Patent Application
20210047025
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The disclosure relates to landing gear devices and more particularly pertains to a new landing gear device for reducing crash landings.
The prior art relates to landing gear devices.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a mounting assembly that is configured to couple to a bottom of a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, such as a remotely controlled helicopter. Each of a plurality of rods, which are resiliently flexible, is coupled to and extends transversely from the mounting assembly to define a pyramid, with the mounting assembly being positioned at an apex of the pyramid. The plurality of rods is configured to reduce a frequency of crash landings of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
Each of a pair of first holes 24 is positioned in the upper bar 20 proximate to a respective opposing end 26 of the upper bar 20. Each of a pair of second holes 28 is positioned in the lower bar 22 so that the pair of second holes 28 is alignable with the pair of first holes 24. Each of a pair of mounting bolts 30 is selectively insertable into a respective first hole 24 and a respective second hole 28. Each of a pair of wing nuts 32 is selectively threadedly couplable to a respective mounting bolt 30 to removably couple the mounting assembly 12 to the skid assembly of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 16, as shown in
A disc 34 is coupled to a lower face 36 of the beam 18. The disc 34 is coupled to the lower bar 22. An orifice 38 is positioned in the lower bar 22 equally distant from opposing termini 40 of the lower bar 22. A bore hole 42 extends axially through the disc 34. A coupling bolt 44 is selectively insertable through the orifice 38 and the bore hole 42. A coupling nut 46 is selectively threadedly couplable to the coupling bolt 44 to removably couple the disc 34 to the lower bar 22, as shown in
Each of a plurality of rods 50, which are resiliently flexible, is coupled to and extends transversely from the mounting assembly 12 to define a pyramid 52, with the mounting assembly 12 being positioned at an apex 54 of the pyramid 52, as shown in
The plurality of rods 50 is configured to reduce a frequency of crash landings of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 16. The device 10 is particularly useful for a novice operator who is learning to land the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 16. Crash landings often cause damage of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 16, leading to frustration, costs for repair, and lost time. The device 10 also is useful in positioning the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 16 on a surface for testing.
The plurality of rods 50 comprises from three to seven rods 50. The plurality of rods 50 may comprise five rods 50. The rods 50 may comprise fiberglass, or other resiliently flexible material, such as, but not limited to, wood, bamboo, nylon, plastic, and the like.
Each of a plurality of channels 58 extends transversely into the disc 34 from the perimeter 56 of the disc 34, as shown in
Each of a plurality of feet 60 is coupled to a respective rod 50 distal from the mounting assembly 12. The plurality of feet 60 is configured to stabilize the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 16 on the surface. The feet 60 are spherically shaped and hollow. The feet 60 may comprise plastic, or other material, such as, but not limited to, rubber, silicone, wood, and the like.
Each of a plurality of apertures 62 is positioned in a respective foot 60 so that the plurality of apertures 62 is positioned to reduce a mass of the plurality of feet 60. An aligned pair of apertures 64 is positioned to insert a respective rod 50 through a respective foot 60.
Each of a plurality of rings 66 is positioned to selectively insert a respective rod 50 so that the ring 66 is frictionally coupled to the respective rod 50 distal from the mounting assembly 12. Each of a plurality of push nuts 68 is selectively couplable to an endpoint 70 of a respective rod 50 to removably couple a respective foot 60 to the respective rod 50 between the push nut 68 and an associated ring 66, as shown in
In use, the mounting assembly 12 is coupled to the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 16 using the mounting bolts 30 and wing nuts 32. The rods 50 are inserted into the channels 58 so that the mounting assembly 12 and the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 16 are positioned at the apex 54 of the pyramid 52 that is defined by the plurality of rods 50. The device 10 thus is configured to reduce the frequency of crash landings of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 16.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the elements is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
