Patent GB-190911501-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to the Steering and Balancing of Aerial Machines.
Inventor: CROMPTON CLAUD
IPC: B64C13/00
Filed: 1909-05-15
Granted: 1910-05-12
Abstract: 11,501. Crompton, C. May 15. Steering and balancing.-An aeroplane is provided with one or more vertical rudders, situated above and below the longitudinal axis of the machine and adapted to be controlled so that the rudders may be moved together in the same sense to steer the machine, or may be turned oppositely to turn the machine about its longitudinal axis and so act as balancing-planes, The rudders may be combined with lateral horizontal planes, which may be turned in the same sense to act as elevating- planes, or may be turned oppositely to act as balancing-planes. The vertical rudders and horizontal planes may be operated simultaneously, to combine their effects, or separately. The rudder W, Fig. 1, represents the vertical surfaces placed above the longitudinal axis of the machine, and the rudder X represents the vertical surfaces placed below the longitudinal axis of the machine. The tillers of the rudders W, X are connected to the outer rings A, B of the two differential gears shown. The bevel-wheels of the differential gears are freely mounted on a spindle N, and are provided with oppositely-disposed arms J, M connected to arms U, V on a spindle S, and with arms K, L connected to arms Q, R on a sleeve P, which is freely mounted on the spindle S. By moving a lever 0 secured to the sleeve P, the two rings A, B are moved in the same direction, so that the rudders W, X are moved in the same sense to steer the machine ; by moving a lever T secured to the spindle, the rings A, B, and consequently the rudders W, X, are moved oppositely, to turn the machine about its longitudinal axis. The operating-mechanism of the two rudders can be so adjusted that one plane is turned through a greater angle than the other, in which case the planes act both as steering and balancing planes whichever lever is operated. The same effect can be produced by making the planes W, X of different sizes, or by placing the planes at different distances from the longitudinal axis of the maebine. The planes W, X above and below the longitudinal axis may consist of pairs of planes 17, 18, Fig. 3, which are arranged to diverge towards the rear, so that, when the rudders are turned, the resistance is increased at the inner side of the curve, and decreased at the outer side. In place of the differential gears, levers as described below may be employed. The vertical rudders 19, 20, Fig. 4, corresponding to the rudders W, X, Fig. 1, may be combined with laterally - placed balancing and elevating planes 23, 24 ; and the differential gears are replaced by levers 27 ... 30, mounted freely on the spindle 31 aud provided at their upper ends with spindles having oppositely-disposed cranks 33 ... 40. The levers 27, 30 are connected to the tillers of the lateral planes 23, 24, and the levers 28, 29 are connected to the tillers of the vertical planes 19, 20. The cranks 33 ... 40 are connected by the links shown to the operating - levers and crank-arms shown. Mounted on a spindle 47 is a sleeve 46, having a centrally-disposed arm 41, which carries a spindle having oppositely-disposed arms 42, 43, connected by links to arms 56, 52. The elevating- planes 23, 24 are moved in the same direction by a lever 48, which is connected to the crank 33 and is secured to a spindle 47 having an arm 49 connected to the crank 40. The levers 28, 29, connected to the tillers of the rudders 19, 20, are moved simultaneously in the same sense by links connecting the cranks 36, 37 to a hand-lever 50 and an arm 51 both secured to a sleeve 53. At the same time, a second arm 52 on the sleeve 53 may move the crank 43 and cause the sleeve 46 to rotate ; the sleeve 46, through the arms 44, 45, operates to turn the levers 27, 30, and consequently the lateral planes 23, 24 attached thereto, in opposite senses. A third lever 55, secured to a spindle 54 having a downwardly-directed arm 57, operates to turn the levers 28, 29 and the connected planes 19, 20 in opposite senses ; while a second arm 56 secured to the spindle rotates the sleeve 46 and turns the levers 27, 30 and the lateral balancing-planes in opposite senses. The whole of the planes, by a movement of the lever 55, act as balancing-planes, their action being cumulative, but by proportioning the sizes or movements of the vertical planes as described above, a steering-effect can also be produced. Any two of the hand-levers 48, 50, 55 can be replaced by a lever having a movement in two directions, or the three levers may be replaced by a single lever capable of movement in three directions.