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.

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.

Abstract: There is provided an aerodynamic control device of a vehicle or other mobile body for stabilizing its behavior against a side wind disturbance during its running. The inventive device comprises a displaceable shielding member extending downwardly from a lower end edge between a front wheel and a rear wheel on each side of a body of a mobile body to cover a space below the lower end edge and prevent an air flow from entering into the space under the body and a controller which controls an shielding area of the shielding member covering the space below the lower end edges by moving the shielding member based on the direction of an air flow which the mobile body receives.

Abstract: A travel assistance apparatus includes aerodynamic devices that execute a travel assistance for stabilizing a behavior of a vehicle and a calculation apparatus for controlling the aerodynamic devices in response to a disturbance to the behavior of the vehicle caused by an airflow around the vehicle, the calculation apparatus controls the aerodynamic devices in response to the disturbance in an unsteady state in which the disturbance is unsteady between two steady states in which the disturbances caused by the airflow are steady.

Abstract: Disclosed is a flight control support device which sets a flight restricted area W along a terrain, thereby achieving improvement in safety of a small aircraft A and sufficiently securing the degree of freedom of flight course selection of a pilot. The flight control support device includes a terrain information acquirer, an aircraft information acquirer, a flight restricted area setter which sets the flight restricted area W along the terrain on the basis of the terrain information acquired by the terrain information acquirer and the aircraft information acquired by the aircraft information acquirer, and a flight control supporter which supports flight control of a flying object on the basis of the flight restricted area set by the flight restricted area setter.

Abstract: A fan control apparatus includes a fan, two engine+compressor combinations, two air supply systems, and an FCC. When an abnormality occurs in one of the air supply systems and one of the engine+compressor combinations, the FCC maintains the flow rate of the normally operating air supply system and then increases the flow rate. As a result, the normally operating drive source is prevented from overloading. In another embodiment, a fan control apparatus includes a fan, an air source, two air supply systems, and a bypass channel. The air is caused to flow through the bypass channel when an abnormality occurs in one of the air supply systems. As a result, the time that elapses till the fluid can be supplied at a necessary flow rate is shortened.

Abstract: A flight assistance apparatus for providing assistance in flying an aircraft, including: a yoke operated by a pilot of the aircraft; and a flight instruction section that instructs, with an aid of the yoke, the pilot to fly the aircraft in such a manner as to avoid a critical flight range when the aircraft approaches the critical flight range.

Abstract: Disclosed is a flight control support device which sets a flight restricted area W along a terrain, thereby achieving improvement in safety of a small aircraft A and sufficiently securing the degree of freedom of flight course selection of a pilot. The flight control support device includes a terrain information acquirer, an aircraft information acquirer, a flight restricted area setter which sets the flight restricted area W along the terrain on the basis of the terrain information acquired by the terrain information acquirer and the aircraft information acquired by the aircraft information acquirer, and a flight control supporter which supports flight control of a flying object on the basis of the flight restricted area set by the flight restricted area setter.

Abstract: At the time of an operation, high-pressure air 8 fed through an inlet 6 passes a stator vane 4 within a duct 15, so as to adjust its flow, and is supplied to a tip turbine rotor vane 3. The tip turbine rotor vane 3 is supplied with the high-pressure air 8 from the exhaust side 17 toward the intake side 16, so as to drive an upper fan 2 and a lower fan 14 to rotate in the same direction. This can shorten the distance H from a rotation surface 12 of the upper fan 2 to the end part of a fan casing 1 on the intake side 16, and thus reduce an area where a negative pressure occurs when receiving a crosswind 9, thereby lowering an external force 11 caused by the negative pressure.

Abstract: When a FADEC detects an abnormality in any of engine+compressor combinations, a FCC controls the amount of air for driving the fan to a level that is lower than that before the abnormality has been detected, until a state is assumed in which the normally operating engine+compressor combination can supply the air at a flow rate necessary for a fan to generate a propulsion force that has been attained before the abnormality has been detected. As a result, the normally operating engine+compressor combination can be prevented from the occurrence of a surge and a resultant overload state. Therefore, when some drive sources from a plurality of drive sources fail, normally operating drive sources can be prevented from being in an overload state.

Abstract: A vertical take-off and landing aircraft that includes AC motors, which drive fans that propel the aircraft, and a control device for controlling the AC motors adaptively based on a thrust control amount from an attitude controller. In particular, the drive controller performs switching to convert DC from a power source to three-phase AC at a predetermined frequency to be supplied to the AC motors. The drive controller reduces the control frequency of the three-phase AC to be applied to the AC motor to reduce the control resolution when the flight mode is switched from a vertical flight control mode to a horizontal flight control mode, in which the control amount to correct the external forces is smaller. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the power loss in the controller and thus the power consumption compared to conventional vertical take-off and landing aircrafts, in which the control resolution is always constant.

Abstract: A flight assistance apparatus for providing assistance in flying an aircraft, including: a yoke operated by a pilot of the aircraft; and a flight instruction section that instructs, with an aid of the yoke, the pilot to fly the aircraft in such a manner as to avoid a critical flight range when the aircraft approaches the critical flight range.

