Electrical remote-control and remote-power flying saucer

• US 20020104921A1
• Filed: 12/17/2001
• Published: 08/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Philippe Louvel
• Original Assignee: Philippe Louvel
• Inventors: Louvel, Philippe
• Application Number:
  US10/048,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20020104921A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 244/12.1
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 27/002 Means for manipulating kites or other captive flying toys, e.g. kite-reels reels in general B65H75/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 27/04 Captive toy aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 27/12 Helicopters A63H27/04 takes precedence; Flying tops
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/02 Electrical arrangements transformers H01F; converters H02M

Abstract

The purpose of the invention is a light aircraft, remotely supplied and remotely controlled, propelled by electrical motors coupled to propellers, this device being able to perform stationary flight and to move in the three space dimensions in a controlled way. The system includes an aircraft (1), a control unit (3) and a handling unit (4). The aircraft comprises four propellers, each of them driven by a electric motor, a gyroscopic device, tilt sensors, a yaw sensor and an extrenal protective body.

The invention also describes the method for the fliht closed loop control.

The main purpose of this invention is to provide a enjoyable and educative toy, mainly intended for indoor flight.

In a variant of the invention, the aircraft is fitted with a miniaturized video camera, in order to perform remote inspections on buildings or elements difficult to access.

Claims

1_9. ] Aircraft, supplied by electric power source, remotely supplied and remotely controlled by the means of a flexible cable, including four propellers and a gyroscopic device, comprising the improvement of being able to perform stationary flight and able to move in a controlled way in the three space dimensions:

2_9. ] Aircraft according to claim [1], wherein the electric power source is a rechargeable battery, either carried by the user or laid on the ground.

3_9. ] Aircraft according to any of the claims [1] to [2], wherein the propulsive means consist in four propellers, each of them driven by a direct current electric motor, 2 propellers rotating clockwise, situated in opposite positions, and 2 propellers rotating anti-clockwise, situated in opposite positions.

4_9. ] Aircraft according to any of the claims [1] to [3], wherein the current driven for each electric motor coupled to propellers is controlled through the means of a pulse width modulated current drive performed by an off-board electronic control device.

5_9. ] Aircraft according to any of the claims [1] to [4], wherein the control device is a single handle allowing the control of the pitch movement, the roll movement, the yaw movement, and the going up movement and the going down movement.

6_9. ] Aircraft according to any of the claims [1] to [5], comprising moreover tilt sensors relative to vertical direction, and a close loop control achieving, when there is no action on the handle, to maintain the device in the horizontal position.

7_9. ] Aircraft according to any of the claims [1] to [6], comprising moreover a gyrocompass device that measures the yaw movement and a close loop control allowing, when there is no action on the handle, to avoid any yaw movement.

8_9. ] Aircraft according to any of the claims [1] to [7], comprising moreover an on-board miniaturized video camera linked to a video display carried by the user.

9_9. ] Method of controlling the aircraft disclosed in any of the claims [1] to [8], comprising a closed loop control using the tilt sensors and the yaw movement sensor in order to achieve the keeping of the aircraft in the ideal horizontal position, through the means of the control of the current driven in each of the four electric motors.

10_9. ] Method of controlling the aircraft disclosed in the claim [9], wherein the system uses the movements performed on the handle unit to generate an aircraft attitude deviation in term of roll, pitch, yaw, going up, going down movements that induces the desired displacement of the aircraft.