U.S. patent application number 11/378801 was filed with the patent office on 2007-05-10 for radio control flying toy.
This patent application is currently assigned to Taiyo Kogyo Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Takeo Gotou, Yoshiaki Ooe.
Application Number | 20070105474 11/378801 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38004382 |
Filed Date | 2007-05-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070105474 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gotou; Takeo ; et
al. |
May 10, 2007 |
Radio control flying toy
Abstract
There is disclosed a radio control flying toy in which an
airframe can be easily floated and a running direction can be
easily controlled. The toy is provided with: an airframe 11 formed
into a rectangular plate shape having a flat bottom surface on a
lower side; first to fourth propellers 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d which
are disposed in four corners forming at least a quadrangular shape
on the lower side of the airframe 11 and which feed air toward a
bottom-surface side to float the airframe 11; first to fourth
driving means 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d which drive the first to
fourth propellers 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d, respectively; a control
unit 20 which individually controls driving outputs of the first to
fourth driving means 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d, respectively; a
transmitter 30 for transmitting a control signal for flight from
the outside to the control unit 20; and a battery 21 which supplies
power to the first to fourth driving means 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d
and the control unit 20.
Inventors: |
Gotou; Takeo; (Taito-ku,
JP) ; Ooe; Yoshiaki; (Taito-ku, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
JORDAN AND HAMBURG LLP
122 EAST 42ND STREET
SUITE 4000
NEW YORK
NY
10168
US
|
Assignee: |
Taiyo Kogyo Co., Ltd.
Taito-ku
JP
|
Family ID: |
38004382 |
Appl. No.: |
11/378801 |
Filed: |
March 16, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
446/37 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63H 27/12 20130101;
A63H 27/02 20130101; A63H 30/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
446/037 |
International
Class: |
A63H 27/127 20060101
A63H027/127 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 9, 2005 |
JP |
2005-324666 |
Claims
1. A radio control flying toy comprising: an airframe formed into a
rectangular plate shape and having a bottom surface which is flat
on a lower side; first to fourth propellers which are disposed in
four corners forming at least a quadrangular shape on the lower
side of the airframe and which feed air to a bottom-surface side to
float the airframe; first to fourth driving means for driving the
first to fourth propellers, respectively; a control unit which
individually controls driving outputs of the first to fourth
driving means, respectively; a transmitter which transmits a
control signal for flight from the outside to the control unit; and
a battery which supplies power to the first to fourth driving means
and the control unit.
2. The radio control flying toy according to claim 1, wherein the
airframe is constituted of an upper main body which contains the
control unit and the battery and a lower main body disposed under
the upper main body and formed into a rectangular plate shape,
attaching holes are made in positions of the four corners forming
the quadrangular shape of the lower main body, and the first to
fourth propellers are disposed in the attaching holes.
3. The radio control flying toy according to claim 1, wherein the
first to fourth propellers include a pair of propellers positioned
along one diagonal line of the four corners forming the
quadrangular shape of the airframe and rotated in one direction,
and a pair of propellers positioned along the other diagonal line
and rotated in the other direction.
4. The radio control flying toy according to claim 1, wherein the
first to fourth propellers include a pair of propellers positioned
on the right side of the four corners forming the quadrangular
shape of the airframe and rotated in one direction, and a pair of
propellers positioned on the left side and rotated in the other
direction.
5. The radio control flying toy according to claim 1, wherein the
transmitter has an operation lever for generating a control signal
to individually raise or lower the driving outputs of the first to
fourth driving means.
6. The radio control flying toy according to claim 5, wherein the
operation lever has right and left operation levers which rotate
the propellers from a perpendicular state toward one side and the
other side, and generates the control signal to individually raise
or lower the driving output of any of the first to fourth driving
means in response to rotating operations of the right and left
operation levers to one side and the other side, respectively.
7. The radio control flying toy according to claim 1, wherein the
transmitter has an operation button for generating a control signal
to individually raise or lower the driving outputs of the first to
fourth driving means, respectively.
8. The radio control flying toy according to claim 7, wherein the
operation button has four operation buttons corresponding to the
first to fourth driving means for front, back, left, and right,
respectively.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a radio control flying toy
which can feed air to an airframe on a bottom-surface side to float
the airframe along a flat running plane, thereby freely flying the
airframe.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Heretofore, Hovercraft (trade name), an air cushion vehicle
or the like has been generally known as a ground effect machine or
a vehicle which travels utilizing a lift force of an air cushion
contained between a bottom surface of an airframe and a running
surface such as a ground or water surface on a lower side, or
ground effects of wings. As a toy which travels under remote
control utilizing a principle of such ground effect machine, the
present applicant discloses a technology concerning an air cushion
toy in which a skirt portion formed into an expandable/contractible
bag shape is attached to a lower peripheral edge of a main body,
and air is sucked from the outside by a blower for floating
disposed in the main body to introduce the air into a main body
bottom part surrounded with the skirt portion. Moreover, the air is
introduced into the skirt portion to expand the portion, the main
body is accordingly floated, and a blower for propelling is
disposed in an upper part of the main body (see, e.g., Japanese
Utility Model Publication No. 6-20559 (second to sixth pages, FIGS.
