Lift generating device and thrust generating device for a flying object

Abstract

Provided are a lift generating device for a flying object capable of generating lift by effectively utilizing dynamic pressure generated when a disk member is rotated, and a thrust generating device for a flying object capable of generating thrust. 【Solution means】 The lift generating device (10) of a flying object includes a circular or annular disk member (11), a rotation drive mechanism (12) for rotationally driving the disk member (11), a lift generating mechanism (13) that generates lift (F) by dynamic pressure generated in the vicinity of the upper surface of the disk member (11) when the disk member (11) is rotationally driven, an annular decompression chamber (14) formed by the disk member (11) and the disk body (6) in the vicinity of the lower surface region of the disk member (11), a plurality of sealing means (15A, 15B) for sealing so that air does not enter the decompression chamber (14), a vacuum pump (16) capable of decompressing the inside of the decompression chamber (14) to a preset decompressed state, and a plurality of thrust bearing means (17) provided between the disk member (11) and the disk body (6) in the decompression chamber (14).

Description

Background Art

[0001] The present invention relates to a lift generating device and a thrust generating device for a flying object, and particularly to a lift generating device that generates lift by dynamic pressure generated in the vicinity of the outer surface of a disk member that is rotationally driven, and a thrust generating device that generates thrust. In the wings of an aircraft, since the angle of attack is set, the dynamic pressure generated in the air flow acts on the upper surface side of the wing, and on the lower surface side of the wing, the dynamic pressure generated in the air flow, the momentum of the air flow, and the upward force caused by the angle of attack act, so a lift force that floats the fuselage is generated.

[0002] When a rotating body is rotated, approximately the same dynamic pressure is generated in the vicinity of the upper surface and the lower surface of the rotating body, and the pressure drops due to these dynamic pressures become almost equal, so lift cannot be generated. Therefore, when the lower surface side of the rotating body is made vacuum or depressurized, and in a state where the downward force due to the vacuum or depressurization does not occur, the dynamic pressure on the lower surface side becomes smaller than the dynamic pressure on the upper surface side, and the pressure drop on the lower surface side becomes smaller than the pressure drop on the upper surface side, so lift can be generated. Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose lift generating devices that utilize this principle.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a lift generating device that forms a large-volume decompression chamber depressurized by a vacuum pump on the lower surface side of a rotating body, rotates the rotating body with a motor, and makes the pressure drop due to the dynamic pressure on the outer surface of the rotating body larger than the pressure drop due to the dynamic pressure on the inner surface of the rotating body facing the decompression chamber, thereby generating lift.

[0004] In the UFO-shaped flying object described in FIGS. 21A and 21B of Patent Document 2, the outer shell is composed of an upper outer shell and a lower outer shell, the inner shell inside the outer shell is composed of an upper inner shell and a lower inner shell, a first motor that rotationally drives the upper outer shell, a second motor that rotationally drives the lower outer shell or a fan, and a vacuum pump that decompresses the space between the upper outer shell and the upper inner shell are provided.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005] Patent Document 1 WO2005 / 081678 Gazette Patent Document 2 WO2005 / 091740 Gazette Summary of the Invention Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In the lift generating device of Patent Document 1, since a motor and bearings are accommodated in the decompression chamber, it is necessary to ensure decompression, but no practicable structure regarding the rigidity and strength of the wall material and the rotating body is disclosed. Moreover, both the vacuum pump and the motor for driving the rotating body are enlarged, and the decompression treatment time for decompressing the decompression chamber becomes longer.

[0007] Also, in the flying body described in FIGS. 21A and 21B of Patent Document 2, since a large-volume decompression chamber is formed between the upper outer shell and the upper inner shell, as in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to enlarge the vacuum pump, and it is necessary to significantly increase the rigidity and strength of the upper outer shell and the upper inner shell, and it is also necessary to enlarge the motor for rotationally driving the upper outer shell. Further, when the decompression chamber is to be maintained in a decompressed state even when the upper outer shell is in a rotation stop state, it is necessary to further strengthen the rigidity and strength of the upper outer shell and the upper inner shell. However, no practicable structure regarding the upper outer shell and the upper inner shell is disclosed. Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The lift generating device for a flying object according to the present invention includes a circular or annular disc member rotatably supported on the main body frame of the flying object, a rotation driving mechanism for rotationally driving the disc member about a vertical or substantially vertical axis of the disc member, a lift generating mechanism for generating a lift force directed toward the outside by the dynamic pressure generated in the vicinity of the upper surface facing the outside of the disc member when the disc member is rotationally driven by the rotation driving mechanism, one or more annular decompression chambers formed by the disc member and the main body frame so as to face one or more annular portions excluding at least the central side portion and the outer peripheral vicinity portion of the lower surface in the vicinity region of the lower surface of the disc member, a plurality of sealing means for sealing so that air does not enter the one or more decompression chambers, a vacuum pump capable of decompressing the one or more decompression chambers to a preset decompressed state, and a plurality of thrust bearing means provided between the disc member and the main body frame in each decompression chamber and supporting the load acting by the decompression on the portion of the disc member facing the decompression chamber. It should be noted that the above-mentioned "region" refers to space.

