US20070105474A1 - Radio control flying toy - Google Patents

Abstract

There is disclosed a radio control flying toy in which an airframe can be easily floated and a running direction can be easily controlled. The toy is provided with: an airframe11formed into a rectangular plate shape having a flat bottom surface on a lower side; first to fourth propellers16a, 16b, 16c, and16dwhich are disposed in four corners forming at least a quadrangular shape on the lower side of the airframe11and which feed air toward a bottom-surface side to float the airframe11; first to fourth driving means17a, 17b, 17c, and17dwhich drive the first to fourth propellers16a, 16b, 16c, and16d, respectively; a control unit20which individually controls driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means17a, 17b, 17c, and17d, respectively; a transmitter30for transmitting a control signal for flight from the outside to the control unit20; and a battery21which supplies power to the first to fourth driving means17a, 17b, 17c, and17dand the control unit20.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• 1. Field of the Invention
• The present invention relates to a radio control flying toy which can feed air to an airframe on a bottom-surface side to float the airframe along a flat running plane, thereby freely flying the airframe.
• 2. Description of the Related Art
• Heretofore, Hovercraft (trade name), an air cushion vehicle or the like has been generally known as a ground effect machine or a vehicle which travels utilizing a lift force of an air cushion contained between a bottom surface of an airframe and a running surface such as a ground or water surface on a lower side, or ground effects of wings. As a toy which travels under remote control utilizing a principle of such ground effect machine, the present applicant discloses a technology concerning an air cushion toy in which a skirt portion formed into an expandable/contractible bag shape is attached to a lower peripheral edge of a main body, and air is sucked from the outside by a blower for floating disposed in the main body to introduce the air into a main body bottom part surrounded with the skirt portion. Moreover, the air is introduced into the skirt portion to expand the portion, the main body is accordingly floated, and a blower for propelling is disposed in an upper part of the main body (see, e.g., Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-20559 (second to sixth pages, FIGS. 1 to 9)).
• In the conventional air cushion toy, the air is fed into the skirt portion disposed on the main body lower part peripheral edge by the blower for floating disposed in the main body to expand the skirt portion, the air is fed to the bottom part of the main body surrounded with the skirt portion, and the air is circulated between a lower-part side of the expanded skirt portion and a running surface such as a ground surface to float the airframe from the running surface. Therefore, the blower for floating having a large output has been required for uniformly circulating the air required for expanding or floating the skirt portion. To run the main body and freely change a direction, it has been necessary to dispose two blowers for propelling in the upper part of the main body, or install a mechanism which varies an air feed direction by means of one blower for propelling. Therefore, a large driving power supply is required for driving the blower for flying or propelling, and there is a fear that power consumption increases and flight for a long time cannot be performed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• The present invention has been developed in view of the above-described situations, and an object thereof is to provide a radio control flying toy capable of easily floating an airframe and simply controlling a running direction.
• To achieve the above-described object, according to the present invention, there is provided a radio control flying toy comprising: an airframe formed into a rectangular plate shape and having a bottom surface which is flat on a lower side; first to fourth propellers which are disposed in four corners forming at least a quadrangular shape on the lower side of the airframe and which feed air to a bottom-surface side to float the airframe; first to fourth driving means for driving the first to fourth propellers, respectively; a control unit which individually controls driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means, respectively; a transmitter which transmits a control signal for flight from the outside to the control unit; and a battery which supplies power to the first to fourth driving means and the control unit. The transmitter transmits the control signal for flight to the control unit, and the control unit individually controls the driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means to change rotation speeds of the first to fourth propellers. Accordingly, the airframe can be easily floated, and the running direction can be easily controlled.
• In the present invention, the airframe is constituted of an upper main body which contains the control unit and the battery and a lower main body disposed under the upper main body and formed into a rectangular plate shape, attaching holes are made in positions of the four corners forming the quadrangular shape of the lower main body, and the first to fourth propellers are disposed in the attaching holes. The first to fourth propellers can be easily disposed in the attaching holes made in positions of the four corners of the lower main body forming the quadrangular shape.
• In the present invention, the first to fourth propellers include a pair of propellers positioned along one diagonal line of the four corners forming the quadrangular shape of the airframe and rotated in one direction, and a pair of propellers positioned along the other diagonal line and rotated in the other direction. The pair of propellers positioned along one diagonal line and those positioned along the other diagonal line can be rotated in mutually opposite directions to thereby control advancing, backing, or swiveling to the left/right.
