Switchable-feel flying car side-stick control device, system, and flying car

Abstract

This invention discloses a side-stick control device for a flying car with switchable feel, comprising: a housing; a joystick, including a handle, a stick body, and a stick sleeve; a roll rocker arm frame, rotatably mounted on both sides of the housing in the Y-axis direction via roll shafts and bearings; a pitch rocker arm frame, rotatably mounted on the housing in the X-axis direction via pitch shafts and bearings; a damping rebound mechanism; and a mode switching mechanism, comprising an electromagnet, a spring, a magnetic block, a car shift feel spring cylinder, and a car shift feel groove; in flight mode, the car shift feel spring cylinder does not contact the bottom wall of the car shift feel groove, and the control feel is linear; in car driving mode, the car shift feel spring cylinder contacts the bottom wall of the car shift feel groove, and the control feel is non-linear. This invention can solve the control problems of flight mode and car driving mode, improving the driver's control experience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of manned aviation technology, and more particularly to a side stick control device, system, and flying car with switchable hand feel for flying cars. Background Technology

[0002] Flying cars can not only drive on roads, but also fly in the air like airplanes. One of the biggest challenges facing flying cars is that the side stick control in flight mode and the gear shifting in car mode require two sets of control devices.

[0003] Flight driving mode and car driving mode offer two distinct control methods and feels. In flight driving mode, the controls are smooth and continuous, without any jerking. In car driving mode, to alert the driver to different gears, gear shifting is required, allowing the driver to clearly feel the gear changes. Designing a control system that simultaneously supports both flight and car driving modes would greatly simplify driver operation and enhance the driver's experience. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To fill the gaps in the existing technology, this invention provides a side stick control device, system, and flying car with switchable feel for flying cars.

[0005] This invention provides a side stick control device for a flying car with switchable feel, comprising:

[0006] case;

[0007] A joystick, comprising a handle, a lever body, and a lever sleeve, wherein the upper end of the lever body is provided with a handle, and the lower end of the lever body is provided with a lever sleeve;

[0008] The roll rocker arm frame has roll shafts on both sides in the Y-axis direction. The roll rocker arm frame is rotatably mounted on the Y-axis direction of the housing through the roll shafts and bearings.

[0009] The pitch rocker arm frame has pitch pivots on both sides in the X-axis direction. The pitch rocker arm frame is rotatably mounted in the X-axis direction of the housing and located in the lower inner part of the pitch rocker arm frame through the pitch pivots and bearings. The rod sleeve passes through the roll rocker arm frame and is rotatably connected to the pitch rocker arm frame. The roll rocker arm frame and the pitch rocker arm frame rotate independently without affecting each other.

[0010] A damping rebound mechanism, wherein the damping rebound mechanism includes a roll damping rebound mechanism and a pitch damping rebound mechanism;

[0011] A mode switching mechanism includes an electromagnet, a spring, a cylindrical gear shift spring, and a gear shift groove. The electromagnet is located at the lower end of a rod and fixed to the upper inner part of a sleeve. The cylindrical gear shift spring is slidably mounted on the lower inner part of the sleeve. A spring is provided between the cylindrical gear shift spring and the electromagnet. A magnetic block that attracts the electromagnet is provided on the cylindrical gear shift spring. The gear shift groove has a shift step, and a shift ramp is provided between the shift step and the bottom wall of the groove, or between adjacent shift steps.

[0012] When the flying car is in flight driving mode, the electromagnet is energized and attracts the magnetic block, the cylindrical gear shift spring is compressed, the cylindrical gear shift spring does not contact the bottom wall of the gear shift groove, and the control feel is linear.

[0013] When the flying car is in driving mode, the electromagnet is de-energized. Under the action of spring force, the cylinder of the car shifting feel spring contacts the bottom wall of the car shifting feel groove, and the control feel is non-linear.

