GB2542581A - Ornithopter toy - Google Patents

Abstract

An ornithopter toy (1) comprises a body (2) having a front end (3). a rear end (4) and two opposing sides (5, 6). The toy (1) also has two pairs of wings (13, 14) wherein the wings (13a, 13b, 14a, 14b) of each pair (13, 14) extend outwardly from the respective sides (5, 6) of the body (2). A drive mechanism (8) provides flapping movement of the wings (13a. 13b, 14a, 14b). One wing (13a, 14a) of each pair (13, 14) has a surface area that is larger than the surface area of the other wing (13b, 14b) of the pair (13, 14).

Description

ORNITHOPTERTOY

The present invention relates to an ornithopter toy.

Known ornithopter toys are generally designed to imitate the flight of a bird or other winged creature having a body, one or two pairs of wings extending from opposite sides of the body, and a tail. Flapping movement of the wings can be achieved by a drive mechanism which can be powered by a mechanical wind-up mechanism or a rechargeable power supply.

It is also known that the toy can be made to fly along a circular path by tilting or pivoting the tail relative to the longitudinal axis of the body. However, these toys are not normally particularly successful in providing a realistic simulation of winged flight along a circular path. To achieve a more accurate circular flight it is generally necessary to use a remote control device, such as a radio control or infra-red transmitting controller to control the toy. These toys also generally cannot fly effectively within a room or some other confined space.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved ornithopter toy which can imitate realistic circular flight, particularly within a more confined space without the need for a remote control device.

According to the present invention there is provided an ornithopter toy comprising a body having a front end, a rear end and two opposing sides, at least one pair of wings, the wings of the or each pair extending outwardly from the respective sides, and a drive mechanism for providing flapping movement of the wings, wherein one wing of the or each pair has a surface area that is larger than the surface area of the other wing of said pair.

The arrangement of the wings enables the toy to fly effectively in a confined space. The toy is capable of flying in a circle without the need for it to be steered remotely. The circular flight of the toy is controlled by the toy itself.

The ornithopter toy may include a tail extending outwardly from the rear end. The tail may be tilted downwards on the side from which the wing having a larger surface area extends.

The ornithopter toy may include two pairs of wings, the surface area of the wing of each pair extending outwardly from one side being larger than the surface area of the other wing of the pair.

The centre of gravity of the toy may be located nearer to the rear end than the front end so that the front end is higher than the rear end during flight of the toy. Thus the body of the toy is tilted and where the toy is made to look like a flying creature such as a butterfly, this tilting of the body makes the flying toy creature appear more realistic. Also, the arrangement of the centre of gravity of the toy helps the toy to rock back and forth in flight or stall, thereby making the flight of the toy appear to be more like a real flying creature.

The drive mechanism may include a motor electrically connected to a rechargeable power supply.

The ornithopter toy may include a controller for changing the amount of power supplied to the motor, thereby changing the speed of the flapping movement of the wings during flight of the toy.

The ornithopter toy may include a proximity sensor arranged to sense the proximity of a surface relative to the underside of the toy during flight and to cause an increase in the power supplied to the motor and thus an increase in the speed of the flapping movement of the wings. The proximity sensor may comprise an infra-red emitter and an infra-red receiver both positioned on the underside of the toy.

The ornithopter toy may include a hand held remote device used to cause a change in the power supplied to the motor and thus an increase or decrease in the speed of the flapping movement of the wings.

The tail of the ornithopter toy may be tilted upward from the rear end of the body.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of an ornithopter toy in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the toy;

Figures 3 and 4 are perspective views of a framework of the toy with the wings shown at the maximum and minimum points of their stroke, respectively;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the wings and a tail of the toy;

Figure 6 is a circuit diagram of the toy;

Figure 7 is a view of a charger for the toy;

Figures 8 to 11 are various views of the toy in relation to the charger;

Figures 12 and 13 are views of the flight pattern of the toy; and

Figure 14 is a view of the toy operated by a hand held remote device.