• In the present invention, the first to fourth propellers include a pair of propellers positioned on the right side of the four corners forming the quadrangular shape of the airframe and rotated in one direction, and a pair of propellers positioned on the left side and rotated in the other direction. The pair of propellers positioned on the right side of the four corners and those positioned on the left side are rotated in the mutually opposite directions to thereby control the advancing, backing, or swiveling to the left/right.
• In the present invention, the transmitter has an operation lever for generating a control signal to individually raise or lower the driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means. The operation lever can generate the control signal to individually raise or lower the driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means.
• In the present invention, the operation lever has right and left operation levers which rotate the propellers from a perpendicular state toward one side and the other side, and generates the control signal to individually raise or lower the driving output of any of the first to fourth driving means in response to rotating operations of the right and left operation levers to one side and the other side, respectively. The running can be easily controlled by the operations of the right and left operation levers.
• In the present invention, the transmitter has an operation button for generating a control signal to individually raise or lower the driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means, respectively. The operation button can generate the control signal to individually raise or lower the driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means.
• In the present invention, the operation button has four operation buttons corresponding to the first to fourth driving means for front, back, left, and right, respectively. The running can be easily controlled by the operations of four operation buttons.
• In the present invention, the radio control flying toy is provided with: the airframe formed into the rectangular plate shape having the bottom surface which is flat on the lower side; the first to fourth propellers which are disposed in the four corners forming at least the quadrangular shape on the lower side of the airframe and which feed the air to the bottom-surface side to float the airframe; the first to fourth driving means for driving the first to fourth propellers, respectively; the control unit which individually controls the driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means, respectively; the transmitter which transmits the control signal for flight from the outside to the control unit; and the battery which supplies the power to the first to fourth driving means and the control unit. Accordingly, the transmitter transmits the control signal for flight to the control unit, and the control unit individually controls the driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means, respectively, to change rotation speeds of the first to fourth propellers. In consequence, the airframe can be easily floated, and the running direction can be easily controlled.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a radio control flying toy in a first embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 2 is a plan view of the radio control flying toy in the first embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 3 is a sectional view along line A-A of the radio control flying toy ofFIG. 2 in the first embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 4 is a back view of the radio control flying toy in the first embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 5 is a side view of the radio control flying toy in the first embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the radio control flying toy in the first embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a control operation of the radio control flying toy in the first embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of a state in which the radio control flying toy floats in the first embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of a state in which the radio control flying toy moves forwards in the first embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of an operation of a transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy floats in the first embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 11 is an explanatory view of an operation of the transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy moves forwards in the first embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 12 is an explanatory view of an operation of the transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy moves backwards in the first embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 13 is an explanatory view of an operation of the transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy swivels clockwise in the first embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 14 is an explanatory view of an operation of the transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy swivels counterclockwise in the first embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a radio control flying toy in a second embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 16 is a plan view of the radio control flying toy in the second embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 17 is an explanatory view of an operation of a transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy floats in the second embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 18 is an explanatory view of an operation of the transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy moves forwards in the second embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 19 is an explanatory view of an operation of the transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy moves backwards in the second embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 20 is an explanatory view of an operation of the transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy swivels clockwise in the second embodiment of the present invention; and
