Patent Publication Number: US-6659839-B2

Title: Model aircraft capable of reproducing flight attitude

Description:
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to toy or model aircraft that can reproduce the flight attitude of corresponding aircraft. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Some pieces of what is called toy aircraft have been known to include a rotatable propeller or to make a shooting sound of a strafe or sparks. However, these toys simply appear like corresponding real aircraft and can be converted into toy cars or animals by slight alterations. Accordingly, they are entirely different from toys or models having the characteristics of corresponding rear aircraft. In contrast, model aircraft produced by scaling down corresponding real aircraft is provided for show. Among such model aircrafts, solid models are considered to be best and are rather characterized by the absence of a movable part compared to simple toy aircraft. 
     Therefore, there have been few examples of toy or model aircraft which are quite different from simple toys and which are industrially mass-produced. Scale models made of plastics are industrially produced, and a large number of such products are commercially available. However, even if, for example, a motor can be integrated into such a model to allow a propeller to be rotated, this model still fails to sufficiently reproduce the operational status of rear aircraft. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is provided in view of these points, and it is an object thereof to provide motions that can reproduce the operational status or flight attitude of real aircraft. Another object of the present invention is to provide a toy or model having the characteristics of miniaturized aircraft with motions similar to those of corresponding real aircraft to allow a user to enjoy a sense of operation as is the case with a simulator. 
     These and other objects have been attained by the model aircraft according to the present invention comprising vertical motion means for enabling a model aircraft to ascend or descend in order to reproduce changes in position from a state in which the aircraft is set at a lower position so as to copy the attitude of a corresponding real aircraft during a halt on the ground to a state in which the aircraft is set at a higher position so as to copy the attitude of the corresponding real aircraft during a flight, and attitude control means for enabling the aircraft to be inclined in longitudinal and lateral directions in order to reproduce longitudinal and lateral motions of the aircraft. The attitude control means being provided at a tip portion of the vertical motion means, so that an operation performed by the vertical motion means can be synthesized by an operation performed by the attitude control means. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an explanatory side view showing the model aircraft capable of reproducing a flight attitude according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an explanatory plan view of Embodiment 1; 
     FIG. 3 is an explanatory perspective view showing operation mechanisms mounted in the model aircraft; 
     FIG.  4 ( a ) is an explanatory side view showing a horizontal attitude of the model aircraft; 
     FIG.  4 ( b ) is an explanatory side view showing a descent of the aircraft; 
     FIG.  4 ( c ) is an explanatory side view showing an ascent of the aircraft; 
     FIG.  5 ( a ) is an explanatory front view showing a horizontal attitude of the aircraft; 
     FIG.  5 ( b ) is an explanatory front view showing a right turn of the aircraft; 
     FIG.  5 ( c ) is an explanatory front view showing a left turn of the aircraft; 
     FIG.  6 ( a ) is a plan view showing that landing gears are down; 
     FIG.  6 ( b ) shows a front view showing that the landing gears are down; 
     FIG.  7 ( a ) is a plan view showing that the left landing gear is up; 
     FIG.  7 ( b ) is a front view showing that the left landing gear is up; 
     FIG.  8 ( a ) is a plan view showing that the right landing gear is up; 
     FIG.  8 ( b ) is a front view showing that the right landing gear is up; 
     FIG.  9 ( a ) is a plan view showing that both landing gears are completely up; 
     FIG.  9 ( b ) is a front view showing that both landing gears are completely up; 
     FIG. 10 is an explanatory side view showing an external control section and a change in flight attitude; 
     FIG.  11 ( a ) is an explanatory front view showing a horizontal flight attitude; 
     FIG.  11 ( b ) is an explanatory front view showing a right turn attitude; 
     FIG. 12 is an explanatory side view showing the model aircraft according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention; 
     FIG. 13 is an explanatory plan view showing the model aircraft according to Embodiment 2; and 
     FIG. 14 is an explanatory perspective view showing operation mechanisms mounted in the aircraft of Embodiment 2. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     The model aircraft according to the present invention appears like a miniaturized aircraft whether or not the corresponding real aircraft exists, and is similar to toy aircraft in certain respects. The term aircraft, as used herein, refers to aerodyne or rotorcraft, a rocket, an airship, a balloon, or all structures or mechanical apparatuses that fly regardless of floating means they use, such as static buoyancy or aerodynamic lift. The model aircraft according to the present invention must be able to reproduce the flight attitude of the aircraft listed above. 
