Remote control and stabilizing apparatus

Claim 1

A CONTROL MECHANISM FOR STEERING AND STABLIZING THE MOVEMENT OF A BODY TRAVELING IN A FLUID MEDIUM, SAID BODY BEING GENERALLY SYMMETRICAL ABOUT IT LONGITUDINAL AXIS AND BEING STEERABLE IN ANY DIRECTION RELATIVE TO ITS PATH OF MOVEMENT, SAID BODY BEING ESSENTIALLY NON-ROTATABLE ABOUT ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS DURING STEERING MOVEMENTS, BUT HAVING LIMITED ROLLING MOVEMENT IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS ABOUT ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS FOR STABLIZING THE BODY RELATIVE TO ITS PATH OF MOVEMENT, COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF MOVABLE STEERING ELEMENTS ON SAID BODY FOR REACTING WITH SAID FLUID MEDIUM TO CONTROL MOVEMENTS OF SAID BODY, MOTIVE MEANS FOR MOVING SAID STEERING ELEMENTS RELATIVE TO SAID BODY, MEANS ON SAID BODY FOR RECEVING STEERING CONTROL SIGNALS FROM A CONTROL STATION REMOTE FROM SAID BODY, AUTOMATICALLY ACTING STABILIZING MEANS ON SAID BODY FOR PROVIDING A STABILIZING CONTROL EFFECT DEPENDENT UPON THE ANGULAR POSITION OF SAID BODY ABOUT ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS WITH RESPECT TO A DESIRED STABLIZED POSITION, AND MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID MOTIVE MEANS AS WELL AS WITH SAID RECEIVING MEANS AND SAID STABILIZING MEANS TO EFFECT MOVEMENT OF EACH SAID STEERING ELEMENT ONLY IN DEPENDENCE UPON THE CONDITION OF BOTH SAID RECEIVING MEANS AND SAID STABILIZING MEANS, SAID LAST-MENTIONED MEANS PROVIDING MOVEMENT OF SAID STEERING ELEMENTS TO ONLY RESPECTIVE POSITIONS THEREOF WHICH TEND TO PRODUCE A ROLLING MOMENT TENDING TO ROLL THE BODY TO MAINTAIN A DESIRED STABILIZED POSITION.