• FIG. 21 is an explanatory view of an operation of the transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy swivels counterclockwise in the second embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
• One embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinafter in more detail with reference to the drawings. FIGS.1 to7 are explanatory views of a constitution of a radio control flying toy in a first embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the radio control flying toy;FIG. 2 is a plan view of the radio control flying toy;FIG. 3 is a sectional view along line A-A of the radio control flying toy ofFIG. 2;FIG. 4 is a back view of the radio control flying toy;FIG. 5 is a side view of the radio control flying toy;FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the radio control flying toy; andFIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a control operation of the radio control flying toy.
• In these drawings, in the first embodiment of the present invention, a radiocontrol flying toy10 is a flying toy which can be enjoyed by floating and freely flying the toy above a flat running surface1 such as a ground or water surface in the outdoor, or a floor surface in the indoor. This radiocontrol flying toy10 is provided with: anairframe11; first tofourth propellers16a,16b,16c, and16dwhich are disposed in positions of four corners forming a quadrangular shape on the lower side of theairframe11 so as to feed air toward the running surface1 below; first to fourth driving means17a,17b,17c, and17dwhich drive the first tofourth propellers16a,16b,16c, and16d, respectively; acontrol unit20 which individually controls driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means17a,17b,17c, and17d, respectively, and which is disposed in theairframe11; atransmitter30 for transmitting a control signal for flight from the outside to thecontrol unit20; abattery21 which supplies power to the first to fourth driving means17a,17b,17c, and17dand thecontrol unit20.
• Theairframe11 is constituted of an uppermain body12, and a lowermain body13 disposed under the uppermain body12, and they are molded of, for example, lightweight plastic materials or the like, respectively. The uppermain body12 is formed into a forwardly or backwardly elongated case shape along a running direction, a circuit substrate constituting thecontrol unit20, thebattery21 and the like are contained in the upper main body, and areceiving antenna22 is attached to an upper portion of the upper main body on a rear side. The lowermain body13 has aflat bottom surface14 parallel to the running surface1 on a lower side, front right and left portions of the lower main body in the running direction are protruded forwards into semicircular shapes, rear right and left portions of the lower main body in the running direction are protruded rearwards into semicircular shapes, and the lower main body is entirely formed into a rectangular plate shape. The uppermain body12 is attached to the upper surface of the center of the lowermain body13.Circular attaching holes15a,15b,15c, and15dare made in the positions of four front, rear, right, and left corners forming the quadrangular shape of the lowermain body13 formed into the rectangular plate shape. The first tofourth propellers16a,16b,16c, and16dfor feeding the air toward the running surface1 side, respectively, are disposed in these attachingholes15a,15b,15c, and15d. These first tofourth propellers16a,16b,16c, and16dare driven by the first to fourth driving means17a,17b,17c, and17d, respectively. These first to fourth driving means17a,17b,17c, and17dare electric motors disposed in, for example, central positions of the attachingholes15a,15b,15c, and15dwhile driving shafts are protruded downwards, and the first tofourth propellers16a,16b,16c, and16dare attached to the driving shafts, respectively. These first to fourth driving means17a,17b,17c, and17dare attached to the corresponding attachingholes15a,15b,15c, and15dof the lowermain body13 via a plurality of attachingmembers18a,18b,18c, and18dformed into plate shapes. That is, these first to fourth driving means17a,17b,17c, and17dare attached to positions where output shafts provided with the first tofourth propellers16a,16b,16c, and16d, respectively, are directed perpendicularly downwards in the centers of the corresponding attachingholes15a,15b,15c, and15d. As shown inFIG. 2, a pair of thefirst propeller16aand thefourth propeller16dpositioned along one diagonal line of four corners forming the quadrangular shape of theairframe11 are rotated in the same clockwise direction, and a pair of thesecond propeller16band thethird propeller16cpositioned along the other diagonal line of are rotated in the same counterclockwise direction.
• Thecontrol unit20 is a control substrate disposed in the uppermain body12 to control running. As shown inFIG. 7, the control unit is constituted of: apower switch19; a receivingcircuit23 which receives a control signal transmitted from thetransmitter30 via theantenna22; acontrol circuit24 which generates a control signal based on a signal received from this receivingcircuit23; a drivingcircuit25 which controls driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means17a,17b,17c, and17dbased on the control signal of thiscontrol circuit24 and the like. Thebattery21 disposed inside the uppermain body12 supplies power to the receivingcircuit23, thecontrol circuit24, the drivingcircuit25, and the first to fourth driving means17a,17b,17c, and17d.
