EP4225641A1

EP4225641A1 - Vertical landing and taking off flying car

Info

Publication number: EP4225641A1
Application number: EP22799833.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Abdulkadir GAYRETLI; Ali OKATAN; Ali ÇETINKAYA; Tugba SARAY ÇETINKAYA; Furkan YILMAZ; Umut UZ; Muhammet Ömer ERDOGAN
Original assignee: Gelisim Ueniversitesi
Current assignee: Gelisim Ueniversitesi
Priority date: 2021-12-31
Filing date: 2022-06-27
Publication date: 2023-08-16
Also published as: EP4225641A4

Abstract

The present invention relates to an aircraft capable of vertical landing-takeoff, which has arms with folding mechanisms and safety systems that minimize the risks that may occur during an accident, and its feature. The vehicle chassis (1), which forms the front, rear and middle parts of the vehicle as a result of the combination of the profiles, four cross arms (2) placed in an X-shaped cross position to the vehicle, two vehicle side arms (3) with a folding mechanism (5) positioned on the sides of the vehicle, at least one propeller (8) which is mounted on the ends of the vehicle middle arm (4), vehicle cross arm (2) and side arm (3), which connects the cross arm (2) and the side arms (3) to the vehicle chassis (1). The brushless motor (7), which rotates three of the propellers (8) clockwise and the other three counterclockwise, at least one motor driver (10) that balances the voltage supplied to the motor (7), and a hidden motor on the upper part of the vehicle to provide the electrical supply of the vehicle. A properly fixed battery box (9), a control receiver (11) that transmits the signals received from the control panel to the motor drivers (10), the parachute zone (12) that supports the parachute, which cuts down the descent speed to prevent the vehicle from hitting the ground as a result of malfunctions that may occur in the air, and the parachute. It has an airbag (13) that reduces the impact by opening by means of a sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle hitting the ground at low altitudes where the vehicle cannot be opened.

Description

VERTICAL LANDING AND TAKING OFF FLYING CAR

Technical Field:

The presented invention relates to an aircraft capable of vertical landing-takeoff, which has arms with folding mechanisms and safety systems that minimize the risks that may occur during an accident.

State of the Art:

The increase in the population and the corresponding increase in the number of motorized and non-motorized vehicles directly affect the traffic. With the effect of increasing traffic, traveling from one place to another becomes quite annoying. Especially in business entryexit hours, holiday times, and the use of personal vehicles during pandemic periods are the main factors that cause the traffic to become crowded. There is no compensation for the time spent in traffic, that time has been an important resource for human beings.

The known technology in small and medium-sized air transportation vehicles that can reach residential areas directly has developed on vehicles that can take off and land vertically. The most well-known vehicles previously developed in this field are helicopters that move with the help of unshielded rotary wings and a stabilizing tail rotor. It is dangerous and difficult for helicopters to move and take off and land in the congested urban fabric due to their open propellers and noise.

The patent application TR2021002204 describes a flying car. A flying car with folding wings is proposed in the invention, and the basic concept of the fuselage wing system is studied from the aerodynamic point of view. The wing size, wing position and body shape of the vehicle are designed to be able to meet the requirement of both flying as an airplane and driving as an ordinary car. The patent application TR201913646 describes a modular flying car with a hybrid propulsion scheme. The invention; consisting of two basic components as road and air module, capable of traveling both on land and in the air, modules can be separated and combined, containing both fixed-embedded and state-changing propulsion units, briefly hybrid propulsion system, 2 sets of in-wing, state-changing, in-wing and It has 3 different thrust groups, 1 of which is fixed, has 2 wings that open and close, that provides the movement of the air module in all directions with fan electric motors, that provides the movement of the road module with 4 wheels with an electric motor, has a 2-passenger capacity and aerodynamic form. It is a flying car design that includes a closed passenger cabin and has autonomous navigation in both road and air modules.

The patent application WO2018107732 describes a flying car. A flying car comprises a car body comprising a duct fan disposed thereat, wherein an air inlet and an air outlet of the duct fan are located at a car top portion and a car bottom portion of the car body, respectively; and wings arranged at two opposite sides of the vehicle body. The wings can be switched between an expanding position and a folding position. For the expanding position, the wings are expanded outward from the two sides of the body, and for the folding position, the wings are folded next to the two sides of the vehicle body. The flying car can vertically take off, consumes less power when flying forwards, and is compact in size.

The above-mentioned applications belong to an aircraft capable of vertical landingtakeoff The folding systems in these vehicles are not effective and the vehicles have fan engines and an aircraft wing. It needs a runway to take off. There is also no safety system in the vehicles that will protect human health.

Description of the Invention:

Our system, which is the subject of the invention, is a vehicle that can perform vertical take-on and take-off, without the need for a runway for take-off or landing and can seamlessly perform movement transitions between ground and air. One of the most important advantages of the invention is that it has folding arms. The folding of the side arms, which affects the width to the maximum extent while moving on the ground, prevents the vehicle from contacting other objects while in motion. Folding arms can be adapted according to the type of movement by making 90- and 180-degree angles. While the vehicle is moving in the air, it does not need a system similar to a rotor mechanism found in helicopters for right-left and forward-backward directions. At the same time, momentum balance was ensured while the vehicle was in the air, with 6 motors moving 3 clockwise and 3 counterclockwise.