     To achieve this, the present model aircraft reproduces changes in position from a state in which a model aircraft is held in position so as to copy the attitude of a corresponding real aircraft during a halt on the ground to a state in which the aircraft is set at a higher position so as to copy the attitude of the corresponding real aircraft during a flight. For this purpose, vertical motion means is required which enable the aircraft to ascend or descend. The vertical motion means changes the position of the aircraft, i.e., higher or lower. The position of the aircraft on the ground and the position thereof during a flight are examples of such changes. However, if the attitude or form of the aircraft on the ground differs markedly from the attitude or form thereof during a flight, no problem occurs when setting the aircraft at a lower position so as to allow the ground attitude thereof to be reproduced. 
     The vertical motion means preferably has an expandable arm-like portion. It is not important what mechanism is used to make the arm-like portion expandable, any mechanisms or means can be employed. However, the most preferable mode is a foldable and movable mechanism, and a telescopic mechanism is to follow. The foldable and movable mechanism allows the height of the model aircraft to be easily and significantly changed and enables quick operations. 
     The present invention also requires attitude control means for enabling the model aircraft to be inclined in longitudinal and lateral directions. The longitudinal and lateral inclinations correspond to motions of the aircraft. That is, rotational motions in the longitudinal direction of the body axis correspond to pitching, whereas rotational motions in the lateral direction of the body axis correspond to rolling. These longitudinal and lateral motions of the aircraft allow the attitude of the aircraft to be substantially reproduced, but yawing around the perpendicular of the body axis may be added if required. 
     The attitude control means is provided at a tip portion of the vertical motion means so as to allow the model aircraft to reproduce an operation which is the synthesis of an operation performed by the vertical motion means with an operation performed by the attitude control means. As a result, the attitude of the aircraft during a flight is reproduced, that is, the attitude during taxiing on and taking off from the ground, an ascent, horizontal cruising, a lateral turn, a descent, landing, or vertical taking off or landing. The real aircraft requires lateral inclination in order to perform a motion to trigger a turn and thus change the flight direction. However, to reproduce this motion, it is possible to mount the vertical motion means on a support portion and to provide a rotating function for the support portion to cause a rotation in the turning direction simultaneously with an inclining motion of the aircraft. 
     The model aircraft of the present invention is provided with movable elements such as rotating portions such as propellers or rotors; retractable landing gears; or movable wings. Further, the model aircraft or its support portion may have sound generating means integrated therewith to reproduce sounds made during a flight of real aircraft. Further, lights can be easily turned on or off. All or some of these operating elements are operative. 
     Operations of the vertical motion means, attitude control means, operating elements, and sound generating means may be automatically controlled according to predetermined programs or may be externally manually controlled. Of course, the automatic control and the external manual control may be concurrently used. An automatic control section or external control section for operations is connected to one or all of the vertical motion means, attitude control means, movable elements, and sound generating means. The connection may be achieved using wired, wireless, or infrared communication lines, or other means. 
     The support portion has the vertical motion means mounted at one end thereof and may have the rotating function provided therein. It may also be used as a pedestal on which the model aircraft is held in its ground attitude. That is, the support portion can be used as a display pedestal and can further be used to install a speaker therein for sound generation. 
     In the present invention, the attitude control means can be provided at the tip portion of the vertical motion means. If the attitude control means is provided inside the model aircraft and the vertical motion means is formed like a stand arm, the model aircraft can be constructed so that the tip portion of the vertical motion means can be separated from the model aircraft including the attitude control means. This construction enables the model aircraft to be replaced with a different one, thereby allowing the model aircraft to be more easily manufactured. On the other hand, a certain model aircraft can be replaced with a different one so that the latter can be operated. 
     The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to an illustrated embodiment. FIG. 1 generally shows Embodiment 1 in which the present invention has been applied to a scale model of a single-engine and single-seat fighter with retractable landing gears used during World War II, as an example of fixed wing aircraft. 
