ends of said last supports along lines which are substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the flying machine, and bars pivotally mounted at the free ends of said extensions, said bars being directed toward the back of the seat for connecting said extensions with the vertical control surface, whereby a pilot being seated on said seat and having his lower limbs supportedby said supports controls said vertical controlv surface by simultaneous displacements in reverse directions of the outer ends of the supports of the second pair under the action of corresponding movements of`his legs. 4

2. In a control device for a flying machine having at least a vertical control surface, a pilot seat comprising a frame xedly mounted on the flying mac'zhiney and which carries a back-rest, a pair of iirst supports on which respectively bear the under'parts'of the pilots thighs, said supports being independently pivoted on said frame around a common horizontal axis located under said backrest and being respectively formed with substantial vertical and vdownwardly directedextensions which actas levers, a pair of second supports on which respectively bear the pilots calves, said second supports being pivotally secured respectively to the outer ends of said first supports, cushions carried by said first and second supports, foot-rests respectively 'carried by the outer ends of the supports of said second pair, guiding devices for guiding the outer ends of said last supports along` lines which are substantially parallel to; the longitudinal `axis of the flying machine, and bars pivotally mounted at the free ends of said extensions, said bars being directed toward the back'of the seat for connecting said extensions with the vertical control surface, whereby a pilot being seated on said seat and having his lower limbs supported by said supports controls said vverticall control surface by simultaneous displacements in reverse directions of the outer ends of the supports of the second pair under the actionV of corresponding movements of his legs. i

' JACQUES ANDRE MARIE LECARME.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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