Air-cushion vehicles

Claim 2

An air cushion vehicle, comprising: an impermeable platform, at least one source of compressed air coupled to the platform, an external skirt depending from the platform, an internal skirt, a plurality of annular skirts coupling the internal skirt to the external skirt for providing a peripheral lift assembly, an impermeable plate peripherally supported by the internal skirt below the platform for providing in combination with the internal skirt a volume below the plate and for providing between the platE and platform a diffusion space for coupling compressed air to the peripheral lift assembly, a plurality of partitions extending towards the peripheral assembly in the diffusion space for subdividing the diffusion space into a plurality of sections, concentration means in the diffusion space for controlling the relative amounts of air flowing into each of the plurality of sections, and distribution means for dividing the air flowing into said sections between the peripheral assembly and the volume, whereby the concentration and distribution means control the lift created by air flowing into the peripheral assembly and the lift provided by a central air cushion created in the volume.

Claim 3

An air cushion vehicle as defined in claim 1 wherein said concentration means include a plurality of flaps, each of the flaps being pivotally coupled to a different one of the partitions so that each flap is movable between the sections on each side of the partition to which it is coupled.

Claim 4

An air cushion vehicle as defined in claim 1 wherein said distribution means include a number of openings in the plate and a number of flaps pivotally coupled to the plate, each of the flaps cooperating with one of the openings.

Claim 5

An air cushion vehicle as defined in claim 1 wherein a series of said annular skirts are arranged tangentially along the periphery of one of the sections.

Claim 6

An air cushion vehicle as defined in claim 1 wherein the annular skirts are tangent to the internal and external skirts.

Claim 7

An air cushion vehicle according to claim 1, wherein four distribution sections are provided, i.e. a front section, a rear section and two side sections.

Claim 8

An air cushion vehicle according to claim 6, characterised in that the vehicle is of round shape, in that the source of air is arranged slightly to the rear of the geometric centre of the vehicle and in that the distribution means comprise a horizontal pivoting flap for each section.

Claim 9

An air cushion vehicle according to claim 6, characterised in that the vehicle is of elongated shape, in that the source of air is arranged at the rear of the geometric centre of the vehicle, and in that the distribution means comprise several horizontal pivoting flaps for each section.

Claim 10

An air cushion vehicle according to claim 8, characterised in that each of the side sections comprise several flaps arranged substantially at an equal distance from the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and in that each of the front and rear sections comprises several flaps arranged in succession at different distance from the transversal axis of the vehicle passing through the source of air.

Claim 11

An air cushion vehicle according to claim 5, characterised in that it comprises two groups of annular skirts arranged in two separate areas of the peripheral assembly.

Claim 12

An air cushion vehicle according to claim 10, characterised in that its general shape is round and in that the two groups of annular skirts are respectively arranged at the front and rear of the machine.

Claim 13

An air cushion vehicle according to claim 10, characterised in that its general shape is elongated and in that the two groups of annular skirts are respectively arranged to port and starboard.

Claim 14

An air cushion vehicle according to claim 1, characterised in that the position of the means of concentration and means of distribution is at least partly slaved to the value of a flight parameter.

Claim 15

An air cushion vehicle according to claim 1, characterised in that the distribution means comprise swivelling flaps locally controlling intercommunication between the diffusion space and the central cushion, and slaved to the difference of pressure prevailing locally between the peripheral assembly and the diffusion space.

Claim 16

An air cushion vehicle according to claim 1, characterised in that the distribution means are constituted by swivelling flaps controlling locally the intercommunication sections between the diffusion space and the peripheral assembly, between the Diffusion space and the central cushion and between the peripheral assembly and the control cushion.

Claim 17

An air cushion vehicle according to claim 1 characterised in that the concentration means comprise resiliently deformable membranes locally controlling intercommunication between the peripheral assembly and the central cushion, always tending to sever this intercommunication.

Claim 18

An air cushion vehicle of the type comprising a platform the lift of which is assured, from at least one source of compressed air, by a central lift air cushion surrounded by a partitioned peripheral lift assembly, characterized in that the supply from the air source, to the central cushion, on the one hand, and to the peripheral assembly, on the other hand, is effected through a diffusion space provided below the platform, in that said diffusion space is at least in part subdivided according to a plurality of sections by partitions extending in the direction of the peripheral assembly, in that concentration means are provided for adjusting differentially the air flow sent to the various sections, in that distribution means are provided to regulate differentially the distribution of the air of each section to the peripheral assembly and to the central cushion and, consequently, the relative pressure, in each section, of the peripheral assembly in relation to the central cushion, each of the concentration and distribution means being controlled individually through a particular control member, the assembly of control members being regrouped on the control panel in an arrangement reproducing the arrangement of the various means on the vehicle.

Claim 19

An air cushion vehicle of the type comprising a platform the lift of which is assured, from at least one source of compressed air, by a central lift air cushion surrounded by a partitioned peripheral lift assembly, characterized in that the supply from the air source, to the central cushion, on the one hand, and to the peripheral assembly, on the other hand, is effected through a diffusion space provided below the platform, in that said diffusion space is at least in part subdivided according to a plurality of sections by partitions extending in the direction of the peripheral assembly, in that concentration means are provided for adjusting differentially the air flow sent to the various sections, in that distribution means are provided to regulate differentially the distribution of the air of each section to the peripheral assembly and to the central cushion and, consequently, the relative pressure, in each section, of the peripheral assembly in relation to the central cushion, each of the concentration and distribution means being controlled individually through a particular control member, the assembly of control members being regrouped on the control panel in an arrangement reproducing the arrangement of the various means on the vehicle.

Claim 20

An air cushion vehicle of the type comprising a platform the lift of which is assured, from at least one source of compressed air, by a central lift air cushion surrounded by a partitioned peripheral lift assembly, characterized in that the supply from the air source, to the central cushion, on the one hand, and to the peripheral assembly, on the other hand, is effected through a diffusion space provided below the platform, in that said diffusion space is at least in part subdivided according to a plurality of sections by partitons extending in the direction of the peripheral assembly, in that concentration means are provided for adjusting differentially the air flow sent to the various sections, in that distribution means are provided to regulate differentially the distribution of the air of each section to the peripheral assembly and to the central cushion and, consequently, the relative pressure, in each section, of the peripheral assembly in relation to the central cushion, the various means of concentration and distribution being controlled by a movable single control lever the position of which is in each case representative of the attitude of the vehicle.

Claim 21

An air cushion vehicle of the type comprising a platform the lift of which is assured, from at least one source of compressed air, by a central lift air cushion surrounded by a partitioned peripheral lift assembly, characterized in that the supply from the air source, to the central cushion, on the one hand, and to the peripheral assembly, on the other hand, is effected through a diffusion space provided below the platform, in that said diffusion space is at least in part subdivided according to a plurality of sections by partitons extending in the direction of the peripheral assembly, in that concentration means are provided for adjusting differentially the air flow sent to the various sections, in that distribution means are provided to regulate differentially the distribution of the air of each section to the peripheral assembly and to the central cushion and, consequently, the relative pressure, in each section, of the peripheral assembly in relation to the central cushion, the various means of concentration and distribution being controlled by a movable single control lever the position of which is in each case representative of the attitude of the vehicle.

Claim 22

An air cushion vehicle according to claim 18, characterised in that the control is effected from the lever through a decoding and pre-established programme memory system effecting the correspondance of a predetermined rigidity to each position of the attitude.