Control handle for a tethered model aircraft

Abstract

The invention relates to tethered-flight model airplanes, i.e. model airplanes which are self-propelled or motorised but are kept tethered by the control lines operated by the pilot. The invention specifically relates to F2B category airplanes. One difficulty in operating such airplanes is the problem of fragmentation in the actions of controlling and monitoring these airplanes. The present invention proposes electronic control for either operating the elevator or for controlling and activating the motor. The invention proposes control by means of a pair of servo testers. The two actions for controlling the aircraft are assembled in a combined mode and set up on a slide rail that serves as the control handle for the aircraft.

Description

[0001] Control handle for a captive toy aircraft the technical field of the invention:

[0002] The present invention relates to captive type toy airplanes specifically called (u control airplane) and relates in particular to captive airplanes of the F2B size.

[0003] Such a type of aircraft is self-propelled by a thermal or electric engine and is designed to fly along a more or less circular trajectory which is defined by the length of the control lines which are manipulated by an operator. Said control lines or wires are manipulated to operate elevators to vary the flight height and this through a handle held by the operator and by the control lines connecting this handle to the aircraft. The present invention proposes an improvement of the control style applied to control the depth or acceleration of the engine of this category of aircraft and proposes a style based on electronic control and this by the use of two servo testers and controlling them from the operator's handle.

[0004] The two assemblies; to operate the motor and that of the elevator are made in combined mechanisms, both are mounted on a slide of drawer which represents the control handle of the device

[0005] Current state of the art.

[0006] Captive flight model aircraft were known at least as early as 1921, as evidenced by US patent 1354203 issued to Modlin, which shows a model aircraft suspended from an electrical apparatus and equipped with a motor powered by electrical power from the support wires.

[0007] As electric motors evolved into smaller, more efficient units, it became possible to build model aircraft capable of generating sufficient lift for true aerodynamic flight in such a way that control of the motor's power (start and stop) was established from the handle carried by the operator,

[0008] Examples of such a toy airplane with such a control handle are described in U.S. Patent No. US2,439,054 issued to Edwin Mosthof and U.S. Patent No. 3,579,905 issued to James Radford.

[0009] Patent US2439054 issued to Mosthof in 1948 describes an electrically driven aircraft model; the variation of the power supply to the motor is located at the operator's hand at the control handle, this variation of the electric current is achieved thanks to a rheostat: a sliding contact slides along a coil generates the resistance of this coil and allows more or less electric current to pass to the motor; as for the control of the elevator actions of the aircraft, the control wires are metal wires covered with an insulating material which play the role of power supply to the motor and play a complementary role to manipulate the elevator: part of these two wires pass through two curved guides on the fuselage and join the elevator; their sliding in the guides allows the elevator to be raised or lowered.

[0010] Further technological advances have made possible the manufacture of electric powered model aircraft in which the engine could be started from the aircraft's control handle.

[0011] Line-controlled aircraft powered by gasoline engines have long been known as illustrated by Walker's U.S. Patent 2,292,416 issued in 1941 and later Walker's U.S. Patent 2,743,068 and Akretzmer Jr.

[0012] Tethered gasoline-powered aircraft have proven popular, especially with novice hobbyists, but require the cooperation of two people to get airborne; the pilot, i.e., the person who is to control the aircraft, must stand clear of the aircraft with the control lines more or less taut while an assistant starts the engine and holds the aircraft until signaled to taxi to the decoder; the small engines generally used do not have automatic starters and the propellers must be turned manually to start the engine. Furthermore, once started, there is usually no means of stopping the engine before it runs out of fuel.

[0013] Therefore, once the aircraft has taken off, the operator commits to a flight lasting as long as the fuel supply allows.

[0014] Nowadays model aircraft powered by a brushless electric motor are also popular, especially among electric model aircraft enthusiasts, but they also require the cooperation of two people: to take off, the pilot, i.e. the person controlling the aircraft, must stand away from the aircraft with the control lines more or less taut, while an assistant starts the engine through the radio controller by holding the throttle lever and ensures control of the aircraft throughout the flight.

[0015] Therefore, once the aircraft has taken off, the operator engages in a flight of as long as the battery allows and as long as the engine shutdown is established by the assistant who carries the radio controller. On the other hand, the handle held by the operator can only provide the latter with one command, that of varying the position of the elevator, and this by manipulating the control lines, but to vary the acceleration of the engine, this must be done in a separate way.

[0016] Description ;

[0017] There is therefore a constant need to improve the control mechanism of captive aircraft. A need for reliable control in both control systems: the elevator control and the engine power control system. The present invention provides a technique for controlling a captive flight aircraft; a technique that allows both the elevator and the engine power to be controlled in common time.

[0018] This technique is based on the application of two aeromodelling servo testers; these testers will have to electronically control and respectively the variation of the elevator and the acceleration of the motor, the two variable resistors (potentiometers) which control them are detached from the electronic card and re-established on board the aircraft control handle.

[0019] These two resistors are established on board the handle according to an assembly of two combined mechanisms: activate the acceleration of the motor and vary the position of the elevator in common time. Two pairs of wires covered with an insulating material, preferably enameled copper wires, will connect the resistors to the servo testers which are on board the aircraft. The power supply of the servo testers is carried out by a parallel socket via the brusheiess controller (esc). The variation of the position of the elevator is carried out by means of a servo control which connects to one of the testers.

[0020] This mechanism of applying two servo testers for piloting can be used even when the aircraft is powered by a thermal engine: in case the aircraft carries a gasoline engine the two servo testers are powered by a brushless ESC; the servo tester (23) connects to the servo control to vary the position of the carburetor slide and the tester (24) connects to the servo control to vary the depth. The present invention presents a style which responds to the piloting combination by using a method: using a slide slide for mounting the two combined actions and exploiting the sliding of the movable part of the slide on its fixed part to achieve the acceleration of the engine.the control of the servo tester driving the motor is carried out by sliding the movable part of the slide (2) on the fixed part (1); only half of this movable metal part of the slide (2) which is useful for this task and constitutes the potentiometer support.