1 to 9)).
[0005] In the conventional air cushion toy, the air is fed into the
skirt portion disposed on the main body lower part peripheral edge
by the blower for floating disposed in the main body to expand the
skirt portion, the air is fed to the bottom part of the main body
surrounded with the skirt portion, and the air is circulated
between a lower-part side of the expanded skirt portion and a
running surface such as a ground surface to float the airframe from
the running surface. Therefore, the blower for floating having a
large output has been required for uniformly circulating the air
required for expanding or floating the skirt portion. To run the
main body and freely change a direction, it has been necessary to
dispose two blowers for propelling in the upper part of the main
body, or install a mechanism which varies an air feed direction by
means of one blower for propelling. Therefore, a large driving
power supply is required for driving the blower for flying or
propelling, and there is a fear that power consumption increases
and flight for a long time cannot be performed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention has been developed in view of the
above-described situations, and an object thereof is to provide a
radio control flying toy capable of easily floating an airframe and
simply controlling a running direction.
[0007] To achieve the above-described object, according to the
present invention, there is provided a radio control flying toy
comprising: an airframe formed into a rectangular plate shape and
having a bottom surface which is flat on a lower side; first to
fourth propellers which are disposed in four corners forming at
least a quadrangular shape on the lower side of the airframe and
which feed air to a bottom-surface side to float the airframe;
first to fourth driving means for driving the first to fourth
propellers, respectively; a control unit which individually
controls driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means,
respectively; a transmitter which transmits a control signal for
flight from the outside to the control unit; and a battery which
supplies power to the first to fourth driving means and the control
unit. The transmitter transmits the control signal for flight to
the control unit, and the control unit individually controls the
driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means to change
rotation speeds of the first to fourth propellers. Accordingly, the
airframe can be easily floated, and the running direction can be
easily controlled.
[0008] In the present invention, the airframe is constituted of an
upper main body which contains the control unit and the battery and
a lower main body disposed under the upper main body and formed
into a rectangular plate shape, attaching holes are made in
positions of the four corners forming the quadrangular shape of the
lower main body, and the first to fourth propellers are disposed in
the attaching holes. The first to fourth propellers can be easily
disposed in the attaching holes made in positions of the four
corners of the lower main body forming the quadrangular shape.
[0009] In the present invention, the first to fourth propellers
include a pair of propellers positioned along one diagonal line of
the four corners forming the quadrangular shape of the airframe and
rotated in one direction, and a pair of propellers positioned along
the other diagonal line and rotated in the other direction. The
pair of propellers positioned along one diagonal line and those
positioned along the other diagonal line can be rotated in mutually
opposite directions to thereby control advancing, backing, or
swiveling to the left/right.
[0010] In the present invention, the first to fourth propellers
include a pair of propellers positioned on the right side of the
four corners forming the quadrangular shape of the airframe and
rotated in one direction, and a pair of propellers positioned on
the left side and rotated in the other direction. The pair of
propellers positioned on the right side of the four corners and
those positioned on the left side are rotated in the mutually
opposite directions to thereby control the advancing, backing, or
swiveling to the left/right.
[0011] In the present invention, the transmitter has an operation
lever for generating a control signal to individually raise or
lower the driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means. The
operation lever can generate the control signal to individually
raise or lower the driving outputs of the first to fourth driving
means.
[0012] In the present invention, the operation lever has right and
left operation levers which rotate the propellers from a
perpendicular state toward one side and the other side, and
generates the control signal to individually raise or lower the
driving output of any of the first to fourth driving means in
response to rotating operations of the right and left operation
levers to one side and the other side, respectively. The running
can be easily controlled by the operations of the right and left
operation levers.
[0013] In the present invention, the transmitter has an operation
button for generating a control signal to individually raise or
lower the driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means,
respectively. The operation button can generate the control signal
to individually raise or lower the driving outputs of the first to
fourth driving means.
[0014] In the present invention, the operation button has four
operation buttons corresponding to the first to fourth driving
means for front, back, left, and right, respectively. The running
can be easily controlled by the operations of four operation
buttons.