Abstract: A ducted fan includes a fan that generates an airflow that flows substantially parallel with the axis of the rotating shaft of the fan; a duct, arranged around the fan, that extends in the direction of the rotating shaft of the fan and includes an airflow inlet defined by the upstream end and an airflow outlet defined by the downstream end, and that has a ramp portion formed in the inner face of the airflow inlet; an airflow guide portion, provided at the airflow outlet, that introduces air from outside of the duct to a position downstream of the airflow outlet; and a negative-pressure forming portion, provided at the downstream end of the airflow guide portion. The negative-pressure forming portion generates a negative pressure near the downstream end of the airflow guide portion when air passes by the negative-pressure forming portion.

Abstract: A ducted fan includes a fan that generates an airflow that flows substantially parallel with the axis of the rotating shaft of the fan; a duct, arranged around the fan, that extends in the direction of the rotating shaft of the fan and includes an airflow inlet defined by the upstream end and an airflow outlet defined by the downstream end, and that has a ramp portion formed in the inner face of the airflow inlet; an airflow guide portion, provided at the airflow outlet, that introduces air from outside of the duct to a position downstream of the airflow outlet; and a negative-pressure forming portion, provided at the downstream end of the airflow guide portion. The negative-pressure forming portion generates a negative pressure near the downstream end of the airflow guide portion when air passes by the negative-pressure forming portion.

Abstract: A vertical takeoff and landing aircraft according to the invention includes multiple thrust producing devices that produce thrusts applied in the substantially vertically upward direction; a target attitude setting portion that sets a target attitude used in attitude control of the aircraft; an inertia moment deriving portion that derives an inertia moment applied around a predetermined rotational axis of the aircraft; and a thrust adjustment portion that adjusts, during the attitude control of the aircraft, the thrusts to be produced by the respective thrust producing devices based on the target attitude set by the target attitude setting portion and the inertia moment during the attitude control, which is derived by the inertia moment deriving portion.

Abstract: A vertical takeoff and landing aircraft according to the invention includes multiple thrust producing devices that produce thrusts applied in the substantially vertically upward direction; a target attitude setting portion that sets a target attitude used in attitude control of the aircraft; an inertia moment deriving portion that derives an inertia moment applied around a predetermined rotational axis of the aircraft; and a thrust adjustment portion that adjusts, during the attitude control of the aircraft, the thrusts to be produced by the respective thrust producing devices based on the target attitude set by the target attitude setting portion and the inertia moment during the attitude control, which is derived by the inertia moment deriving portion.

Abstract: When a FADEC detects an abnormality in any of engine+compressor combinations, a FCC controls the amount of air for driving the fan to a level that is lower than that before the abnormality has been detected, until a state is assumed in which the normally operating engine+compressor combination can supply the air at a flow rate necessary for a fan to generate a propulsion force that has been attained before the abnormality has been detected. As a result, the normally operating engine+compressor combination can be prevented from the occurrence of a surge and a resultant overload state. Therefore, when some drive sources from a plurality of drive sources fail, normally operating drive sources can be prevented from being in an overload state.

Abstract: A fan control apparatus includes a fan, two engine+compressor combinations, two air supply systems, and an FCC. When an abnormality occurs in one of the air supply systems and one of the engine+compressor combinations, the FCC maintains the flow rate of the normally operating air supply system and then increases the flow rate. As a result, the normally operating drive source is prevented from overloading. In another embodiment, a fan control apparatus includes a fan, an air source, two air supply systems, and a bypass channel. The air is caused to flow through the bypass channel when an abnormality occurs in one of the air supply systems. As a result, the time that elapses till the fluid can be supplied at a necessary flow rate is shortened.

Abstract: At the time of an operation, high-pressure air 8 fed through an inlet 6 passes a stator vane 4 within a duct 15, so as to adjust its flow, and is supplied to a tip turbine rotor vane 3. The tip turbine rotor vane 3 is supplied with the high-pressure air 8 from the exhaust side 17 toward the intake side 16, so as to drive an upper fan 2 and a lower fan 14 to rotate in the same direction. This can shorten the distance H from a rotation surface 12 of the upper fan 2 to the end part of a fan casing 1 on the intake side 16, and thus reduce an area where a negative pressure occurs when receiving a crosswind 9, thereby lowering an external force 11 caused by the negative pressure.

Abstract: A vertical take-off and landing aircraft that includes AC motors, which drive fans that propel the aircraft, and a control device for controlling the AC motors adaptively based on a thrust control amount from an attitude controller. In particular, the drive controller performs switching to convert DC from a power source to three-phase AC at a predetermined frequency to be supplied to the AC motors. The drive controller reduces the control frequency of the three-phase AC to be applied to the AC motor to reduce the control resolution when the flight mode is switched from a vertical flight control mode to a horizontal flight control mode, in which the control amount to correct the external forces is smaller. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the power loss in the controller and thus the power consumption compared to conventional vertical take-off and landing aircrafts, in which the control resolution is always constant.