Motor vehicles – Surface effect vehicles – Having propulsion or control means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-15
2001-10-16
Hurley, Kevin (Department: 3619)
Motor vehicles
Surface effect vehicles
Having propulsion or control means
C180S126000, C244S02300R
Reexamination Certificate
active
06302229
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a transport vehicle comprised of a transport unit and a drive propulsion unit. Transport vehicles include land vehicles, aircraft vehicles, as well as so-called space vehicles. Thus, the invention comprises a universally usable transport means that can be operated with slight modifications in gaseous media, but also in outer space.
2. The Prior Art
Known transport vehicles are specially adapted for a specific purpose, i.e., they are not usable in a universal manner. The use of turbines in aircraft is associated with high noise development and high usage of fuel.
Furthermore, complicated control mechanisms are required to maintain the flight condition both within and outside the atmosphere. In addition, many requirements have to be met in order to maintain the positional stability of a transport vehicle under the respectively prevailing surrounding influences such as wind and weather.
DE-OS 28 00 975 discloses a rotation dynamic flight implement aircraft in the shape of a circular disc. A carrier body is shaped as a circular ring that rotates about a vertical axis. There are exit openings arranged at the periphery of the carrier body to accommodate the means for providing thrust forces or power units. The principle of flight corresponds to that of a discus or a boomerang, in that changes of direction are possible by adjusting the nozzles.
This requires complicated control mechanisms for varying the flight condition both within and outside of the atmosphere. DE-OS 37 34 811 proposes the use of a rotating spinning top gyro to stabilize a flight-worthy carrier disc in horizontal manner such that the carrier surfaces are suspended floating on an air cushion without downward lateral tipping. Various flight movements are thereby made possible so that the spinning top has adjustable turbine blades at the outer edge. The blades act as a controllable air compressor. The self-rotation of the flight cell secured at the spinning top is prevented in that designated air expulsion nozzles act in an opposite direction to the self-rotation movement. Costly control devices are required to maintain stability of the vehicle, and consideration must be given to the respective atmospheric conditions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to develop a universally utilizable transport vehicle that has a simple structure and exhibits a high positional stability in surrounding conditions.
It is another object of the invention to provide a transport vehicle that can be operated in an environmentally friendly and energy conserving manner.
These and other objects are achieved by a transport vehicle according to the invention comprising a propulsion unit and a carrier unit. The propulsion unit of the transport vehicle according to the present invention comprises turbine wheels that rotate in opposite directions with respect to one another. The outer circumferential ends of the turbine wheels have combustion chambers that are supplied by fixedly installed conduits extending from the center of the turbine with the drive media. The chambers have tangentially arranged exhaust nozzles.
The large dimensioned diameter of the turbine wheels creates a large centrifugal force that provides a high delivery pressure in the conduits. Air is forced radially outwardly via special air channels and is introduced into the combustion chambers. These air streams in the manner of the fan-principle can be used to cool the hot combustion gases.
The turbine wheels are arranged around a common hollow shaft which has openings for conducting air to the combustion chambers. There are comprising tank containers arranged in the turbine wheels to supply the combustion chambers with fuel.
There are preferably a plurality of slides or laterally arranged hatches in the bottom of the pressure housing for emitting exiting combustion gases from the nozzles. The slides or hatches control the gas-throughput cross-section and the gas discharge angle. The slide for the exit gases is formed by shifting two concentrically arranged segments of said pressure housing.
There is preferably at least one balancing mechanism arranged between the turbine wheels. There are also pivotally mounted feet arranged on the sides or bottom of the pressure housing. The feet can be rotated upward during movement of the vehicle.
In a preferred embodiment, the turbine wheels comprise a plurality of turbine blades arranged like spokes with air channels. The air channels continuously increase in a radial direction from interior to exterior.
There is preferably at least one oxidator and fuel tank arranged in each of the turbine wheels.
The bottom of the transport vehicle has a planar or concave cross-section.
The invention also comprises a method for controlling the above-described vehicle, comprising the steps of;
introducing a fuel mixture into the combustion chambers;
aspirating surrounding air via the hollow shaft and the radial air channels into the combustion chambers, igniting the resulting fuel-air mixture in the combustion chambers; and
bringing each turbine wheel into an oppositely directed movement versus another turbine wheel,
so that at increasing revolutions of the turbine wheels, additional surrounding air is pressed into the combustion chambers and fuel is simultaneously injected into the combustion chambers until sufficient inner pressure in the pressure housing is attained to accomplish horizontal or vertical transport movement.
The combustion gases collected in the pressure housing are used to control movement in three coordinate axes. Closing and opening the laterally arranged hatches in the pressure housing controls the direction of movement of the transport vehicle in horizontal direction because gases exiting from an open hatch produce an oppositely acting propulsion direction.
In the same way, opening and closing slides on the bottom of the pressure housing controls the vertical movement of the transport vehicle, because gases exiting from the slide cause an oppositely directed lift force.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2953320 (1960-09-01), Parry
patent: 2953321 (1960-09-01), Robertson et al.
patent: 2997254 (1961-08-01), Mulgrave et al.
patent: 3677503 (1972-07-01), Freeman, Jr.
patent: 4589611 (1986-05-01), Ramme et al.
patent: 5150857 (1992-09-01), Moffitt et al.
patent: 5351913 (1994-10-01), Cycon et al.
patent: 28 00 975 (1979-07-01), None
patent: 37 34 811 (1988-06-01), None
Collard & Roe P.C.
Hurley Kevin
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