[0015] In the present invention, the radio control flying toy is
provided with: the airframe formed into the rectangular plate shape
having the bottom surface which is flat on the lower side; the
first to fourth propellers which are disposed in the four corners
forming at least the quadrangular shape on the lower side of the
airframe and which feed the air to the bottom-surface side to float
the airframe; the first to fourth driving means for driving the
first to fourth propellers, respectively; the control unit which
individually controls the driving outputs of the first to fourth
driving means, respectively; the transmitter which transmits the
control signal for flight from the outside to the control unit; and
the battery which supplies the power to the first to fourth driving
means and the control unit. Accordingly, the transmitter transmits
the control signal for flight to the control unit, and the control
unit individually controls the driving outputs of the first to
fourth driving means, respectively, to change rotation speeds of
the first to fourth propellers. In consequence, the airframe can be
easily floated, and the running direction can be easily
controlled.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a radio control flying toy
in a first embodiment of the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the radio control flying toy in the
first embodiment of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 3 is a sectional view along line A-A of the radio
control flying toy of FIG. 2 in the first embodiment of the present
invention;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a back view of the radio control flying toy in the
first embodiment of the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 5 is a side view of the radio control flying toy in the
first embodiment of the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the radio control flying toy
in the first embodiment of the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a control operation of the
radio control flying toy in the first embodiment of the present
invention;
[0023] FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of a state in which the radio
control flying toy floats in the first embodiment of the present
invention;
[0024] FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of a state in which the radio
control flying toy moves forwards in the first embodiment of the
present invention;
[0025] FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of an operation of a
transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy floats in
the first embodiment of the present invention;
[0026] FIG. 11 is an explanatory view of an operation of the
transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy moves
forwards in the first embodiment of the present invention;
[0027] FIG. 12 is an explanatory view of an operation of the
transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy moves
backwards in the first embodiment of the present invention;
[0028] FIG. 13 is an explanatory view of an operation of the
transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy swivels
clockwise in the first embodiment of the present invention;
[0029] FIG. 14 is an explanatory view of an operation of the
transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy swivels
counterclockwise in the first embodiment of the present
invention;
[0030] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a radio control flying toy
in a second embodiment of the present invention;
[0031] FIG. 16 is a plan view of the radio control flying toy in
the second embodiment of the present invention;
[0032] FIG. 17 is an explanatory view of an operation of a
transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy floats in
the second embodiment of the present invention;
[0033] FIG. 18 is an explanatory view of an operation of the
transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy moves
forwards in the second embodiment of the present invention;
[0034] FIG. 19 is an explanatory view of an operation of the
transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy moves
backwards in the second embodiment of the present invention;
[0035] FIG. 20 is an explanatory view of an operation of the
transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy swivels
clockwise in the second embodiment of the present invention;
and
[0036] FIG. 21 is an explanatory view of an operation of the
transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy swivels
counterclockwise in the second embodiment of the present
invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0037] One embodiment of the present invention will be described
hereinafter in more detail with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1
to 7 are explanatory views of a constitution of a radio control
flying toy in a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1
is a perspective view of the radio control flying toy; FIG. 2 is a
plan view of the radio control flying toy; FIG. 3 is a sectional
view along line A-A of the radio control flying toy of FIG. 2; FIG.
4 is a back view of the radio control flying toy; FIG. 5 is a side
view of the radio control flying toy; FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view
of the radio control flying toy; and FIG. 7 is a block diagram
showing a control operation of the radio control flying toy.
[0038] In these drawings, in the first embodiment of the present
invention, a radio control flying toy 10 is a flying toy which can
be enjoyed by floating and freely flying the toy above a flat
running surface 1 such as a ground or water surface in the outdoor,
or a floor surface in the indoor. This radio control flying toy 10
is provided with: an airframe 11; first to fourth propellers 16a,
16b, 16c, and 16d which are disposed in positions of four corners
forming a quadrangular shape on the lower side of the airframe 11
so as to feed air toward the running surface 1 below; first to
fourth driving means 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d which drive the first
to fourth propellers 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d, respectively; a
control unit 20 which individually controls driving outputs of the
first to fourth driving means 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d, respectively,
and which is disposed in the airframe 11; a transmitter 30 for
transmitting a control signal for flight from the outside to the
control unit 20; a battery 21 which supplies power to the first to
fourth driving means 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d and the control unit
20.