[0021] Handle operation:

[0022] The aircraft control is mounted on a ball-bearing slide, the latter consisting of the fixed part (1) and half of the moving part (2). The moving part (2) slides along the fixed part (1) in a back-and-forth rhythm. Four small wooden or preferably plastic slices in 2.5 x 1.6 mm channel are linked together by means of three micro-hinges, the pieces (5) (3) (4) and (6) linked in series, the slice (5) is fixed on the fixed part of the slide (!) on the other hand, the piece (6) is fixed on the moving part of the slide (2). The pressure of the operator's hand on the handle (12) causes the four pieces (5) (3) (4) and (6) to lengthen and extend together along the length of the slide (1). In this way, the potentiometer is activated and the motor receives more energy.A spring (8) ensures that the moving part of the slide (2) moves back to the starting point by pushing the slices (5) (3) (4) and (6) to form a triangle position.

[0023] The activation of the potentiometer and its actuation on the slide are established according to two mechanisms and two versions.

[0024] A version of the potentiometer actuation by rolling fig Û2.

[0025] This version of controlling the motor is based on a method where the potentiometer is equipped with a plastic angle pinion (11) fixed to its axis and this pinion travels back and forth on a notched linear plastic track (9) this track is fixed in turn on the fixed part of the slide (1) the rolling of the pinion (11) on this track (9) back and forth increases or decreases the resistance of the potentiometer and consequently accelerates or decreases the power supply to the motor. and this is the first successful test which allowed the start, acceleration and stopping of a brushless motor ■ a spring (8) is fixed at one end on the fixed part of the slide (1) and at the other end on the mobile part of this slide (2) this spring (8) always returns the mobile part of the slide (2) to its starting point. Thus thanks to this spring (8) an automatic recoil of the mobile part potentiometer support (6) is carried out and consequently stops the power supply to the motor.

[0026] A version of the potentiometer actuation by means of articulation fig Û5.

[0027] This version of piloting the servo tester consists of mounting the potentiometer (22) on an artificial joint * An example of this assembly: the case of a control lever of a 2.4 ghz radio controller: the movement of the radio lever causes (the mobility of the potentiometer axis so we end up varying the resistance of the potentiometer in our case of control handle the potentiometer actuating the servo tester is manipulated according to its mounting on an artificial joint carrying the same degree of actuation angle 60 degrees (the angle M j : I used a carpentry door hinge that I modified (25) the axis of this hinge (25) in 6 mm caliber (26) and adapts to the caliber of the potentiometer axis (22) and a plastic tube (27) connects the two axes that of the hinge with that of the potentiometer.

[0028] The actuation of the handle according to the first version as shown in figure 02 is done by holding the handle (12) in the hand in the same way as one holds a battery charging terminal; your fingers are exerted on a handle (12) mounted in combination on the mechanism this handle (12) is used to control the servo tester n02 which controls the elevator the swing of this handle (12) forward or backward allows to mobilize the servo controlling the elevator and therefore consequently raise or lower the level of this elevator.

[0029] The invention will be better understood from the drawings: The attached drawing figure 4 shows the electronic circuit for controlling the motor and the elevator: two servo testers on board the aircraft; servo testers (23) and (24) operate on the basis of the electronic component NE 555. The two testers are powered in parallel via the brushless controller (25). The latter is powered by the battery (26). The two variable resistors (22) and (17) controlling the testers have been detached from the electronic cards of the circuit but they are installed again in combined mechanisms on board the pilot's control handle. Two pairs of enameled copper wires (14) and (15) connect the resistors to the electronic circuit which is on board the aircraft. These two pairs of wires play the role of electronic connection and play a complementary role to the cables which connect the aircraft to the pilot.

Claims

AMENDED CLAIMS received by the International Bureau on November 20, 2024 (20.11.2024) Ifevendication 1< the present invention is a device for coupling the gas controls and the elevator for a captive whip aircraft which is piloted by two servo testers (23) and (24); characterized in that the coupling of the gas controls and the elevator on board the device is carried out by means of the manipulation of the variable resistance (22) and (17) detached from said testers and reassembled on the device according to two mechanisms mounted in combination which are established on a slide a biii «s > XX suos coupling itif of the of the gar and the depth of a captive toy airplane according to claim 1 characterized in that the potentiometer) 22) controlling the servo tester (23) is mounted on the support (?) of the slide 2 and on the support (25) drawing $ and the actuation of said potentiometer (22) is done by sliding operation of the movable part 2) on the fixed part (1) of the slide., 3. gas and depth control coupling device for a toy captive aircraft characterized in that the potentiometer (17) controlling the servo tester (24) dedicated to the depth control is mounted on the support (13) which is fixed on the rectangular slice of plastic (3): a round rubber tube (27) communicates it with the axis (2S) of the handle (12). the swinging of the handle (12) in one direction or in the opposite direction causes the manipulation of the potentiometer (.17).

4. device for coupling the throttle and depth control for a captive toy aircraft according to claims 1; 2 and 3 characterized in that the mounting of the handle (12) dedicated to the depth support of the potentiometer (17) is mounted on the rectangular tubular edge (3) then connected by 2 micro hinges (21) with the edge |5i and the edge (4} of the same material and the mounting of the potentiometer (22) dedicated to the throttle control is done on board the support (7) drawing 2 or (26) drawing 5 and these two assemblies together form two combined mechanisms. AMENDED SHEET (ARTICLE 19)

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