Thrust generating apparatus for controlling attitude of movable body

{
  "publication_number": "US10288075B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Thrust generating apparatus for controlling attitude of movable body",
  "abstract": "A thrust generating apparatus for controlling an attitude of a movable body includes an outer shell body, a first inner shell body and a second inner shell body, a first fan rotating body and a second fan rotating body, an intermediate shell body, and a driving unit. A outer surface of the intermediate shell body has a shape such that an air flow sent from an opening end inside of any one of the first inner shell body and the second inner shell body is accommodated and flowed out to an outer flow path. When the first fan rotating body is rotated, the air flow suctioned from the outside in the axial direction of the first inner shell body passes through the outer flow path defined by the second inner shell body to be jetted from a second opening end of the outer shell body.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A thrust generating apparatus for controlling an attitude of a movable body, the thrust generating apparatus comprising: a cylindrical outer shell body having a first opening end and a second opening end formed at both ends in an axial direction of the outer shell body; a first inner shell body and a second inner shell body, the first inner shell body having a cylindrical shape shorter than and with a diameter smaller than that of the outer shell body and disposed inside the first opening end, the second inner shell body having a cylindrical shape shorter than and with a diameter smaller than that of the outer shell body and disposed inside the second opening end, the first inner shell body and the second inner shell body defining an outer flow path between an outer surface thereof disposed at the outer shell body side and an inner wall of the outer shell body; a first fan rotating body and a second fan rotating body disposed inside the first inner shell body and the second inner shell body, respectively, the first fan rotating body and the second fan rotating body being configured to suction an air flow from an outside in the axial direction to send the air flow toward an inside in the axial direction upon rotation and driving thereof; an intermediate shell body having a diameter smaller than that of the outer shell body and disposed between the first inner shell body and the second inner shell body in the outer shell body, the intermediate shell body defining an intermediate flow path between an outer surface thereof disposed at the outer shell body side and the inner wall of the outer shell body, and the outer surface having a shape such that the air flow sent from an opening end inside in the axial direction of one of the first inner shell body and the second inner shell body is accommodated and flowed out to the outer flow path defined between the other one of the first inner shell body and the second inner shell body and the outer shell body; and a driving unit configured to rotate each of the first fan rotating body and the second fan rotating body, wherein, when the first fan rotating body is rotated, the air flow suctioned from the outside in the axial direction of the first inner shell body passes through the outer flow path defined by the second inner shell body to be jetted from the second opening end of the outer shell body, and when the second fan rotating body is rotated, the air flow suctioned from the outside in the axial direction of the second inner shell body passes through the outer flow path defined by the first inner shell body to be jetted from the first opening end of the outer shell body.",
    "2. The thrust generating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a rotation control unit configured to selectively rotate one of the first fan rotating body and the second fan rotating body.",
    "3. The thrust generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first inner shell body and the second inner shell body are disposed coaxially with the outer shell body.",
    "4. The thrust generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outer shell body has a shape that is surface-symmetrical with respect to a symmetrical surface perpendicular to a direction of an axis of the outer shell body, the first inner shell body and the second inner shell body are disposed to be surface-symmetrical with respect to the symmetrical surface, and the outer surface of the intermediate shell body has a shape that is surface-symmetrical with respect to the symmetrical surface.",
    "5. The thrust generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outer flow paths defined by the first and second inner shell bodies extend away from an axis in a radial direction toward the outside in the axial direction.",
    "6. The thrust generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outer shell body has a bore diameter of the first opening end and a bore diameter of the second opening end larger than an inner diameter of a portion between the first opening end and the second opening end, and each of the first inner shell body and the second inner shell body has a bore diameter of an opening end outside in the axial direction larger than a bore diameter of the opening end inside in the axial direction.",
    "7. The thrust generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate shell body has a shape rotation-symmetrical with respect to an axis of the outer shell body and includes an area having a maximum diameter with respect to a diameter in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and the intermediate shell body has a shape with a reduced diameter in the perpendicular direction from the area having the maximum diameter toward the outside in the axial direction.",
    "8. The thrust generating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, in the intermediate shell body, an angle formed by sides that surround the area having the maximum diameter in a cross-sectional shape along the axis is an angle at which the air flow from the one of the first inner shell body and the second inner shell body flows to deviate toward the outside of the other one of the first inner shell body and the second inner shell body.",
    "9. The thrust generating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, in the intermediate shell body, an angle formed by sides that surround the area having the maximum diameter in a cross-sectional shape along the axis is an angle at which the air flow from the one of the first inner shell body and the second inner shell body is separated from the outer surface of the intermediate shell body after passing through the area having the maximum diameter.",
    "10. The thrust generating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the intermediate shell body has a diameter in the area having the maximum diameter larger than a bore diameter of the opening end inside in the axial direction of the first inner shell body and a bore diameter of the opening end inside in the axial direction of the second inner shell body, a diameter of an end portion outside in the axial direction at the first inner shell body side is smaller than the bore diameter of the opening end of the first inner shell body, and a diameter of an end portion outside in the axial direction of the intermediate shell body at the second inner shell body side is smaller than the bore diameter of the opening end of the second inner shell body."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "1. Technical Field\n\nThe present disclosure relates to a thrust generating apparatus for controlling an attitude of a vehicle such as an automobile or the like, an aircraft, a hovercraft, a linear motor car, a ship, and other movable bodies.\n\n2. Description of Related Art\n\nAs one of thrust generating mechanisms of a vehicle such as an automobile or the like or other movable bodies, like a propeller fan propulsion unit of an aircraft (for example, Published Japanese Translation of PCT application No. H06-505781 (JP06-505781 A) or the like), a configuration for jetting air in one direction and using a reaction force of the jetted air for thrust is employed. Such a propeller fan propulsion unit of an aircraft is configured such that rotor fins are rotated in a substantially cylindrical shell or shroud and air suctioned from one end of the shell or shroud is jetted from the other end to generate thrust toward the one end. In addition, in the movable body in which a pair of the above-mentioned thrust generating mechanisms configured to jet the air are disposed at portions equidistant from a center of gravity, as a difference is provided between the thrusts of the thrust generating mechanisms around a yaw axis, a pitch axis and/or a roll axis, a moment of changing an attitude of the movable body is obtained. Further, as disclosed in JP06-505781 A or the like, such a propeller fan propulsion unit can generate thrust in an opposite orientation when rotation of the rotor fins is inverted and the jetted air flow is reversed.",
  "cpc": [
    "F04D 19/005",
    "B63H 23/24",
    "B63H 7/02",
    "F04D 25/06",
    "F04D 25/16",
    "F04D 29/325",
    "F04D 29/522",
    "F04D 29/547"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "F04D 19/00",
    "F04D 25/06",
    "F04D 29/32",
    "F04D 29/52",
    "F04D 29/54",
    "B63H 23/24",
    "B63H 7/02",
    "F04D 25/16",
    "F04D 29/50"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Toyota Motor Corp"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Masatsugu Ishiba"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2017-03-21",
  "publication_date": "2019-05-14",
  "grant_date": "2019-05-14",
  "priority_date": "2016-03-24",
  "application_number": "US-201715464463-A",
  "family_id": "59896402",
  "cited_by_count": 18,
  "citations": [
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    "JPH04175500A",
    "EP0606108A1",
    "JPH06505781A",
    "US5343696A",
    "GB2303179A",
    "JPH09249120A",
    "JP2000145695A",
    "JP2004027858A",
    "US20080061559A1",
    "JP2013047518A",
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    "JP2010149662A",
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    "JP2017503950A",
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  ]
}