Referring to Figures 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings, an ornithopter toy 1 according to an embodiment of the invention comprises a body 2 having a front end 3, a rear end 4 and two opposing sides 5, 6. The body 2 has recesses 7 for holding a drive mechanism 8 and its motor 9, a rechargeable battery 10, a printed circuit board (PCB) 11, and a tail holder 12. The battery 10 and PCB 11 are located towards the rear end 4 of the body 2 so that the centre of gravity of the toy 1 is located nearer to the rear end 4 than the front end 3.

The toy 1 also has two pairs of wings 13, 14 wherein the wings 13a, 13b, 14a, 14b of each pair 13, 14 extend outwardly from the respective sides 5, 6 of the body 2. One pair of wings 13 is below the other pair of wings 14. The wing 13a, 14a of each of the pairs of wings 13, 14 extending from one side 5 of the body 2 has a surface area that is larger than the surface area of the other wing 13b, 14b of the pair 13, 14. The dotted lines 15, 16 on Figure 5 show respective mirror images of said one side wings 13a, 14a to illustrate the difference in surface area of said one wing 13a, 14a and the other wing 13b, 14b of each pair 13, 14. The leading edge of each wing 13a, 13b, 14a, 14b has an elongate pocket 17 for holding a wing rod 18 connected to the drive mechanism 8 for providing flapping movement to the wings 13a, 13b, 14a, 14b. The drive mechanism 8 has first and second pairs of wing rod holders 19, 20 for holding the wing rods 18 of the wings 13a, 13b, 14a, 14b. Both pairs of wing rod holders 19, 20 are arranged to pivot about a common axis 21 with the first pair of wing rod holders 19 being immediately in front of the second pair of wing rod holders 20. When the wings 13a, 13b, 14a, 14b are inactive, the wing rods 18 of each pair of wings 13, 14 are held so that there is an obtuse angle Θ (see Figure 4) slightly less than 180° between the upper surfaces of the wings 13a, 13b, 14a, 14b. The wing rod 18 which is inserted into the pocket 17 for the lower wing 13a on the one side 5 of the body 2 is aligned with the wing rod 18 which is inserted into the pocket 17 for the upper wing 14b on the other side 6 of the body 2. Similarly, the wing rod 18 which is inserted into the pocket 17 for the upper wing 14a on the one side 5 of the body 2 is aligned with the wing rod 18 which is inserted into the pocket 17 for the lower wing 13b on the other side 6 of the body 2. A tail 22, which is preferably flat in shape, extends outwardly from the rear end 4 of the body 2. The tail 22 is held by the tail holder 12 that is connected to the rear of the drive mechanism 8 by a stabilising rod 23. The tail 22 has holes 24 for attachment of the tail 22 to the tail holder 12. The tail holder 12 is configured to hold the tail 22 so that the tail 22 is tilted downwards on said one side 5 of the body 2 (and tilted upwards by the same angle on the other side 6). In a specific example of a preferred embodiment, the tail 22 is at an angle of at least 7° to the horizontal. The tail holder 12 is also configured to hold the tail 22 so that the tail 22 is tilted upwards from the rear end 4 of the body 2 relative to the longitudinal axis of the body 2. A tail support rod 25 extends from the tail holder 12 and underneath the tail 22. A hook 26 extends upwards from the tail holder 12 and is hooked through holes 27, 28 adjacent a rear end of each of the two pairs of wings 13, 14 to hold the wings 13a, 13b, 14a, 14b in place adjacent the upper side of the body 2.

The PCB 11 is connected by wires 29 to the rechargeable battery 10 and to the motor 9 of the drive mechanism 8. The PCB 11 has a microcontroller or microprocessor 30 (see Figures 2 and 6). A light emitting diode (LED) 31, a battery charger point or socket 32, a master on/off switch 33, a user-operable tactile power switch 34, and a proximity sensor 35 are all connected to the PCB 11. The proximity sensor 35 comprises an infra-red emitter 36 and an infra-red receiver 37 both positioned on the underside of the toy 1.

