Air cushion vehicle with thrust control

Claim 2

An air cushion vehicle which comprises a. a body, b. means for propelling and supporting said vehicle on an air cushion including air propelling means mounted toward the forward end of said body and adapted to produce a downstream flow of air in the rearward direction of the vehicle, c. front steering means for changing the direction of said downstream flow of air to lateral angles on either side of the vehicle, d. rear steering means positioned toward the rear of the vehicle on each side thereof and adapted to divert downstream flow of air supplied thereto to lateral angles on either side of the vehicle, e. air-channeling means spaced downstream of said front steering means for receiving portions of said downstream flow of air under the control of said front steering means and directing the flow of air therethrough to said rear steering means, f. the space between said front steering means and said airchanneling means opening laterally to the ambient air whereby for at least larger front steering angles a substantial portion of the downstream flow of air is directed to the ambient air laterally outside the air-channeling means, g. controllable air-blocking means in the path of the downstream flow of air through said air-channeling means to said rear steering means for substantially blocking passage of air thereby, h. and means for controlling said air-blocking means between unblocking and blocking conditions thereof.

Claim 3

An air-cushion vehicle in accordance with claim 1 in which said means for propelling and supporting the vehicle includes means for directing a portion of the air from said air propelling means to the space beneath said body to produce said air cushion.

Claim 4

A vehicle in accordance with claim 1 in which said air-channeling means includes a pair of laterally spaced air channels for directing downstream flow of air therethrough to respective sides of the rear steering means, the spacing of said air channels and said front steering means being correlated so that for at least a substantial portion of the front steering range the downstream flow of air directed toward the air channel on the inside of a turn is reduced while flow of air directed toward the air channel on the outside of a turn is maintained.

Claim 5

An air cushion vehicle in accordance with claim 3 in which said controllable air-blocking means is mounted in said air channels for controllably blocking and unblocking passage of air therethrough.

Claim 6

An air cushion vehicle which comprises a. a body, b. means for propelling and supporting said vehicle on an air cushion including air propeller means mounted on said body toward the forward end thereof for producing a propelling downstream flow of air in the rearward direction thereof, c. upwardly extending front steering vanes mounted in the downstream flow of air near said propeller means, d. upwardly extending rear steering vanes mounted near the rear of the vehicle on each side thereof, e. steering means for turning said front and rear steering vanes to change the direction of airflow therefrom to respective lateral angles on either side of the vehicle, f. air-channeling means mounted on said body between said front and rear steering vanes having upwardly and rearwardly extending inner laterally spaced walls with a front joining section, and upwardly and rearwardly extending outer walls laterally spaced from respective inner walls, said walls forming open-ended laterally spaced air channels for receiving portions of said downstream flow of air under the control of the front steering vanes and directing the flow of air therethrough to the rear steering vanes on the respective sides of the vehicle, g. said air channels being spaced downstream of said front steering vanes to leave a space therebetween opening laterally to the ambient air whereby for at least larger front steering angles a substantial portion of the downstream flow of air is directed to the ambient air laterally outside the air channels, h. and controllable air-blocking means in said laterally spaced air channels for substantially reducing airflow therethrough.

Claim 7

An air cushion vehicle which comprises a. a body, b. means for propelling and supporting said vehicle on an air cushion including air propeller means mounted on said body toward the forward end thereof for producing a propelling downstream flow of air in the rearward direction thereof, c. upwardly extending front steering vanes mounted in the downstream flow of air near said propeller means, d. upwardly extending rear steering vanes mounted near the rear of the vehicle on each side thereof, e. steering means for turning said front and rear steering vanes to change the direction of airflow therefrom to respective lateral angles on either side of the vehicle, f. air-channeling means mounted on said body between said front and rear steering vanes having upwardly and rearwardly extending inner laterally spaced walls with a front joining section, and upwardly and rearwardly extending outer walls laterally spaced from respective inner walls, said walls forming open-ended laterally spaced air channels for receiving portions of said downstream flow of air under the control of the front steering vanes and directing the flow of air therethrough to the rear steering vanes on the respective sides of the vehicle, g. said air channels being spaced downstream of said front steering vanes to leave a space therebetween opening laterally to the ambient air whereby for at least larger front steering angles a substantial portion of the downstream flow of air is directed to the ambient air laterally outside the air channels, h. and controllable air-blocking means in said laterally spaced air channels for substantially reducing airflow therethrough.

Claim 8

An air cushion vehicle in accordance with claim 5 in which said means for propelling and supporting the vehicle includes means for directing a portion of the air from said air propeller means to the space beneath said body to produce said air cushion.

