Autorotor launching system
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
InventorAbraham Flatau
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An airborne launcher and method of delivering a munition system comprising n combination (a) means to rotate the autorotor to a predetermined angular velocity prior to release from the launcher (b) means which direct the rotation of the autorotor in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction resulting in the desired angle of glide of the munition to a preselected area without the aid of the forward speed of the airborne vehicle.
Claims15
An autorotor launcher adapted to be mounted in an airborne vehicle, comprising in combination:
- a. means to rotate said autorotor to a predetermined angular velocity prior to ejection from said vehicle,
- b. means to launch said rotating autorotor from said airborne vehicle, whereby said autorotor body is stabilized and glides to the target area in a predetermined trajectory.
An autorotor launcher adapted to be mounted in an airborne vehicle comprising in combination:
- a. electric motor means to prespin said autorotor to a predetermined angular velocity prior to ejection from said vehicle.
- b. declutch means to uncouple said motor means from said autorotor,
- c. ejection means to launch said rotating autorotor from said vehicle, whereby said autorotor is launched in a stabilized mode and glides to the selected target in a manner whose trajectory may be predetermined.
A launcher for an autorotor, the latter having a pair of central end spindles, adapted to be mounted in an airborne vehicle comprising in combination:
- a. base means mounted to said vehicle,
- b. base plate means adjustably secured to said base means for pivotable movement in a vertical plane,
- c. slideable rod suspension means mounted on said base plate means whereby said autorotor is suspended for rotation about said spindles,
- d. motor means mounted on said base plate adjacent to and at a right angle to the axis of said suspension rod means and detachably engaging one of said spindles, whereby said autorotor can be prespun,
- e. disengaging means mounted on said base plate means whereby after a predetermined autorotor speed is reached said motor is disengaged from said spindle,
- f. ejection means mounted on said base plate remote from said suspension means, whereby said autorotor is ejected from said vehicle immediately after said motor means is disengaged.
Method of delivering from an airborne vehicle an autorotating munition body comprising:
- pre-spinning the said body prior to launching from said vehicle to a predetermined angular velocity which directs the rotation and the angle of glide of the said body to a preselected area without the aid of the speed of the airborne vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.