Abstract:
A duck decoy has rotors mounted in its wings which provide lift. The motors, and control surfaces on the decoy, are controlled automatically or remotely so the decoy can take off, cruise autonomously, and land on ground or water.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims benefit of provisional application 62/103543, filed Jan. 14, 2015. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to a flying duck decoy. 
         [0003]    “Motion Decoy” is an industry standard term that refers to a variety of waterfowl decoys that utilize some form of movement to provide more realism. 
         [0004]    One product on the market is known as a spinning wing decoy that is fixed to a pole that puts the decoy several inches above the water and rotates/spins the wings about an axis. 
         [0005]    Some other motion decoys available use some combination of swimming/spinning wings/or splashing created by a water pump. 
         [0006]    There is no product currently on the market that is capable of true flight, where the decoy itself can take off and land. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    An object of the invention is to provide a duck decoy having improved realism, and capable of actual flight, i.e., one that simulates a duck, taking off from the water and landing back down on the water. 
         [0008]    This and other objects are achieved by a remote controlled drone resembling an animal such as a duck or other fowl, that is capable of autonomous flight as well as user controlled flight, as described below. 
         [0009]    The invention utilizes a standard bicopter design in which the propellers reside in the wings of the decoy The propellers are powered by electric motors that are pitch/yaw controlled by servos, used in conjunction with an on board flight controller this provides for smooth flight. 
         [0010]    The decoy can be operated by a remote pre-programmed controller. 
         [0011]    The decoy can also be operated manually from an R/C controller that is manipulated by a user to allow the user to determine the flight path and duration. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    In the accompanying drawing, 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a flying duck decoy embodying the invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a schematic showing electrical components of the invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a schematic showing an remote-control embodiment of the invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a schematic showing an alternative remote-control embodiment; and 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an alternative form of the decoy. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0018]    A flying duck decoy embodying the invention, as shown in  FIG. 1 , includes a body  10  which resembles a duck or other fowl and can float in water. 
         [0019]    The body has a pair of wings  12  extending therefrom. Each wing has an aperture  13  with a rotor  14  disposed therein, in the form of a propellor driven by a motor  16 . A preferred propellor is a 11″×4.7″ Carbon Fiber CW CCW Propeller, available from RCTimer Power Model Co., Ltd, Hong Kong (rctimer.com). The motor is preferably electric, powered by a battery  18  ( FIG. 2 ) inside the body. A suitable motor is the Rctimer 5010-530KV Multicopter Brushless Motor. 
         [0020]    The respective motor speeds are controlled by an on-board flight regulator  20 , which can be pre-programmed to run a sequence of takeoff, short mid-air flight time, and descent/landing. A suitable speed regulator is the RCTimer NFS ESC 45A (OPTO) Speed Controller. 
         [0021]    The regulator is paired with a flight controller  22  which controls and the pitch and yaw of the propellors, and optionally other aerodynamic surfaces. A suitable controller is the HobbyKing KK2.1HC Multi-Rotor Hard Case Flight Control Board With Remote Programmer “HobbyKing” is a registered trademark of hexTronik Limited Company, Hong Kong. 
         [0022]    Alternatively, or in addition, the controller can include a radio receiver  24  ( FIG. 3 ), responsive to a remote hand-held radio transmitter  26 . A suitable transmitter/receiver is the Hobby King 2.4 Ghz 6 Ch Tx &amp; Rx V2—Mode 2. 
         [0023]    As a further alternative, shown in  FIG. 4 , a cell phone  28  or similar device on a cellular network, running an app designed to control the decoy, might be used in place of a radio transmitter. 
         [0024]    The body can have movable control surfaces thereon, whose position is regulated by servos actuated by the controller. Hitec 326455 HS-645MG High Torque 2BB Metal Gear Servos are suitable for this application. 
         [0025]    While the presently preferred location of the propellors is in the wings, it would be possible to create an alternative form of the invention in which the propellors  14  are supported on another part of the body  10 . One such alternative is shown in  FIG. 5 . In this case, the motors for the propellors could be situated inside the body  10 . Other variations may prove useful as well. 
         [0026]    Radio controlled model helicopters are well known. Their construction being a matter of ordinary design skill, further details are not described above. 
         [0027]    Specific hardware components are identified above to enable a person of ordinary skill to make and use the invention. However, other functionally similar components may be substituted, and may even prove superior. Since the invention is subject to such substitutions and other modifications, the foregoing description and the accompanying drawing should be interpreted as only illustrative of the invention, whose scope is to be measured by the claims below.