[0009] According to the above configuration, when the disc member is rotated, lift can be generated by the pressure drop due to the dynamic pressure generated in the vicinity of its upper surface. In the vicinity region of the lower surface of the disc member, one or more annular decompression chambers are formed by the disc member and the main body frame and decompressed to a set decompressed state. Therefore, even when the disc member is rotated, only a small dynamic pressure corresponding to the decompressed state is generated, and the pressure drop due to the dynamic pressure is small. Thus, most of the lift generated by the dynamic pressure near the upper surface of the disc member can be utilized as effective lift. Also, the force acting downward on the disc member due to the negative pressure in the decompression chamber is canceled out by the force acting upward on the main body frame due to the negative pressure in the decompression chamber via a plurality of thrust bearing means and the like. Therefore, the negative pressure in the decompression chamber does not exert a substantial external force on the disc member.

[0010] And since one or more annular decompression chambers are formed in the region near the lower surface of the disk member and have a small vertical dimension, the volume of the decompression chamber can be reduced, the vacuum pump can be miniaturized, and the time required for decompression can be shortened. Moreover, since the decompression chambers are equipped with a plurality of thrust bearing means for supporting the load acting due to the decompression on the disk member portion facing each decompression chamber, it is advantageous in reducing the rigidity and strength of the disk member, advantageous in miniaturizing and reducing the weight of the disk member and the rotation drive mechanism, and advantageous in reducing the manufacturing cost of the lift generating device. Also, since negative pressure acts on the disk member from the decompression chamber and is sucked toward the main body frame side, the rigidity of the disk member can be made relatively small and its weight can be reduced, which is advantageous in miniaturizing the rotation drive mechanism.

[0011] The following various forms can be adopted in the present invention. In the first form, the decompression chamber has an upper surface and a lower surface, and the distance between the upper surface and the lower surface is 30 mm or less. In the second form, the plurality of thrust bearing means are a plurality of annular thrust bearings arranged at a predetermined interval in the radial direction centered on the axis.

[0012] In the third form, the plurality of thrust bearing means include a plurality of rolling elements arranged at a first set interval in the radial direction centered on the axis and at a second set interval in the circumferential direction, and a metal holding plate formed with a plurality of holding holes for rotatably holding the plurality of rolling elements respectively.

[0013] In the fourth form, the rotation drive mechanism has an electric motor integrally formed with the disk member so as to include the axis and having an output shaft connected to a shaft portion protruding to the inner surface side. In the fifth form, the rotation drive mechanism has an annular linear motor capable of rotationally driving the disk member.

[0014] a thrust generating device for an aircraft according to the present invention, comprising: a circular or annular disk member rotatably supported on a main frame of the aircraft; a rotational drive mechanism for rotating the disk member around a horizontal or nearly horizontal axis of the disk member; a thrust generating mechanism for generating a thrust toward the outside world by dynamic pressure generated in a portion of the disk member near its outer surface facing the outside world when the disk member is rotationally driven by the rotational drive mechanism; one or more annular decompression chambers formed by the disk member and the main frame in a region near the inner surface of the disk member and facing one or more annular portions excluding at least a central portion and a portion near the outer periphery; a plurality of sealing means for sealing to prevent air from entering the one or more decompression chambers; a vacuum pump capable of reducing the pressure inside the decompression chamber to a preset reduced pressure state; and a plurality of thrust bearing means provided in each decompression chamber between the disk member and the main frame and for preventing a portion of the disk member facing the decompression chamber from elastically deforming toward the main frame.