[0014] Furthermore, the roll damping rebound mechanism includes a roll damper, a synchronizing rod, a roll damper tie rod, and a roll spring load mechanism. Two synchronizing rods are provided on the shaft of the roll pivot on the rear side of the roll rocker arm frame. One synchronizing rod is hinged to the upper end of the roll spring load mechanism through a fork, and the other synchronizing rod is hinged to one end of the roll damper tie rod through a fork. The other end of the roll damper tie rod is hinged to the swing arm of the roll damper. The lower end of the roll spring load mechanism is installed at the inner bottom of the housing through a rotating seat.

[0015] Furthermore, the pitch damping rebound mechanism includes a pitch damper, a pitch rocker arm linkage, a pitch damper tie rod, and a pitch spring load mechanism. The pitch rocker arm linkage is located on the rear side of the pitch rocker arm frame. The two ends of the pitch rocker arm linkage are respectively provided with a left fork and a right fork. One end of the pitch damper tie rod is hinged to the left fork, and the other end is hinged to the swing arm of the pitch damper. The right fork is hinged to the upper end of the pitch spring load mechanism. The lower end of the pitch spring load mechanism is installed at the inner bottom of the housing through a rotating seat.

[0016] Furthermore, the rod sleeve has Y-axis rotating shafts on both sides of its body, and the pitch rocker arm frame has mounting holes corresponding to the Y-axis rotating shafts running through it.

[0017] Furthermore, the number of shift steps depends on the number of gears, and the shift ramp includes flat sections and steep sections.

[0018] Furthermore, the lower end of the automotive shift feel spring cylinder is tapered.

[0019] Furthermore, it also includes four sensor assemblies, which correspond to two roll axes and two pitch axes respectively. The sensor assemblies are disposed on the side wall of the housing and / or inside the housing of the axis and the corresponding axis, and are used to detect the rotation signal of the axis when the axis is rotated under the operation of the joystick.

[0020] Furthermore, each sensor assembly includes a sensing element and a sensed element. The sensing element is a non-contact angle sensor or a non-contact displacement sensor, and the sensed element is a magnetic element. One of the sensing element and the sensed element is located at one end of the rotating shaft, and the other is located on the side wall of the housing corresponding to the rotating shaft and / or inside the housing.

[0021] The present invention also provides a side stick control feel switching system for a flying car, comprising: the above-mentioned control device, a switching module, a flying car controller, wherein each sensor component, the switching module and the electromagnet are respectively connected to the flying car controller;

[0022] Each sensor assembly is used to collect the rotation signals of the corresponding shaft and send them to the flying car controller;

[0023] The switching module is used to receive switching commands and send them to the flight vehicle controller;

[0024] The flying car controller is used to control the flying car based on the collected rotation signals, and to control the electromagnets to be energized or de-energized according to the switching commands.

[0025] The present invention also provides a flying car, comprising:

[0026] The flying car body; the aforementioned control device, which is located in the cockpit of the flying car body and is used to control the flying car body. Beneficial effects

[0027] 1. This invention cleverly separates the pilot's pitch control and roll control completely by setting up a roll rocker arm frame and a pitch rocker arm frame, so that they do not affect each other. By setting up a mode switching mechanism, the same set of control devices can simultaneously meet two completely different control modes, namely flight driving mode and car driving mode, which greatly simplifies the pilot's operation and improves the pilot's control experience, and has good commercial prospects.

[0028] 2. In car driving mode, the control device functions as a car gear shifter, allowing the driver to shift gears and providing a tactile feedback when engaging a gear. This means that the shifting force suddenly increases when engaging a gear and suddenly decreases after a successful shift, giving the driver a distinct "sucking" sensation to indicate that the gear has been successfully engaged. In flight driving mode, the driver can control the pitch and roll of the flying car. Unlike car driving mode, the control device needs to provide a very smooth driving experience, without any jerking or hesitation.

[0029] 3. By setting up a damping rebound mechanism, damping sensation, lever force, and return force can be provided during operation, which improves the user's tactile experience.

