US2380578A - Gyro wheel and means for driving same - Google Patents

Description

' Ju y 3 5.1 a. G. CARLSON 2,380,573

GYRO WHEEL AND MEANS FOR DRIVING SAME Filed Nov. 20, 1942 5 k II! a4 53 I 7 ll 3% 3 5 IN V EN TOR.

50w QflaasoM Patented July 31, 1945 GYRO WHEEL AND MEANS FOR DRIVING SAME Bert G. Carlson, Erieside, Ohio, assignor to Jack & Heintz, Inc., Bedford, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application November 20, 1942, Serial No. 466,271

4 Claims.

This invention relates in general to gyros and more particularly to improvements in the construction and means of driving gyro rotors.

The conventional practice in automatic pilots has been to spin the gyro rotors pneumatically, or in other Words to incorporate them into a vacuum system whereby the inrushing air impinges upon the peripheral buckets of the rotor to impart high speed rotation thereto. Difficulty has been encountered in maintaining constant speed of rotation by such an assembly and more especially in high altitude operation due to the atmospheric rarefaction attending such high altitudes.

One of the primary objects of the invention accordingly is to provide an improved rotor construction and means of drive that will function efiiciently to maintain and insure constant speed of rotation regardless of high altitudes or variation in atmospheric densities.

To this end it is proposed to drive the rotor hydraulically by merely tapping the usual hydraulic system to obtain the driving force of oil under pressure and in order to obviate oil leakage or pressure dissipation, it is further proposed to provide the rotor with a series of buckets located concentrically and inwardly of its periphery so as to be impinged by pressure oil led thereto through appropriate passages in the rotor and its gimbal supports leading to pressure J'ets.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides ii. the combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter set forth in the following specification and appended claims, certain embodiments thereof being illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view, partly in section, of the invention as applied to a horizontal axis automatic pilot directional gyio assembly including a rotor and its supporting gimbal frames;

, Figure 2 is a view in section of the rotor and inner gimbal support threfor; and

Figure 3 is a view in section taken through the rotor along line 33 of Figure 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the assembly includes a rotor that is made up of two complementary castings i and 2 secured together by a series of screw bolts 3. Centrally locate'd with respect to the rotor is a stationary shaft 4 on which is rotatably mounted with rotor 2 a wheel 5 having internally located buckets 6 thereon. Pressure oil from the hydraulic system including an oil pump, not shown, is led through a pipe I into passages 8 and 9 in the outer supporting frame it) and through passages H, I2, I3 and M in the gimbal frame l5. The pressure oil then flows through passages 16 and I! in the gimbal frame Hi. This leads the pressure oil to the internal passage H9 in the stationary shaft 4 from whence it flows through passage 20 and a jet 2| where it impinges on the buckets 6 of the wheel 5 carried by the rotor 2.

The gyro rotor 2 and wheel 5-carried thereby are mounted for rotation about the stationary shaft 4 and provided with suitable ball bearing assemblies 22. The effect of the pressure oil from jet 2| impinging on the buckets 6 is to impart a rotation of the rotor 2 and wheel 5 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 3. The pressure oil is drawn off through the relatively larger passage 23 in the stationary shaft and thence out through passages 24 and 25 in gimbal frame 18 and passages 26, 21, 28 and 29 in gimbal frame l5 and passages 30 and 3| in the support In to a pipe 32 leading the pressure oil back to the hydraulic system.

In assembling the construction shown, it has already been pointed out that the two complementary parts of the rotor are brought together, after installation of the internal bucket wheel, and held together by screw bolts 3. The inner gimbal support I8 is provided with trunnions 33 to rotate in ball bearing assemblies 34 in the outer gimbal frame l5 and the outer gimbal support I5 is provided with trunnions 35 to rotate in the ball bearing assemblies 36 in the support In.

In the above described system the pressure oil system is a closed one and constitutes the driving means for the rotor but also the lubrication system for rotor assembly. Any variation in atmospheric densities has no influence on the speed of rotation of the rotor inasmuch as the pressure oil drive supplants the usual vacuum system of drive.

I claim:

1. In combination in a gyro assembly including a gyro rotor mounted in bearings to rotate about a stationary shaft, an inner gimbal frame for carrying said shaft, said inner gimbal being mounted in bearings for rotation in an outer gimbal frame which is mounted in bearings for rotation in a stationary frame, a pressure lubrication system for supplying pressure oil in passages through bearings of said gimbal frames for lubricating purposes, said shaft having a longitudinal passage therein to admit said pressure oil through said gimbal frames, said rotor having a series of internal tangentially extending buckets, a passage in said shaft extending outwardly to deliver said pressure oil angularly with respect to said buckets to impinge thereon to cause said rotor to rotate, an offset longitudinal discharge passage in saidshaft parallel to said intake passage and leading to the discharge passages of said gimbal frames, said shaft having a radially inwardly extending passage leading from said buckets to said discharge passage.

2. In combination in a gyro assembly including a gyro rotor mounted in bearings to rotate about a stationary shaft, an inner gimbal frame for carrying said shaft, said inner gimbal being mounted in bearings forrotation in an outer gimbal frame which is mounted in bearings for sages throughbearings of said gimbal frames for intake passage and le'adin'gfito the discharge pas a radially inwardly extending passage leading from said buckets to said discharge passage.

3. In a gyro'rotor assemblyincluding a staiubricating purp sfi said rotor being made of ,two complementary releasably connected yw s" arranged a longitudinally about said *shait',.;.said hait having a; longitudinal passage; therein to admit said pressurej'oil from said g ixnbal-,.ira mes,i, said rotor haying a'series of internal'tan'gentially. tendingbucketsja pa'ssa'gedns'aidshaft extendg 'oiit-wardlygto deliversaidmressureoil' anew la ily with respect tosaidfbuckets to impinge to, f'cause said rotor to rotate, an offset longitudinal discharge passage insaid shaft parallel "to said sages of said gimbal frames, said shaft having.

l sage.

. rotation in a stationary frame, a pressure lubri- 4 cation system for supplying pressure oil pas-'- tionary haft and bearings for rotatabiy supporting said rotor directly upon said shaft, said shaft having a longitudinal passage therein to admit fluid pressure from a suitable source, said rotor having a series of internal angularly extending buckets, a passage in said shaft extending outwardly to deliver pressure fluid angularly with respect to said buckets to impinge thereon and cause said rotor to rotate, an offset longitudinal discharge passage in said shaft parallel to said intake passage, said shaft having a radially inwardly extending passage leading from said buckets to said discharge passage.

- 4. In a gyro rotor assembly including a stationaryshaft and bearings for rotatably supporting said rotor direotly'upon said shaft, said I rotor beingqrnade of two complementary releasabl'y connected parts; "arranged v longitudinally 1 about'said shait,'said shaft having a longitudinal passage therein'to admit fluid pressure from a suitable source"; said rotor having a series of internalffarigularly extending buckets, a passage in ,said-shaftjextending outwardly to deliver pressure fluid] angular-1y with respect to saidbuckets to impinge thereon and cause said rotor torotate,

.oiiset longitudinal discharge passage in said shaft parallel .to saidintake passage, said shaft having a radially inwardly extending passage leading from said buckets to said discharge pas- BERT G. CARLSON.

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