Referring to Figure 7, the ornithopter toy 1 is arranged to be mounted on a charger 40 which has a power supply 41 in a base 42 of the charger 40. In this embodiment, the power supply 41 is a set of batteries. In an alternative embodiment, power for the charger 40 may be supplied from the mains or via a universal serial bus (USB) socket. The charger 40 has a charger stem or plug 43 extending from the base 42 and connected to the power supply 41. The charger stem 43 is surrounded by a cylinder 44 that has a protruding part 45 on its outer surface for engaging with a first end 46 of a lever 47. The lever 47 is pivotably mounted about a pivot point 48 provided on the base 42 wherein downward pressure on the opposite second end 49 of the lever 47 causes the lever 47 to pivot thereby raising the cylinder 44 relative to the stem 43.

To charge the ornithopter toy 1, the power switch 34 on the toy 1 is switched on and the toy 1 is placed on the charger 40 so that the stem 43 of the charger 40 is inserted into the battery charger point 32 of the toy 1 (see Figures 8 and 9). The power supply 41 of the charger 40 then charges the battery 10 of the toy 1. The LED 31 on the toy 1 lights up when the battery 10 has been charged.

The second end 49 of the lever 47 is pushed down (see Figure 10) causing the cylinder 44 to rise up and push the toy 1 off the charger 40. The microcontroller 30 receives a signal from the battery charger point 32 that the charger point 32 has disconnected from the stem 43. The microcontroller 30 activates the motor 9 at 100% power level, causing the two pairs of wings 13, 14 to flap at full speed. A person can then hold the toy 1 (see Figure 11) and release it for flight.

The arrangement of the wings 13a, 13b, 14a, 14b and tail 22 of the toy 1 causes the ornithopter toy 1 to fly around in a circle (see Figure 12). As the wings 13a, 14a of each of the pairs of wings 13, 14 extending from the left side 5 of the body 2 have a surface area that is larger than the surface area of the other wings 13b, 14b of the pairs 13, 14, and with the flat tail 22 tilted downwards on the left side 5, the toy 1 will fly in a clockwise direction. By reversing this so that the wings 13a, 14a have a surface area that is smaller than the surface area of the other wings 13b, 14b, and by having the tail 22 tilted upwards on the left side 5, the toy 1 will fly in an anticlockwise direction. In a specific example of a preferred embodiment, the toy 1 is arranged to fly around in a circle of a diameter of 1 to 2 metres.

The position of the centre of gravity of the toy 1 nearer to the rear end 4 than the front end 3 of the body 2 of the toy 1 causes the body 2 to be tilted upwards at an angle of approximately 45° to 60° to the horizontal when the toy 1 is in flight.

The microcontroller 30 causes a reduction of power to the motor 9 so that the speed of the flapping movement of the wings 13, 14 is decreased resulting in the ornithopter toy 1 flying in a circle at a lower altitude. In one example, the play pattern of the toy 1 is as follows:- 1. The toy 1 is placed on the charger 40. 2. The charger 40 is turned on. The LED 31 flashes to show that the toy 1 is working and receiving charge. 3. The charge time is approximately 20 minutes. The wings 13a, 13b, 14a, 14b may flap gently. 4. When the charge is complete the LED 31 is on continuously. 5. The user presses the lever 47 and the toy 1 launches. 6. This action releases the charge point and turns the toy 1 on instantly. 7. At 100% power, the toy 1 flies to a top height of approximately 1.8 to 2.2 metres. 8. The toy 1 circles at this height for 2 revolutions. 9. Power reduces to 80%. The toy 1 drops down to a middle height for 2 revolutions. 10. Power reduces again so that it is at a level of 50%. The toy 1 drops to a bottom height of approximately 0.9 to 1.3 metres. 11. The user holds out a hand and the infrared proximity sensor 35 activates to increase power back up to 100%. 12. The toy 1 flies back up to the top height. 13. Sequence 7 to 10 starts again. 14. When the toy 1 reaches the bottom height for the second time, the user can either catch the toy 1 or let it land on the floor. 15. The toy 1 goes into standby mode with a gentle flap of its wings.