[0030] 4. The mode switching of this invention is simple. It only requires sending a switching command to the switching module, and the electromagnet is energized or de-energized by the flying car controller. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 A sectional view of the roll rocker arm frame during installation;

[0033] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of the control lever and the gear shift feel groove in a car;

[0035] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the rod sleeve structure;

[0036] Figure 6 A diagram showing the relationship between the cylinder of the car's gear shift spring and the groove of the car's gear shift feel when the flying car is in driving mode.

[0037] Figure 7 A diagram showing the relationship between the gear shift spring cylinder and the gear shift groove of a flying car when it is in flight driving mode.

[0038] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the pitch rocker arm frame;

[0039] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram showing the rotation of the pitch rocker arm frame during pitch operation;

[0040] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the rotation of the roll rocker arm frame during roll operation;

[0041] Figure 11 A graph showing the relationship between gear selection force and gear selection displacement when the flying car is in car driving mode;

[0042] Figure 12 A graph showing the relationship between gear selection force and gear selection displacement when the flying car is in flight driving mode;

[0043] Figure 13 A logic block diagram of the side stick control feel switching system for a flying car;

[0044] In the diagram: 1. Control lever; 2. Dust cover; 3. Roll rocker arm frame; 4. Pitch rocker arm frame; 5. Car shifter feel spring cylinder; 6. Car shifter feel groove; 7. Pitch damper; 8. Pitch damper lever; 9. Pitch spring load mechanism; 10. Sensing element; 11. Roll damper; 12. Roll damper lever; 13. Roll spring load mechanism; 14. Sensing element; 15. Electromagnet; 16. Spring; 17. Roll pivot; 18. Pitch pivot; 19. Synchronizing rod; 20. Magnetic block; 41. Pitch rocker arm linkage; 61. Shift step; 62. Shift ramp; 101. Handle; 102. Rod body; 103. Rod sleeve; 104. Y-axis pivot; 200. Housing; 411. Left fork lug; 412. Right fork lug; 413. Mounting hole; 621. Flat slope section; 622. Steep slope section. Detailed Implementation

[0045] To make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects of this invention easier to understand, the invention will be further described below with reference to specific illustrations.

[0046] Example 1: See Figures 1 to 8 As shown, the switchable-feel side stick control device for a flying car includes: a housing 200, which houses and protects the various components of the control device; a control stick 1, used for direct control by the driver, including a handle 101, a stick body 102, and a stick sleeve 103, with the handle 101 at the upper end of the stick body 102 and the stick sleeve 103 at the lower end; a dust cover 2, used to prevent dust or foreign objects from entering the control stick 1 and causing the mechanism to jam; and a roll rocker arm frame 3, which is positioned along the Y-axis. Rolling rocker arm 3 is rotatably mounted on the Y-axis of housing 200 via rolling rocker arm 17 and bearings on both sides of the Y-axis. Pitch rocker arm 4 is rotatably mounted on the X-axis of housing 200 via pitch rocker arm 17 and bearings on both sides of the X-axis. The pitch rocker arm 4 is located at the lower inner part of the X-axis of housing 200. A sleeve 103 passes through rolling rocker arm 3 and is rotatably connected to pitch rocker arm 4. Rolling rocker arm 3 and pitch rocker arm 4 rotate independently without affecting each other (e.g., ...). Figure 9 and Figure 10As shown, the complete decoupling of the pitch (Y-axis direction) and roll (X-axis direction) directions makes pitch control and roll control completely separate); the damping rebound mechanism includes a roll damping rebound mechanism for providing damping feel, stick force and return force during roll control and a pitch damping rebound mechanism for providing damping feel, stick force and return force during pitch control.

