Structure intended for carrying out flapping flight by the upper plane of a biplane ornithopter by use of muscle power

摘要

The rigid lower plane constitutes the fuselage/cockpit in which the pilot lies stretched out face down by means of a hammock. The flexible upper plane which provides the propulsion is connected at its centre of thrust to the lower plane by means of a rod with a high modulus of elasticity. The heights and distance between the two planes are a function of the radii of curvature BC and the length CD of the interplane link rod. The downward beat of the upper wing is actuated by traction exerted on the rod at 2; this traction is produced by a cable in which the tension is produced by the opposing thrust of the feet and of the hands gaining a purchase respectively on the rear stirrups and the front guide bar which are integral with this cable. The first downward beat of a flapping flight sequence is produced with the aid of the weight of the pilot who, bearing on E until then during gliding flight, then comes to be suspended on the rod at 4. Raising of the wing is done by removal of the tension on the cable by bringing arms and legs into a half-bent position. Such a structure equipped with wings makes it possible to move in space, independently of the sites where updraughts are produced, by virtue of the propulsion and the lift produced by the flapping flight. IMAGE