Two-position helicopter main rotor
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A helicopter having:
- A. a fuselage,B. a main lift rotor including hub and blades,C. means to support said lift rotor in two positions of elevation about the helicopter fuselage including;
1. a first shaft supported to project upwardly from the helicopter fuselage and to be rotated about an axis of rotation,2. a second shaft connected at its first end to the first shaft so that its second end is positioned in greater vertical elevation above the fuselage than said first shaft and so that said second shaft is driven in rotation about said axis of rotation by said first shaft, and3. means connecting said rotor to said second shaft second end for rotation therewith about said axis of rotation and so that said rotor may be disconnected from said second shaft second end and lowered with the blades attached to be connected to said first shaft.
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Abstract
A helicopter main rotor which can be supported in two positions of elevation above the fuselage, and apparatus and method for moving the helicopter rotor with blades attached from a first elevated position above the fuselage wherein the rotor is supported from an extension shaft projecting from a first shaft to a second elevated position above the fuselage wherein the rotor is supported from the first shaft.
35 Citations
72 Claims
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1. A helicopter having:
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A. a fuselage, B. a main lift rotor including hub and blades, C. means to support said lift rotor in two positions of elevation about the helicopter fuselage including; 1. a first shaft supported to project upwardly from the helicopter fuselage and to be rotated about an axis of rotation, 2. a second shaft connected at its first end to the first shaft so that its second end is positioned in greater vertical elevation above the fuselage than said first shaft and so that said second shaft is driven in rotation about said axis of rotation by said first shaft, and 3. means connecting said rotor to said second shaft second end for rotation therewith about said axis of rotation and so that said rotor may be disconnected from said second shaft second end and lowered with the blades attached to be connected to said first shaft. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. The method of moving a helicopter rotor with the blades attached thereto from a flight position remote from the fuselage to a transport position in close proximity to the fuselage wherein the rotor hub is initially connected to an extension shaft projecting from and supported by the rotor drive shaft and wherein the rotor hub is connected to the drive shaft in the transport position including the steps of:
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A. disconnecting the rotor hub from the shaft extension, B. controllably lowering the rotor hub with the blades attached thereto from said flight position to said transport position, removing said extension shaft from said drive shaft, and connecting said rotor hub to said drive shaft when in said transport position so as to prevent rotation of the hub and blades about the drive shaft and with respect to the fuselage. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. The method of moving a helicopter main lift rotor from a first elevated position above the fuselage wherein the rotor is supported from an extension shaft projecting from a first shaft to a second elevated position above the fuselage wherein the rotor is supported from the first shaft comprising the steps of disconnecting the helicopter rotor from the extension shaft, securing the helicopter blades in fixed position with respect to the rotor hub, lowering the rotor with the blade so secured to the elevation of the first shaft, removing the extension shaft, and connecting the rotor to the first shaft.
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31. The method of moving a helicopter main lift rotor from a first elevated position above the fuselage wherein the rotor is supported from an extension shaft projecting from a first shaft to a second elevated position above the fuselage wherein the rotor is supported from the first shaft comprising the steps of disconnecting the helicopter rotor from the extension shaft, lowering the rotor with the blade secured to the elevation of the first shaft while restraining the rotor from rotating with respect to the extension shaft during the lowering operation, removing the extension shaft, and connecting the rotor to the first shaft.
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32. A tool adapted for use with a helicopter having a two-position rotor and adapted to be connected to and driven by an extension shaft member which extends substantially vertically from, is connected to and is driven by a main rotor drive shaft member, said tool having:
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A. a fixed portion adapted to be connected to and supported from said main drive shaft, B. a movable portion including; 1. a frame portion movably supported from said fixed portion for motion along the rotor axis of rotation, 2. means adapted to connect said frame portion to the helicopter rotor hub, 3. means to cause the tool movable portion to move with respect to the tool fixed portion when so connected to the rotor hub and blades so as to cause the rotor hub with blades to be lowered from its elevated position in attachment with the shaft extension to a position of equal elevation with the main drive shaft so as to envelop the drive shaft for connection thereto, 4. means to torsionally restrain said hub and blades from rotating during the hub and blades lowering operation, 5. means to attach said movable portion to said shaft extension, and 6. means to cause said movable portion so connected to said shaft extension to move in the opposite direction and remove said shaft extension from said drive shaft. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 50, 52, 55, 58, 61, 64)
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45. A helicopter having a rotor retractable from an elevated position to a retracted position including:
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A. a helicopter fuselage, B. a rotor drive shaft projecting from said helicopter fuselage and supported therefrom for rotation about an axis of rotation, C. an extension shaft projecting vertically above said drive shaft and connected at its first end thereto to be drivingly rotated thereby about said axis of rotation and so that its second end is in a position farther removed from said fuselage than is said drive shaft, D. a helicopter rotor including; - View Dependent Claims (47, 49, 51, 53, 56, 59, 62, 65, 67, 70, 72)
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46. a hub connected to the second end of said extension shaft in said elevated position,a plurality of blades extending substantially radially from said hub and supported therefrom for pitch change motion,
E. means to move said rotor between said elevated position and a retracted position wherein said rotor hub envelops said drive shaft for connection thereto.
- 54. means to attach said movable portion to said shaft extension, andmeans to cause said movable portion so connected to said shaft extension to move in the opposite direction and remove said shaft extension from said drive shaft.
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69. The method of retracting a helicopter rotor main rotor with blades attached thereto from an extended position to a retracted position wherein the helicopter is initially connected to an extension shaft extending substantially vertically from and drivingly connected to the main rotor drive shaft including the steps of:
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A. disconnecting the rotor hub from the extension shaft while supporting it in its elevated position, B. controllably lowering the rotor hub with the blades so attached thereto from its extended position to a position enveloping the rotor drive shaft so that the rotor does not rotate about the shafts during the rotor lowering procedure, and C. connecting the rotor hub so lowered to the rotor drive shaft.
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Specification