• Thetransmitter30 is a unit which transmits a control signal for running to thecontrol unit20, and is constituted of: apower switch36; anoperating section33 which operates to control the running; asignal generation circuit34 which generates a signal based on the operation of thisoperating section33; atransmission circuit31 which transmits a signal from thissignal generation circuit34 as a radio wave; anantenna35 for transmission; abattery32 which supplies power to thesignal generation circuit34 or thetransmission circuit31 and the like. As shown inFIG. 1, thetransmitter30 has a case section provided with theantenna35 for transmission and manually held to operate, and theoperating section33 is provided with aright operation lever37 and aleft operation lever38 which are to be operated with fingertips and which protrude perpendicularly from the surface of the case section. These right and left operation levers37 and38 can be rotated vertically with the fingertips against an urging force of a spring or the like from a state perpendicular to a side (upper side) provided with theantenna35 and an opposite side (lower side). Theright operation lever37 is a lever for controlling driving outputs of the second driving means17band the fourth driving means17dwhich are positioned on the right side of the lowermain body13. Theleft operation lever38 is a lever for controlling driving outputs of the first driving means17aand the third driving means17cwhich are positioned on the left side of the lowermain body13. When thisright operation lever37 is rotated upwards, the driving output of the fourth driving means17dis raised from usual 60% to about 100%. When the right operation lever is rotated downwards, the driving output of the second driving means17bis raised from usual 60% to about 100%. When thisleft operation lever38 is rotated upwards, the driving output of the third driving means17cis raised from usual 60% to about 100%. When the left operation lever is rotated downwards, the driving output of the first driving means17ais raised from usual 60% to about 100%.
• Next, an operation of the radiocontrol flying toy10 constituted as described above will be described. FIGS.8 to14 are explanatory views of the operation of the radio control flying toy in the first embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of a state in which the radio control flying toy floats;FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of a state in which the radio control flying toy moves forwards;FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of an operation of a transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy floats;FIG. 11 is an explanatory view of an operation of the transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy moves forwards;FIG. 12 is an explanatory view of an operation of the transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy moves backwards;FIG. 13 is an explanatory view of an operation of the transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy swivels clockwise; andFIG. 14 is an explanatory view of an operation of the transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy swivels counterclockwise.
• First, to operate the radiocontrol flying toy10, theflat bottom surface14 of the lowermain body13 is disposed on the running surface1. Subsequently, when thepower switch19 is turned on, the drivingcircuit25 of thecontrol unit20 drive all of the first to fourth driving means17a,17b,17c, and17dwith the equal driving output of 60%, all of the first tofourth propellers16a,16b,16c, and16dattached to the respective output axes rotate at an equal speed, and air is sent downwards from the respective attachingholes15a,15b,15c, and15dtoward a running surface1 side. As shown inFIG. 8, the air sent downwards from these attachingholes15a,15b,15c, and15dis sent between theflat bottom surface14 of the lowermain body13 and the running surface1. When the air flows toward a periphery of the lowermain body13, a space is generated in which the air flows between thebottom surface14 of the lowermain body13 and the running surface1, and theairframe11 floats above the running surface1 in a stopped state. In this case, the first andfourth propellers16aand16dpositioned along one diagonal line, and the second andthird propellers16band16cpositioned along the other diagonal line are driven in mutually opposite directions at the equal speed. Therefore, a force for reversing theairframe11 by rotating the respective first tofourth propellers16a,16b,16c, and16dis balanced, and theairframe11 floats above the running surface1 without swiveling counterclockwise or clockwise. In this case, in thetransmitter30 in which thepower switch36 is turned on, as shown inFIG. 10, the right and left operation levers37 and38 of theoperating section33 have perpendicular states without being operated with the fingertips.
• Next, to move forwards the floated radiocontrol flying toy10, as shown inFIG. 11, when the right and left operation levers37 and38 are simultaneously rotated toward anantenna35 side (upwards) in theoperating section33 of thetransmitter30, thesignal generation circuit34 generates a signal to raise the driving outputs of the third and fourth driving means17cand17dfrom 60% to 100%, and the signal is transmitted from thetransmission circuit31 to theantenna35. This forward moving signal is received by the receivingcircuit23 via theantenna22 of thecontrol unit20, and further transmitted from thecontrol circuit24 to the drivingcircuit25. The driving outputs of the corresponding third and fourth driving means17cand17drise from 60% to 100%. The rises of the driving outputs of these third and fourth driving means17cand17draise rotation speeds of the third andfourth propellers16cand16ddisposed on the left and right sides. As shown inFIG. 9, a feed air amount on the rear side of theairframe11 increases to move forwards theairframe11. In this case, even when the rotation speeds of the third andfourth propellers16cand16don the rear left and right sides rise, the propellers rotate in the mutually opposite directions. Therefore, the force for reversing theairframe11 is balanced, and theairframe11 can be moved forwards without swiveling counterclockwise or clockwise.
• Next, to move backwards the floated radiocontrol flying toy10, as shown inFIG. 12, when the right and left operation levers37 and38 are simultaneously rotated on a side opposite to the antenna35 (downwards) in theoperating section33 of thetransmitter30, thesignal generation circuit34 generates a signal to raise the driving outputs of the first and second driving means17aand17bas described above from 60% to 100% as described above. On receiving this signal, the drivingcircuit25 of thecontrol unit20 raise the driving outputs of the first and second driving means17aand17b, and the rotation speeds of the first andsecond propellers16aand16bdisposed on front left and right sides rise. As shown inFIG. 12, when the feed air amount increases on the front left and right sides of theairframe11, theairframe11 moves backwards. In this case, even when the rotation speeds of the first andsecond propellers16aand16brise in the same manner as in the forward movement, the propellers rotate in the mutually opposite directions. Therefore, the force for reversing theairframe11 is balanced, and theairframe11 can be moved backwards without swiveling counterclockwise or clockwise.
• Next, to swivel clockwise the floated radiocontrol flying toy10, as shown inFIG. 13, when theright operation lever37 is rotated downwards with the fingertip, and theleft operation lever38 is rotated upwards with the fingertip in theoperating section33 of thetransmitter30, the rotation speeds of the front rightsecond propeller16band the rear leftthird propeller16crise in accordance with the rises of the driving outputs of the second and third second driving means17band17ccorresponding to the respective levers. Since these second andthird propellers16band16crotate in the same counterclockwise direction as shown inFIG. 2, the rises of the rotation speeds generate a force for swiveling clockwise theairframe11. Therefore, the floatedairframe11 can be swiveled clockwise by performing the lever operation shown inFIG. 13. It is to be noted that it has been confirmed that the increase of the feed air amount accompanying the rises of the rotation speeds of the second andthird propellers16band16cgenerates a mutually canceling force, and does not largely influence a clockwise swiveling operation.
• Next, to swivel counterclockwise the floated radiocontrol flying toy10, as shown inFIG. 14, when theright operation lever37 is rotated upwards with the fingertip, and theleft operation lever38 is rotated downwards with the fingertip in theoperating section33 of thetransmitter30, the rotation speeds of the rear rightfourth propeller16dand the rear leftfirst propeller16arise in accordance with the rises of the driving outputs of the fourth and first driving means17dand17acorresponding to the respective levers. Since these fourth andfirst propellers16dand16arotate clockwise in the same direction as shown inFIG. 2, the rises of the rotation speeds generate a force for swiveling counterclockwise theairframe11. Therefore, the floated radiocontrol flying toy10 can be swiveled counterclockwise by means of the lever operation shown inFIG. 14. It is to be noted that it has been confirmed that the increase of the feed air amount accompanying the rises of the rotation speeds of the fourth andfirst propellers16dand16adoes not largely influence a counterclockwise swiveling operation in the same manner as in the clockwise swiveling.
• As described above, in the radiocontrol flying toy10 of the first embodiment of the present invention, information first tofourth propellers16a,16b,16c, and16ddisposed in four corners on the lower side of theairframe11 to feed the air downwards to the running surface1 side are driven by the first to fourth driving means17a,17b,17c, and17d, respectively. A pair of first andfourth propellers16aand16dpositioned along one diagonal line to form the quadrangular shape of four corners, and the second andthird propellers16band16cpositioned along the other diagonal line are rotated in the opposite directions. Based on the signal transmitted from thetransmitter30, thecontrol unit20 controls the driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means17a,17b,17c, and17d, respectively. Moreover, to float the airframe, the first tofourth propellers16a,16b,16c, and16dare rotated at the equal low speed of about 60%. To move the airframe forwards, the rotation speeds of the third andfourth propellers16cand16don the rear left and right sides are raised. To move the airframe backwards, the rotation speeds of the first andsecond propellers16aand16bon the front left and right sides are raised. To swivel the airframe clockwise, the rotation speeds of the second andthird propellers16band16care raised. To swivel the airframe counterclockwise, the rotation speeds of the first andfourth propellers16aand16dare raised. Therefore, in the radiocontrol flying toy10 of the present embodiment, a structure is simplified, a large driving power supply is not required for driving the blower for floating or propelling unlike a conventional air cushion toy, power consumption can be reduced, long-time flight is possible, and the toy can be enjoyed by floating and freely flying the toy above the flat running surface1.
• In the radiocontrol flying toy10 of the first embodiment, there has been described the example in which the pair of first andfourth propellers16aand16dpositioned along one diagonal line are rotated clockwise, and the pair of the second andthird propellers16band16cpositioned on the other diagonal line are rotated counterclockwise. However, one pair may be rotated counterclockwise whereas the other pair may be rotated clockwise. In this case, the advancing and backing lever operations are the same, but the clockwise and counterclockwise swiveling operations are reversed. The driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means17a,17b,17c, and17dare raised from 60% to 100% in accordance with the lever operation of thetransmitter30. However, conversely, even when the driving outputs are lowered from 100% to 60%, the running can be controlled. In this case, the running operation by the same lever operation differs. Furthermore, when only one of the right and left operation levers37 and38 are rotated, the swiveling operation can be performed.