[0015] This thrust generating device is as follows: except that the axis of the disk member is oriented horizontally or nearly horizontally. It has the same structure as the above-mentioned lift generating device and provides the same effects. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, the above-mentioned excellent effects can be obtained. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Next, modes for carrying out the present invention will be described based on examples.

Examples

[0019] Example 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a drone 1 (flying body) flying in the air includes a main body frame 2 of the flying body, four sets of lift generating devices 10 respectively connected to four arm members 4 of the main body frame 2, and a control unit 22 including a battery 21 and a communication unit provided in a central frame 3 of the main body frame 2. The main body frame 2 has a central frame 3, four arm members 4 extending from the central frame 3, cylindrical bodies 5 connected to the tips of the respective arm members 4, and disk bodies 6 connected to the upper ends of the respective cylindrical bodies 5 and disposed opposite to the lower side of a disk member 11. The disk body 6 is bolted to a flange 5a at the upper end of the cylindrical body 5.

[0020] Each of the lift generating devices 10 includes a circular disk member 11 rotatably supported by the cylindrical body 5 and the disk body 6, a rotation drive mechanism 12 for rotationally driving the disk member 11 about a vertical or substantially vertical axis X of the disk member 11, a lift generating mechanism 13, an annular decompression chamber 14, two sets of sealing means 15, a vacuum pump 16 capable of decompressing the inside of the decompression chamber 14 to a preset decompressed state, and a plurality of thrust bearing means 17 provided between the disk member 11 and the disk body 6 (main body frame) in each decompression chamber 14 and supporting the load acting by the decompression on the disk member portion facing the decompression chamber 11.

[0021] The lift generating mechanism 13 generates a lift force directed toward the outside (upward) by the dynamic pressure generated in the vicinity of the upper surface facing the outside of the disk member 11 when the disk member 11 is rotationally driven by the rotational drive mechanism 12. The two sets of sealing means 15 include an inner peripheral sealing mechanism 15A that seals the vicinity of the inner periphery of the decompression chamber 14 and an outer peripheral sealing mechanism 15B that seals the vicinity of the outer periphery of the decompression chamber 14.

[0022] The disk member 11 is a member made of any one of metal (for example, stainless steel, titanium, titanium alloy, high-tensile steel, magnesium alloy, aluminum alloy), fiber-reinforced synthetic resin, or CNF (cellulose nanofiber). However, the disk member 11 can also be composed of materials different from the above. The upper surface 11a (outer surface) facing the outside of the disk member 11 is formed into a horizontal plane, a partial spherical surface, a conical surface, or a flat or curved surface of other shapes. For example, in the illustrated example, it is formed into a smooth conical surface with a top angle of 170° in cross section and protruding upward. The disk member 11 needs to have rigidity and strength to withstand the lift force, but it is preferably as lightweight as possible.

[0023] The upper surface 11a is formed into a shape obtained by rotating a line segment such as a straight line, a broken line, or an arc 360 degrees around the axis X. The lower surface 11b (inner surface) on the side opposite to the upper surface 11a of the disk member 11 is preferably formed into a smooth and horizontal plane, but is not limited to this plane.

[0024] In the initial state, the disk member 11 is in a horizontal posture, its axis X is set in a vertical posture, the rotational drive mechanism 12 has a shaft portion 18 that is integrally formed with the disk member 12 so as to include the axis X and protrudes toward the lower surface 14 side of the disk member 12, and this shaft portion 18 is connected to the output shaft 20a of the electric motor 20 of the rotational drive mechanism 12 via a coupling 19.

[0025] In the central frame 3 of the main body frame 2, the battery 21 and the control unit 22 are housed, and the electric motor 20 is housed and supported in the cylindrical body 5. As the electric motor 20, a DC commutator motor, a brushless motor, or various other motors can be adopted, and this electric motor 20 is controlled by the control unit 22 based on a wireless control signal from the operator. A cable 23 including a power cable for supplying power from the control unit 22 to the electric motor 20 and a control cable for transmitting and receiving control signals is connected to the electric motor 20. Incidentally, an internal combustion engine can be used instead of the electric motor 20. Incidentally, support legs 24 used when the drone 1 lands are provided at the lower end of the cylindrical body 5.