[0039] The airframe 11 is constituted of an upper main body 12, and
a lower main body 13 disposed under the upper main body 12, and
they are molded of, for example, lightweight plastic materials or
the like, respectively. The upper main body 12 is formed into a
forwardly or backwardly elongated case shape along a running
direction, a circuit substrate constituting the control unit 20,
the battery 21 and the like are contained in the upper main body,
and a receiving antenna 22 is attached to an upper portion of the
upper main body on a rear side. The lower main body 13 has a flat
bottom surface 14 parallel to the running surface 1 on a lower
side, front right and left portions of the lower main body in the
running direction are protruded forwards into semicircular shapes,
rear right and left portions of the lower main body in the running
direction are protruded rearwards into semicircular shapes, and the
lower main body is entirely formed into a rectangular plate shape.
The upper main body 12 is attached to the upper surface of the
center of the lower main body 13. Circular attaching holes 15a,
15b, 15c, and 15d are made in the positions of four front, rear,
right, and left corners forming the quadrangular shape of the lower
main body 13 formed into the rectangular plate shape. The first to
fourth propellers 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d for feeding the air toward
the running surface 1 side, respectively, are disposed in these
attaching holes 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d. These first to fourth
propellers 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d are driven by the first to fourth
driving means 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d, respectively. These first to
fourth driving means 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d are electric motors
disposed in, for example, central positions of the attaching holes
15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d while driving shafts are protruded
downwards, and the first to fourth propellers 16a, 16b, 16c, and
16d are attached to the driving shafts, respectively. These first
to fourth driving means 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d are attached to the
corresponding attaching holes 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d of the lower
main body 13 via a plurality of attaching members 18a, 18b, 18c,
and 18d formed into plate shapes. That is, these first to fourth
driving means 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d are attached to positions
where output shafts provided with the first to fourth propellers
16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d, respectively, are directed perpendicularly
downwards in the centers of the corresponding attaching holes 15a,
15b, 15c, and 15d. As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of the first
propeller 16a and the fourth propeller 16d positioned along one
diagonal line of four corners forming the quadrangular shape of the
airframe 11 are rotated in the same clockwise direction, and a pair
of the second propeller 16b and the third propeller 16c positioned
along the other diagonal line of are rotated in the same
counterclockwise direction.
[0040] The control unit 20 is a control substrate disposed in the
upper main body 12 to control running. As shown in FIG. 7, the
control unit is constituted of: a power switch 19; a receiving
circuit 23 which receives a control signal transmitted from the
transmitter 30 via the antenna 22; a control circuit 24 which
generates a control signal based on a signal received from this
receiving circuit 23; a driving circuit 25 which controls driving
outputs of the first to fourth driving means 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d
based on the control signal of this control circuit 24 and the
like. The battery 21 disposed inside the upper main body 12
supplies power to the receiving circuit 23, the control circuit 24,
the driving circuit 25, and the first to fourth driving means 17a,
17b, 17c, and 17d.
[0041] The transmitter 30 is a unit which transmits a control
signal for running to the control unit 20, and is constituted of: a
power switch 36; an operating section 33 which operates to control
the running; a signal generation circuit 34 which generates a
signal based on the operation of this operating section 33; a
transmission circuit 31 which transmits a signal from this signal
generation circuit 34 as a radio wave; an antenna 35 for
transmission; a battery 32 which supplies power to the signal
generation circuit 34 or the transmission circuit 31 and the like.
As shown in FIG. 1, the transmitter 30 has a case section provided
with the antenna 35 for transmission and manually held to operate,
and the operating section 33 is provided with a right operation
lever 37 and a left operation lever 38 which are to be operated
with fingertips and which protrude perpendicularly from the surface
of the case section. These right and left operation levers 37 and
38 can be rotated vertically with the fingertips against an urging
force of a spring or the like from a state perpendicular to a side
(upper side) provided with the antenna 35 and an opposite side
(lower side). The right operation lever 37 is a lever for
controlling driving outputs of the second driving means 17b and the
fourth driving means 17d which are positioned on the right side of
the lower main body 13. The left operation lever 38 is a lever for
controlling driving outputs of the first driving means 17a and the
third driving means 17c which are positioned on the left side of
the lower main body 13. When this right operation lever 37 is
rotated upwards, the driving output of the fourth driving means 17d
is raised from usual 60% to about 100%. When the right operation
lever is rotated downwards, the driving output of the second
driving means 17b is raised from usual 60% to about 100%. When this
left operation lever 38 is rotated upwards, the driving output of
the third driving means 17c is raised from usual 60% to about 100%.
When the left operation lever is rotated downwards, the driving
output of the first driving means 17a is raised from usual 60% to
about 100%.