• FIGS. 15 and 16 are explanatory views of a constitution of a radio control flying toy in a second embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the radio control flying toy, andFIG. 16 is a plan view of the radio control flying toy. It is to be noted that components and members corresponding to those of the first embodiment are denoted with the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.
• In the second embodiment of the present invention, a radiocontrol flying toy40 is provided with: first tofourth propellers16a,16b,16c, and16dwhich are disposed in four corners forming a quadrangular shape of a lowermain body13 on a lower side of anairframe11, respectively; first to fourth driving means17a,17b,17c, and17dwhich drive the first tofourth propellers16a,16b,16c, and16d, respectively; acontrol unit20 which individually controls driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means17a,17b,17c, and17d, respectively; abattery21 which supplies power to the first to fourth driving means17a,17b,17c, and17dand thecontrol unit20; atransmitter50 for transmitting a control signal for flight by a button operation from the outside to thecontrol unit20 and the like in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Unlike the first embodiment, in the radiocontrol flying toy40, the first andthird propellers16aand16con the left side are rotated in the same counterclockwise direction, and the second andfourth propeller16band16don the right side are rotated in the same clockwise direction. As shown inFIG. 15, thetransmitter50 has a case section provided with anantenna35 for transmission and manually held to operate, and theoperating section33 is provided with fouroperation buttons51,52,53, and54 which are to be operated horizontally and vertically with fingertips. Theseoperation buttons51,52,53, and54 are individually pressed, respectively, to transmit a signal to raise the driving outputs of the corresponding first to fourth driving means17a,17b,17c, and17dfrom usual 60% to about 100%, and another circuit constitution is similar to that of thetransmitter30 of the first embodiment.
• Next, an operation of the radiocontrol flying toy40 constituted as described above will be described. FIGS.17 to21 are explanatory views of the operation of the radio control flying toy in the second embodiment.FIG. 17 is an explanatory view of an operation of a transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy floats;FIG. 18 is an explanatory view of an operation of the transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy moves forwards;FIG. 19 is an explanatory view of an operation of the transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy moves backwards;FIG. 20 is an explanatory view of an operation of the transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy swivels clockwise; andFIG. 21 is an explanatory view of an operation of the transmitter at a time when the radio control flying toy swivels counterclockwise.
• First, to operate the radiocontrol flying toy40, when apower switch19 is turned on, all of the first to fourth driving means17a,17b,17c, and17dare driven with the equal driving output of 60%, all of the first tofourth propellers16a,16b,16c, and16dare rotated at an equal speed, a space is generated in which air flows between thebottom surface14 and a running surface1, and theairframe11 floats above the running surface1 in a stopped state in the same manner as in the first embodiment. In this case, the first andthird propellers16aand16con the left side are rotated counterclockwise, and the second andfourth propeller16band16dare rotated clockwise. Therefore, a force for reversing theairframe11 is balanced, and theairframe11 floats on the spot without swiveling counterclockwise or clockwise. In this case, in thetransmitter50, as shown inFIG. 17, any of theoperation buttons51,52,53, and54 of theoperating section33 are not operated (not pressed).
• Next, to move forwards the floated radiocontrol flying toy40, as shown inFIG. 18, theoperation buttons53 and54 on a lower side are simultaneously operated with fingertips in theoperating section33 of the transmitter50 (inFIG. 18, buttons to be operated are shown by arrows. This also applies to the following description of the button operation with reference to the drawings). When the buttons are operated in this manner, the driving outputs of the corresponding third and fourth driving means17cand17drise from 60% to 100%, rotation speeds of the second andfourth propeller16band16ddisposed on rear left and right sides rise, and theairframe11 moves forwards in the same manner as in the first embodiment. In this case, even when the rotation speeds of the third andfourth propellers16cand16don the rear left and right sides rise, the propellers rotate in the mutually opposite directions. Therefore, the force for reversing theairframe11 is balanced, and theairframe11 can be moved forwards without swiveling counterclockwise or clockwise.
• Next, to move backwards the floated radiocontrol flying toy40, as shown inFIG. 19, theupper operation buttons51 and52 are simultaneously operated in theoperating section33 of thetransmitter50. When the buttons are operated in this manner, the driving outputs of the corresponding first and second driving means17aand17brise from 60% to 100%, the rotation speeds of the first andsecond propellers16aand16bdisposed on front left and right sides rise, and theairframe11 moves backwards in the same manner as in the first embodiment. In this case, even when the rotation speeds of the first andsecond propellers16aand16bon the front left and right sides rise, the propellers rotate in the mutually opposite directions. Therefore, the force for reversing theairframe11 is balanced, and theairframe11 can be moved backwards without swiveling.