[0026] Next, the decompression chamber 14 and the like will be described. The annular decompression chamber 14 is formed by the disk member 11 and the disk body 6 (main body frame) so as to face an annular portion in the vicinity of the lower surface of the disk member 11, excluding at least the central side portion and the outer peripheral vicinity portion of the lower surface 11b. The decompression chamber 14 has an upper surface and a lower surface orthogonal to the axial center X, and it is desirable that the interval between the upper surface and the lower surface be 30 mm or less.

[0027] This annular decompression chamber 14 is provided to reduce the dynamic pressure generated in the vicinity of the lower surface 11b of the disk member 11. Therefore, the vertical interval can be set to several millimeters. However, when the volume of the decompression chamber 14 is too small, the endurance time when air leaks from the inner peripheral seal mechanism 15A or the outer peripheral seal mechanism 15B becomes too short. Also, when the volume of the decompression chamber 14 is too large, the vacuum pump 16 becomes large-sized and the decompression processing time becomes long. From the above viewpoints, in this embodiment, the vertical interval is set to, for example, 20 mm. In the case of the example in FIG. 3, when the radius of the disk member 11 is R, the inner diameter of the annular decompression chamber 14 is about 0.3R to 0.35R, and the outer diameter is about 0.8R to 0.85R.

[0028] The vacuum pump 16 can decompress the decompression chamber 14 to a preset decompressed state. This vacuum pump 16 is equipped on the arm member 4 near the cylindrical body 5, and the suction pipe 16a extending from this vacuum pump 16 is connected to the inner peripheral side portion of the decompression chamber 14 through the inside of the cylindrical body 5. A cable 16b including a power cable and a control cable is connected to the vacuum pump 16 from the control unit 22. Also, a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure inside the decompression chamber 14 is equipped. The set decompression state described above is, for example, 1000 Pa which corresponds to 1 / 100 of atmospheric pressure. However, it is not limited to this decompression state, and a decompression state in the range of, for example, several 100 Pa to several 1000 Pa may be used as necessary. The higher the degree of decompression, the smaller the dynamic pressure generated near the lower surface of the disk member 11 facing the decompression chamber 14, and the smaller the pressure drop due to the dynamic pressure, which is preferable.

[0029] Next, the inner peripheral seal mechanism 15A and the outer peripheral seal mechanism 15B will be described. The inner peripheral seal mechanism 15A includes an annular seal groove 31 formed in the disk body 6 on the inner peripheral side of the inner peripheral side wall portion 30 of the decompression chamber 14, an annular sealing member 32 mounted in this seal groove 31, a plurality of vertical screw holes 33 formed at predetermined circumferential intervals below the seal groove 31, a plurality of screwing members 34 respectively screwed into these vertical screw holes 33, a plurality of compression springs 35 respectively mounted in the spring receiving holes of the plurality of screwing members 34 to bias the sealing member 32 upward, and O-rings 36, 37 respectively mounted in the ring grooves of the inner peripheral wall portion and the outer peripheral wall portion of the sealing member 32.

[0030] The screwing member 34 extends downward from the lower end of the vertical screw hole 33 and projects into the space inside the cylindrical body 5, and a hexagonal hole 38 for engaging a tool (wrench) is formed at the lower end of the screwing member 34. The sealing member 32 is made of a synthetic resin material such as fluororesin (e.g., Teflon (registered trademark)), silicone resin, or polyetheretherketone (PEEK). The O-rings 36 and 37 are made of a synthetic resin material such as silicone resin. The sealing member 32 is in close contact with the lower surface 11b of the disc member 11 and seals the space therebetween. By appropriately setting the pressing force of the compression spring 35, the sealing performance of the sealing member 32 can be ensured. Note that the above-described inner peripheral sealing mechanism 15A is merely an example, and various sealing mechanisms can be adopted.

[0031] The outer peripheral sealing mechanism 15B includes an annular seal groove 41 formed in the disc body 6 on the outer peripheral side of the outer peripheral side wall portion 40 of the decompression chamber 14, an annular sealing member 42 mounted in the seal groove 41, an annular wedge member 43 mounted in a wedge shape between the lower surface of the sealing member 42 and the bottom surface of the seal groove 41, a plurality of horizontal screw holes 44 formed at predetermined circumferential intervals in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the disc body 6, screw members 45 respectively mounted in these horizontal screw holes 44, a plurality of compression springs 46 respectively mounted in the spring receiving holes of the plurality of screw members 45 and biasing the wedge member 43 toward the axis X, and annular O-rings 47 and 48 respectively mounted in the ring grooves of the upper surface wall and the lower surface wall of the wedge member 43.

