GB2489656A - An airborne target device - Google Patents

Abstract

An airborne target device comprises wings C and a fuselage. The fuselage comprises an inflated bladder member A such that, in the event of the target device being hit, the bladder member A deflates and the target device is unable to maintain flight. The target device may simulate a game bird.

Description

A game shooting Drone' type target, where Drone implies a flying unmanned machine

Description:

An unmanned powered aerodynamic device or Drone (bird shaped or otherwise) with the capability to be brought down by a single shot gun pellet impact to anywhere within a broad area of its body or fuselage, preferably manufactured to be re-useable and from recycled materials.

To provide the kill' capability essential to this device the body or fuselage of this Drone will consist of an inflated balloon to which other parts of the air frame are attached.

The balloon when punctured deflates, de-coupling the other components required for controlled aerodynamic flight.

The invention is now explained with reference to the accompanying drawings:-Figure 1 shows one possible configuration of this device which has been moulded from polystyrene.

Figure 2 shows the tail section which houses a battery and the flight computer Figure 3 shows a possible launch support structure for the device.

Figure 1 shows two views Vi and V2. Vi shows one possible configuration of this device consisting of a nose section D which has been moulded from polystyrene. Its form provides the aerodynamic shape for the nose section and incorporates the front wings C. In this view the motor is not shown for clarity.

The tail section B is also moulded from similar material and is shown fitted with ifs two moveable rear wings.

V2 shows the device from a different angle where the rocket motor E can be seen attached via clips G to the body strings F. The body strings F are themselves attached by suitable adhesive to both the nose section D and tail section B. A shaped balloon, A, is inflated within the void between the nose section D and the tail section B creating tension in the strings F generating a rigid structure to form a body.

In Figure 2 the tail section (marked B in Figure 1) houses a battery A and the flight computer B which controls the rear wings C elevation via servo motors D. When the flight computer B is tuned on it ignites the rocket motor (marked E in Figure 1), propelling the device up to flight velocity. The flight path is controlled by the computer B actuating the rear wing C via servo's D. When the fuel in the rocket motor is exhausted the computer maintains a glide path and controlled decent.

Figure 3 shows a possible launch support structure consisting of a simple wire frame B on which the device A can slide. The extension leg C could be used to push into soft earth.

In the event of the device being hit by a projectile causing the balloon to be punctured and therefore deflate, the tension created by the balloon in the strings will be lost decoupling the required relationship between the nose and tail sections, the device can no longer fly and will tumble to the ground mimicking the effect of a real bird being hit by a similar projectile.

Advantages: 1) Other game imitation targets tend to be non-powered or thrown -these are always decelerating whereas real game is accelerating or in stable flight; this device provides a system to establish both of these types of flight.

2) Other targets are observed to be hit or killed by their disintegration thus reuse is impossible; this system is re-usable after a kill.

3) Most of the body parts can be made from recycled materials such as paper or polystyrene for end of life reclamation.

4) On board electronic guidance control (EGC) is intended to be used to control flight parameters enabling life like paths to be established unlike thrown systems which have discrete flight paths.

Claims (4)

1. Claims: I) An aerodynamic flying target device where the main support structure the body (fuselage) coupling flight surface or wings is established by means of an inflated balloon or bladder, where if the bladder is deflated the device can no longer sustain flight.
2. 2) An aerodynamic target device according to claim (1) where the main body of the device is an inflated balloon or bladder held in place by strings or netting which may attach to any other part of the air frame helping to form a rigid structure.
3. 3) A device incorporating any of the prior claims (1) or (2) in which flight path and or stable flight is maintained by means of an onboard electronic system.
4. 4) An aerodynamic device according to claim where the bladder or balloon may be shaped or extended into other areas of the air frame.