Aerial vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11738848-B2
Application number	US-201917416764-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 25, 2019
Priority date	Dec 28, 2018
Publication date	Aug 29, 2023
Grant date	Aug 29, 2023

Abstract

Provided is an aerial vehicle having a structure in which a rotating body has been excluded from a portion that can be touched by a user during flight. An aerial vehicle includes: a balloon unit; a control unit provided at the bottom of the balloon unit; and a plurality of micro-mechanisms (micro blowers), each of which blows out air. The micro blowers have a structure in which a vibrating member is vibrated in a space in communication with a plurality of openings, thereby blowing out, through a second opening, the air that has flowed into the space through a first opening. The control unit controls the micro blowers to change the position or the attitude of the aerial vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aerial vehicle comprising:
a balloon filled with a gas that has a lighter specific gravity than air;
a micro-blower including a body having a chamber with a first opening and a second opening and a vibrating member disposed with the chamber of the body, wherein the vibrating member vibrates to force air to flow through the first opening into the chamber and out of the second opening to provide a propulsive force; and
a control unit that controls the micro-blower to alter the propulsive force to change at least one of a position and an attitude of the aerial vehicle.

2. The aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a detector that detects a position or attitude of the aerial vehicle, wherein:
the micro-blower includes a plurality of micro-blowers; and
the control unit controls the plurality of micro-blowers to alter the propulsive force according to at least one of a detected position and attitude of the aerial vehicle.

3. The aerial vehicle according to claim 2 ,
wherein a direction of blow from the micro-blowers is in the same direction.

4. The aerial vehicle according to claim 2 ,
wherein the direction of blow from the micro-blowers is in one direction and is also in another opposing direction thereto.

5. The aerial vehicle according to claim 2 ,
wherein the direction of blow from the micro-blowers is different from each other.

6. The aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , including a gravity center controlling mechanism that moves a center of gravity of the aerial vehicle.

7. The aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , including:
an estimation unit that estimates at least either an amount of a gas filled in the balloon or an amount of the gas filled in the balloon that has leaked outside from the balloon, and
a separating mechanism that separates, from the aerial vehicle, a substance mounted in an object to the aerial vehicle by an amount corresponding to the estimated amount.

8. The aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , including:
a second vibrating member that is in contact with the balloon; and
a sound-emitting control unit that controls the vibration of the second vibrating member that is in contact with the balloon and vibrates a surface of the balloon to emit sound.

9. The aerial vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein the second vibrating member is a piezoelectric element.

10. The aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the vibrating member is a piezoelectric element.

Assignees

• Ntt Docomo Inc

Inventors

• Yamada Wataru
• Manabe Hiroyuki

Classifications

• B64U2201/20

  Remote controls · CPC title

• B64U50/13

  using external fans or propellers · CPC title

• B64U10/30 Primary

  Lighter-than-air aircraft, e.g. aerostatic aircraft · CPC title

• B64B1/44 Primary

  adapted to maintain predetermined altitude · CPC title

• B64B1/62

  Controlling gas pressure, heating, cooling, or discharging gas · CPC title