GB2134865A - Combined road vehicle and aircraft - Google Patents

Abstract

A four-wheeled vehicle is convertible for use as an automobile or an aircraft. It has an aerofoil-shaped body B with a propeller P at the front and a tail unit at the rear. The tail unit comprises two fins SB1, SB2 and rudders RD1, RD2 and a tailplane SB3 and elevator E extending between the tops of the fins. The tail unit is no higher than the roof of body B. Two wings, W1, W2 are secured to the body roof transversely thereof for flight, and are stowed fore-and-aft on the roof for road use. The rear wheels RW1, RW2 have vanes FN such that when the vehicle is airborne, the rear wheels are rotated by the airflow to drive a compressor for the engine exhaust gases, which are ejected rearwardly to provide some forward thrust. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION An automobile capable of flying in the air and also useful for road and land This invention relates to an automobile capable of flying in the air and also useful for road and land and particularly to an aerocar or an automobile that can be used on road as well as can be adapted for flight in the air, specially in big congested cities where traffic jam is a problem and also for travelling from one city to another or cross country flights or for carrying personnels on road and also in air.

The present invention therefore proposes an automobile or an aerocar having a channel section or tubular section chassis fitted with two wheels in the front with oleo shock absorbers and spring tyre suspension and two wheels in the rear also fitted with oleo shock absorbers and eleptical or leaf springs having a known forward wheel drive system with an air cooled engine fitted with its transmission shaft, gear box mounted near the front of the chassis on which, an airfoil shaped, lift producing body, having a curved upper surface and nearly flat straight but slightly inclined to the horizontal plane air tight and sealed lower surface is made, the length to the breadth ratio of which is not less than 11:2.In the front, a propeller whose total length or diameter does not exceed the breadth of the body, can be coupled with the crank shaft of the aircooled engine mounted on the chassis inside the body near the driver's seat, to provide the propulsive air force for flying.

On the roof and on the top surface of the airfoil shaped body two pieces of wings of airfoil section having roll control surface, ailerons, are hinged at a fulcrum point which lies near the line coinciding with the centre of gravity of the airfoil shaped body and the wings, which can be folded on the roof of the body about the fulcrum when the automobile is used on road and can be extended out and secured to the body by bolts to the upper roof curved surface when the said automobile is desired to be used for flying. By providing the wings on the roof top surface, it is like a high wing design, and is mounted in such a manner that the two wings when extended out and secured are inclined to the horizontal at an angle of 40 incidence, when flight is desired, but can be folded about the fulcrum and stored on the roof of the body when the vehicle is used on the road as an automobile.

Two vertical stabilizers, each having a rudder, are integrally fitted on the left and right side of the airfoil shaped body at its rear trailing edge. On the top end and in between the two vertical stabilizers, is rested and fixed an airfoil shaped horizontal stabilizer with an elevator to be swivelled upwardly or downwardly for taking off for the flight and/or for landing as desired. The height of the vertical stabilizers are not more than that of the maximum height of the airfoil body on which the horizontal stabilizer is resting, in such a manner that when the two pieces of wings are folded back on the roof of the body, wings will overlap each other and will also rest on the horizontal stabilizer. The two wings are provided with the said ailerons near the outer ends on the trailing edges of the wings which can be used for roll control and turns in flight as usual.The rear wheels are fitted with vane type blades on the rim which will rotate the rear wheels in the opposite direction when in the air, to provide rotary motion for operating a compressor which is provided to compress the exhaust gas of the engine and eject it out through jet pipes at the rear of the body to provide extra thrust.

An automobile capable of flying in the air and also useful for the road and land, comprises a chassis fitted with two wheels in the front and two wheels are the rear, an airfoil shaped, lift producing body, mounted on the chassis, the length to the breadth ratio of which is not less than 11:2, a propeller mounted on the front of the said body, adapted to be driven by an engine, mounted on the chassis inside the body, a transmission shaft and gear box provided in front within the body, a differential provided for driving a compressor through the rotary motion of the rear wheels available by the impulse of the airflow on vane blades provided on the rims of the rear wheels when airborne, two pieces of wings adapted to be secured to the said body on its top roof surface near about the line of the centre of gravity when flight in air is desired but adapted to be folded and stored on the roof of the body when used on roads as an automobile, two vertical stabilizers one on the left side and one on the right side are integrally fitted at tail end of the body, a horizontal stabilizer provided on the top edges and resting on the said two vertical stabilizers, a rudder provided with each of said two vertical stabilizers, an elevator provided at the rear end of the said horizontal stabilizer and adapted to be swivelled upwardly or downwardly for taking off for flight or for landing respectively, the said vertical stabilizers being of a height not more than the maximum height of the airfoil body, control mechanisms provided for varying the speed on ground and in flight and for landing.

In order that the invention may more readily be understood the following description is given merely by way of mathematical calculations and by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 represents a side elevational view of the aerocar or an automobile according to this invention; Figure 1 A shows a front view of the aerocar; Figure 2 illustrates a top plan view of the aerocar with its wings when stored or folded on the roof of the body and also the said wings extended partly broken off in phantom lines: Figure 3A shows the details of the suspensions for mounting the rear wheels; Figure 3B shows an isometric view of the real wheel mounting; Figure 4A shows the layout of one wing with its flap and the horizontal stabilizer with the elevator; and Figure 4B shows the blades of the propeller.