[0042] Next, an operation of the radio control flying toy 10
constituted as described above will be described. FIGS. 8 to 14 are
explanatory views of the operation of the radio control flying toy
in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is an
explanatory view of a state in which the radio control flying toy
floats; FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of a state in which the radio
control flying toy moves forwards; FIG. 10 is an explanatory view
of an operation of a transmitter at a time when the radio control
flying toy floats; FIG. 11 is an explanatory view of an operation
of the transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy
moves forwards; FIG. 12 is an explanatory view of an operation of
the transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy moves
backwards; FIG. 13 is an explanatory view of an operation of the
transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy swivels
clockwise; and FIG. 14 is an explanatory view of an operation of
the transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy swivels
counterclockwise.
[0043] First, to operate the radio control flying toy 10, the flat
bottom surface 14 of the lower main body 13 is disposed on the
running surface 1. Subsequently, when the power switch 19 is turned
on, the driving circuit 25 of the control unit 20 drive all of the
first to fourth driving means 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d with the equal
driving output of 60%, all of the first to fourth propellers 16a,
16b, 16c, and 16d attached to the respective output axes rotate at
an equal speed, and air is sent downwards from the respective
attaching holes 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d toward a running surface 1
side. As shown in FIG. 8, the air sent downwards from these
attaching holes 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d is sent between the flat
bottom surface 14 of the lower main body 13 and the running surface
1. When the air flows toward a periphery of the lower main body 13,
a space is generated in which the air flows between the bottom
surface 14 of the lower main body 13 and the running surface 1, and
the airframe 11 floats above the running surface 1 in a stopped
state. In this case, the first and fourth propellers 16a and 16d
positioned along one diagonal line, and the second and third
propellers 16b and 16c positioned along the other diagonal line are
driven in mutually opposite directions at the equal speed.
Therefore, a force for reversing the airframe 11 by rotating the
respective first to fourth propellers 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d is
balanced, and the airframe 11 floats above the running surface 1
without swiveling counterclockwise or clockwise. In this case, in
the transmitter 30 in which the power switch 36 is turned on, as
shown in FIG. 10, the right and left operation levers 37 and 38 of
the operating section 33 have perpendicular states without being
operated with the fingertips.
[0044] Next, to move forwards the floated radio control flying toy
10, as shown in FIG. 11, when the right and left operation levers
37 and 38 are simultaneously rotated toward an antenna 35 side
(upwards) in the operating section 33 of the transmitter 30, the
signal generation circuit 34 generates a signal to raise the
driving outputs of the third and fourth driving means 17c and 17d
from 60% to 100%, and the signal is transmitted from the
transmission circuit 31 to the antenna 35. This forward moving
signal is received by the receiving circuit 23 via the antenna 22
of the control unit 20, and further transmitted from the control
circuit 24 to the driving circuit 25. The driving outputs of the
corresponding third and fourth driving means 17c and 17d rise from
60% to 100%. The rises of the driving outputs of these third and
fourth driving means 17c and 17d raise rotation speeds of the third
and fourth propellers 16c and 16d disposed on the left and right
sides. As shown in FIG. 9, a feed air amount on the rear side of
the airframe 11 increases to move forwards the airframe 11. In this
case, even when the rotation speeds of the third and fourth
propellers 16c and 16d on the rear left and right sides rise, the
propellers rotate in the mutually opposite directions. Therefore,
the force for reversing the airframe 11 is balanced, and the
airframe 11 can be moved forwards without swiveling
counterclockwise or clockwise.
[0045] Next, to move backwards the floated radio control flying toy
10, as shown in FIG. 12, when the right and left operation levers
37 and 38 are simultaneously rotated on a side opposite to the
antenna 35 (downwards) in the operating section 33 of the
transmitter 30, the signal generation circuit 34 generates a signal
to raise the driving outputs of the first and second driving means
17a and 17b as described above from 60% to 100% as described above.
On receiving this signal, the driving circuit 25 of the control
unit 20 raise the driving outputs of the first and second driving
means 17a and 17b, and the rotation speeds of the first and second
propellers 16a and 16b disposed on front left and right sides rise.
As shown in FIG. 12, when the feed air amount increases on the
front left and right sides of the airframe 11, the airframe 11
moves backwards. In this case, even when the rotation speeds of the
first and second propellers 16a and 16b rise in the same manner as
in the forward movement, the propellers rotate in the mutually
opposite directions. Therefore, the force for reversing the
airframe 11 is balanced, and the airframe 11 can be moved backwards
without swiveling counterclockwise or clockwise.
[0046] Next, to swivel clockwise the floated radio control flying
toy 10, as shown in FIG. 13, when the right operation lever 37 is
rotated downwards with the fingertip, and the left operation lever
38 is rotated upwards with the fingertip in the operating section
33 of the transmitter 30, the rotation speeds of the front right
second propeller 16b and the rear left third propeller 16c rise in
accordance with the rises of the driving outputs of the second and
third second driving means 17b and 17c corresponding to the
respective levers. Since these second and third propellers 16b and
16c rotate in the same counterclockwise direction as shown in FIG.
