The present invention is directed to unmanned flying devices, and in particular, to an unmanned flying device construction that provides for a collapsing or folding of the device's rotor blades upon a decrease or absence of rotor blade rotation about the device's body and for the deployment of the rotor blades away from the device's body upon a rotation thereof about the device's body. Such a construction, among other things, assists in preventing or minimizing damage to the device during a landing without the need for landing gear or other structure that may otherwise perform the function thereof.
Unmanned flying devices, also commonly referred to as “drones,” are well-known and becoming more popular. In all of the known examples, the rotor assemblies provide for the rotor blades to always be biased towards immediate deployment. For example, U.S. Publication No. 2009/0212157 describes the use of a torsion spring for biasing each blade away from their folded or retracted configuration. On the other hand, others have appeared to recognize that always maintaining the rotor blades in a deployed position is less than desirable for storage and/or during landing. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,469,307 describes blades that can fold upward or downward 90 degrees for storage or during a crash landing. However, as best understood, the device described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,469,307 still lends itself to damage and/or injury to persons.
It is thus believed that further advances to the state of the art are both desirable and achievable. In particular, it is desirable and achievable to provide an unmanned flying device that is compact, durable, and low cost to manufacture and in particular, provides for an improved blade and rotor arrangement in which the device's compactness and safety, and the minimization of damage to the device itself, is maximized through an improved blade collapsing assembly.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds