Aeronautics and astronautics – Aircraft propulsion – Beating wing
Reexamination Certificate
2004-01-12
2004-08-31
Eldred, J. Woodrow (Department: 3644)
Aeronautics and astronautics
Aircraft propulsion
Beating wing
C244S011000, C244S022000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06783097
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to vehicles that derive motion from one or more flapping wings.
One approach to heavier-than-air flight employs flapping wings to generate a combined lift-thrust force. In principle, flapping wing technology offers the possibility of creating versatile flight vehicles that can combine and in some cases exceed the performance advantages of fixed-wing and rotary-wing technologies. In particular, flapping wing technology offers the possibility of providing improved maneuverability compared to even rotary-wing technologies. Vehicles employing flapping wing technologies are referred to as “ornithopters”.
Unfortunately, very few ornithopters have succeeded in flying. In 1929, Lippisch developed a human-powered ornithopter that achieved non-sustained flight. In 1986, MacCready et al. developed an ornithopter modeled on a pterosaur, an extinct flying reptile. That ornithopter was winch launched and could not sustain flight for an extended duration. More recently, Harris and DeLaurier developed an ornithopter that was capable of sustained flight. In addition, various toys have been developed that employ flapping wing technology to fly, including that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,728 to Van Ruymbeke.
Unfortunately, even those previous ornithopters that were capable of flight were very limited in their maneuverability. These ornithopters operated by flapping wings only in a single trajectory, i.e., in an up and down motion. Thus, the aerodynamic force developed by the flapping wings over the course of a series of “beats” was fixed in a fixed (relative to the vehicle), substantially vertical plane. To develop lift, these ornithopters mimicked conventional fixed wing aircraft in that in all cases lift was achieved by creating airflow past an airfoil due to the forward motion of the vehicle as a whole. Thus, these ornithopters suffered from the same maneuverability limitations as conventional fixed-wing aircraft.
In an analogous way, conventional and submersible watercraft, spacecraft and satellites also are limited in their maneuverability due to the design of their propulsion systems.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,206,324 and 6,565,039 and PCT/US00/23544, all to Michael J. C. Smith, a wing-drive mechanism is described, together with methods for controlling the wing-drive mechanism to effect flight. The wing-drive mechanism described in the patents and the applications is capable of independent movement about flap, pitch and yaw axes through the operation of three axis drive mechanisms.
Because of the continual desire to minimize weight in all flying vehicles, it would be desirable to provide a wing-drive mechanism that is strong, durable, light weight, and which operates smoothly and reliably.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4139171 (1979-02-01), Harris
patent: 4718877 (1988-01-01), Girsch et al.
patent: 4729748 (1988-03-01), Van Ruymbeke
patent: 4749149 (1988-06-01), Gruich
patent: 4793573 (1988-12-01), Kelfer
patent: 5163861 (1992-11-01), Van Ruymbeke
patent: 5899408 (1999-05-01), Bowers, Jr.
patent: 6206324 (2001-03-01), Smith
patent: 6530541 (2003-03-01), Woo et al.
patent: 6565039 (2003-05-01), Smith
patent: 6568634 (2003-05-01), Smith
patent: 6632119 (2003-10-01), Chernek et al.
patent: 2003/0226933 (2003-12-01), Richard
patent: 01/15971 (2001-03-01), None
Michael J. C. Smith, “Simulating Flapping Insect Wings . . . ”, Ph.D. Thesis, Purdue University, May 25, 1995.
Michael J. C. Smith, “Reinstating Inquiry Into Mechanized Flapping-Wing Flight . . . ”, AIAA 97-0533, 35thAerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, Jan. 6-10, 1997.
Smith et al., “The Advantages of an Unsteady Panel Method in Modelling . . . ”, J. Experimental Biology 199, 1073-1083 (1996).
Michael J. C. Smith, “Simulating Moth Wing Aerodynamics: Towards the Development of Flapping-Wing Technology”, AIAA Journal 34:1348-1355 (1996).
DeLaurier and Harris, “A Study of Mechanical Flapping-Wing Flight”, Aeronautical Journal, Oct. 1993.
Hargrave's Flying Machine, The American Engineer, May 1893, pp. 233-234.
Michael J. C. Smith, “Trajectory Control of Flapping Wings: . . . ”, 6thAIAA/NASA/USAF Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization Symposium, Sep. 4-6, 1996.
“Spencer's Ornithopter”, Model Airplane News, Feb. 1999, pp. 40-43, 45.
Hollingum, “Military to look to flying insect robots”, Industrial Robot, 25:123-128 (1998).
Michelson, “Update on Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicle Research”, 13thBristol International RPV Conference, Mar. 30-Apr. 1, 1998.
“Tiny Drones May Be Soldier's New Tool”, Aviation Week & Space Technology, Jun. 8, 1998, pp. 42-48.
“Honey, I Shrunk the Plane”, Machine Design, Oct. 8, 1998 pp. 353-48.
“Several Micro Air Vehicles In Flight Test Programs”, Aviation Week & Space Technology, Jul. 12, 1999, pp. 47-48.
“Quetzalcoatl”, Model Aviation, Agu. 1986, pp. 84-90, 158.
“Microplanes”, Popular Science, Jan. 1998, pp. 54-59.
Michael J. C. Smith, “Leading Edge Effects on Moth Wing Aerodynamics, . . . ”, 14thAIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference, Jun. 17-20, 1996.
“Learning From the Birds and Bees”, I.D. Magazine, Nov. 1998, pp. 66-69.
Eldred J. Woodrow
Gary C Cohn PLLC
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