Thrust-producing gyro system

Claim 2

A thrust-producing gyro for attitude control comprising: a hot-gas generator, a plenum chamber having an input port connected to said generator and having a plurality of output ports for conveying gas therethrough, a high-momentum wheel mounted adjacent to said output ports for providing two degrees of freedom and disposed for rotation responsive to impingement thereon by gases from certain of said output ports, other of said output ports being adapted for differential closing and porting respectively, thereby guiding a projectile or moving vehicle along a predetermined path normal to the plane of the wheel and controlled by the attitude thereof, said other output ports include at least four exhaust or control jets for conveying gas therethrough at a uniform velocity to be exhausted therefrom to the outer surface of said projectile, an inner annular edge of said rotating wheel covers at least a portion of said control jets, and each of said control jets are equidistant from adjacent jets so that relative motion in the projectile and the wheel will decrease the flow in one or more jets while increasing the flow in the opposing jets to provide a restoring force to the projectile, and wherein the exhaust from said jets is on a plane perpendicular to the flight axis of said projectile.

Claim 3

A thrust-producing gyro as set forth in claim 1 wherein the outer edge of said rotating wheel that passes over the control jets is tapered to minimize the torques being transferred to the wheel by lift forces perpendicular to the gas flow, the inner surface of said wheel includes a series of indentations therearound adjacent to one edge thereof, and wherein said output ports further include at least two spin jets that eject gas to said indentations to bring the wheel up to speed and to maintain the wheel speed.

Claim 4

A thrust-producing gyro as set forth in claim 2 and further comprising a spherical bearing, and wherein said generator, plenum chamber and spherical bearing are fixed with respect to said projectile, said rotating wheel is free to move on said spherical bearing, and said control jets have a logarithmic rate of change of port area or opening, shaped to provide a linear flow function as the wheel position varies thereover.

Claim 5

A thrust-producing gyro for attitude control comprising: a hot-gas generator, a plenum chamber having an input port connected to said generator and having a plurality of spin and output ports for conveying gas therethrough, a high-momentum wheel mounted adjacent to said output ports for providing two degrees of freedom and disposed for rotation responsive to impingement thereon by gases from said spin ports, said output ports being adapted for differential closing and porting respectively, thereby guiding a projectile or moving vehicle along a predetermined path normal to the plane of the wheel and controlled by the attitude thereof, said output ports comprise four tubular passageway forming control members extending radially outward froM said chamber and having exhaust or control jets in the distal ends thereof, said exhaust jets are spaced 90* apart on a plane perpendicular to the flight axis of said projectile and convey gas therethrough to be exhausted to the outer surface of said projectile, an inner edge of said rotating wheel covers at least a portion of said control jets so that relative motion in the projectile and the wheel will decrease the flow in one or more jets while increasing the flow in the opposing jets to provide a restoring force to the projectile, the inner surface of said wheel includes a series of indentations therearound adjacent to one edge thereof, said spin ports include two tubular passageway forming control members extending radially outward from said chamber and having spin nozzles or ports on the distal end thereof disposed adjacent the interior annular surface of said wheel to direct gases against said indentations to initiate and control the wheel spin rate.

Claim 6

A thrust-producing gyro for attitude control comprising: a hot-gas generator, a plenum chamber having an input port connected to said generator and having a plurality of spin and output ports for conveying gas therethrough, a high-momentum wheel mounted adjacent to said output ports for providing two degrees of freedom and disposed for rotation responsive to impingement thereon by gases from said spin ports, said output ports being adapted for differential closing and porting respectively, thereby guiding a projectile or moving vehicle along a predetermined path normal to the plane of the wheel and controlled by the attitude thereof, said output ports comprise four tubular passageway forming control members extending radially outward froM said chamber and having exhaust or control jets in the distal ends thereof, said exhaust jets are spaced 90* apart on a plane perpendicular to the flight axis of said projectile and convey gas therethrough to be exhausted to the outer surface of said projectile, an inner edge of said rotating wheel covers at least a portion of said control jets so that relative motion in the projectile and the wheel will decrease the flow in one or more jets while increasing the flow in the opposing jets to provide a restoring force to the projectile, the inner surface of said wheel includes a series of indentations therearound adjacent to one edge thereof, said spin ports include two tubular passageway forming control members extending radially outward from said chamber and having spin nozzles or ports on the distal end thereof disposed adjacent the interior annular surface of said wheel to direct gases against said indentations to initiate and control the wheel spin rate.

Claim 7

A thrust-producing gyro as set forth in claim 4 and further comprising a spherical wheel support bearing, and wherein the edge of said wheel that passes over the control jets is tapered on the outer edge to minimize torques being transferred to the wheel by lift forces perpendicular to the gas flow, said rotating wheel is free to move on said spherical bearing, said gas flowing through said control jets provides pitch and yaw control to maintain the projectile on a course normal to the plane of the wheel, and said generator, plenum chamber and spherical bearing are fixed with respect to said projectile.

Claim 8

A thrust-producing gyro as set forth in claim 5 wherein the control jets have a logarithmic rate of change of port area or opening, shaped to provide a linear flow function as the wheel position varies thereover.