Patent GB-190900978-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and in the use of Gyroscopes.
Inventor: MARMONIER LOUIS
IPC: G01C21/18
Filed: 1909-01-14
Granted: 1909-11-04
Abstract: 978. Marmonier, L. Jan. 14. Gyroscopic apparatus. - An automatic gyroscopic control for any body subject to conditions of unstable equilibrium, such as an aeroplane, comprises a combination of a gyroscope and a pendulum as an auxiliary or sub-motor for controlling suitable stabilizing-members. Fig. 1 is a vertical section, Fig. 2 a side view, and Fig. 3 a plan view, of an automatic stabilizer for aeroplanes, utilizing as a stabilizing-base the properties of the gyroscopic pendulum, and as an auxiliary motor, mechanical parts. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the apparatus installed on an aeroplane. The gyroscope consists of two fly-wheels A, A<1> suspended by a tube B fixed to a fork C supported by a shaft D, which rests on two brackets E fixed on the aeroplane. Between the arms of the fork C, a gear-box F to operate the gyroscope is provided. This box, carried by the shaft D, is traversed by another shaft G terminating in a screwthread G' in engagement with a nut H, which is carried by two arms h fixed on the brackets E, so that the displacements of the gear-box F are governed by the movements of the screw-thread G<1> advancing or retiring relatively to the fixed nut H. The gyroscope is driven through bevelgearing a, i and the shaft I which gears with two pinions J, J' mounted loosely on the shaft G, the pinion J being operated by the pinion j which receives movement from a motor shaft K. The fork C carries two gudgeons c, c<1> which engage the grooved pulley M keyed on the shaft G, so that, as the pendulum inclines to one side or the other, so the pulley M is moved along the shaft into frictional engagement with either the gear J or the gear J<1>, and consequently rotates the shaft G in one direction or the other. This rotation causes the gear-box F to revolve about the shaft G in a suitable direction for returning the lever P into the plane of the pendulum. This lever P, which is normally fixed to the gear-box F, is connected by cables Q, Fig. 4, to the deflecting or balancing planes R of the aeroplane. On the ends of the arms of the fork C, arms T, T<1> sustaining a vertical plane U may be mounted. If the fly-wheels rotate in the direction shown in Fig. 2, the reaction of the gyroscope when any turning of the pendulum about its vertical axis takes place cause the pendulum to re-enter the interior of the trajectory described by the axis of the pendulum. When the aeroplane veers, centrifugal force intervenes and tends to oppose the reactive force of the gyroscope. The inclination of the pendulum is therefore regulated by causing these forces to vary by adjusting the position of the gyroscope on the pendulum and the speed of the gyroscope, or by other means. In thin manner, the correct inclination of the balancing- planes R to ensure lateral equilibrium under any conditions is obtained. The vertical plane U is used to assist in the correct inclination of the pendulum in the case of a side wind. In various modifications, a gyroscopic pendulum may operate a thermal or electric sub-motor which, either directly or through other motors, controls the stabilizing-members. The thermal sub-motor with its special valve 3 is shown in Fig. 16. The fly-wheels may be mounted in many different ways on the pendulum, either above, below, or at, the point of support and with their axes of rotation in either the horizontal or vertical plane