Inflatable Skeet Target with Variable-Pitch Rotor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current skeet shooting targets, such as clay pigeons and propeller-driven targets, lack unpredictability in flight trajectories, require lead shot for breakage which is pollutant, and have high production, transport, and storage costs due to large and heavy propellers.
Innovation Solution
A small, lightweight target with a rotor and inflatable membrane that transforms into a sphere, featuring crescent-shaped blades with a variable keying angle, sensitive to air turbulence, allowing for unpredictable and random flight paths, and compatible with iron shot for reduced environmental impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a flat clay pigeon is used, then the target is simple and inexpensive, but the trajectory is always parabolic and predictable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by using a rotor with blades that rotate during flight, transforming the static flat clay pigeon into a dynamic spherical target. The rotation creates variable aerodynamic forces that make the trajectory unpredictable, while the simple flat structure is maintained for ease of manufacture and loading.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies spheroidality by forming the rotating blades into a spherical shape during flight. This spherical configuration interacts with air turbulence more effectively than a flat surface, creating random trajectory variations while the underlying structure remains a simple flat plate for manufacturing purposes.
2Strength
If lead shot is used to break the clay pigeon, then the target breaks effectively, but lead shot is difficult to recover and potentially pollutant
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the material composition parameter - replacing lead shot with iron shot. This change maintains the effectiveness of target breakage while eliminating the environmental pollution and recovery difficulties associated with lead shot, as iron is magnetic and easier to recover.
3Adaptability or versatility
If propellers with fixed geometry are used, then the target achieves irregular trajectory, but the propellers have considerable size and weight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by using blades with variable pitch that change during rotation, rather than fixed-geometry propellers. This dynamic configuration achieves trajectory irregularity through interaction with air turbulence, while the blades are designed to be lightweight and compact when not in use.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating the aerodynamic functionality only where needed - in the blade geometry and rotation mechanism - while the rest of the target structure remains simple and lightweight. The blades are designed with specific local characteristics (crescent shape, variable pitch) that provide the required trajectory irregularity without adding overall weight.
4Weight of moving object
If the target is made small and lightweight, then production and transport costs are reduced, but the target may not be visually perceptible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by using a deflated membrane that inflates during flight. This allows the target to be compact and lightweight for storage and transport, then expand to a visually perceptible size during use, solving both the cost/weight issue and the visibility requirement.
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 target provides a highly unpredictable and extended flight with reduced environmental impact, using iron shot and magnetic recovery, while minimizing damage and cost through optimized weight distribution and aerodynamic design.
Implementation Method 1
each blade (4) extends longitudinally in a crescent shape and is provided with a geometric keying angle, designated in the figures with the letter beta, which is variable as a function of the rotation speed of the rotor (3)
Implementation Method 2
they are practically immune to other aerodynamic effects, like the Magnus effect which is observed when a sphere rotates in a fluid
Implementation Method 3
The hub (2) is associated with an elastic membrane (10) which is associated, in turn, with a valve (11). The membrane (10) is designed to be inflated before launching the target (1)
Implementation Method 4
the rotor (3) is made of a ferromagnetic material
Implementation Method 5
The rotor (3) is made of a ferromagnetic material
Implementation Method 6
The hub (2) is associated with an elastic membrane (10) which is associated, in turn, with a valve (11)
Data Source
AI summary
A target for skeet shooting which comprises a hub associated with a rotor that has at least two blades. The hub is associated with an elastic membrane, which in turn is associated with a valve and is designed to be inflated, in order to obtain a substantially spherical surface, before launching the target. Each blade extends longitudinally in a substantially crescent shape and has a geometric keying angle that is variable as a function of the rotation speed of the rotor about its own axis.