FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to propellers and in particular to a centrifugal propeller, DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

The closest prior art would be jet engines and rocket engines because they generate their thrust inside their units, but they have external vents that are necessary for their action-reaction motion. Most of them necessarily use combustion of fuel to create their action-reaction process. There are also rocket packs that use chemical expansion but they have very limited operational time and there are risks associated with proximity to their vents.

Cranes operate by pushing off of something and are therefore limited in their fields of operation ·

Other propellers such as aircraft propellers or marine propellers do hot operate in closed units,

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The centrifugal propeller can create thrust in a closed unit.

The Centrifugal Propeller is a propulsion system that generates directed thrust in a closed unit by using the forces of centrifugal force and centripetal force.

Unlike aircraft propellers or marine propellers, the Centrifugal Propeller does not push off of something like air or water. The invention's propulsion is created in a completely closed unit. It redirects its own "reaction" so that the "action" that is generated by the Centrifugal Propeller is not cancelled by the "reaction". The reaction to the centrifugal force that is generated in the invention is redirected and split apart. The split "reaction" is redirected in opposition to itself so that it mostly cancels the "reaction" thus allowing the "action" to dominate the forces in the invention, thus creating thrust in one direction for the entire unit.

The Centrifugal Propeller uses centrifugal force to generate thrust and then converts some of that centrifugal force into centripetal force. The invention then redirects the centripetal force so that it becomes a counter to centripetal force on the opposite side of the invention, thus cancelling out the reaction from both the centrifugal and centripetal forces.

The Centrifugal Propeller does not need external vents and does not create combustion in order to operate.

The Centrifugal Propeller can operate in air, in and on water, and in outer space.

This invention relates to propulsion systems. The Centrifugal Propeller is a closed propulsion system with no external moving parts, other than a drive shaft, and has no external vents. The Centrifugal Propeller creates thrust by redirecting the reaction from centrifugal force so as to create directed thrust.

The Centrifugal Propeller has significant advantages over other propulsion systems because it can be closed to the environment that it operates in. That means that it can operate in water, in air, or in outer space. It does not produce energy such as an electric motor but rather, converts that energy from a drive source such as an electric motor, into directed thrust.

The invention's operation is not limited to closed environments. The Centrifugal Propeller will create thrust in any environment that its drive source will operate in. An electric motor can be completely closed to the environment it operates in and so would be the best source of power for the Centrifugal Propeller.

Potential drive sources for the invention are: electric motors, internal combustion motors, turbines, and rockets. The Centrifugal Propeller will operate in outer space. An ideal match would be to use an electric motor running off of a nuclear generator, to turn the

Centrifugal Propeller. In space the Centrifugal Propeller will continually accelerate and so space craft will have constant gravity while accelerating or decelerating.

The Centrifugal Propeller will be used to propel and/or lift objects. It can be used to replace any current propulsion systems including but not limited to: cranes, jet engines, rocket engines, marine propellers and aircraft propellers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1. is a description of an outside, angled, top/side plan view of the present invention.

Figure 2. is a description of a top view of the present invention with upper housing removed, thruster shaft removed, thruster bearing removed, and upper bearing removed.

Figure 3. is a description of a top plan view with the upper housing removed, thruster shaft removed, thruster bearing removed, upper bearing removed, hub with hinge pins removed, and spokes removed.

Figure 4. is a description of a side plan view with the front facing portion of the side housing removed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The Centrifugal Propeller is a propulsion system and a lifting system. Specifically, it converts centrifugal force into directed thrust in a closed unit with no external moving parts other than the drive shaft, and the invention has no external vents.

The Centrifugal Propeller has significant advantages over other propulsion systems and lifting systems. For instance, jet engines are noisy and have limited fields in which they can operate. Jet engines cannot operate in outer space or under water. The exhaust of jet engines and rockets is dangerous to be near. The Centrifugal Propeller is comparatively quieter than jets or rockets and a person can be as close as they want to be to it without serious risk of getting burned. The invention can operate in air, in space, and under water.

Marine and aircraft propellers are dangerous to get too close to. You cannot enter their operational space without risk of damaging them and injuring yourself. Aircraft propellers cause loud noise. The Centrifugal Propeller poses no immediate risk to those in close proximity to it and it is quieter than an aircraft propeller and when the invention is used in submarines it will make no cavitation signature that is associated with submarine propellers. This will make submarines more difficult to detect through cavitation. Cranes can only lift in areas where they are safe to operate. Construction cranes are dangerous to assemble and to operate. They are limited in their ability to operate in certain environments. On job sites the Centrifugal Propeller will not be restricted by ground conditions such as wet or uneven ground and it is capable of performing all functions of standard construction cranes. The invention can even be affixed with current remote operation technology allowing remote operation in extremely dangerous conditions.