Claim 9

An air cushion vehicle in accordance with claim 5 in which said air-blocking means includes a set of vanes in each of said laterally spaced air channels rotatable between open and closed conditions, each set of vanes in the closed condition thereof extending across the respective channel to substantially block airflow therethrough, and means for rotating said vanes between open and closed positions thereof.

Claim 10

An air cushion vehicle in accordance with claim 5 in which said controllable air-blocking means is adapted to substantially block airflow through said laterally spaced air channels, and means for controlling said air-blocking means between unblocking and blocking conditions thereof.

Claim 11

An air cushion vehicle in accordance with claim 8 in which said means for propelling and supporting said vehicle includes means for directing a portion of the air from said air propeller means to the space beneath said body to produce said air cushion and including an opening in said body behind the lower portion of said air propeller means, and vane means in the lower portion of said opening for directing air to the forward part of said space beneath the body.

Claim 12

An air cushion vehicle in accordance with claim 5 in which the spacing of said front joining section from the front steering vanes is predetermined so that for at least a substantial portion of the front steering range the downstream flow of air directed toward the air channel on the inside of a turn is reduced while flow of air directed toward the air channel on the outside of a turn is maintained.

Claim 13

An air cushion vehicle in accordance with claim 10 in which said air-blocking means includes a set of vanes in each of said laterally spaced air channels mounted for rotation between open and closed positions about respective axes which are generally horizontal and extend laterally across the respective channel, each set of vanes in the closed condition thereof extending across the respective channel to substantially block airflow therethrough, and means for rotating said vanes between open and closed positions thereof.

Claim 14

An air cushion vehicle in accordance with claim 11 in which said vanes are mounted near the rear of the respective channels.

Claim 15

An air cushion vehicle in accordance with claim 11 in which said means for propelling and supporting the vehicle includes means for directing a portion of the air from said air propeller means to the space beneath said body to produce said air cushion.

Claim 16

An air cushion vehicle in accordance with claim 11 in which said means for propelling and supporting said vehicle includes means for directing a portion of the air from said air propeller means to the space beneath said body to produce said air cushion and including an opening in said body behind the lower portion of said air propeller means, and vane means in the lower portion of said opening for directing air to the forward part of said space beneath the body.

Claim 17

An air cushion vehicle which comprises a. a body, b. means for propelling and supporting said vehicle on an air cushion including air propelling means mounted toward the forward end of said body and adapted to produce a downstream flow of air in the rearward direction of the vehicle, c. front steering means for changing the direction of said downstream flow of air to lateral angles on either side of the vehicle, d. rear steering means positioned toward the rear of the vehicle on each side thereof and adapted to divert downstream flow of air supplied thereto to lateral angles on either side of the vehicle, e. a pair of laterally spaced air channels positioned rearwards of said front steering means for receiving portions of said downstream flow of air under the control of said front steering means and directing the flow of air therethrough to said rear steering means, f. the space between said front steering means and said air channels opening laterally to the ambient air, g. the rearward position aNd lateral spacing of said air channels being predetermined so that, over a substantial portion of the steering range of the front steering means, an increasing lateral angle of the downstream flow of air from the front steering means on either side of the vehicle produces an increasing airflow laterally outside the air channel on the respective side and a decreasing airflow to the air channel on the other side while maintaining airflow to the air channel on said respective side. h. controllable air-blocking means in the paths of the downstream flow of air from said front steering means through said air channels to said rear steering means, i. and means for controlling said air-blocking means between unblocking and blocking conditions thereof.

Claim 18

An air cushion vehicle which comprises a. a body, b. means for propelling and supporting said vehicle on an air cushion including air propelling means mounted toward the forward end of said body and adapted to produce a downstream flow of air in the rearward direction of the vehicle, c. front steering means for changing the direction of said downstream flow of air to lateral angles on either side of the vehicle, d. rear steering means positioned toward the rear of the vehicle on each side thereof and adapted to divert downstream flow of air supplied thereto to lateral angles on either side of the vehicle, e. a pair of laterally spaced air channels positioned rearwards of said front steering means for receiving portions of said downstream flow of air under the control of said front steering means and directing the flow of air therethrough to said rear steering means, f. the space between said front steering means and said air channels opening laterally to the ambient air, g. the rearward position aNd lateral spacing of said air channels being predetermined so that, over a substantial portion of the steering range of the front steering means, an increasing lateral angle of the downstream flow of air from the front steering means on either side of the vehicle produces an increasing airflow laterally outside the air channel on the respective side and a decreasing airflow to the air channel on the other side while maintaining airflow to the air channel on said respective side. h. controllable air-blocking means in the paths of the downstream flow of air from said front steering means through said air channels to said rear steering means, i. and means for controlling said air-blocking means between unblocking and blocking conditions thereof.

Claim 19

An air cushion vehicle in accordance with claim 15 in which said controllable air-blocking means is mounted in said air channels.