2, the rises of the rotation speeds generate a force for swiveling
clockwise the airframe 11. Therefore, the floated airframe 11 can
be swiveled clockwise by performing the lever operation shown in
FIG. 13. It is to be noted that it has been confirmed that the
increase of the feed air amount accompanying the rises of the
rotation speeds of the second and third propellers 16b and 16c
generates a mutually canceling force, and does not largely
influence a clockwise swiveling operation.
[0047] Next, to swivel counterclockwise the floated radio control
flying toy 10, as shown in FIG. 14, when the right operation lever
37 is rotated upwards with the fingertip, and the left operation
lever 38 is rotated downwards with the fingertip in the operating
section 33 of the transmitter 30, the rotation speeds of the rear
right fourth propeller 16d and the rear left first propeller 16a
rise in accordance with the rises of the driving outputs of the
fourth and first driving means 17d and 17a corresponding to the
respective levers. Since these fourth and first propellers 16d and
16a rotate clockwise in the same direction as shown in FIG. 2, the
rises of the rotation speeds generate a force for swiveling
counterclockwise the airframe 11. Therefore, the floated radio
control flying toy 10 can be swiveled counterclockwise by means of
the lever operation shown in FIG. 14. It is to be noted that it has
been confirmed that the increase of the feed air amount
accompanying the rises of the rotation speeds of the fourth and
first propellers 16d and 16a does not largely influence a
counterclockwise swiveling operation in the same manner as in the
clockwise swiveling.
[0048] As described above, in the radio control flying toy 10 of
the first embodiment of the present invention, information first to
fourth propellers 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d disposed in four corners
on the lower side of the airframe 11 to feed the air downwards to
the running surface 1 side are driven by the first to fourth
driving means 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d, respectively. A pair of first
and fourth propellers 16a and 16d positioned along one diagonal
line to form the quadrangular shape of four corners, and the second
and third propellers 16b and 16c positioned along the other
diagonal line are rotated in the opposite directions. Based on the
signal transmitted from the transmitter 30, the control unit 20
controls the driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means
17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d, respectively. Moreover, to float the
airframe, the first to fourth propellers 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d are
rotated at the equal low speed of about 60%. To move the airframe
forwards, the rotation speeds of the third and fourth propellers
16c and 16d on the rear left and right sides are raised. To move
the airframe backwards, the rotation speeds of the first and second
propellers 16a and 16b on the front left and right sides are
raised. To swivel the airframe clockwise, the rotation speeds of
the second and third propellers 16b and 16c are raised. To swivel
the airframe counterclockwise, the rotation speeds of the first and
fourth propellers 16a and 16d are raised. Therefore, in the radio
control flying toy 10 of the present embodiment, a structure is
simplified, a large driving power supply is not required for
driving the blower for floating or propelling unlike a conventional
air cushion toy, power consumption can be reduced, long-time flight
is possible, and the toy can be enjoyed by floating and freely
flying the toy above the flat running surface 1.
[0049] In the radio control flying toy 10 of the first embodiment,
there has been described the example in which the pair of first and
fourth propellers 16a and 16d positioned along one diagonal line
are rotated clockwise, and the pair of the second and third
propellers 16b and 16c positioned on the other diagonal line are
rotated counterclockwise. However, one pair may be rotated
counterclockwise whereas the other pair may be rotated clockwise.
In this case, the advancing and backing lever operations are the
same, but the clockwise and counterclockwise swiveling operations
are reversed. The driving outputs of the first to fourth driving
means 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d are raised from 60% to 100% in
accordance with the lever operation of the transmitter 30. However,
conversely, even when the driving outputs are lowered from 100% to
60%, the running can be controlled. In this case, the running
operation by the same lever operation differs. Furthermore, when
only one of the right and left operation levers 37 and 38 are
rotated, the swiveling operation can be performed.
[0050] FIGS. 15 and 16 are explanatory views of a constitution of a
radio control flying toy in a second embodiment of the present
invention. FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the radio control
flying toy, and FIG. 16 is a plan view of the radio control flying
toy. It is to be noted that components and members corresponding to
those of the first embodiment are denoted with the same reference
numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.
[0051] In the second embodiment of the present invention, a radio
control flying toy 40 is provided with: first to fourth propellers
16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d which are disposed in four corners forming a
quadrangular shape of a lower main body 13 on a lower side of an
airframe 11, respectively; first to fourth driving means 17a, 17b,
17c, and 17d which drive the first to fourth propellers 16a, 16b,
16c, and 16d, respectively; a control unit 20 which individually
controls driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means 17a,
17b, 17c, and 17d, respectively; a battery 21 which supplies power
to the first to fourth driving means 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d and the
control unit 20; a transmitter 50 for transmitting a control signal
for flight by a button operation from the outside to the control
unit 20 and the like in the same manner as in the first embodiment.
