| 摘要 |
1,232,887. Electric car with air cushion support; motor vehicles. ELECTRIC FUEL PROPULSION Inc. 13 Feb., 1969 [16 Feb., 1968], No. 7778/69. Headings B7H and B7K. A car 18 powered by electric storage batteries 22, 24, 26, 28 is partially supported, when it is moving, by a cushion of air generated by a fan having blades 68, 70 and (69, 71), Fig. 2 (not shown), and contained by concentric cylindrical skirts 82, 83. The car is circular in shape with a window 64 and the batteries power a motor 20 which drives rear wheels 30, 32 through an axle 34 and differential 36. A ground-engaging wheel 80 drives, through a gearing system, Fig. 3 (not shown), a shaft 51 which rotates the fan blades, for example 68, 70, and this drive may be disconnected by a clutch, by raising the wheel 80 or tilting the shaft 51. Alternatively the shaft may be driven directly by the motor 20. The fan draws in air through a large number of small holes 65 which have been punched in a housing 50 and the amount of air drawn in may be regulated by a movable plate 84 which is mounted within the housing and is adapted to be rotated slightly so as to align or misalign its holes 85 with the holes 65 in the housing. Alternatively one or more plates could be used to block the flow of air from the housing 50 into the area between the skirts and this would increase the weight of the vehicle when braking. Coils of wire 88 are wound round the fan blade and a number of magnets 100, 102 are disposed about the path of the blades so that a current is induced which recharges the batteries via a commutator 108 and the control mechanism 46 when the vehicle is moving. It is stated that this invention is also applicable to internal combustion vehicles and that they may be regeneratively braked. Instead of one air cushion several small air cushions may be used to support the vehicle. |
