Aerial vehicle controlled and propelled by oscillatory momentum generators and method of flying a vehicle

• US 6,751,530 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2002
• Issued: 06/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ramot University Authority For Applied Research and Industrial Development Limited
• Original Assignee: Ramot at Tel Aviv University Limited (Tel Aviv University)
• Inventors: Greenblatt, David, Wygnanski, Israel, Seifert, Avraham
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc-Coleman, Marthe Y.
• Application Number:
  US10/164,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20030229428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 701/4, 244/203, 244/204, 244/207, 244/208, 244/213, 244/214, 244/215, 244/216, 244/199, 244/175
• US Class Current: 701/4
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/005 the motors being fixed relative to the fuselage
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/80 UAVs characterised by their small size, e.g. micro air vehicles [MAV]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/12 Variable or detachable wings, e.g. wings with adjustable sweep
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/10 Propulsion rotors specially adapted for rotorcraft or VTOL B64U30/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/70 Launching or landing using catapults, tracks or rails launching from storage containers B64U70/50
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 41/00 Propulsion systems in which a rigid body is moved along a path due to dynamo-electric interaction between the body and a magnetic field travelling along the path electromagnetic launchers F41B6/00

Abstract

A vehicle capable of flight including at least one wing including at least one oscillatory momentum generator mounted therein. A thrust force from the oscillatory momentum generator is directed outwards over the wing causing a lift-generating air flow over a wing surface. A method of flying a vehicle including providing at least one wing having at least one oscillatory momentum generator mounted therein and applying a thrust force from the generator which is directed outwards over the wing and directed to the trailing edge so that a lift generating air flow is created.

Claims

1. A vehicle capable of flight, the vehicle comprising:

(a) at least one wing; and

(b) at least one oscillatory momentum generator mounted within said at least one wing so that a thrust force from said oscillatory momentum generator is directed outwards over said wing causing said wing to move so that a lift-generating air flow over a surface of said at least one wing is created; and

wherein said thrust force exits said oscillatory momentum generator at an angle of less than 45 degrees with respect to said surface of said wing and wherein said thrust force is directed to a trailing edge of said wing.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said oscillatory momentum generator comprises:

(i) an internal cavity including an oscillatory jet ejection port, said jet ejection port being in communication with an environment exterior to said cavity;

(ii) at least one oscillatable diaphragm designed and constructed to alternately decrease and increase a volume of said internal cavity; and

(iii) an alternating electric current applicable to said at least one oscillatable diaphragm, said alternating electric current causing said diaphragm to oscillate, thereby expelling air through said jet emanation port and creating said thrust force.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein said oscillatory momentum generator further comprises:

(iv) at least one electro-mechanical element designed and constructed to cause said diaphragm to vibrate at a frequency proportional to a frequency of said alternating electric current.

4. The vehicle of claim 2, further comprising an electric power source capable of supplying said alternating electric current.

5. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein said thrust force is at least approximately 1 gram per watt of a power emanating from said power source.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said oscillatory momentum generator operates at a resonance frequency thereof.

7. The vehicle of claim 2, further comprising an oscillation frequency sensor designed and constructed to sense oscillation of said diaphragm, an output thereof employable to cause the device to operate at its resonance frequency.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising an attitude control system which operates by differentially regulating a thrust force applied by at least two of said at least one oscillatory momentum generators.

9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein said attitude control system regulates at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of roll, pitch and yaw.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a launch assist device capable of imparting an initial velocity (v_i) of approximately at least 10 m/s to the vehicle.

11. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein a wingspan thereof does not exceed 45 cm.

12. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said at least one oscillatory momentum generator includes a plurality of oscillatory momentum generators arranged in at least one row along said at least one wing.

13. A method of flying a vehicle, the method comprising:

(a) providing on the vehicle at least one wing, said wing having at least one oscillatory momentum generator mounted therein; and

(b) applying a thrust force from said at least one oscillatory momentum generator, said thrust force being directed outwards over said wing causing said wing to move so that a lift-generating air flow over a surface of said at least one wing is created; and

(c) directing said thrust force to exit said oscillatory momentum generator at an angle of less than 45 degrees with respect to said surface of said wing and directed to a trailing edge of said wing.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said applying said thrust force comprises:

(i) providing said oscillatory momentum generator, said generator including an internal cavity, an oscillatory jet ejection port in fluid communication with an environment exterior to said cavity and with said cavity, at least one oscillatable diaphragm, and an alternating electric current;

(ii) oscillating said at least one oscillatable diaphragm to alternately decrease and increase a volume of said internal cavity; and

(iii) applying said alternating electric current to said at least one oscillatable diaphragm to cause said diaphragm to oscillate, thereby expelling an air stream through said jet emanation port and creating said thrust force.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said applying said thrust force further comprises:

(iv) employing at least one electro-mechanical element designed and constructed to cause said diaphragm to vibrate at a frequency proportional to a frequency of said alternating electric current.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising providing an electric power source capable of supplying said alternating electric current.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein a thrust force of at least approximately 1 gram per watt of electric power emanating from said power source is achieved.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising causing said oscillatory momentum generator to operate at a resonance frequency thereof.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising employing an oscillation frequency sensor to sense oscillation of said diaphragm, and further employing an output of said oscillation frequency sensor to cause said oscillatory momentum generator to operate at a resonance frequency thereof.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising controlling an attitude of the vehicle by differentially regulating a thrust force applied by at least two of a plurality of said at least one oscillatory momentum generators.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said controlling an attitude includes regulation of at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of roll, pitch and yaw.

22. The method of claim 13, further comprising applying a launch force capable of imparting an initial velocity (v_i) of approximately at least 10 m/s to the vehicle.

23. The method of claim 13, further comprising limiting a wingspan of said at least one wing to less than approximately exactly 45 cm.

24. The method of claim 13, further comprising deploying a plurality of said at least one oscillatory momentum generators in at least one row along said at least one wing.