Automatic hydrofoil control system for watercraft

Claim 1

IN A WATERCRAFT OF THE TYPE IN WHICH THE HULL IS SUPPORTED BY AT LEAST ONE AT LEAST PARTIALLY SUBMERGED FOIL EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSVERSELY TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE HULL, AN AUTOMATIC SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE FOIL AND THE WATER SURFACE, SAID SYSTEM COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, AT LEAST ONE FLAP HINGED TO THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE FOIL; AT LEAST ONE CONTROL MEMBER HAVING A LEADING EDGE AND FORMED WITH VERTICALLY SPACED ORIFICES ADJACENT TO SAID LEADING EDGE, SAID ORIFICES DISPOSED PARTIALLY BELOW AND PARTIALLY ABOVE THE NORMAL LEVEL OF THE WATER SURFACE AND COMMUNICATING WITH AN INTERNAL SPACE FORMED IN SAID CONTROL MEMBER, SAID CONTROL MEMBER FURTHER FORMED WITH NORMALLY SUBMERGED WATER INTAKE OPENING MEANS AND WITH NORMALLY EXPOSED WATER DISCHARGE OPENING MEANS, SAID OPENING MEANS ADJACENT TO SAID LEADING EDGE AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID SPACE; A PRESSURE-RESPONSIVE MOTION TRANSMITTING ARRANGEMENT OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID FLAP AND WITH SAID CONTROL MEMBER FOR PIVOTING THE SAME ABOUT THE TRAILING EDGE OF SAID FOIL IN RESPONSE TO CHANGES IN WATER PRESSURE IN SAID SPACE, THE CHANGES IN WATER PRESSURE TAKING PLACE WHEN THE RATIO OF THE COMBINED CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF THE ORIFICES BELOW THE WATER SURFACE TO THE COMBINED CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF ORIFICES ABOVE THE WATER SURFACE IS CHANGED; AND FIRST AND SECOND REGULATING VALVE MEANS MOUNTED IN SAID CONTROL MEMBER FOR RESPECTIVELY CONTROLLING THE ENTRY OF WATER THROUGH SAID INTAKE OPENING MEANS AND THE ESCAPE OF WATER THROUGH SAID DISCHARGE OPENING MEANS AND FOR THEREBY REGULATING THE WATER PRESSURE IN SAID SPACE INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID ORIFICES.