Small flying vehicle equipped with airbag device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11267573-B2
Application number	US-201716329892-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 15, 2017
Priority date	Sep 2, 2016
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

A small flying vehicle flown by radio control or autonomously by an auto pilot is equipped with an airbag device. The small flying vehicle has a main body part including a controller and a battery, a frame, a propeller, a motor, and a transmitting and receiving antenna. The airbag device has a gas supplier, a sensor, a controller, and an airbag. The airbag device is attached to the main body part, and the gas supplier is provided with a gas cylinder that releases a compressed gas when a closure member sealing the gas cylinder is broken, a breaker, including an electric igniter, that breaks the closure member, and introduction device that introduces the gas discharged from the gas cylinder and providing the pressurized gas into the airbag to inflate the airbag.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A flying vehicle flown by a radio control or autonomously by an autopilot, the flying vehicle, comprising:
a main body part including a controller that controls the flying vehicle, a battery, a frame, a propeller, a motor, and a transmitting and receiving antenna;
an airbag device having a gas supplier and a plurality of airbags attached to the main body part and inflated by a gas supplied by the gas supplier;
one of the main body part and the airbag device further including a sensor detecting a predetermined flying state of the flying vehicle, and an airbag controller;
the gas supplier including a gas cylinder storing a pressurized gas, a closure member sealing the pressurized gas inside the gas cylinder, a breaker including an electric igniter breaking the closure member when the sensor detects the predetermined flying state of the flying vehicle to discharge the pressurized gas from the gas cylinder, and
the gas supplier including a plurality of introduction passages including a first introduction passage connected to one of the plurality of airbags, and a second introduction passage connected to another one of the plurality of airbags, wherein
the breaker has a main pipe and two branch pipes including a first branch pipe and a second branch pipe that are vertically branched from a peripheral surface of the main pipe,
the first introduction passage is connected to the first branch pipe, wherein the first introduction pipe is composed of a first mouth ring connected to the first branch pipe and a first flexible tube connected to the first mouth ring, and wherein an end of the first flexible tube opposite to the end connected to the first mouth ring is connected to the one of the plurality of airbags,
the second introduction passage is connected to the second branch pipe, wherein the second introduction pipe is composed of a second mouth ring connected to the second branch pipe and a second flexible tube connected to the second mouth ring, and wherein an end of the second flexible tube opposite to the end connected to the second mouth ring is connected to the another one of the plurality of airbags.

2. The flying vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the one of the plurality of airbags and the another one of the plurality of airbags form a shape of a catamaran of a yacht when inflated.

3. A flying vehicle flown by a radio control or autonomously by an autopilot, the flying vehicle, comprising:
a main body part including a controller that controls the flying vehicle, a battery, a frame, a propeller, a motor, and a transmitting and receiving antenna;
an airbag device having a gas supplier and a plurality of airbags attached to the main body part and inflated by a gas supplied by the gas supplier;
one of the main body part and the airbag device further including a sensor detecting a predetermined flying state of the flying vehicle, and an airbag controller;
the gas supplier including a gas cylinder storing a pressurized gas, a closure member sealing the pressurized gas inside the gas cylinder, a breaker including an electric igniter breaking the closure member when the sensor detects the predetermined flying state of the flying vehicle to discharge the pressurized gas from the gas cylinder, and
the gas supplier including a plurality of introduction passages including a first introduction passage connected to one of the plurality of airbags, a second introduction passage connected to another one of the plurality of airbags, and a third introduction passage connected to yet another one of the plurality of airbags, wherein
the breaker has a main pipe and three branch pipes including a first branch pipe, a second branch pipe, and a third branch pipe that are vertically branched from a peripheral surface of the main pipe,
the first introduction passage is connected to the first branch pipe, wherein the first introduction passage is composed of a first mouth ring connected to the first branch pipe and a first flexible tube connected to the first mouth ring, and wherein an end of the first flexible tube opposite to the end connected to the first mouth ring is connected to the one of the plurality of airbags,
the second introduction passage is connected to the second branch pipe, wherein the second introduction pipe is composed of a second mouth ring connected to the second branch pipe and a second flexible tube connected to the second mouth ring, and wherein an end of the second flexible tube opposite to the end connected to the second mouth ring is connected to the another one of the plurality of airbags, and
the third introduction passage is connected to the third branch pipe, wherein the third introduction passage is composed of a third mouth ring connected to the third branch pipe and a third flexible tube connected to the third mouth ring, and wherein an end of the third flexible tube opposite to the end connected to the third mouth ring is connected to the yet another one of the plurality of airbags.

4. The flying vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein the one of the plurality of airbags, the another one of the plurality of airbags, and the yet another one of the plurality of airbags form a shape of a trimaran of a yacht when inflated.

5. A flying vehicle flown by a radio control or autonomously by an autopilot, the flying vehicle, comprising:
a main body part including a controller that controls the flying vehicle, a battery, a frame, a propeller, a motor, and a transmitting and receiving antenna;
an airbag device having a gas supplier and a plurality of airbags attached to the main body part and inflated by a gas supplied by the gas supplier;
one of the main body part and the airbag device further including a sensor detecting a predetermined flying state of the flying vehicle, and an airbag controller;
the gas supplier including a gas cylinder storing a pressurized gas, a closure member sealing the pressurized gas inside the gas cylinder, a breaker including an electric igniter breaking the closure member when the sensor detects the predetermined flying state of the flying vehicle to discharge the pressurized gas from the gas cylinder, and
the gas supplier including an introduction passage connected to the plurality of airbags, wherein
the plurality of airbags includes one of two airbags and three airbags,
the breaker has a main pipe and a branch pipe that is vertically branched from a peripheral surface of the main pipe,
the introduction passage is connected to the branch pipe, wherein the introduction passage is composed of a mouth ring connected to the branch pipe and a flexible tube connected to the mouth ring, and wherein the flexible tube is one of bifurcated and connected to the two airbags, and trifurcated and connected to the three airbags.

6. The flying vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein the plurality of airbags includes two airbags, the flexible tube is bifurcated and connected to the two airbags, and the two airbags form a shape of a catamaran of a yacht when inflated.

7. The flying vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein the plurality of airbags includes three airbags, the flexible tube is trifurcated and connected to the three airbags, and the three airbags form a shape of a trimaran of a yacht when inflated.

Assignees

• Daicel Corp

Inventors

• Wakatsuki Akihiro
• AKIBA Tomomi
• Kuroda Takao

Classifications

• B64U2201/10

  autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS] · CPC title

• B64U2201/00

  UAVs characterised by their flight controls · CPC title

• B64U2101/30

  for imaging, photography or videography · CPC title

• B64U10/13

  Flying platforms · CPC title

• B64D25/00 Primary

  Emergency apparatus or devices, not otherwise provided for · CPC title