[0047] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the mode switching mechanism includes an electromagnet 15, a spring 16, a car shift feel spring cylinder 5, and a car shift feel groove 6. The electromagnet 15 is located at the lower end of the rod body 102 and fixed to the upper inner part of the rod sleeve 103. The car shift feel spring cylinder 5 is slidably arranged in the lower inner part of the rod sleeve 103. The lower end of the car shift feel spring cylinder 5 is tapered. A spring 16 is provided between the car shift feel spring cylinder 5 and the electromagnet 15. A magnetic block 20 that attracts the electromagnet 15 is provided on the car shift feel spring cylinder 5. The tactile groove 6 has shift steps 61, and shift ramps 62 are provided between the shift steps 61 and the bottom wall of the car shift tactile groove 6, or between adjacent shift steps 61. The number of shift steps 61 is determined according to the number of gears. The shift ramps 62 include flat sections 621 and steep sections 622. When the flying car is in flight driving mode, the electromagnet 15 is energized and attracts the magnetic block 20, compressing the car shift tactile spring cylinder 5 and the spring 16. The car shift tactile spring cylinder 5 does not contact the bottom wall of the car shift tactile groove 6 (e.g., Figure 7 As shown), the control feel is linear (as shown). Figure 12 As shown, the lever force changes linearly with displacement, and there is no jamming during operation, resulting in smooth control that meets the requirements for flight control of the flying car. When the flying car is in driving mode, electromagnet 15 is de-energized, and under the force of spring 16, the car shift feel spring cylinder 5 contacts the bottom wall of the car shift feel groove 6 (as shown). Figure 6 As shown), the control feel is non-linear (e.g. Figure 11 As shown, at this time, the cylinder of the car shift spring contacts the groove of the car shift feel, and the displacement curve of the control stick will become non-linear due to the force generated by the contact between the cylinder of the car shift spring and the groove of the car shift feel, providing a jolt when shifting gears.

[0048] like Figure 1 As shown, when the flying car is in driving mode, the driver pushes the lever forward to shift into R gear and pulls it back to shift into D gear. When the driver pushes the lever 1 forward and approaches the shift position, the shift spring cylinder 5 contacts the shift groove 6, causing the driver to clearly feel a change in force. The shifting force gradually increases, and after successful shifting (i.e., after passing the steep slope 622), the shifting force suddenly decreases, causing the driver to clearly feel a sudden change in force (e.g.,...). Figure 6 and Figure 11 As shown in the image, it produces a distinct "inhalation sensation," thereby alerting the driver that the gear selection has been successful.

[0049] like Figure 3 As shown, the roll damping rebound mechanism includes a roll damper 11, a synchronizing rod 19, a roll damper pull rod 12, and a roll spring load mechanism 13. Two synchronizing rods 19 are provided on the shaft of the roll rotating shaft 17 on the rear side of the roll rocker arm frame 3. One synchronizing rod 19 is hinged to the upper end of the roll spring load mechanism 13 through a fork, and the other synchronizing rod 19 is hinged to one end of the roll damper pull rod 12 through a fork. The other end of the roll damper pull rod 12 is hinged to the swing arm of the roll damper 11. The lower end of the roll spring load mechanism 13 is installed at the inner bottom of the housing 200 through a rotating seat.

[0050] like Figure 3 As shown, the pitch damping rebound mechanism includes a pitch damper 7, a pitch rocker arm linkage 41, a pitch damper pull rod 8, and a pitch spring load mechanism 9. The pitch rocker arm frame 4 has a pitch rocker arm linkage 41 on its rear side. The two ends of the pitch rocker arm linkage 41 are respectively provided with a left fork lug 411 and a right fork lug 412. One end of the pitch damper pull rod 8 is hinged to the left fork lug 411, and the other end is hinged to the swing arm of the pitch damper 7. The right fork lug 412 is hinged to the upper end of the pitch spring load mechanism 9. The lower end of the pitch spring load mechanism 9 is installed at the inner bottom of the housing 200 through a rotating seat.

[0051] like Figure 5 , Figure 8 As shown, the rod sleeve 103 has Y-axis rotating shafts 104 on both sides of the rod body, and the pitch rocker arm frame 4 has mounting holes 413 corresponding to the Y-axis rotating shafts 104 through it in the Y-axis direction.

