Toy aircraft

• US 7,275,973 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2006
• Issued: 10/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Ong, Kenlip
• Primary Examiner(s): Pezzuto; Robert E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RADA, ALEX P
• Application Number:
  US11/446,001
• Publication Number:
  US 20070037468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 486 Days
• Field of Search: 446/34, 446/37, 446/61, 446/454, 446/456, D21/450
• US Class Current: 446/37
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 27/02 Model aircraft

Abstract

A toy aircraft may include an airframe, which may include a fuselage and a wing assembly. The toy aircraft may include at least one propulsion unit mounted to the airframe. The at least one propulsion unit may be operable to propel the toy aircraft. The toy aircraft may include at least one energy source mounted to the airframe. The toy aircraft may include a controller mounted to the airframe. The controller may couple the energy source to one or more of the at least one propulsion unit. The controller may include a gate array, which may be configured to control operation of the propulsion unit to control flight of the toy aircraft.

Claims

1. A toy aircraft, comprising:

an airframe including a fuselage and a wing assembly;

at least one propulsion unit mounted to the airframe and operable to propel the toy aircraft;

at least one energy source mounted to the airframe; and

a controller mounted to the airframe and coupling the energy source to one or more of the at least one propulsion unit, the controller including an unprogrammable gate array application-specific integrated circuit configured to control operation of the propulsion unit to control flight of the toy aircraft.

2. The toy aircraft of claim 1, further comprising a horizontal stabilizer mounted to the airframe.

3. The toy aircraft of claim 1, wherein one or more of the at least one energy source is a rechargeable battery and one or more of the at least one propulsion unit is an electric motor.

4. The toy aircraft of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the airframe is fabricated from a foamed plastic.

5. The toy aircraft of claim 4, wherein the foamed plastic is selected from the group consisting of expanded polypropylene foam and expanded polystyrene foam.

6. The toy aircraft of claim 4, wherein the wing assembly is fabricated from the foamed plastic.

7. The toy aircraft of claim 6, wherein the wing assembly is integrally connected to the fuselage.

8. The toy aircraft of claim 1, comprising a radio receiver mounted to the airframe and connected to the controller, wherein the radio receiver is configured to receive a signal from a transmitter and send the signal to the controller.

9. The toy aircraft of claim 1, wherein the gate array application-specific integrated circuit includes a plurality of devices, at least a first two of the plurality of devices are connected during manufacture of the gate array application-specific integrated circuit to form a first control circuit, and the first control circuit is configured to control operation of the propulsion unit to control flight of the toy aircraft in a first flight mode.

10. The toy aircraft of claim 9, wherein the first flight mode is selected from the group consisting of right-turning flight, left-turning flight, normal flight, and fast flight.

11. The toy aircraft of claim 9, wherein at least a second two of the plurality of devices are connected during manufacture of the gate array application-specific integrated circuit to form a second control circuit, the second control circuit is configured to control operation of the propulsion unit to control flight of the toy aircraft in a second flight mode, and the second flight mode is different than the first flight mode.

12. A toy aircraft, comprising:

a fuselage;

a first wing connected to the fuselage;

a second wing connected to the fuselage;

at least one first motor disposed on the first wing;

at least one first propeller driven by one or more of the at least one first motor;

at least one second motor disposed on the second wing;

at least one second propeller driven by one or more of the at least one second motor;

a battery; and

a control circuit including an unprogrammable gate array application-specific integrated circuit, wherein the control circuit is electrically connected to the battery and to at least one of the first and second motors, wherein the gate array application-specific integrated circuit is configured to control flight of the toy aircraft by regulating current supplied from the battery to at least one of the first and second motors.

13. The toy aircraft of claim 12, wherein the battery is rechargeable.

14. The toy aircraft of claim 12, wherein the fuselage comprises a foamed plastic selected from the group consisting of expanded polypropylene foam and expanded polystyrene foam.

15. The toy aircraft of claim 12, comprising a radio receiver electrically connected to the control circuit, wherein the gate array application-specific integrated circuit is configured to regulate the current supplied from the battery to at least one of the first and second motors in response to a signal received by the receiver.

16. The toy aircraft of claim 15, wherein the gate array application-specific integrated circuit includes a plurality of devices, at least a first two of the plurality of devices are connected during manufacture of the gate array application-specific integrated circuit to form a first circuit, and responsive to a first signal received by the receiver the first circuit is configured to control flight of the toy aircraft in a first flight mode by supplying current from the battery to the first motor at a first pulse width modulation ratio and to the second motor at a second pulse width modulation ratio.

17. The toy aircraft of claim 16, wherein the first pulse width modulation ratio is different from the second pulse width modulation ratio.

18. The toy aircraft of claim 16, wherein the first pulse width modulation ratio is the same as the second pulse width modulation ratio.

19. The toy aircraft of claim 16, wherein at least a second two of the plurality of devices are connected during manufacture of the gate array application-specific integrated circuit to form a second circuit, and responsive to a second signal received by the receiver the second circuit is configured to control flight of the toy aircraft in a second flight mode by supplying current from the battery to the first motor at a third pulse width modulation ratio and to the second motor at a fourth pulse width modulation ratio.

20. The toy aircraft of claim 16, wherein at least a second two of the plurality of devices are connected during manufacture of the gate array application-specific integrated circuit to form a second circuit, responsive to a second signal received by the receiver the second circuit is configured to control flight of the toy aircraft in a second flight mode by supplying current from the battery to the first and second motors, the current supplied to the first motor causes the first motor to run in a first direction, the current supplied to the second motor causes the second motor to run in a second direction, and the second direction is opposite to the first direction.