     In FIG. 1, reference numeral  11  denotes an aircraft body of the model aircraft, and reference numeral  12  denotes vertical motion means for enabling the model aircraft to be moved in the vertical direction at a support portion  13 . The support portion  13  is sized to hold the aircraft body  11  in its landing attitude, and is stable enough to withstand a change in gravity of the entire aircraft associated with a change in attitude of the aircraft body  11  during an ascent. The support portion  13  is composed of a base  14  and a rotating portion  15  that can be rotated relative to the base  14 . The rotating portion  15  is fixed to the base  14  at the central shaft  16 . Reference numeral  17  denotes a gear around the central shaft, and reference numeral  18  denotes a source of motion including a reduction gear set meshing with the gear  17  as well as a motor. 
     The lower end of the vertical motion means  12  is rotatably supported by a support shaft  20  in the support portion  13  so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The vertical motion means  12  includes an arm portion  19  extending further from the lower end thereof and having a mating screw  22  mating with a screw shaft  21  provided in the support portion so that the screw shaft  21  can be rotated to change the position of the vertical motion means relative to the support shaft  20  for vertical motions. Reference numeral  23  denotes a source of motion including a reduction gear set and a motor. The vertical motion means  12  is constructed in such a manner that lower and upper members  24  and  25  are supported at a position close to an articulated portion and that meshing portions  26  and  27  formed at ends of the lower and upper members mesh with each other so that the vertical motion means  12  can be bent at the articulated portion by changing the angle thereof at the articulated portion bend. The lower and upper members  24  and  25  are provided with lower and upper parallel members  28  and  29 , respectively, to constitute a link mechanism that enables the lower and upper sets to move parallel with each other. The set of members  25  and  29  for upper parallel motions is provided with a tip portion  30  at the other end thereof. 
     The tip portion  30  is linked to attitude control means  31  including a pitching mechanism  32  for vertical motions of the aircraft and a rolling mechanism  33  for lateral motions of the aircraft. The pitching mechanism  32  has a rotating shaft  35  of a source of motion  34  composed of a motor and a speed reducer, a rotating arm  36  attached to the rotating shaft  35 , a linking member  37  that links the rotating arm  36  to the tip portion  30  of the vertical motion means  12 , and a coupling shaft  38 A that links the aircraft body  11  to the tip portion  30  of the vertical motion means  12  (see FIG.  4 ). The rolling mechanism  33  has a rotating arm  42  attached to a rotating shaft  41  of a source of motion  40  composed of a motor and a speed reducer, a pin  43  provided at the other end of the rotating arm  42 , and a guide slot  44  formed at the tip portion  30  of the vertical motion means  12  and extending in the vertical direction so that rotation of the pin  43  is guided through the guide slot  44  to swing the aircraft body  11  around a coupling shaft  38 B (FIG.  5 ). The coupling shafts  38 A and  38 B pass through the aircraft body  11  in the lateral and longitudinal directions, respectively. 
     The aircraft contains a rotating mechanism  46  for a propeller  45 , a retractable landing gear mechanism  47 , and a lighting device  48 . The rotating mechanism  46  for the propeller  45  is linked with sound generating means for reproducing the roar of real aircraft corresponding to the present model aircraft. A speaker  50  is installed inside the support portion  13  as a part of the sound generating means. 
     The retractable landing gear mechanism  47  is shown in detail in FIGS. 6 to  9  together with examples of operations. The retractable landing gear  47  has a source of motion  51  composed of a motor with a speed reducer, a crank  52  integrated with the source of motion  51 , links  53  and  54  extending laterally from the crank  52 , racks  55  and  56  integrated with the links  53  and  54 , respectively, and pinions  57  and  58  meshing with the racks  55  and  56 , respectively. The pinions  57  and  58  are fixed to retractable rotting shafts of right and left wheels  61  and  62 , respectively. This mechanism  47  has a time differential mechanism using spring means  59  in order to reproduce a system that retracts the right and left landing gears at different times as in some aircraft. 
     FIG. 6 shows that the landing gears are down and that no force is exerted on the right and left links  53  and  54 . When the source of motion  51  is activated, the entire crank unit of the source of motion, is rotated rightward in FIG.  7 ( a ) around an axis  60  thereof, and force is first applied to the link  54  to raise the right wheel  62  (FIG.  8 ). Then, the force that has been rotating the unit rightward is suppressed, so that the unit starts to rotate in the opposite direction to exert force that pushes the link  53 , while the right link  54  is still being pushed. Finally, uniform force is exerted on the right and left links  53  and  54 , arranged in a line, to completely retract the right and left landing gears (FIG.  9 ). 