[0032] The sealing member 42 is made of the same synthetic resin material as the above-described sealing member 32, and the O-rings 47 and 48 are made of the same synthetic resin material as the above-described O-rings 36 and 37. A hexagonal hole 49 for engaging a tool is formed at the outer end portion of the screw member 45. By adjusting the screwing amount of the screw member 43 and appropriately setting the pressing force of the compression spring 46, the sealing performance of the sealing member 42 can be ensured. Note that the above-described outer peripheral sealing mechanism 15B is merely an example, and various sealing mechanisms can be adopted.

[0033] Next, the thrust bearing means 17 will be described. The plurality of thrust bearing means 17 are three annular thrust bearings 50 arranged at predetermined intervals in the radial direction centered on the axis X in the decompression chamber 14. The above-mentioned predetermined interval is not limited to a specific interval, but an interval of about 4 cm to 8 cm is desirable.

[0034] Each thrust bearing 50 includes an annular fixed ring 51 fixed to the bottom surface 14a (the upper surface of the disk body 6) of the decompression chamber 14, an annular rotating ring 52 fixed to the lower surface 11b of the disk member 11, a plurality of steel balls 53 mounted between the fixed ring 51 and the rotating ring 52, and an annular retainer 54 for holding these steel balls 53. Incidentally, it is desirable that the thrust bearing 50 is a non-lubricated pressure type thrust bearing.

[0035] When the disk member 11 is rotationally driven via the shaft portion 18 by the electric motor 20, dynamic pressure is generated near the upper surface of the disk member 11, and the static pressure decreases by the amount of the dynamic pressure. Therefore, a lift force F equal to the dynamic pressure × area acts on the disk member 11. To simplify the calculation of the lift force, it is approximated that the outer surface 11a of the disk member 11 is a circular horizontal plane for explanation. However, let the rotational angular velocity of the disk member 11 be ω, the radius of the disk member 11 be R, the density of air be ρ, and in the r-θ coordinate system shown in FIG. 4, let the position of the surface element A be (r, θ). The dynamic pressure acting on the surface element A is (1 / 2)ρ(rω) 2 and the area of the surface element A is rdθdr. Therefore, the lift force F due to the dynamic pressure acting on the entire upper surface 11a of the disk member 11 is as follows. However, the air flow due to centrifugal force is ignored in the calculation.

[0036]

Equation

[0037] Next, taking the air density ρ = 1.2 kg / m 3 as an example, the calculation example of the lift force acting on one disk member 11 will be described. When R = 0.15 m and the rotational speed N of the disk member 12 = 6500 rpm (ω = 216π / s), the lift force F = 21.0 kg. When R = 0.5 m and the rotational speed N of the disk member 11 = 6500 rpm (ω = 216π / s), the lift force F = 2.7 tons.

[0038] When R = 1.0 m and the rotational speed N of the disk member 11 is 3200 rpm (ω = 106π / s), the lift force F is 10.5 tons. When R = 2.0 m and the rotational speed N of the disk member 11 is 1600 rpm (ω = 53π / s), the lift force F is 42.2 tons. When R = 4.0 m and the rotational speed N of the disk member 11 is 800 rpm (ω = 26π / s), the lift force F is 169.0 tons. However, the above calculation examples are approximate calculation examples.

[0039] Here, even if it is assumed that a pressure equal to the pressure in the decompression chamber 14 (1 / 100 atmospheric pressure) acts on the entire lower surface 11b of the disk member 11, the downward force due to the dynamic pressure is about 1 / 100 of the lift force F, and is substantially negligible.

[0040] As described above, the disk member 11 is rotationally driven by the electric motor 20, and a lift force is generated by the dynamic pressure generated near the upper surface of the disk member 11. However, in the region near the lower surface of the disk member 11, one or a plurality of annular decompression chambers 14 are formed so as to face one or a plurality of annular portions excluding at least the central side portion and the outer peripheral vicinity portion of the lower surface. Since the decompression chamber 14 is decompressed to a preset decompressed state, the downward force due to the dynamic pressure acting on the lower surface of the disk member 14 becomes a very small force. Therefore, most of the lift force due to the dynamic pressure acting near the upper surface of the disk member 11 can be utilized as an effective lift force.