If you cannot move a crane into a certain area, like into an existing building, then your options are limited as to how you move a heavy object. The

Centrifugal Propeller will allow the operator to strap the invention onto something heavy, like a household appliance, and turn on the invention to lift the appliance. You will then be able to move the appliance horizontally or even up or down stairs almost as easily as pushing a balloon. The invention will operate regardless of the weather conditions and so can be used in rescue situations. It can be used like a helicopter but with much greater safety and in more confined places than a helicopter can operate.

With reference to the drawings

The Centrifugal Propeller is in the shape of a cylinder with the drive source on the bottom of the Centrifugal Propeller. The invention is closed on the top, sides and the bottom except where the drive shaft 4 exits the invention. The only external moving part is the drive shaft 4 that is attached to the drive source 5, typically an electric motor that is attached under the bottom of the base housing 2.

The Centrifugal Propeller must have at least two opposing spokes 9 radiating out from the hub 15. The spokes' 9 outer ends are bent downward at an angle to the main arm of the spokes 9 to create the downward bends 10. The downward bends 10 also have castor bearings 11 attached to them on the undersides of the downward bends 10 of the spokes 9. These castor bearings 11 can roll in any direction. The spokes 9 are positioned at an angle to the base housing 2, rising upward and outward from the hub 15 toward the side housing 3 and toward the upper housing 1. The spokes 9 must be able to pivot on a hinge 8, from the imaginary plane that the hub 15 is on but must have a limit to the distance that they can pivot upward so that when the hub 15 is in its uppermost position, the spokes 9 and downward bend 10 cannot contact either the upper housing 1 or the side housing 3.

Opposing spokes 9 must be balanced in overall weight. There can be more than two spokes 9 provided the opposing spokes 9 and their attachments are balanced against each other. The spokes 9 are each attached by a hinge 8 to the hub 15. The hub 15 and spokes 9 with their attachments, are balanced for revolution. The hub 15 has a hole in its center and through the hole runs the drive shaft 4. Both the hub 15 and the drive shaft 4 are keyed so that as the drive shaft 4 turns, so turns the hub 15. The hub 15 can slide up and down the drive shaft 4 between the base housing 2 and the thruster shaft 6. Both the drive shaft 4 and the hub 15 are positioned equidistant from the side housing 3. The drive shaft 4 runs through the center of the invention between the upper housing 1 and the base housing 2.

The thruster shaft 6 is attached to the underside of the upper housing 1 in the center of the upper housing 1. The thruster shaft 6 is cylindrical in shape and is equidistant from the side housing 3, on all sides.

There is a thruster bearing 7 attached to the bottom end of the thruster shaft 6. This thruster bearing 7 is positioned to come into contact with the hub 15, when the invention is in operation.

The drive shaft 4 passes through the center of the thruster shaft 6 and through the hub 15 and through the thruster bearing 7 and through the base housing 2. The drive shaft 4 is turned by a drive source 5 of some type, such as an electric motor. The drive shaft 4 is secured by an upper bearing 12 at the upper housing 1 and a bearing 13 at the base.

The roller plate 14 is attached to the base housing 2. The roller plate 14 is a cone shaped plate. The roller plate 14 is attached at an angle to the base housing 2 of 45 degrees or greater from the base housing 2.

The castor bearings 11 allow the spokes to freely turn as the castor bearings 11 roll around the roller plate 14.

When the drive shaft 4 is put in motion it turns the hub 15. The hub 15 turns the spokes 9. As the spokes 9 turn faster and faster, the centrifugal force pushes the spokes 9 outward from the center of the Centrifugal Propeller and downward towards the base housing 2. As the spokes 9 are forced by centrifugal force to try to find their most outward position from the drive shaft 4 the spokes 9 move downward and outward. As the downward bends 10 of the spokes 9 are forced out and down by the centrifugal force created by the rotation of the hub 15 and spokes 9, the castor bearings 11 apply pressure on the roller plate 14. Because of the angle of the castor bearings 11 and the angle of the roller plate 14, a percentage of the downward force is redirected towards the center of the Centrifugal Propeller.

The hub 15 is moved upward as the opposing spokes 9 move outward. The hub's 15 upward force is exerted against the thruster bearing 7. Because this upward force has no corresponding equal opposite force, the invention creates thrust in the direction of the upper housing 1 and away from the base housing 2.

GLOSSARY OF THE PARTS

1. Upper housing

2. Base housing

3. Side housing

4. Drive shaft

5. Orive source

6. Thruster shaft

7. Thruster bearing

8. Hinge pin

9. Spoke

10. Downward bend (an attached part of the spoke 9)

11. Castor bearing

12. Upper bearing

13. Lower sealed bearing

14. Roller plate

15. Hub