Collapsible Wing Flight Assembly with Modular Backpack Frame
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hang gliders are cumbersome, inefficient, and expose users to strong winds, while human wings lack functionality and operability, making them less convenient and safer for flight experiences.
Innovation Solution
A flight assembly with bilateral, flexible, and collapsible wings, featuring a central frame that encapsulates the user, with a control lever network for wing extension and retraction, sail deployment, and a parachute system for enhanced safety and control, allowing users to launch and land easily.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional hang gliders are used, then flight capability is achieved, but the equipment becomes cumbersome and requires disassembly/reassembly for transport
Solution Approach 1:
The hang glider is divided into modular components including a backpack frame, wing frame, sail panels, and control systems that can be independently assembled and disassembled. This segmentation allows the glider to be packed in a vehicle trunk and quickly reassembled at the flight site, resolving the contradiction between transport convenience and assembly complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The wing frame and sail panels are designed to nest within the backpack frame when not in use. The collapsible wing structure allows components to be stored compactly inside the backpack, eliminating the need for separate storage containers and simplifying transport while maintaining quick assembly capability.
2Reliability
If hang glider wings are extended for flight, then lift and control are improved, but the structure becomes vulnerable to strong winds
Solution Approach 1:
The wing structure incorporates movable joints and adjustable sail panels that allow dynamic reconfiguration in response to wind conditions. The wing can be partially collapsed or reoriented to reduce exposure to strong gusts while maintaining flight stability, resolving the contradiction between needing extended wings for lift and vulnerability to wind forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The sail panels can be adjusted to change their surface area and angle of attack dynamically during flight. By modifying these parameters in response to wind conditions, the glider maintains optimal lift while reducing the harmful effects of strong winds, achieving both flight stability and wind resistance.
3Ease of operation
If human wings are designed for portability, then ease of use improves, but functionality and operability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The backpack-mounted wing system is designed to perform multiple flight functions including lift generation, steering, braking, and landing control within a single portable structure. The control lever network and adjustable sail panels provide versatile operability while maintaining compact portability, resolving the contradiction between ease of use and flight functionality.
4Use of energy by moving object
If hang glider components are disassembled for transport, then vehicle storage is enabled, but time is lost during assembly and disassembly cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The hang glider components are pre-configured with quick-connect mechanisms and pre-attached control linkages that eliminate the need for complex assembly steps. The wing frame and sail panels are pre-assembled as modular units that can be rapidly attached to the backpack frame, significantly reducing assembly time while maintaining transport efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The flight assembly provides ergonomic efficiency, improved safety, and ease of use, allowing users to launch from any level and land on various surfaces without the burden of carrying or assembling cumbersome equipment, while maintaining stability in different wind conditions.
Implementation Method 1
each wing may include one or more sail panels
Implementation Method 2
The control lever network may be comprised of a set of cables and levers coupled to specific elements of the wings frame and the central frame
Implementation Method 3
The control lever network may further include a forearm control assembly coupled to the wing frame by a first cable to tilt the wing for enhancing drag to implement a flight deceleration and breaking feature
Implementation Method 4
The hand lever control may also control wing sail deployment, vertical descent positioning of the flight assembly (flight deceleration), and parachute wing conversion
Data Source
AI summary
A flight assembly and glider possessing bilateral, flexible, and collapsible wings and associated method of flight are provided. The flight assembly may include a central frame that may encapsulate a human operator. A wing frame may include at least a pair of wings that couple to the central frame, wherein each wing may include one or more pivotal connections. To control the extension and retraction of the pair of wings, a control lever network may be incorporated within the central frame and the wing frame. The control lever network may include wing sail deployment, flight deceleration and parachute wing conversion features.