[0041] In the decompression chamber 14, a plurality of thrust bearings 50 are provided to prevent the disk member portion facing the decompression chamber 14 from elastically deforming toward the disk body 6 (main body frame). This is advantageous for reducing the rigidity and strength of the disk member 11 in terms of miniaturization and weight reduction, and is also advantageous for miniaturizing the electric motor 20. Since most of the dynamic pressure generated near the upper surface of the disk member 11 can be effectively utilized to generate lift, a relatively small rotary drive mechanism 12 can generate a large lift force. Therefore, a lift generating device 10 that is small, highly efficient, and can be manufactured at low cost can be realized because the structures of the disk member 11 and the rotary drive mechanism 12 are simple. Moreover, the noise generated from the rotary drive mechanism 12 is also at a low level, and it is advantageous because it can perform vertical takeoff and landing.

Example

[0042] Next, the thrust bearing means 17A according to Example 2 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, in the decompression chamber 14, instead of the thrust bearing 50 described above, a plurality of annular thrust bearing members 55 are provided at predetermined intervals in the radial direction as a plurality of thrust bearing means 17A.

[0043] This thrust bearing member 55 is composed of an annular base member 56 formed as a convex strip integral with the disk body 6, and an annular low-friction member 57 made of a low-friction synthetic resin that is fixed to the upper surface of the base member 56 and is in surface contact with the lower surface of the disk member 11 to support the lower surface thereof. The low-friction member 57 is a member made of a material such as fluororesin like Teflon (registered trademark) or polyetheretherketone (PEEK). Incidentally, it is desirable that the plate-like portion 58 of the lower surface of the disk member 11 that contacts the low-friction member 57 be made of a low-friction metal material such as ductile cast iron, white metal, copper-lead alloy, or aluminum alloy.

Example

[0044] Next, the thrust bearing means 17B according to Example 3 will be described. As shown in Fig. 6, a predetermined thickness portion (for example, a portion with a thickness of about 10 mm) of the bottom wall of the decompression chamber 14 is formed as an annular low-friction metal plate 59 from a low-friction metal material such as ductile cast iron, white metal, copper-lead alloy, or aluminum alloy. A plurality of annular low-friction members 60 as a plurality of thrust bearing means 17B are integrally formed to protrude from the upper surface of this low-friction metal plate 59. These low-friction members 60 are in surface contact with and support the lower surface 11b of the disk member 11. Incidentally, the low-friction metal plate 59 is fixed to the disk body 6 with a plurality of bolts or the like. Incidentally, it is desirable to configure a plate-like portion 61 that contacts the low-friction member 60 among the wall portions near the lower surface of the disk member 11 from a low-friction metal material such as ductile cast iron, white metal, copper-lead alloy, or aluminum alloy. Further, cooling means for cooling the low-friction metal plate 59 may be provided.

Example

[0045] Next, the thrust bearing means 17C according to Example 4 will be described. As shown in Fig. 7, the plurality of thrust bearing means 17C include a plurality of rolling elements 62 arranged with a first set distance in the radial direction centered on the axis X and a second set distance in the circumferential direction, and a metal holding plate 64 formed with a plurality of holding holes 63 for rotatably holding these plurality of rolling elements 62 respectively. In the illustrated example, the rolling element 62 is a steel ball that contacts the lower surface 11b of the disk member 11 and the bottom surface 14a of the decompression chamber 14, and the holding hole 63 is a partially conical hole. However, if a tapered roller member that can roll in the circumferential direction is employed as the rolling element 62, the holding hole will be a trapezoidal hole in that case.

Example

[0046] Figures 8 and 9 show a disk-shaped flying object 70 equipped with lift generating devices 71 and a pair of thrust generating devices 72. The lift generating device 71 is an annular disk member 75 that closes most of the conical upper surface of the disk-shaped main body frame 74, and the disk member 75 with the axis X in a vertical or substantially vertical posture, an annular linear motor 76 that rotationally drives the disk member 75 in the direction of arrow E, a sealing mechanism 77 that hermetically seals between the inner circumference of the disk member 75 and the top wall 74a of the main body frame 74, and a sealing mechanism 78 that hermetically seals between the outer circumference of the disk member 75 and the outer peripheral wall 74b of the main body frame 84.

[0047] The above annular linear motor 76 has a plurality of sets of three-phase coils annularly arranged on the main body frame 74 side and a plurality of sets of rotors made of non-magnetic material provided on the inner surface of the disk member 75. Note that various types of annular linear motors other than the above can be adopted as the annular linear motor 76.