• Next, to swivel clockwise the floated radiocontrol flying toy40, as shown inFIG. 20, both or one of theleft operation buttons51 and53, for example, thelower operation button53 is operated with the fingertip in theoperating section33 of thetransmitter50. When the button is operated in this manner, the driving output of the corresponding third driving means17crises from 60% to 100%, and the rotation speed of thethird propeller16crises. This rise of the rotation speed of thethird propeller16cgenerates a force to swivel thethird propeller16cin a clockwise direction opposite to the counterclockwise rotating direction in theairframe11. Therefore, as shown inFIG. 20, the floated radiocontrol flying toy40 can be swiveled clockwise by operating the button. In this case, since a force to move theairframe11 is simultaneously added owing to the increase of the air feed amount accompanying the rise of the rotation speed of thethird propeller16c, an operation different from that in clockwise swiveling of the first embodiment is performed. It is to be noted that in a case where both of theleft operation buttons51 and53 are operated, the air feed amount increases accompanying the rises of the rotation speeds of the first andthird propellers16aand16c, and a clockwise swiveling operation is confirmed after theairframe11 moves rightwards.
• Next, to swivel the floated radiocontrol flying toy40 counterclockwise, as shown inFIG. 21, both or one of theright operation buttons52 and54, for example, thelower operation button54 is operated with the fingertip in theoperating section33 of thetransmitter50. When the button is operated in this manner, the driving output of the corresponding fourth driving means17drises from 60% to 100%, and the rotation speed of thethird propeller16drises. This rise of the rotation speed of thefourth propeller16dgenerates a force to swivel thefourth propeller16din a counterclockwise direction opposite to the clockwise rotating direction in theairframe11. Therefore, as shown inFIG. 21, the floated radiocontrol flying toy40 can be swiveled counterclockwise by operating the button. In this case, since a force to move theairframe11 is simultaneously added owing to the increase of the air feed amount accompanying the rise of the rotation speed of thefourth propeller16d, an operation different from that in the counterclockwise swiveling of the first embodiment is performed. It is to be noted that in a case where both of theright operation buttons52 and54 are operated, the air feed amount increases accompanying the rises of the rotation speeds of the right second andfourth propeller16band16d, and a counterclockwise swiveling operation is confirmed after theairframe11 moves leftwards.
• As described above, in the radiocontrol flying toy40 of the second embodiment of the present invention, the first tofourth propellers16a,16b,16c, and16dto be driven by the first to fourth driving means17a,17b,17c, and17dare disposed in four corners on the lower side of theairframe11 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Moreover, thetransmitter50 raises the driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means17a,17b,17c, and17dcorresponding to the fouroperation buttons51,52,53, and54 from usual 60% to about 100%. Therefore, when the driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means17a,17b,17c, and17dare individually changed by theoperation buttons51,52,53, and54, the forward moving, backward moving, and counterclockwise and clockwise swiveling can be performed. The toy can be floated above the flat running surface1, freely flied, and enjoyed in the same manner as in the first embodiment.
• In the radiocontrol flying toy40 of the second embodiment, there has been described the example in which the left first andthird propellers16aand16care rotated in the same counterclockwise direction, and the right second andfourth propeller16band16dare rotated in the same clockwise direction. However, the left propellers may be rotated in the same clockwise direction whereas the right propellers may be rotated in the same counterclockwise direction. In this case, the button operations for the forward and backward movements are the same, but the clockwise swiveling operation is opposite to the counterclockwise swiveling operation. The driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means17a,17b,17c, and17dare raised from 60% to 100% in accordance with the lever operation of thetransmitter30, but the driving outputs may be conversely lowered from 100% to 60%. In this case, the running operation by the same lever operation differs.
• It is to be noted that in the first and second embodiments, theairframe11 may be formed into an arbitrary shape as long as the airframe has theflat bottom surface14 parallel to the running surface1 on the lower side, and is entirely formed into the rectangular plate shape, and the first tofourth propellers16a,16b,16c, and16dare disposed in four corners forming quadrangular shape, respectively. Moreover, the operation levers37,38 of thetransmitter30 of the first embodiment, and theoperation buttons51,52,53, and54 of thetransmitter50 of the second embodiment may be constituted so as to be operated to thereby raise or lower the driving outputs of the corresponding first to fourth driving means17a,17b,17c, and17d, respectively. Furthermore, the radiocontrol flying toy10 of the first embodiment can be operated with thetransmitter50 in the same manner as in the second embodiment, and the radiocontrol flying toy40 of the second embodiment can be operated with thetransmitter30 in the same manner as in the first embodiment.
• The present invention is applicable to a radio control flying toy in which air is fed toward a bottom-surface side of an airframe so that the airframe can be floated above a flat running surface, and freely flied.

