Patent Application
20220063803
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The disclosure relates to aircraft devices and more particularly pertains to a new aircraft device for facilitating low altitude flight.
The prior art relates to aircraft devices including a variety of vertical take-off platforms that a driver can stand upon for low altitude flight. The prior art discloses a wearable jet pack that is worn on a pilot for low altitude flight. The prior art discloses a flight platform which includes a plurality of jet nozzles for accomplishing low altitude flight. The prior art also discloses a flight platform that includes a single jet engine being integrated therein for low altitude flight. The prior art discloses a hover craft that includes a saddle and a fan that lifts the saddle.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a carriage that can have a driver positioned therein. A plurality of jet packs is each coupled to the carriage for producing thrust to facilitate low altitude flight. Each of the jet packs has an exhaust nozzle pivotally coupled thereto and the exhaust nozzle on each of the jet packs is directed downwardly for lifting the carriage. A fuel tank is coupled to the carriage and the fuel tank is in fluid communication with each of the jet packs to supply fuel to the jet packs. A control stick is movably coupled to the carriage and the control stick is in communication with each of the jet packs. The control stick communicates control commands to the jet packs to facilitate flight control for the driver.
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
The plurality of jet packs 22 includes a set of first jet packs 26 and a set of second jet packs 28. Each of the first jet packs 26 is positioned on a first lateral side 30 of the outer wall 16 of the carriage 12 and each of the second jet packs 28 is positioned on a second lateral side 32 of the outer wall 16. Each of the jet packs 22 may comprise a liquid fuel jet pack or the like that has a maximum thrust of approximately 300.0 lbs. A fuel tank 34 is coupled to the carriage 12 and the fuel tank 34 contains fuel for the jet packs 22. The fuel tank 34 is in fluid communication with each of the jet packs 22 to supply the fuel to the jet packs 22, and the fuel tank 34 has a fill port 36.
A set of landing gear 38 is rotatably coupled to the carriage 12 such that the landing gear 38 can roll along a support surface 40. The landing gear 38 comprises a front wheel 42 that is rotatably coupled to the bottom wall 14 of the carriage 12 for rolling along the support surface 40. The front wheel 42 is pivotable about a vertical axis for steering the carriage 12 and the front wheel 42 is centrally positioned along the front side 18 of the outer wall 16 of the carriage 12. The landing gear 38 includes a plate 44 that is coupled to the bottom wall 14 of the carriage 12. The plate 44 is positioned adjacent to the back side 20 of the outer wall 16 of the carriage 12 and the plate 44 is oriented to extend along a line is oriented parallel to the back side 20.
The landing gear 38 includes a cross member 46 that is coupled to the plate 44. The cross member 46 extends along the line oriented parallel to the back side 20. The landing gear 38 includes a pair of rear wheels 48 that is each rotatably coupled to and extends downwardly from the cross member 46. Each of the rear wheels 48 is positioned on opposite sides of the cross member 46s and each of the rear wheels 48 rolls along the support surface 40. The landing gear 38 includes a pair of brake rotors 50 that is each coupled to a respective one of the rear wheels 48. The landing gear 38 includes a pair of brake calipers 52 that each engages a respective one of the brake rotors 50 for braking the carriage 12. Each of the brake calipers 52 may comprise hydraulic brake calipers or the like.
A control stick 54 is movably coupled to the carriage 12 and the control stick 54 is manipulated by the driver. A brake lever 56 is movably coupled to the control stick 54 and the brake lever 56 is in communication with the brake calipers 52. Each of the brake calipers 52 engages the respective brake rotor 50 when the brake lever 56 is manipulated into a braking position. A control unit 58 is coupled to the carriage 12 and the control unit 58 is in communication with each of the jet packs 22. Additionally, the control unit 58 is in communication with the control stick 54 thereby facilitating the control unit 58 to communicate control commands from the control stick 54 to the jet packs 22. In this way the control unit 58 facilitates flight control for the driver.
The control unit 58 comprises a control circuit 60 that is coupled to the carriage 12 and the control stick 54 is electrically coupled to the control unit 58. The control circuit 60 may include circuitry common to flight control computers and other types of avionics that might be employed to control jet packs 22. The control unit 58 includes a plurality of servos 62 that is each coupled to a respective one of the jet packs 22. Each of the servos 62 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 60 and each of the servos 62 is actuated in accordance with the control commands received from the control stick 54. Each of the servos 62 may comprise an electromechanical servo or other appropriate mechanism for accomplishing flight controls.
The control unit 58 includes a plurality of linkages 64 that is each of the linkages 64 is coupled between a respective one of the servos 62 and the exhaust nozzle 24 on a respective one of the jet packs 22. In this way the respective servo can move the exhaust nozzle 24 on the respective jet pack. Thus, the exhaust nozzle 24 on each of the jet packs 22 can direct the thrust in appropriate directions to accomplish flight control.
A power supply 66 is coupled to the carriage 12 and the power supply 66 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 60. The power supply 66 comprises a rechargeable battery 68 that is coupled to the carriage 12 and the rechargeable battery 68 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 60. The power supply 66 includes charge port 70 that is coupled to the carriage 12 and the charge port 70 can be electrically coupled to a power source, such as a battery charger or the like. The charge port 70 is electrically coupled to the rechargeable battery 68 for charging the rechargeable battery 68. A plurality of light emitters 72 is each coupled to the outer wall 16 of the carriage 12 for emitting light outwardly therefrom. The light emitters 72 are spaced apart from each other and are distributed around a full perimeter of said outer wall 16. Each of the light emitters 72 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 60 and a power switch may be provided for turning the light emitters 72 on and off.
In use, the driver manipulates the control stick 54 in order to fly the carriage 12 over a desired distance. In this way a physically disabled user can easily cross terrain that would otherwise be impassible for the physically disabled user. The jet packs 22 can additionally be directed to urge the carriage 12 to roll along the support surface 40 on the landing gear 38. The brake handle can be squeezed in order to brake the carriage 12 while the carriage 12 is rolling on the landing gear 38.
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 element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
