Combination road and air vehicle having a lowerable chassis

• US 4,171,784 A
• Filed: 08/04/1977
• Issued: 10/23/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Karl Eickmann
• Original Assignee: Karl Eickmann
• Inventors: Eickmann, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): Barefoot, Galen L.
• Application Number:
  US05/821,683
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 244/12, 244/2, 244/23, 244/100 R, 244/102 R, 244/53 R, 244/93, 244/17.17, 244/17.11, 244/17.23, 180/66 R, 180/116, 180/117, 180/126, 180/89.13
• US Class Current: 244/2
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 11/28 Collapsible or foldable blades
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/12 Rotor drives
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/20 Rotorcraft characterised by having shrouded rotors, e.g. flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/00 Aircraft capable of landing or taking-off vertically, e.g. vertical take-off and landing [VTOL] aircraft rotorcraft B64C27/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 37/00 Convertible aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 31/14 Transmitting means between initiating means and power plants
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 35/00 Transmitting power from power plants to propellers or rotors; Arrangements of transmissions
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 2075/025 two

Abstract

A vehicle for traveling in the air and/or on the ground is equipped with two, four, or eight propellers on vertical shafts, each driven by a rotary hydraulic motor of the radial-piston type. The motor may comprise two rotors which are connected in individual hydraulic circuits supplied with fluid from different hydraulic pumps. One embodiment of the vehicle comprises an automobile with the propellers mounted in oblique air ducts or in shrouds pivotable in the travel direction. Each rotor of the hydraulic motors is coupled to the shaft unidirectionally so that in case of failure, the shaft can be driven by the other rotor. Each hydraulic pump preferably produces four equal fluid flows and comprises two rotors on a common shaft, each rotor with two separate groups of cylinders, the eccentricity of at least one of the rotors being adjustable. Both the hydraulic motor and the pump have inlet and outlet connections on the radial periphery of the housing. The pumps and the engine are mounted on a lowerable and retractable substructure which may lowered below the body of the vehicle at flight in air and be retracted into the body of the vehicle when travelling on the ground.

Claims

1. A vehicle capable of travel on the ground including highways and in the air, comprising a body including a cabin, a chassis including a substructure with wheels adapted for lowering and retraction within a certain distance below said body, cantilever extensions projecting from said body in the traveling direction both forwardly and backwardly relative to said cabin and forming trifurcate supporting arms defining propulsion spaces, a plurality of propeller shroud members defining air ducts hinged to said supporting arms within said propulsion spaces and adjacent each other and adapted to be adjusted in any angular position in the travel direction within a suitable range,

a rotary hydraulic motor mounted in each of said shroud members and comprising an output shaft and at least one rotor for driving said shaft, a propeller mounted on each of said shafts within said shroud member, means for simultaneously adjusting said shroud members in their angular position, hydraulic pump means for producing a plurality of separate fluid flows non-communicating with one another and constituting self-contained hydraulic circuits equal in number to the number of said rotors and having proportional rates of flow, each of said rotors being connected in a single one of said separate hydraulic circuits, said hydraulic pump means including at least one driving engine being located on said lowerable substructure for improving the stability of the vehicle in the air, means for lowering, and retracting said substructure permitting the lowering of the center of gravity of the vehicle while in the air and to land smoothly on a highway, means for adjusting said shroud members in their angular position connected to said body, a plurality of inlet and outlet connection means on said pump means and motors corresponding to the number of said hydraulic circuits, hydraulic conduits interconnecting said inlet and outlet connection means, and means for steering the vehicle and controlling said engines, hydraulic pump means, hydraulic motors, adjustment of said shroud members, and lowering or retraction of said substructure.

2. The vehicle, according to claim 1, wherein said means for lowering and retracting said substructure comprises a foldable bar structure hinged to said body of the vehicle, said bar structure unfolding automatically under the weight of said substructure increased by the weight of said hydraulic pump means including said engines as soon as the vehicle starts to ascend and retracting again as the vehicle begins to touch the ground while landing.