Claims (8)

1. A radio control flying toy comprising:

an airframe formed into a rectangular plate shape and having a bottom surface which is flat on a lower side;

first to fourth propellers which are disposed in four corners forming at least a quadrangular shape on the lower side of the airframe and which feed air to a bottom-surface side to float the airframe;

first to fourth driving means for driving the first to fourth propellers, respectively;

a control unit which individually controls driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means, respectively;

a transmitter which transmits a control signal for flight from the outside to the control unit; and

a battery which supplies power to the first to fourth driving means and the control unit.

2. The radio control flying toy according toclaim 1, wherein the airframe is constituted of an upper main body which contains the control unit and the battery and a lower main body disposed under the upper main body and formed into a rectangular plate shape, attaching holes are made in positions of the four corners forming the quadrangular shape of the lower main body, and the first to fourth propellers are disposed in the attaching holes.

3. The radio control flying toy according to claim1, wherein the first to fourth propellers include a pair of propellers positioned along one diagonal line of the four corners forming the quadrangular shape of the airframe and rotated in one direction, and a pair of propellers positioned along the other diagonal line and rotated in the other direction.

4. The radio control flying toy according toclaim 1, wherein the first to fourth propellers include a pair of propellers positioned on the right side of the four corners forming the quadrangular shape of the airframe and rotated in one direction, and a pair of propellers positioned on the left side and rotated in the other direction.

5. The radio control flying toy according toclaim 1, wherein the transmitter has an operation lever for generating a control signal to individually raise or lower the driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means.

6. The radio control flying toy according toclaim 5, wherein the operation lever has right and left operation levers which rotate the propellers from a perpendicular state toward one side and the other side, and generates the control signal to individually raise or lower the driving output of any of the first to fourth driving means in response to rotating operations of the right and left operation levers to one side and the other side, respectively.

7. The radio control flying toy according toclaim 1, wherein the transmitter has an operation button for generating a control signal to individually raise or lower the driving outputs of the first to fourth driving means, respectively.

8. The radio control flying toy according toclaim 7, wherein the operation button has four operation buttons corresponding to the first to fourth driving means for front, back, left, and right, respectively.

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