Unmanned Flying Device

• US 20160167778A1
• Filed: 11/10/2015
• Published: 06/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ascent AeroSystems, Inc
• Original Assignee: Ascent AeroSystems LLC
• Inventors: Meringer, Jonathan R., Meringer, Nathaniel R.
• Granted Patent: US 10,093,417 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/006 Safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/10 arranged coaxially
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/50 Blades foldable to facilitate stowage of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/65 Composite materials
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/75 the body formed by joined shells or by a shell overlaying a chassis
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/24 Coaxial rotors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/293 Foldable or collapsible rotors or rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/00 Launching, take-off or landing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/10 for releasing or capturing UAVs by hand
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/60 by wearable objects, e.g. garments or helmets

Abstract

An unmanned flying device including a body; a first blade and at least a second blade; a coupling assembly for coupling the first blade and the at least second blade to the body, wherein the coupling assembly urges the collapsing of the first blade and the at least second blade towards the body; and wherein both the first blade and the at least second blade are rotatable about the body, and wherein the first blade and the at least second blade are deployable away from the body via rotation of the first and the at least second blades about the body.

Claims

1. An unmanned flying device, comprising:

a body;

a first blade and at least a second blade;

a coupling assembly for coupling the first blade and the at least second blade to the body, wherein the coupling assembly urges the collapsing of the first blade and the at least second blade towards the body;

wherein both the first blade and the at least second blade are rotatable about the body, and wherein the first blade and the at least second blade are deployable away from the body via rotation of the first and the at least second blades about the body.

2. The unmanned flying device as claimed in claim 1, comprising a motor, wherein the motor causes the rotation of the first blade and the at least second blade about the body.

3. The unmanned flying device as claimed in claim 1, wherein without a sufficient force acting upon the first blade and the at least second blade to deploy the first and the at least second blades away from the body, the force applied by the coupling assembly will cause the first blade and the at least second blade to collapse toward the body.

4. The unmanned flying device as claimed in claim 1, comprising a rotor bracket and a rotor arm, wherein the rotor arm couples the first blade to the rotor bracket, and wherein the rotor arm is hingedly coupled to the rotor bracket, wherein the unmanned flying device further comprises:

a first spring positioned at the hinge, and wherein the first spring biases the first blade towards the body to thereby urge the first blade towards the body.

5. The unmanned flying device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the rotor arm comprises a first rotor arm section having a first end and a second end and a second rotor arm section having a first end and a second end, and wherein the first end of the first rotor arm section is hingedly coupled to the rotor bracket, the first end of the second rotor arm section is hingedly coupled to the second end of the first rotor arm section, and the second end of the second rotor arm section is coupled to a first end of the first blade;

wherein the unmanned flying device further comprises;

a second spring positioned at the hinge coupling the first end of the second rotor arm section to the second end of the first rotor arm section, and wherein the second spring also biases the first blade towards the body to thereby urge the first blade towards the body.

6. The unmanned flying device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first spring and the second spring are torsion springs.

7. The unmanned flying device as claimed in claim 4, comprising:

a second rotor arm that couples the second blade to the rotor bracket;

a lower rotor bracket;

a third rotor arm and a fourth rotor arm coupled to the lower rotor bracket;

a third blade and a fourth blade, wherein the third blade is coupled to the third rotor arm and the fourth blade is coupled to the forth rotor arm;

an upper rotor assembly comprising at least a rotor and the first mentioned rotor bracket, wherein the first rotor arm and the second rotor arm are hingedly coupled to the upper rotor assembly; and

a lower rotor assembly comprising at least a rotor and the lower rotor bracket, wherein the third rotor arm and the fourth rotor arm are hingedly coupled to the lower rotor assembly.

8. The unmanned flying device as claimed in claim 7, comprising:

a first spring positioned at the hinge between the first rotor arm and the first mentioned rotor bracket;

a second spring positioned at the hinge between the second rotor arm and the first mentioned rotor bracket;

a third spring positioned at the hinge between the third rotor arm and the lower rotor bracket; and

a fourth spring positioned at the hinge between the fourth rotor arm and the lower rotor bracket.

9. The unmanned flying device as claimed in claim 8, wherein each of the first, second, third and fourth rotor arms comprise:

a first rotor arm section having a first end and a second end and a second rotor arm section having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the first rotor arm section is hingedly coupled to its respective rotor bracket; and

the first end of the second rotor arm section is hingedly coupled to the second end of the respective first rotor arm section, and the second end of each second rotor arm section is coupled to a first end of its respective blade; and

a second spring positioned at the hinge coupling the first end of the second rotor arm section to the second end of the first rotor arm section, and wherein the second spring also biases each respective blade towards the body to thereby urge each respective blade towards the body.

10. The unmanned flying device as claimed in claim 7, wherein each of the first and second rotor arms comprise only one hinged section coupling the respective blade to the first mentioned rotor bracket.

11. The unmanned flying device as claimed in claim 1, wherein in a collapsed position, the first blade and the at least second blade are positioned at least essentially parallel to the body.

12. A method of landing an unmanned flying device, wherein the device comprises a body, a first blade and at least a second blade, a coupling assembly for coupling the first blade and the at least second blade to the body, wherein the coupling assembly urges the collapsing of the first blade and the at least second blade towards the body, wherein both the first blade and the at least second blade are rotatable about the body, and wherein the first blade and the at least second blade are deployable away from the body via rotation of the first and the at least second blades about the body;

wherein the method comprises the steps of;

decreasing a rotational speed of the first blade and the at least second blade; and

causing the first blade and the at least second blade to collapse toward the body;

wherein;

the collapsing of the first blade and the at least second blade toward the body takes place prior to the landing of the device on a surface.

13. The method of landing an unmanned flying device as claimed in claim 12, comprising at least a first spring for urging the collapse of the first blade towards the body and comprising at least a second spring for urging the collapse of the at least second blade towards the body, wherein the method comprises the step of:

collapsing the first blade and the at least second blade toward the body based on the biasing force of the first and second springs of the respective first blade and the at least second blade.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, comprising a rotor bracket and a rotor arm, wherein the rotor arm couples the first blade to the rotor bracket, and wherein the rotor arm is hingedly coupled to the rotor bracket, wherein the first spring is positioned at the hinge, and wherein the first spring biases the first blade towards the body to thereby urge the first blade towards the body, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

causing at least the first blade to position itself at least essentially parallel to the body based only on the force applied by the at least first spring.

16. The unmanned flying device as claimed in claim 14, comprising a motor, wherein the motor causes the rotation of the first blade and the at least second blade about the body.

18. The unmanned flying device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the first blade and the at least second blades will remain in a deployed position until the force urging the first blade and the at least second blade to collapse towards the body is greater than the force upon the first blade and the at least second blade due to the rotation thereof about the body.

15. An unmanned flying device, comprising:

a body;

a first blade and at least a second blade;

a coupling assembly for coupling the first blade and the at least second blade to the body;

means for urging the first blade and the at least second blade to collapse towards the body;

wherein both the first blade and the at least second blade are rotatable about the body, and wherein the first blade and the at least second blade are deployable away from the body via rotation of the first and the at least second blades about the body.

17. The unmanned flying device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first and the at least second blades will remain at least essentially parallel to the body until a sufficient rotational force is applied to the first blade and the at least second blade to deploy the first and the at least second blades away from the body.