Possible malfunctions that the vehicle may encounter in the air are eliminated with the security systems in the vehicle. In case of problems to be experienced at high altitude, the air parachute is opened and the vehicle's soft landing on the ground is aimed, and in low altitude accidents, the airbag is opened to absorb the impact energy when the vehicle hits the ground. In this way, medium-high risk of injury and death that may occur during an accident has been prevented.

Description of the Figures:

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying figures, so that the features of the invention will be more clearly understood and appreciated, but the purpose of this is not to limit the invention to these certain regulations. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, changes and equivalences that can be included in the area of the invention defined by the accompanying claims. The details shown should be understood that they are shown only for the purpose of describing the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are presented in order to provide the most convenient and easily understandable description of both the shaping of methods and the rules and conceptual features of the invention. In these drawings.

Figure 1 Front view of the vehicle (side arms extended).

Figure 2 Front view of the vehicle (side arms folded).

Figure 3 Top view of the vehicle. Figure 4 Sectional view of the lateral and cross arms carrying the propellers.

Figure 5 View of the front, rear and main chassis that make up the vehicle.

Figure 6 General view of the engine bearing.

Figure 7 General view of the engine

Figure 8 Top view of the propellers.

Figure 9 Sectional view showing the folding mechanism on the side arms.

The figures to help understand the present invention are numbered as indicated in the attached image and are given below along with their names.

Description of References:

1. Vehicle chassis

2. Vehicle cross arms

2.1. Screw slots

3. Vehicle side arms

3.1. Shaft hole

4. Vehicle middle arm

5. Folding mechanism

6. Engine bearing

7. Engine

8. Propeller

9. Battery box

10. Motor drive

11. Control receiver

12. Parachute zone

13. Airbag

14. Shaft

15. Spring

16. Telescopic profile

17. Cage system Description of the Invention:

The parts constituting the invention are basically; vehicle chassis (1), vehicle cross arms (2), vehicle side arm (3), vehicle middle arm (4), folding mechanism (5), engine bearing (6), engine (7), propeller (8), battery box (9), motor driver (10), control receiver (11), Parachute zone (12), airbag (13), shaft (14) and spring (15).

The vehicle chassis (2) is formed by connecting the aluminum pipes with each other by welding. The arm mechanism that will ensure the flight of the vehicle is formed by assembling the vehicle side arms (3) and the vehicle cross arms (2) with the engine (7), the motor driver (10), the propeller (8) and carbon sheet plates. The vehicle cross arms (2) form an X view when viewed from the top of the vehicle. The carbon plates in this part are fixed to the carbon pipe with a screwing system, and the strength is increased by using epoxy adhesive. In addition, the motors (7) are mounted on the carbon plate with a screwing mechanism. Likewise, the propellers (8) are mounted to the engine (7) with a screw coupling system. The motor drivers (10) are also mounted on the carbon plate with a screwing system. The carbon plate is also fixed to the pipe with epoxy adhesive. For the installation of the vehicle middle arm (4), a connecting system with a shaft is used in the assembly of these arms, which consist of 3 pipes, with each other. After the turning/milling process applied on the pipes, it is made ready for the connection with the shaft. These pipes, which pass through the rings in the chassis, are fixed to the rings by being attached with a set screw.

The folding mechanism (5), which allows the vehicle side arms (3) to be folded in the range of 90 degrees or 180 degrees, has been prepared to be connected with the shaft after the turning/milling processes applied on the pipes, and springs (15) are attached to the shafts (14) for the folding system (5) to move easily and the folding mechanism is attached and tightened with the nut. The motor bearing (6) is made of carbon fiber material, it undertakes the task of holding the motor (7). This part is assembled with the motor (7) in line with the screw connection system. The engine (7) is used to provide the movement of the propellers (8). A screw coupling system is used during the assembly of the propellers (8) to the engine (7). The battery box (9) is mounted on the upper chassis of the vehicle and a screw connection system is used in its assembly. The motor driver (10) is mounted on the carbon plate designed for it with a screw coupling system. In addition, the motor driver plate is also mounted on the carbon pipe, epoxy glue is used for joining.

The chassis (1) of the vehicle is generally manufactured from 6063 series thermal aluminum pipes. Aluminum TIG welding was used to join these pipes. Wooden molds were used to minimize shrinkage in the weld. At the same time, in order to keep the hexagonal symmetry of the motor arms smooth, a 6-gen template was produced from 6063 series aluminum square profile. Welding of pipes with wooden molds was done on this template and a solid chassis production was completed. Then, the inside of the rings was sanded by using the tolerance chart to eliminate the problems caused by welding shrinkage of the rings into which the motor arms would enter.