3. The vehicle, according to claim 1, wherein said means for adjusting said shroud members in their angular position comprises crank arm members fixed to each of said shroud members, a bars-structure mounted on said body and hinged to said crank arm members for simultaneous angular displacement of the same about their axes of rotation.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, comprising eight of said shroud members, propellers, and hydraulic motors disposed by twos in said propulsion spaces, four ahead in the travel direction of the vehicle, before said cabin, and four in the rear, said hydraulic pump means including four pump units, each producing four of said separate fluid flows, each of said hydraulic motors comprising a first and a second rotor, said hydraulic conduits connecting said first and second rotors of the foremost and the rearmost motors separately to two different of said pump units and said first and second rotors of the inner motors to different ones of the remaining ones of said pump units, and interconnecting said fluid inlet and outlet connection means so that the propellers at the lefthand side and the righthand side are rotatable in mutually opposite directions in the travel direction of the vehicle.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1, comprising four of said shroud members, propellers and hydraulic motors disposed by twos ahead and in the rear in the travel direction of the vehicle, said hydraulic pump means including two pump units each producing four of said separate fluid flows, each of said hydraulic motors comprising a first and a second rotor, said hydraulic conduits connecting said first rotors of all of said hydraulic motors to one of said pump units and said second rotors to the other of said pump units and interconnecting said fluid inlet and outlet connection means so that the propellers on the lefthand side and on the righthand side are rotatable in mutually opposite directions in the travel direction of the vehicle.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said hydraulic conduits include deformable fluid line portions capable of following said lowering and retraction of said substructure.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said substructure includes means for setting said hydraulic pump means and said at least one driving engine at least partially into the airstream below said body for cooling said hydraulic pump means and said at least one engine during travel of said vehicle in the air.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said substructure includes means for keeping said substructure, said hydraulic pump means and said at least one engine substantially parallel to the bottom of said body and thereby parallel to the direction of travel when said substructure is in the lowered or retracted location.

9. A vehicle, capable of travel on the ground including on highways and in the air, comprising a body including a cabin, a chassis including a substructure with wheels adapted for lowering and retraction within a certain distance below said body, extensions projecting from said body in the travelling direction both forwardly and backwardly relatively to said cabine and forming supporting arms defining propulsion and carrying spaces with pairs thereof adjacent to each other, a plurality of at least partially airfoil-shaped ducts fastened to said supporting arms and partially forming wing-shaped portions under an angle inclined relatively to the direction of travel of said vehicle for providing additional carrying force to said vehicle when air flows over said airfoil-shaped ducts and said wing-shaped portions during forward movement of said vehicle;

a rotary hydraulic motor, mounted in each of said ducts and comprising an output shaft and at least one rotor for driving said shaft, a propeller mounted on each of said shafts within said ducts;

hydraulic pump means for producing a plurality of separate fluid flows non-communicating with one another and constituting self-contained hydraulic circuits equal in number to the number of said rotors and having proportional rates of flow, each of said rotors being connected in a single one of said separate hydraulic circuits, said hydraulic pump means including at least one driving engine being located on said lowerable substructure for improving the stability of the vehicle in the air, means for lowering and retracting said substructure permitting the lowering of the center of gravity of the vehicle while in the air and to land smoothly on said ground including on said highways;

a plurality of inlet and outlet connection means on said pump means and motors corresponding to the number of said hydraulic circuits, hydraulic conduits interconnecting said inlet and outlet connection means, and means for steering the vehicle and controlling said engines, hydraulic pump means, hydraulic motors, and lowering or retraction of said substructure.

10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein said hydraulic conduits include deformable fluid line portions capable of following said lowering and retraction of said substructure.

11. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein said substructure includes means for setting said hydraulic pump means and said at least one driving engine at least partially into the airstream below said body for cooling said hydraulic pump means and said at least one engine during travel of said vehicle in the air.

12. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein said substructure includes means for keeping said substructure, said hydraulic pump means and said at least one engine substantially parallel to the bottom of said body and thereby parallel to the direction of travel when said substructure is in the lowered or retracted location.

13. The vehicle, according to claim 9, wherein said means for lowering and retracting said substructure comprises a foldable bar structure hinged to said body of the vehicle, said bar structure unfolding automatically under the weight of said substructure increased by the weight of said hydraulic pump means including said engines as soon as the vehicle starts to ascend and retracting again as the vehicle begins to touch the ground while landing.