Unlike the first embodiment, in the radio control flying toy 40,
the first and third propellers 16a and 16c on the left side are
rotated in the same counterclockwise direction, and the second and
fourth propeller 16b and 16d on the right side are rotated in the
same clockwise direction. As shown in FIG. 15, the transmitter 50
has a case section provided with an antenna 35 for transmission and
manually held to operate, and the operating section 33 is provided
with four operation buttons 51, 52, 53, and 54 which are to be
operated horizontally and vertically with fingertips. These
operation buttons 51, 52, 53, and 54 are individually pressed,
respectively, to transmit a signal to raise the driving outputs of
the corresponding first to fourth driving means 17a, 17b, 17c, and
17d from usual 60% to about 100%, and another circuit constitution
is similar to that of the transmitter 30 of the first
embodiment.
[0052] Next, an operation of the radio control flying toy 40
constituted as described above will be described. FIGS. 17 to 21
are explanatory views of the operation of the radio control flying
toy in the second embodiment. FIG. 17 is an explanatory view of an
operation of a transmitter at a time when the radio control flying
toy floats; FIG. 18 is an explanatory view of an operation of the
transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy moves
forwards; FIG. 19 is an explanatory view of an operation of the
transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy moves
backwards; FIG. 20 is an explanatory view of an operation of the
transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy swivels
clockwise; and FIG. 21 is an explanatory view of an operation of
the transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy swivels
counterclockwise.
[0053] First, to operate the radio control flying toy 40, when a
power switch 19 is turned on, all of the first to fourth driving
means 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d are driven with the equal driving
output of 60%, all of the first to fourth propellers 16a, 16b, 16c,
and 16d are rotated at an equal speed, a space is generated in
which air flows between the bottom surface 14 and a running surface
1, and the airframe 11 floats above the running surface 1 in a
stopped state in the same manner as in the first embodiment. In
this case, the first and third propellers 16a and 16c on the left
side are rotated counterclockwise, and the second and fourth
propeller 16b and 16d are rotated clockwise. Therefore, a force for
reversing the airframe 11 is balanced, and the airframe 11 floats
on the spot without swiveling counterclockwise or clockwise. In
this case, in the transmitter 50, as shown in FIG. 17, any of the
operation buttons 51, 52, 53, and 54 of the operating section 33
are not operated (not pressed).
[0054] Next, to move forwards the floated radio control flying toy
40, as shown in FIG. 18, the operation buttons 53 and 54 on a lower
side are simultaneously operated with fingertips in the operating
section 33 of the transmitter 50 (in FIG. 18, buttons to be
operated are shown by arrows. This also applies to the following
description of the button operation with reference to the
drawings). When the buttons are operated in this manner, the
driving outputs of the corresponding third and fourth driving means
17c and 17d rise from 60% to 100%, rotation speeds of the second
and fourth propeller 16b and 16d disposed on rear left and right
sides rise, and the airframe 11 moves forwards in the same manner
as in the first embodiment. In this case, even when the rotation
speeds of the third and fourth propellers 16c and 16d on the rear
left and right sides rise, the propellers rotate in the mutually
opposite directions. Therefore, the force for reversing the
airframe 11 is balanced, and the airframe 11 can be moved forwards
without swiveling counterclockwise or clockwise.
[0055] Next, to move backwards the floated radio control flying toy
40, as shown in FIG. 19, the upper operation buttons 51 and 52 are
simultaneously operated in the operating section 33 of the
transmitter 50. When the buttons are operated in this manner, the
driving outputs of the corresponding first and second driving means
17a and 17b rise from 60% to 100%, the rotation speeds of the first
and second propellers 16a and 16b disposed on front left and right
sides rise, and the airframe 11 moves backwards in the same manner
as in the first embodiment. In this case, even when the rotation
speeds of the first and second propellers 16a and 16b on the front
left and right sides rise, the propellers rotate in the mutually
opposite directions. Therefore, the force for reversing the
airframe 11 is balanced, and the airframe 11 can be moved backwards
without swiveling.