The propellers (8) of the vehicle subject to the invention are 6 pieces, and those on the left side of the vehicle move clockwise and those on the right side of the vehicle move counterclockwise. This movement provides the momentum balance of the vehicle. With the energy coming to the engines (7), the propellers (8) create thrust on the ground side and the vehicle moves vertically. In order for the motor (7) to move, a signal is given to the motor driver (10) from the control receiver (11). The motor driver (10) is a circuit that balances the voltage amount of the motor (7). The control panel is located inside the vehicle, and the vehicle's right, left, forward-backward, up-down movements can be controlled. For example; When the vehicle is requested to move forward, the amount of revolution is increased by increasing the amount of power supplied to the rear engines (7) from the battery in the battery box (9) and the vehicle moves forward. For the opposite situation, the revs of the engines (7) at the front of the vehicle are increased. The vehicle can be moved not only from the control panel inside the vehicle, but also via the remote data communication protocol. RF waves, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi modules can be used for this data communication protocol. The vehicle side arms (3) are equipped with a folding mechanism (5) in order to reduce the amount of side width during the movement of the vehicle on the ground. Due to the shaft (14) passing through the center of the concentric shaft holes (3.1), the vehicle side arms (3) can be rotated by a person from the outside to make 180- and 90-degree angles. The springs (15) at the beginning and end of the shaft (14) are compressed by the nuts and maintain their angle.

Safety systems are integrated into the vehicle for mechanical or electronic failures that may occur during the airborne stay of the vehicle. The first of these is the parachute inside the parachute zone (12). The parachute system exits the upper chassis of the vehicle as a result of the sudden acceleration of the vehicle to the ground and ensures a smooth landing on the ground. The acceleration of sudden fall can be detected by means of sensors. The second security system is the airbag (13). Since the opening of the parachute will be ineffective in case of malfunctions that may occur at low altitudes, an airbag (13) is used to absorb the impact that will occur as a result of the vehicle hitting the ground. As a result of the sensor sending a signal to the microprocessor, the airbag (13) ejects from the lower part of the chassis and the airbag (13) is contacted with the ground before the vehicle hits the ground.

The moment when the chassis width of the vehicle is maximum is when the vehicle side arms (3) are open. Therefore, it is essential that the vehicle side arms (3) are folded in order to avoid hitting other objects if the vehicle is in motion on the ground. Figures 10- 11 show structures that can be used as an alternative to the folding mechanism (5). With the telescopic profile (16) system, the length of the vehicle side arms (3) can be extended or shortened. After the pipe moves in the pipe, the fixing process is carried out with pins through the holes. Another alternative solution is the cage system (17). The back-and-forth movement of this system, which works with the accordion logic, is much easier, and additional pipe, profile, pin or hinge systems can be used to fix it at the desired length. The assembly logic is completely mechanical and is not permanent.

Claims

CLAIMS - The invention relates to a flying car capable of vertical landing-takeoff, the feature of which is;

- vehicle chassis (1), which forms the front, rear and middle part of the vehicle as a result of the combination of profiles,

- Four cross arms (2) placed in an X-shaped position in a diagonal position to the vehicle,

- two vehicle side arms (3) with a folding mechanism (5) positioned on the sides of the vehicle,

- the vehicle middle arm (4), which connects the cross arm (2) and the side arms (3) to the vehicle chassis (1), at least one propeller (8), which is mounted on the ends of the vehicle crossarm (2) and side-arm (3) members, a brushless motor (7) that rotates three of the propellers (8) clockwise and the other three counterclockwise,

- the battery box (9), which is concealed on the upper part of the vehicle to provide the electrical supply of the vehicle,

- the control receiver (11) that transmits the signals received from the control panel to the motor drivers (10), parachute zone (12), which supports the parachute, which slows down the descent speed so as to prevent the vehicle from hitting the ground as a result of malfunctions that may occur in the air,

It has an airbag (13) that reduces the impact by opening by means of a sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle hitting the ground at low altitudes where the parachute cannot be opened. - As mentioned in Claim 1, it is a folding mechanism (5) and its feature is; It is characterized by being positioned in the shaft holes (3.1) located on the vehicle side arms (3) and having a shaft (14) that enables the arms to be brought to a 90 degree or 180 degree position.

8 - As mentioned in Claim 1 or Claim 2, it is a folding mechanism (5) and its feature is; It is characterized by the fact that it has two springs (15) fixed in the side arm (3) of the vehicle to provide fixation with the compression force after positioning the position. - As mentioned in Claim 1, It is a flying car capable of vertical take-off and landing, and its feature is; It is characterized by the fact that it has motor drivers (10) that provide the forward, backward, right-left movement of the vehicle by sending signals to increase or decrease the rotational speeds of the propellers (8). - As mentioned in Claim 1, the vehicle is the side arm (3) and its feature is; It is characterized by having a profile-in-profile structure that can be used instead of a folding mechanism (5) and a telescopic profile (16) that can be extended and shortened back and forth. - As mentioned in Claim 1, the vehicle is the side arm (3) and its feature is; It is characterized by having a cage system (17) that can be extended and shortened back and forth in the form of an accordion, which can be used instead of the folding mechanism (5).

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