Referring now to the drawings, from Figure 1 it may be seen that the aerocar of this invention has a body B of airfoil shape and configuration. The body is mounted on the chassis CH fitted with engine, transmission shaft SH, and gear box (G) in the known manner, of forward wheel drive vehicles. The chassis is also fitted with the front wheels FW1, FW2 (not seen) and rear wheels RWt, RW2 (not seen). The body is built of light weight channel section of aluminium alloy for example dualuminium or titanium or may be made of fibreglass. Wings are fitted on the top surface of the body in the front where it is inclined at an angle of 40 with the horizontal (Fig. 1).

The wings W1 and W2 are also of airfoil shape and configuration, made of wooden ribs on which sheets of aluminium alloy are fixed as in the case of light weight aircraft. The wings, when the aerocar is to be used for flight, are secured to the body near its front end on fulcrum bolts F preferably wih the help of ball bearings; the bolts are located near the line of the centre of gravity of the aero-car and wings. Additional bolts and nuts are provided for securing the wings W1 and W2 to the body B from inside the cabin.

The wings are provided with differential type of ailerons AL, provided so as to be swung downwards and upwards through a cable and pulley during the turns in the air and.for roll control.

The front of the body has a propeller P consisting of blades, two of which are shown in Figures 1 and 4B. A slat SL is fitted in the front of the body B to act as a bumper and also to provide additional lift. The slat is made of streamlined airfoil cross section and is of such a shape that when it is fitted on the body B it would regulate the air flow over the body and when it is flush with the body of airfoil shape it will provide additional lift.

The rear wheels RW1 and RW2 are provided with vane blades FN which will rotate the wheels due to air flow in opposite directions when air borne and then through the differential, a compressor is rotated for compressing exhaust gases which are ejected as jets. These jets provide the additional thrust due to reaction force. The rear wheels RW and RW2 are mounted as far back as possible of the body B for reducing the impact and damage to the body on landing and take off. The engine ENG is mounted in the front in between the front wheels FW1 and FW2 near the pilot or Driver's seat.

At the rear or tail end of the body B two vertical stabilizers SB1 and SB2 are rigidly mounted and between the said vertical stabilizers, a horizontal stabilizers SB3 is rigidly fitted at their top edges.

An elevator E is swingably pivoted to the rear side of the horizontal stabilizer SB3. The two vertical stabilizers are also provided with rudders RD1 and RD2 in the intermediate heights at the rear.

The rudders RD1 and RD2 are arranged to be swung to the right or left by means of cable, pulley and belt mechanism from the pilot's cabin in the usual manner. The vertical stabilizers SB1 and SB2 should be of a height which is not more than the horizontal plane (LT) tangential to the highest point of the body B.

The elevator E is mounted on a shaft rotatably mounted on the horizontal stabilizer SB3. The elevator E can be swung upwardly or downwardly by the pilot through a cable.

Exhaust gases from the engine are taken to a compressor which is rotated by the rotary motion of the rear wheels when air borne due to the impulse of airflow on the fan blades fitted to it and compress and eject the exhaust gases out through jet type pipes.

Mathematical Example, Calculations and Proof If the body B of an automobile is made of an airfoil shape, on a chassis CH, say of the following dimensions: Length = 21 ft Breadth 6ft then to maintain its airfoil shape, its maximum height from the centre of wheels or bottom of the body will be about 4 ft.

If the bottom of such a chassis is sealed by joining the front and the rear axle by the channel sections and by making it a plain lower surface at an angle of 30 to the horizontal, then the area of the bottom surface = L x B = 21 x 6 = 126 sc-|. ft.

Claims (7)

1. An automobile capable of flying in the air and also useful for the road and land, comprising a chassis fitted with two wheels in the front and two wheels in the rear, an airfoil shaped, lift producing body, mounted on the chassis, the length to the breadth ratio of which is not less than 11::2, a propeller mounted on the front of the said body, adapted to be driven by an engine, mounted on the chassis inside the body, a transmission shaft and gear box provided in front within the body, a differential provided for driving a compressor through the rotary motion of the rear wheels available by the impulse of the airflow on vane blades provided on the rims of the rear wheels when airborne, two pieces of wings adapted to be secured to the said body on its top roof surface near about the line of the centre of gravity when flight in air is desired but adapted to be folded and stored on the roof of the body when used on roads as an automobile, two vertical stabilizers one on the left side and one on the right side are integrally fitted at tail end of the body, a horizontal stabilizer provided on the top edges and resting on the said two vertical stabilizers, a rudder provided with each of the said two vertical stabilizers, an elevator provided at the rear end of the said horizontal stabilizer and adapted to be swivelled upwardly or downwardly for taking off for flight or for landing respectively, the said vertical stabilizers being of height not more than the maximum height of the airfoil body, control mechanisms provided for varying the speed on ground and in flight and for landing.

2. An automobile as claimed in claim 1 in which the two pieces of the wings are provided with ailerons near their outer ends in their trailing edges which are adapted to be swivelled upwards and downwards to assist the manoeuvering of the automobile in flight.

3. An automobile as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 in which the rear wheels are provided with fan type vane blades for causing rotary motion to rotate compressor for compressing the exhaust gases to be ejected as jets at the rear end of the body for providing addition thrust when airborne.

4. An automobile as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which there is provided a propeller in front of the body, which when coupled with the engine shaft will provide propulsive force, a slat provided in front of the body to act as a bumper and also to provide additional lift, the said slat being of airfoil shape can be flushed with the body of the said automobile.

5. An automobile as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which the said exhaust and/or air from the engine is adapted to be ejected through jet type pipes opening at the rear end of the body.

6. An automobile as claimed in claims 1 to 5, in which the body is supported on leaf springs through bell cranks with three oleo shock absorbers, two of which are inclined to the horizontal at an angle between 300 to 450.

7. An automobile capable of flying in the air and also useful for the road and land substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.