[0052] When the driver presses the control lever 1 to the left or right (X-axis direction), the roll rocker arm frame 3 rotates along the roll axis 17. One of the synchronizing rods 19 on the roll axis 17 drives the roll spring load mechanism 13 to stretch or compress through the fork lug, thereby realizing the change of control force; the other synchronizing rod 19 drives the roll damper pull rod 12 to rotate through the fork lug, thereby driving the swing arm movement of the roll damper 11, realizing the damping feeling of the driver's operation.

[0053] When the driver presses the control lever 1 forward or backward (in the Y-axis direction), the pitch rocker arm frame 4 rotates along the pitch axis 18. The left fork lug 411 on the pitch rocker arm linkage 41 will drive the pitch damper 7 to swing through the pitch damper pull rod 8, thus realizing the damping feeling of the driver's operation. The right fork lug 412 on the pitch rocker arm linkage 41 will drive the pitch spring load mechanism 9 to stretch or compress, thereby realizing the change of the control force.

[0054] like Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, it also includes four sensor assemblies, which correspond to two roll axes 17 and two pitch axes 18 respectively. The sensor assemblies are disposed on the side wall of the housing 200 corresponding to the axis and the axis, or inside the housing 200, and are used to detect the rotation signal of the axis when the axis is rotated under the operation of the joystick 1.

[0055] Specifically, each sensor assembly includes a sensing element 14 and a sensed element 10. The sensing element 14 is a non-contact angle sensor or a non-contact displacement sensor, and the sensed element 10 is a magnetic element. One of the sensing element 14 and the sensed element 10 is located at one end of the rotating shaft, and the other is located on the side wall of the housing 200 corresponding to the rotating shaft and / or inside the housing 200.

[0056] Example 2: As Figure 13 As shown, a side stick control feel switching system for a flying car includes: the aforementioned control device, a switching module, and a flying car controller. Each sensor component, the switching module, and the electromagnet 15 are respectively connected to the flying car controller.

[0057] Each sensor assembly is used to collect the rotation signals of the corresponding shaft and send them to the flying car controller;

[0058] The switching module is used to receive switching commands and send them to the flight vehicle controller;

[0059] The flying car controller is used to control the flying car based on the collected rotation signals, and to control the electromagnet 15 to be energized or de-energized according to the switching command, thereby realizing the switching of driving modes.

[0060] Example 3: A flying car, comprising: a flying car body; and the aforementioned control device, which is located in the cockpit of the flying car body and is used to control the flying car body.

Claims

1. A side stick control device for a flying car with switchable feel, characterized in that, include: Casing (200); A joystick (1) includes a handle (101), a rod body (102), and a rod sleeve (103). The upper end of the rod body (102) is provided with a handle (101), and the lower end of the rod body (102) is provided with a rod sleeve (103). Rolling rocker arm frame (3) has rolling shafts (17) on both sides in the Y-axis direction. The rolling rocker arm frame (3) is rotatably mounted on the Y-axis direction of the housing (200) through the rolling shafts (17) and bearings. The pitch rocker arm frame (4) has pitch pivots (18) on both sides in the X-axis direction. The pitch rocker arm frame (4) is rotatably mounted on the X-axis direction of the housing (200) through the pitch pivots (18) and bearings and is located in the lower inner part of the pitch rocker arm frame (4). The rod sleeve (103) passes through the roll rocker arm frame (3) and is rotatably connected to the pitch rocker arm frame (4). The roll rocker arm frame (3) and the pitch rocker arm frame (4) rotate independently without affecting each other. A damping rebound mechanism, wherein the damping rebound mechanism includes a roll damping rebound mechanism and a pitch damping rebound mechanism; The mode switching mechanism includes an electromagnet (15), a spring (16), a car shifting feel spring cylinder (5), and a car shifting feel groove (6). The electromagnet (15) is located at the lower end of the rod body (102) and fixed to the upper inner part of the rod sleeve (103). The car shifting feel spring cylinder (5) is slidably provided in the lower inner part of the rod sleeve (103). A spring (16) is provided between the car shifting feel spring cylinder (5) and the electromagnet (15). A magnetic block (20) that attracts the electromagnet (15) is provided on the car shifting feel spring cylinder (5). The car shifting feel groove (6) has a shifting step (61). A shifting ramp (62) is provided between the shifting step (61) and the bottom wall of the car shifting feel groove (6) and between adjacent shifting steps (61). When the flying car is in flight driving state, the electromagnet (15) is energized and attracts the magnetic block (20), the car shift hand spring cylinder (5) compresses the spring (16), the car shift hand spring cylinder (5) does not contact the bottom wall of the car shift hand groove (6), and the control feel is linear. When the flying car is in driving mode, the electromagnet (15) is de-energized. Under the action of the spring (16), the car shifting feel spring cylinder (5) contacts the bottom wall of the car shifting feel groove (6), and the control feel is non-linear.

