Patent Application
20100263463
Matter in the nature can be found in the form of solid, gas, fluid or plasma. This invention will be dealing with solid bodies suspended in non solid environment or vacuum. The brute force gyro is a large gyro used to directly stabilize a craft that it is mounted on. Unstable environment is environment in which random and unpredictable forces are affecting matter. The suspended platform or the flying platform is a solid object with the propulsion system in the form of a reactionary lifting means. The reactionary lifting means, the lifting means or the lift system is a lift and movement providing apparatus in some form of a fan, a ducted fan, a rocket motor, a jet motor or any other non-direct solid to solid contact. The suspended platform plane or the flying platform plane is the horizontal plane defined by the body of the platform in the state of suspension and motionless in relation to the ground, generally orthogonal to the thrust vector of the platform as a means of suspension.
Stability of a suspended solid body in a non-solid, unstable environment in reference to another solid body is difficult to achieve. For example, the case of a flying platform and specifically the platform where the center of gravity coincides with the thrust vector. In this invention to the flying platform is attached a stabilization apparatus, heart of which is the brute force gyro pivotally mounted with two degrees of freedom in the pitch and roll axel. In this embodiment vector of momentum of the gyro is kept substantially perpendicular to the plane of the flying platform. This is achieved by varying the thrust vectors of the platforms lift system that in turn will force the brute force gyro to precess in required direction. Pitch and roll of the platform is controlled by at least two servos, mounted nominally perpendicular to each other and in the plane of the flying platform. Servos are placed between the body of the flying platform and the spin axis of the gyro. Overall, the system provides a level of stability for pitch and roll comparable to the accuracy of the servos used. Yaw of the flying platform will be slightly affected by the effort of holding pitch and roll stable but depending on the system that can be minimized or virtually eliminated.
Prior Art shows many ways of controlling stability of a suspended solid body, most of them are involving changing the direction or magnitude of the vector of thrust, some are using brute force gyros for more direct control. Invention described here is based on the latter method therefore prior art described here concentrates on controlling stability with the use of a large gyro. Generally stabilization of a flying platform is achieved by holding the spin axis of a gyro in near vertical position and along with it plane of the platform is kept horizontal. Most similarities of mentioned idea and this invention are visible in U.S. Pat. No. 3,985,320. Disadvantage of described system is a necessity of holding the craft horizontally and a need for physical shifting ballast. Some devices have gyroscopic air foil attached to the lifting fan. Good example of such device can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,538. Here gyroscopic device is placed in the air stream of the lifting fan and has slight tilting abilities to work against the crafts fuselage with the use of servos. Control range of the gyroscopic device is limited in the described patent. Thrust vector for lift and stabilizing momentum from the gyro are not independent, thereby difficult to interact with each other. Another example of prior art is U.S. Pat. No. 6,789,437. Device described here is gimbals mounted, with servos purposely precessing the gyro to the required position. Device controls pitch and yaw.
It is described here how to accurately control angular stability of a solid body, with the use of servos, connected to another solid body suspended in a reference to a third solid body. In the embodiment described here it would be controlling angular stability of a flying platform in reference to the ground. The flying platform would be connected by servo systems to a mechanical damper which in this case is a brute force gyro. The brute force gyro is mounted inside the apparatus with two degree of freedom, one for pitch and other for roll. In this embodiment the axis of rotation of the brute force gyro is constantly kept in a near perpendicular position to the flying platforms plane. The reason for that is need for maximum range of precession of the brute force gyro's axis when righting moment is applied to the axis. Righting moment is created by one servo motor mounted between the body of the stabilization apparatus and the rotational axis of the brute force gyro. Precession of the rotational axis of the brute force gyro in the perpendicular plane to the righting moment is allowed and followed by the other servo. Prolonged precession movement exhausts mechanical inertia storage capacity of the brute force gyro and affects the yaw, so in order to recover lost capacity, brute force gyro's axis has to be brought back to perpendicular position in relation to the plane of the suspended platform. That can be done using suspended platform's propulsion system, purposely creating disturbance that precesses the brute force gyro back to its original position. In the final account propulsion system of the flying platform is used to move or stabilize the craft as required and the gyro stabilizing apparatus is fulfilling role of the mechanical filter. Combinations of the gyro stabilizing apparatus and flying platform's propulsion system allows for usage of slow response reactionary engines like fans or jets and achieve high quality rigid-like mechanical response of the flying platform. Complicated electromechanical systems like deflectors and spoilers designed for quick reaction can be removed and replaced with simpler lesser quality thrust means coupled with the gyro based stabilizing apparatus. The operation of both systems coupled together will be explained in grater clarity in the next sections.
Note that lag and overshoot of the primary lifting devices 31, 37, 39 and 10 is minimized by the servos 34 and 38. If the inherent lag of lifting devices is small, the size of the brute force gyro 30 can be reduced. There is a proportional relationship between the size of the brute force gyro 30 and the efficiency of the lifting devices 31, 37, 39 and 10. Purposeful overshoot of the lifting devices 31, 37, 39 and 10 in the effort to stabilize flying platform 33 is used to return the rotational axis of the brute force gyro 30 and along with it stud 36 to its original prior of instability position in relation to the flying platform 33. The home position of the brute force gyro 30 in this embodiment is substantially orthogonal to the plane of the flying platform 33 regardless of its position in relation to the ground.
This configuration has an advantage of easy disconnecting suspended platform 33 from the sphere 30 if required. Also there is no need for studs 36, so brute force gyro 30 could be enclosed inside the perfect sphere 12 and capable to move with no hard-coded stop. That would allow for capability of changing the modes of angular control of the suspended platform 33 by reprogramming the system. It means that apparatus would be capable of directly controlling at any time any two of three orthogonal angles defining position of flying platform 33 in the space. These angles may or may not be yaw, pitch and roll.
Stabilization apparatus 32 comprises at least two servo systems with the vectors of force substantially perpendicular to each other, working simultaneously to control orientation of the flying platform 33. Operational envelope of each servo in part affects operational envelope of the other servo, so it is necessary to build into the logic module of the servos that relationship.
Described embodiment of stabilization apparatus 32 shows pitch and roll control, it is understood that part of the propulsion system of flying platform 33, not shown here, is also a yaw control and in case of using mounting configuration for brute force gyro 30 shown on
Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of above teachings. For example lifting devices can be jets, rocket motors, ducted fans, fans or other reactionary devices. Any number of lifting devices could be used. Also servos can be electrically or hydraulically operated. Feedback loops can vary as a result of using number of different possible transfer functions. Described invention proposes to stabilize pitch and roll but another possible embodiment can control in similar way pitch and yaw or roll and yaw or any two of three orthogonal angles selected to define orientation of flying platform 33 in the space.
It is possible to use many technological concepts to accomplish described here results. It is therefore understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