[0048] Below the disk member 75, a conical disk body 79a and a partial conical disk body 79b, which are part of the main body frame, are arranged, and annular decompression chambers 80 and 81 are formed on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the annular linear motor 76, respectively. These decompression chambers 80 and 81 are thin with a vertical dimension of about 20 mm. A vacuum pump 87 for decompressing the decompression chambers 80 and 81 is also provided. By this vacuum pump 87, the decompression chambers 80 and 81 are decompressed to a decompressed state of, for example, several 100 Pa.

[0049] The disk member 75 will not fall off because it is strongly attracted to the side of the decompression chambers 80 and 81 in a decompressed state. However, to enhance safety, an annular support 75a that supports the vicinity of the inner circumference of the disk member 75 on the top wall 74a and an annular support 75b that supports the vicinity of the outer circumference of the disk member 75 on the outer peripheral wall 74b are provided. Three annular thrust bearings 82 are installed inside the inner peripheral side decompression chamber 80, and two annular thrust bearings 82 are installed inside the outer peripheral side decompression chamber 81. Sealing mechanisms 83 and 84 as a plurality of sealing means for preventing air from entering the decompression chambers 80 and 81 are provided in the vicinity of the inner circumference of the inner peripheral side decompression chamber 80 and the outer peripheral side portion of the outer peripheral side decompression chamber 81.

[0050] At the lower part of the main body frame 74, a pair of left and right thrust generating devices 72 are provided. The thrust generating device 72 has the same structure as the various lift generating devices 71 described above, and arranges the axis X of the disc member 75 horizontally or substantially horizontally to generate a thrust T instead of lift. The pair of thrust generating devices 72 generate a forward thrust T to make the flying object 70 fly forward. Also, by adjusting the thrust of the pair of thrust generating devices 72, turning flight to the left or right becomes possible.

[0051] In this flying object 70, when ascending, the rotational speed of the disc member 75 is increased to increase lift. Also, when descending, the rotational speed of the disc member 75 is decreased to decrease lift. However, the pair of thrust generating devices 72 are configured to be swingable up and down by a predetermined small angle around the swing axis 85, and when lifting the flying object 70, the pair of thrust generating devices 72 are swung upward, and when lowering the flying object 70, the pair of thrust generating devices 72 may be configured to be swung downward.

[0052] Furthermore, when the disc member 75 rotates in the E direction, the main body frame 74 rotates in the direction opposite to the E direction. A pair of thrust generating devices 86 are provided to apply an anti-torque to prevent this rotation to the main body frame 74. The right thrust generating device 86 in FIG. 7 generates a forward thrust H, and the left thrust generating device 86 generates a backward thrust H.

Embodiment

[0053] FIG. 9 shows an aircraft-type flying object 90. The main body frame of this flying object 90 has a fuselage 91, four main wings 92, a vertical tail 93, and a pair of horizontal tails 94. Each of the four main wings 92 is equipped with a lift generating device 95 whose axis is directed vertically or substantially vertically, and the rotational direction of its circular disc member 95a is as shown by the arrow in the figure. This lift generating device 95 rotationally drives the disc member 95a by an electric motor or an internal combustion engine, and for example, one lift generating device 95 generates a lift of 50 tons.

[0054] A pair of left and right thrust generating devices 96 are installed at the lower part of the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the fuselage 91, and a pair of left and right thrust generating devices 97 are installed at the lower part near the rear end of the fuselage 91. These thrust generating devices 96 and 97 not only generate thrust for the forward movement of the flying object 90, but also enable turning in the left and right directions. Furthermore, these thrust generating devices 96 and 97 are configured to be swingable in the vertical direction by a predetermined angle around the swing axes 98 and 99. When the flying object 90 is ascending, they swing upward, and when the flying object is descending, they swing downward. The thrust generating devices 96 and 97 generate a thrust of, for example, 15 tons each.

[0055] These thrust generating devices 96 and 97 have the same structure as the various lift generating devices described above, and are arranged with the axes of the disk members oriented horizontally or substantially horizontally and in the front-rear direction to generate a thrust S instead of lift. Incidentally, the swing axes 98 and 99 can be omitted, and it may be configured to increase the lift of the lift generating device 95 when ascending and reduce the lift of the lift generating device 95 when descending.