The user places the toy 1 on the charger 40 for immediate launch again (up to 10 times in succession) or charges for 20 minutes - or whatever time is needed - indicated by an LED 52 on the charger 40.

The LED 31 will go out when the toy 1 is out of charge or is switched off. Thereafter, a period of, say, 30 seconds inactivity will cause the charger 40 and the toy 1 to shut down completely.

The emitter 36 of the proximity sensor 35 emits intermittent infra-red signals and the receiver 37 of the sensor 35 is arranged to receive the intermittent signals. When the toy 1 is flying at a low level, the proximity sensor 35 detects a surface, such as a hand 50 shown in Figure 13, in the proximity of the underside of the toy 1. Upon such a detection, the proximity sensor 35 causes the microcontroller 30 to increase power to the motor 9. The speed of the flapping movement of the wings 13, 14 is thus increased resulting in the toy 1 flying at a higher level.

To stop flapping motion of the wings 13a, 13b, 14a, 14b, the power switch 34 can be switched off to stop the motor 9. Alternatively, the toy 1 can be placed on the charger 40 which causes the microcontroller 30 to switch off the motor 9.

The embodiment illustrated shows the ornithopter toy 1 having the appearance of a butterfly. Alternatively, it could be designed to have the appearance of any other flying creature, such as a fairy or a griffin.

In another embodiment, referring to Figure 14, a hand held remote device 51, such as a wand, is used to cause a change in the power supplied to the motor 9 of the ornithopter toy 1 and thus an increase or decrease in the speed of the flapping movement of the wings 13, 14 which in turn causes the toy 1 to fly at a higher or lower level. The proximity sensor 35 may be used to detect signals from the remote device 51 to activate the microcontroller 30 to change the power supplied to the motor 9.

Whilst particular embodiments have been described, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claimed invention.

The tail holder may be modified so that the position of the tail could be adjusted.

Claims (11)

CLAIMS:

1. An ornithopter toy comprising a body having a front end, a rear end and two opposing sides, at least one pair of wings, the wings of the or each pair extending outwardly from the respective sides, and a drive mechanism for providing flapping movement of the wings, wherein one wing of the or each pair has a surface area that is larger than the surface area of the other wing of said pair.

2. The ornithopter toy as claimed in claim 1, including a tail extending outwardly from the rear end.

3. The ornithopter toy as claimed in claim 2, wherein the tail is tilted downwards on the side from which the wing having a larger surface area extends.

4. The ornithopter toy as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, including two pairs of wings, the surface area of the wing of each pair extending outwardly from one side being larger than the surface area of the other wing of the pair.

5. The ornithopter toy as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the centre of gravity of the toy is located nearer to the rear end than the front end so that the front end is higher than the rear end during flight of the toy.

6. The ornithopter toy as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the drive mechanism includes a motor electrically connected to a rechargeable power supply.

7. The ornithopter toy as claimed in any preceding claim, including a controller for changing the amount of power supplied to the motor, thereby changing the speed of the flapping movement of the wings during flight of the toy.

8. The ornithopter toy as claimed in claim 7, including a proximity sensor arranged to sense the proximity of a surface relative to the underside of the toy during flight and to cause an increase in the power supplied to the motor and thus an increase in the speed of the flapping movement of the wings.

9. The ornithopter toy as claimed in claim 8, wherein the proximity sensor comprises an infra-red emitter and an infra-red receiver both positioned on the underside of the toy.

10. The ornithopter toy as claimed in claim 7, 8 or 9, including a hand held remote device used to cause a change in the power supplied to the motor and thus an increase or decrease in the speed of the flapping movement of the wings.

11. The ornithopter toy as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the tail is tilted upward from the rear end.