2. The operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The roll damping rebound mechanism includes a roll damper (11), a synchronizing rod (19), a roll damper pull rod (12), and a roll spring load mechanism (13). Two synchronizing rods (19) are provided on the shaft of the roll rotating shaft (17) on the rear side of the roll rocker arm frame (3). One of the synchronizing rods (19) is hinged to the upper end of the roll spring load mechanism (13) through a fork, and the other synchronizing rod (19) is hinged to one end of the roll damper pull rod (12) through a fork. The other end of the roll damper pull rod (12) is hinged to the swing arm of the roll damper (11). The lower end of the roll spring load mechanism (13) is installed at the inner bottom of the housing (200) through a rotating seat.

3. The operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pitch damping rebound mechanism includes a pitch damper (7), a pitch rocker arm linkage (41), a pitch damper pull rod (8), and a pitch spring load mechanism (9). The pitch rocker arm frame (4) is provided with a pitch rocker arm linkage (41) on the rear side. The pitch rocker arm linkage (41) is provided with a left fork (411) and a right fork (412) at both ends. One end of the pitch damper pull rod (8) is hinged to the left fork (411), and the other end is hinged to the swing arm of the pitch damper (7). The right fork (412) is hinged to the upper end of the pitch spring load mechanism (9). The lower end of the pitch spring load mechanism (9) is installed at the inner bottom of the housing (200) through a rotating seat.

4. The operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rod sleeve (103) has Y-axis rotating shafts (104) on both sides of the rod body, and the pitch rocker arm frame (4) has mounting holes (413) corresponding to the Y-axis rotating shafts (104) through it in the Y-axis direction.

5. The operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of shift steps (61) depends on the number of gears, and the shift ramp (62) includes a flat section (621) and a steep section (622).

6. The operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lower end of the cylindrical gear shift spring (5) is tapered.

7. The operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes four sensor assemblies, which correspond to two roll axes (17) and two pitch axes (18) respectively. The sensor assemblies are disposed on the side wall of the shaft and the corresponding housing (200) and / or inside the housing (200), and are used to detect the rotation signal of the shaft when the shaft is rotated under the control of the joystick (1).

8. The operating device according to claim 7, characterized in that, Each sensor assembly includes a sensing element (14) and a sensed element (10). The sensing element (14) is a non-contact angle sensor or a non-contact displacement sensor, and the sensed element (10) is a magnetic element. One of the sensing element (14) and the sensed element (10) is located at one end of the rotating shaft, and the other is located on the side wall of the housing (200) corresponding to the rotating shaft and / or inside the housing (200).

9. A side-stick control feel switching system for a flying car, characterized in that, It includes: the control device as described in claim 7 or 8, and a switching module and a flying car controller, wherein each sensor component, the switching module and the electromagnet (15) are respectively connected to the flying car controller; Each sensor assembly is used to collect the rotation signals of the corresponding shaft and send them to the flying car controller; The switching module is used to receive switching commands and send them to the flight vehicle controller; The flying car controller is used to control the flying car according to the collected rotation signal and to control the electromagnet (15) to be energized or de-energized according to the switching command.

10. A flying car, characterized in that, It includes: The main body of the flying car; the control device as described in any one of claims 1-8, wherein the control device is disposed in the cockpit of the main body of the flying car and is used to control the main body of the flying car.

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