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US-12623779-B2 - Flight system

US12623779B2US 12623779 B2US12623779 B2US 12623779B2US-12623779-B2

Abstract

A disclosed device allows a person to fly. A disclosed wearable flight system includes a plurality of propulsion assemblies including a left-hand propulsion assembly configured to be worn on a user's left hand and/or forearm and a right-hand propulsion assembly configured to be worn on a user's right hand and/or forearm. A further embodiment includes a body propulsion device that is configured to provide a net force along an axis defining a net body propulsion vector and a support device configured to support a user's waist or torso. The support device is configured to hold a user's body relative to the body propulsion device such that a line extending between center the of the user's head and the center of the user's waist extends, relative to the orientation of the net body propulsion vector during use, by a body propulsion elevation angle that is greater than zero.

Inventors

  • Richard Browning

Assignees

  • Gravity Industries Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20241209
Priority Date
20170222

Claims (19)

  1. 1 . A wearable flight system comprising: a plurality of propulsion assemblies, each propulsion assembly comprising at least one propulsion unit configured to provide thrust, the plurality of propulsion assemblies including: a left-hand propulsion assembly configured to be worn on a user's left hand and/or forearm; a right-hand propulsion assembly configured to be worn on a user's right hand and/or forearm; and a body propulsion assembly comprising a support for supporting a user's waist or torso, wherein the propulsion units of the left-hand and right-hand propulsion assemblies collectively are arranged to provide maximum thrust in excess of the maximum thrust of all the propulsion unit(s) of the body propulsion assembly combined.
  2. 2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the left-hand and right-hand propulsion assemblies are arranged to be worn such that in use net thrust is directed substantially in line with the user's respective forearm and away from the elbow.
  3. 3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the support of the body propulsion assembly is configured to hold the user's body such that a line extending between the centre of the user's head and the centre of the user's waist extends relative to the orientation of a net force provided by the body propulsion assembly in use by a body propulsion elevation angle, the body propulsion elevation angle being greater than zero.
  4. 4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the body propulsion elevation angle is at least 10°.
  5. 5 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the body propulsion elevation angle is no more than 30°.
  6. 6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the body propulsion assembly comprises means for providing a first thrust along an axis defining a first body propulsion vector and a second thrust along an axis defining a second body propulsion vector, wherein the first body propulsion vector is not parallel with the second body propulsion vector.
  7. 7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein: the body propulsion assembly comprises at least two body propulsion units; a first body propulsion unit is arranged to provide net force along an axis defining a first body propulsion vector; a second body propulsion unit of the body propulsion assembly arranged to provide net force along an axis defining a second body propulsion vector; and the first body propulsion vector is not parallel with the second body propulsion vector.
  8. 8 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the first and second body propulsion vectors are directed apart by an angle of at least 10°.
  9. 9 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the first and second body propulsion vectors are directed apart by an angle of no more than 30°.
  10. 10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the propulsion assemblies comprise turbines and/or ducted electric fans.
  11. 11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the left-hand and right-hand propulsion assemblies are arranged to provide a maximum combined thrust of at least 800N.
  12. 12 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the body propulsion assembly is arranged to provide a maximum thrust of at least 400N.
  13. 13 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a fuel store for storing fuel in communication with at least one of the propulsion assemblies via a fuel supply line.
  14. 14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the fuel store comprises a variable volume storage vessel.
  15. 15 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising an inflatable bladder for storing fuel in communication with at least one of the propulsion assemblies via a fuel supply line.
  16. 16 . The system of claim 13 , further comprising a bubble sensor for sensing the presence of bubbles in the fuel supply line for alerting the user to the presence of bubbles.
  17. 17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the bubble sensor is arranged to provide a bubble signal representative of an amount of bubbles in the fuel line.
  18. 18 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the left-hand and right-hand propulsion assemblies are freely movable relative to each other.
  19. 19 . The system of claim 1 , wherein each propulsion assembly comprises only two propulsion units configured to provide thrust.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/142,381, filed May 2, 2023, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/666,052, filed Feb. 7, 2022, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 11,679,885, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/488,111, filed Aug. 22, 2019, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 11,279,482, which is a national stage entry under 35 U.S.C. of 371 of PCT Patent Application No. PCT/GB2018/050449, filed Feb. 21, 2018, which claims priority to United Kingdom Patent Application No. 1702852.3, filed Feb. 22, 2017, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference. STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT N/A THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT N/A INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM (EFS-WEB) N/A BACKGROUND This disclosure relates to an apparatus that allows an individual to fly. For example, the disclosure relates to the provision of propulsion assemblies that can be held in a user's hands and/or worn on a user's forearms and provide thrust to lift the user from the ground. There have been many attempts in the past to allow individuals to fly with only minimal equipment. Typically, such systems are formed of a framework that rigidly connects one or more propulsion devices with each other or with a wing. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE The inventors have realized that it is possible to configure a flight system that can use the strength of the human body, rather than a rigid frame work, to provide stable flight for an individual. Accordingly, there is provided a wearable flight system and a propulsion assembly as defined by the claims. By propulsion assembly is meant a device that produces thrust. A propulsion assembly may include one or more propulsion devices that each provide thrust (for example, in a known direction) and collectively define the thrust that is produced by the propulsion assembly. The thrust provided by a propulsion assembly produces an equal and opposite force on the user. Each propulsion assembly is able to provide a maximum thrust of at least 400N and in some embodiments at least 500N. Each propulsion assembly may be controllable to produce a lower thrust than the maximum based on control signals. The propulsion assemblies may include turbines or ducted fans. By “wearable” is meant that propulsion assemblies of the flight system (those parts that provide thrust) may be mounted on the human body such that the “wearer” contributes at least in part to the relative motion of those propulsion assemblies. That is, it is recognized that the difficult control problem of correctly angling a variety of thrusts produced by a plurality of propulsion assemblies may be delegated to the wearer's natural senses of balance, proprioception, and kinesthesia. Embodiments of the disclosure include a flight system comprising at least two propulsion assemblies that may be held in the hands and/or otherwise mounted on the wearer's forearms. In such a system, net thrust is directed substantially in line with the user's respective forearm and away from the elbow so that the induced stress is generally aligned with the bones of the wearer's forearm and is directed outwardly. Here, reference is made to net thrust rather than all thrust. There may be multiple propulsion devices that individually produce thrust that is not aligned with the wearer's arm, but collectively for each propulsion device the net thrust (the resolution of the generated forces) will be so aligned. A suitably physically conditioned wearer is able to support his/her own weight using just his/her arms, but for longer usage, it may be advantageous to share some of the load with other parts of the wearer's skeleton or musculature. Optionally, therefore, there may additionally be provided a body propulsion assembly arranged for engaging the wearer's torso to substantially prevent relative movement between the body propulsion assembly and the wearer's torso. In addition, or alternatively, one or more leg propulsion assemblies (either one for both legs or one for each leg) can be provided. The leg propulsion assemblies may be arranged for engaging one or both of the wearer's legs to substantially prevent relative movement between the leg propulsion assemblies and the wearer's corresponding leg(s). In various embodiments, however, half or the majority of the load is carried by the left-hand and right-hand propulsion assemblies collectively. In other words, the maximum thrust capability of the left-hand and right-hand propulsion assemblies together may be equal to or greater than the maximum thrust capability of the other propulsion assemblies combined. In fact, it has been found that providing a thrust roughly equal between each of: the left-hand propulsion assembly; the right-hand propulsion assembly;