[0056] Next, to swivel clockwise the floated radio control flying
toy 40, as shown in FIG. 20, both or one of the left operation
buttons 51 and 53, for example, the lower operation button 53 is
operated with the fingertip in the operating section 33 of the
transmitter 50. When the button is operated in this manner, the
driving output of the corresponding third driving means 17c rises
from 60% to 100%, and the rotation speed of the third propeller 16c
rises. This rise of the rotation speed of the third propeller 16c
generates a force to swivel the third propeller 16c in a clockwise
direction opposite to the counterclockwise rotating direction in
the airframe 11. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 20, the floated radio
control flying toy 40 can be swiveled clockwise by operating the
button. In this case, since a force to move the airframe 11 is
simultaneously added owing to the increase of the air feed amount
accompanying the rise of the rotation speed of the third propeller
16c, an operation different from that in clockwise swiveling of the
first embodiment is performed. It is to be noted that in a case
where both of the left operation buttons 51 and 53 are operated,
the air feed amount increases accompanying the rises of the
rotation speeds of the first and third propellers 16a and 16c, and
a clockwise swiveling operation is confirmed after the airframe 11
moves rightwards.
[0057] Next, to swivel the floated radio control flying toy 40
counterclockwise, as shown in FIG. 21, both or one of the right
operation buttons 52 and 54, for example, the lower operation
button 54 is operated with the fingertip in the operating section
33 of the transmitter 50. When the button is operated in this
manner, the driving output of the corresponding fourth driving
means 17d rises from 60% to 100%, and the rotation speed of the
third propeller 16d rises. This rise of the rotation speed of the
fourth propeller 16d generates a force to swivel the fourth
propeller 16d in a counterclockwise direction opposite to the
clockwise rotating direction in the airframe 11. Therefore, as
shown in FIG. 21, the floated radio control flying toy 40 can be
swiveled counterclockwise by operating the button. In this case,
since a force to move the airframe 11 is simultaneously added owing
to the increase of the air feed amount accompanying the rise of the
rotation speed of the fourth propeller 16d, an operation different
from that in the counterclockwise swiveling of the first embodiment
is performed. It is to be noted that in a case where both of the
right operation buttons 52 and 54 are operated, the air feed amount
increases accompanying the rises of the rotation speeds of the
right second and fourth propeller 16b and 16d, and a
counterclockwise swiveling operation is confirmed after the
airframe 11 moves leftwards.
[0058] As described above, in the radio control flying toy 40 of
the second embodiment of the present invention, the first to fourth
propellers 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d to be driven by the first to
fourth driving means 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d are disposed in four
corners on the lower side of the airframe 11 in the same manner as
in the first embodiment. Moreover, the transmitter 50 raises the
driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means 17a, 17b, 17c,
and 17d corresponding to the four operation buttons 51, 52, 53, and
54 from usual 60% to about 100%. Therefore, when the driving
outputs of the first to fourth driving means 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d
are individually changed by the operation buttons 51, 52, 53, and
54, the forward moving, backward moving, and counterclockwise and
clockwise swiveling can be performed. The toy can be floated above
the flat running surface 1, freely flied, and enjoyed in the same
manner as in the first embodiment.
[0059] In the radio control flying toy 40 of the second embodiment,
there has been described the example in which the left first and
third propellers 16a and 16c are rotated in the same
counterclockwise direction, and the right second and fourth
propeller 16b and 16d are rotated in the same clockwise direction.
However, the left propellers may be rotated in the same clockwise
direction whereas the right propellers may be rotated in the same
counterclockwise direction. In this case, the button operations for
the forward and backward movements are the same, but the clockwise
swiveling operation is opposite to the counterclockwise swiveling
operation. The driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means
17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d are raised from 60% to 100% in accordance
with the lever operation of the transmitter 30, but the driving
outputs may be conversely lowered from 100% to 60%. In this case,
the running operation by the same lever operation differs.
[0060] It is to be noted that in the first and second embodiments,
the airframe 11 may be formed into an arbitrary shape as long as
the airframe has the flat bottom surface 14 parallel to the running
surface 1 on the lower side, and is entirely formed into the
rectangular plate shape, and the first to fourth propellers 16a,
16b, 16c, and 16d are disposed in four corners forming quadrangular
shape, respectively. Moreover, the operation levers 37, 38 of the
transmitter 30 of the first embodiment, and the operation buttons
51, 52, 53, and 54 of the transmitter 50 of the second embodiment
may be constituted so as to be operated to thereby raise or lower
the driving outputs of the corresponding first to fourth driving
means 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d, respectively. Furthermore, the radio
control flying toy 10 of the first embodiment can be operated with
the transmitter 50 in the same manner as in the second embodiment,
and the radio control flying toy 40 of the second embodiment can be
operated with the transmitter 30 in the same manner as in the first
embodiment.
[0061] The present invention is applicable to a radio control
flying toy in which air is fed toward a bottom-surface side of an
airframe so that the airframe can be floated above a flat running
surface, and freely flied.
* * * * *