Patent GB-596881-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in devices for piloting aircraft
IPC: B64C13/00
Filed: 1945-06-14
Abstract: 596,881. Aircraft controls. VALROGER, P. A. M. de. June 14, 1945, No. 15178. [A Specification was laid open to inspection under Sect. 91 of the Acts, June 14, 1945.] [Class 4] A device for piloting aeroplanes comprises a lever arranged longitudinally of the plane and having three degrees of freedom about axes parallel to the rolling, pitching, and normal axes of the plane so as to control by movement of the lever about each of its axes of freedom the corresponding control surfaces, the axis of freedom corresponding to rolling being at the level of the pilot's hands so that the lever serves as a model which the pilot can point in the required direction for the plane controls to be automatically set into the corresponding positions. The control lever 1, Fig. 6, actuated by handles 1a, 1b is mounted with three degrees of freedom on a post 10. Rotation of lever 1 about Ox causes rotation of pulley 11, pivoted about Ox in the upper part 10a of the post ; and pulley 11 drives a connected pulley 12 actuating a shaft 13 acting upon the ailerons. The lever 1 is mounted in pulley 11 with freedom to rotate about axes Oy and Ez ; a part 14 integral with lever 1 is freely pivoted about Oy in a frame 15 pivoting freely about Oz in the pulley 11, the parts 14 and 15 constituting a cardan joint. In order to bring out the rotation about Oy a second cardan joint is formed of a bent arm 16 pivoting about Ox on lever 1 and pivotally connected about Oz to a bent arm 17 pivoting about axis Oy on the post 10 ; an arm 4 rigid with arm 17 is connected to rod 7 for actuating the elevator. A third cardan joint for bringing out the rotation for steering is formed of bent arms 18, 19, the latter pivoting about Oz on the lower part 10b of the post 10 and being pivotally connected about Oy to the arm 18 which is pivoted about Ox on the lever 1. An arm 5, mounted on arm 19 moves rudder rod 8. The post 10 can be tilted about an axis y<1> parallel to Oy. Hydraulic servo-control means shown in Fig. 9 is actuated by oneof the separate rotations supplied from the control lever 1 of Fig. 6 to a vertical pinion 27 controlling hydrau. lic piston 25a by its action, when rotated in the direction of the arrow, on the slide-valve 26a housed in the rod of piston 25a ; the piston 25a acts upon a piston supplying pressure to a jack for operating a control surface. The piston 25b with its slide-valve 26b receives backpressure from the control surface to return all the parts to the mid-position shown. In order to return the pinion 27 to a position corresponding to the mid-position of the control-lever 1 a cam 35 on the pinion is subject to pressure from a plate 36 forced upwards by a spring 37 which is variably compressed by a piston 38, subject to the higher of the pressures in cavities 34a, 34b above the pistons 25a, 25b ; a clack valve 40 is provided to prevent liquid passing between the cavities. Fig. 14 shows a hydraulic jack with an elastic oil pocket 71 and an actuating piston formed of a central part 74 sliding in an annular part 75 connected to the central part by integral pinions 77, 76 so as not to stretch the pocket walls during the compression stroke. Fig. 15 shows means for maintaining an elevator 47 in the axis of the tail-plane 80, which is movable by a screw 79 on the shaft of electric motor 78 working in a nut on the plane 80. The elevator carries a wiper 81 and the connections are such that the motor rotates the tail-plane 80 in a direction to set the gap between contacts 82 in front of the wiper. The pivot 85 by which the actuating rod 83 is connected to the elevator 47 overlies the shaft 84, on which the tail-plane 80 is pivoted to the aircraft, when the elevator and tail-plane are in alignment, so that the rod 83 is always returned to the same position. The Specification as open to inspection under Sect. 91 comprises also the subject-matter of Specification 599,744. This subject-matter does not appear in the Specification as accepted.