14. The vehicle according to claim 9, comprising eight of said ducts, propellers, and hydraulic motors disposed by twos in said propulsion spaces, four ahead in the travel direction of the vehicle, before said cabin, and four in the rear, said hydraulic pump means including four pump units, each producing four of said separate fluid flows, each of said hydraulic motors comprising a first and a second rotor, said hydraulic conduits connecting said first and second rotors of the foremost and the rearmost motors separately to two different of said pump units and said first and second rotors of the inner motors to different ones of the remaining ones of said pump units, and interconnecting said fluid inlet and outlet connection means so that the propellers at the lefthand side and the righthand side are rotatable in mutually opposite directions in the travel direction of the vehicle.

15. The vehicle according to claim 9, comprising four of said ducts, propellers and hydraulic motors disposed by twos ahead and in the rear in the travel direction of the vehicle, said hydraulic pump means including two pump units each producing four of said separate fluid flows, each of said hydraulic motors comprising a first and a second rotor, said hydraulic conduits connecting said first rotors of all of said hydraulic motors to one of said pump units and said second rotors to the other of said pump units and interconnecting said fluid inlet and outlet connection means so that the propellers on the lefthand side and on the righthand side are rotatable in mutually opposite directions in the travel direction of the vehicle.

16. A vehicle capable of travel on the ground including on highways and in the air, comprising a body including a cabin connected to a substructure, adapted for lowering and retraction within a certain distance below said body, holding extensions projecting from said body in the travelling direction both forwardly and backwardly relatively to said cabin and forming at least two supporting-arm-structures for holding propulsion members thereon;

at least one hydraulic motor mounted on each of said supporting-arm-structures and comprising an output shaft and at least one rotor for driving said shaft, a propeller mounted on each of said shafts;

hydraulic pump means for producing a plurality of separate fluid flows non-communicating with one another and constituting self-contained hydraulic circuits equal in number to the number of said rotors and having proportional rates of flow, each of said rotors being connected in a single one of said separate hydraulic circuits, said hydraulic pump means including at least one driving engine being located on said lowerable substructure for improving the stability of the vehicle in the air, means for lowering and retracting said substructure permitting the lowering of the center of gravity of the vehicle while in the air and to land smoothly on said ground including on said highways;

a plurality of inlet and outlet connected means on said pump means and motors corresponding to the number of said hydraulic circuits, hydraulic conduits interconnecting said inlet and outlet connection means, and means for steering the vehicle and controlling said engines, hydraulic pump means, hydraulic motors, propellers and lowering or retraction of said substructure.

17. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein said hydraulic conduits include deformable fluid line portions capable of following said lowering and retraction of said substructure.

18. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein said substructure includes means for setting said hydraulic pump means and said at least one driving engine at least partially into the airstream below said body for cooling said hydraulic pump means and said at least one engine during travel of said vehicle in the air.

19. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein said substructure includes means for keeping said substructure, said hydraulic pump means and said at least one engine substantially parallel to the bottom of said body and thereby parallel to the direction of travel when said substructure is in the lowered or retracted location.

20. The vehicle, according to claim 16, wherein said means for lowering and retracting said substructure comprises a foldable bar structure hinged to said body of the vehicle, said bar structure unfolding automatically under the weight of said substructure increased by the weight of said hydraulic pump means including said engines as soon as the vehicle starts to ascend and retracting again as the vehicle begins to touch the ground while landing.

21. The vehicle according to claim 16, comprising eight of said propellers, and hydraulic motors disposed by twos, four ahead in the travel direction of the vehicle, before said cabin, and four in the rear, said hydraulic pump means including four pump units, each producing four of said separate fluid flows, each of said hydraulic motors comprising a first and a second rotor, said hydraulic conduits connecting said first and second rotors of the foremost and the rearmost motors separately to two different of said pump units and said first and second rotors of the inner motors to different ones of the remaining ones of said pump units, and interconnecting said fluid inlet and outlet connection means so that the propellers at the lefthand side and the righthand side are rotatable in mutually opposite directions in the travel direction of the vehicle.

22. The vehicle according to claim 16, comprising four of said propellers and hydraulic motors disposed by twos ahead and in the rear in the travel direction of the vehicle, said hydraulic pump means including two pump units each producing four of said separate fluid flows, each of said hydraulic motors comprising a first and a second rotor, said hydraulic conduits connecting said first rotors of all of said hydraulic motors to one of said pump units and said second rotors to the other of said pump units and interconnecting said fluid inlet and outlet connection means so that the propellers on the lefthand side and on the righthand side are rotatable in mutually opposite directions in the travel direction of the vehicle.