[0056] Those skilled in the art can implement the present invention in various modified forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the present invention also encompasses such modified forms. For example, it is desirable to provide a thrust support mechanism that supports the axial force on the main body frame so that no axial force acts on the output shaft of the electric motor.

[0057] Incidentally, the lift generating device and the thrust generating device of the present invention function not only in the air but also in water. Since the density of water is 1000 kg / m 3 which is approximately 1000 times the density of air, there is a possibility that a lift or thrust approximately 1000 times or several 100 times that in the air may be generated when compared under the same conditions.

Industrial Applicability

[0058] The present invention provides a lift generating device and a thrust generating device with a simple structure that can be adopted for drones, single-seater flying vehicles, helicopter-type flying vehicles, automobile-type flying vehicles, disc-type flying vehicles, aircraft-type flying vehicles, and various other flying vehicles that require lift or thrust.

Explanation of Signs

[0059] 1 Drone 2 Main body frame 6 Disk body 10 Lift generating device 11 Disk member 12 Rotation drive mechanism 13 Lift generating mechanism 14 Decompression chamber 15 Sealing means 16 Vacuum pump 17, 17A, 17B, 17C Thrust bearing means 18 Shaft portion 20 Electric motor 20a Output shaft 62 Rolling element 63 Holding hole 64 Holding plate

Claims

1. A circular or annular disk member rotatably supported on a main body frame of the aircraft; a rotation drive mechanism that rotates the disk member around a vertical or nearly vertical axis of the disk member; a lift generating mechanism that generates a lift force toward the outside world by a dynamic pressure generated in a vicinity of an upper surface of the disk member that faces the outside world when the disk member is rotationally driven by the rotation drive mechanism; one or more annular decompression chambers formed by the disk member and the main machine frame in a region adjacent to a lower surface of the disk member and facing one or more annular portions of the lower surface excluding at least a central portion and an outer periphery portion; a plurality of sealing means for sealing the one or more vacuum chambers so that air does not enter the vacuum chambers; a vacuum pump capable of reducing the pressure inside the one or more decompression chambers to a preset reduced pressure state; a plurality of thrust bearing means provided in each of the pressure reduction chambers between the disk member and the main body frame, for supporting a load acting on a portion of the disk member facing the pressure reduction chamber due to the pressure reduction; A lift generating device for an aircraft comprising:

2. 2. The lift generating device for an aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the decompression chamber has an upper surface and a lower surface, and the distance between the upper surface and the lower surface is 30 mm or less.

3. 2. The lift generating device for an aircraft according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of thrust bearing means are a plurality of annular thrust bearings arranged at predetermined intervals in the radial direction around said axis.

4. 2. The lift generating device of an aircraft as described in claim 1, wherein the plurality of thrust bearing means include a plurality of rolling elements arranged at first set intervals in a radial direction and at second set intervals in a circumferential direction about the axis, and a metal retaining plate having a plurality of retaining holes formed therein for rotatably holding each of the plurality of rolling elements.

5. 2. The lift generating device of an aircraft as described in claim 1, characterized in that the rotational drive mechanism has an electric motor having an output shaft connected to a shaft portion that is formed integrally with the disk member so as to include the axis and protrudes toward the inner surface.

6. 2. The lift generating device for an aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the rotary drive mechanism has an annular linear motor capable of rotating the disk member.

7. A circular or annular disk member rotatably supported on a main body frame of the aircraft; a rotation drive mechanism that rotates the disk member about a horizontal or substantially horizontal axis of the disk member; a thrust generating mechanism that generates a thrust toward the outside by dynamic pressure generated in a vicinity of an outer surface of the disk member that faces the outside when the disk member is rotationally driven by the rotation drive mechanism; one or more annular decompression chambers formed by the disk member and the main machine frame in an area adjacent to the inner surface of the disk member and facing one or more annular portions of the inner surface excluding at least a central portion and an outer periphery portion; a plurality of sealing means for sealing the one or more vacuum chambers so that air does not enter the vacuum chambers; a vacuum pump capable of reducing the pressure inside the decompression chamber to a preset vacuum state; a plurality of thrust bearing means provided in each of the pressure reduction chambers between the disk member and the main body frame, for supporting a load acting on a portion of the disk member facing the pressure reduction chamber due to the pressure reduction; A thrust generating device for an aircraft comprising:

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