     The operation of the above described model aircraft is controlled by a controller  65 , shown in FIG.  10 . The controller  65  is a wired external control section connect to control devices inside the support portion  13  and inside the aircraft body  11  via a wire  66 . The controller  65  has a main switch  67  used both for a power supply and for lighting, a switch  68  used to rotate the propeller and to reproduce an associated roar, and a switch  69  used to raise and lower the retractable landing gears, as well as a stick-like operator  70  that can be pivoted forward and backward, and rightward and leftward so as to operate the attitude control means  31 . The operator  70  is provided with a button  71  used for upward and downward motions and a strafe shooting button  72 . 
     When the main switch  67  is turned on, a power supply circuit is switched on to blink a wing tip light of the lighting device, while lighting a tail light, indicating that the power supply is on. When the second switch  68  is turned on, the propeller  45  is rotated and a roar is provided by the speaker  50 . The roar is desirably generated by a storage element having the sound of the engine of the corresponding real aircraft recorded thereon and contains an idling sound, an overload operation sound, a normal operation sound, and other sounds. When the stick-like operator  70  is held and the upward and downward motion operation button  71  is pulled downward, the aircraft body  11  is inclined as it is in the ascended attitude. On the other hand, when the upward and downward motion operation button  71  is pushed upward, the aircraft body  11  is inclined a it is in the descended attitude. An ascent and descent of the aircraft body  11  are shown in FIG. 10 at a top, middle, and bottom positions. Thus the operator  70  is pushed frontward (D), the aircraft body  11  assumes a descending attitude. On the other hand, when the operator  70  is pushed backward (P), the aircraft body  11  assumes an ascending attitude. During the ascent or descent, the landing gears can be up or down. Inclining the operator  70  leftward causes the aircraft body  11  to start turning leftward (L), while inclining the operator  70  rightward causes the aircraft body  11  to start turning rightward (R). Continuing to incline the operator leftward or rightward allows the rotating portion  15  to rotate in this direction. See FIGS.  11 ( a ) and  11 ( b ). 
     In this manner, the aircraft body  11  of the model aircraft of the present invention can be moved in the same manner as the corresponding real aircraft. That is, the aircraft body  11  can also function as a device that can simulate motions of the corresponding real aircraft. Furthermore, it can assume a flight attitude that cannot be assumed by the corresponding real aircraft, and is safe. Therefore, it can also be used as teaching material for flight performances. 
     In Embodiment 2, the present invention is applied to a helicopter. As illustrated in FIGS. 12 to  14 , the aircraft body  11  in Embodiment 1 is converted into an aircraft body  81  of a helicopter. Accordingly, the aircraft  81  is equipped with a main rotor  82  and a tail rotor  83  in place of the propeller but need not retract a landing gear  84 . A tail stabilizer  85  may be movable so as to operate in response to or independently of a change in attitude of the aircraft. The construction of Embodiment 2, shown in FIGS. 12 to  14 , is basically similar to that of Embodiment 1. Thus, similar parts are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in Embodiment 1, and the detailed description thereof is omitted. Besides these parts, reference numeral  86  denotes a source of motion used to rotate the main rotor,  87  is a source of motion used to rotate the tail rotor, and  88  is a stabilizer driving system. 
     The operation of ascending or descending the aircraft body  81  of the helicopter, causing the aircraft body  81  to assume a forward or backward inclined attitude, and turning the aircraft body  81  rightward or leftward is exactly the same as those in Embodiment 1. In this case, the aircraft body  81  can take off substantially perpendicularly to the ground and land on the ground substantially perpendicularly thereto. Further, rotation of the main and tail rotors  82  and  83  and making of the roar of the engine concurrently with rotation of the rotor can be carried out in the same manner as in Embodiment 1. Additionally, the aircraft body  81  is also equipped with a lighting device  48  that is lighted when the controller  65  turns on the main power supply. 
     Thus, in this invention, the attitude control means is provided at the tip portion of the vertical motion means, thereby producing effects not expected of conventional model aircraft; that is, it is possible to faithfully reproduce the flight attitude of the corresponding real aircraft and the motions associated with flight. In particular, a scale model properly copying the characteristics of corresponding real aircraft can be provided with motions similar to those of corresponding real aircraft, thereby allowing the user to enjoy a sense of piloting or operation as in the case with a simulator.