Frame

The frame has gone through several phases of conceptual design. Finally, the variant we have chosen is the one similar to the classic shape of a mountain bike, the top part of which is realised as a truncated truss consisting of three parallel tubes. All the necessary electronic should be fitted in the inner space of the truss, including the power distribution for the motors` feed. Besides, this space will be easy to cover.

As for the connection of the propellant units, we have chosen the variant which allows removing the propellant unit set (a console with motors and propellers) to facilitate its transportation. The console is only pushed on the adaptor in the frame and fixed by screws.

An open-ended question is the space among the seat tube, the main girder and the front pair of tubes where there will be the container with a set of LiPol batteries. The space will need to be extended and the container`s position optimized to achieve the right position of the machine`s centre of gravity.

Propeller’s Safety Casing (Baskets)

Both safety baskets (the big one and the small one) will be realised as one compact composite part with an inserted aluminium brace to reinforce and eliminate vibration in the longitudinal axis.  At the point of the frame`s passage the large basket will be divided, the ends will be equipped with aluminium shims or an additional brace. The casings will also be reinforced with a welded construction in the shape of Y according to the original design, between the construction and the casing there will be nylon stringing, which will increase the stiffness of the basket even more.

 Springing

We abandoned the initial idea to use the gas-liquid dampers (a telescopic descent fork at the front and a swing fork at the back) to soften the landing impact, due to the higher weight of the components which would have an inconvenient influence on the weight of the whole bike.

We discovered a convenient alternative for springing, i.e. special “winter wheels” with wide and high tyre profile. The weight of the wheels will be lower than in case of the telescopic descent fork  or rear swing fork. The damping capacity of such wheels may not fully eliminate potential vibrations of the propeller units when landing, but due to time reasons and construction reasons we consider such a solution to be sufficient. Regarding the weight, the solution is fully satisfactory.

Container with Accumulators

For a long time, placing the container with accumulators has been a red-hot topic. As the total weight of the LiPol cells exceeds 20kg, they will significantly influence the position of the machine`s centre of gravity. The first design draft supposed the container will be placed in the space between the seat and the rear propellant unit. However, it was inconsistent with the balance of the machine and, what is more the centre of gravity was placed too high. Another variant supposed half of the cells at the front safety casing, which improved the balance but meant that replacing the cells would be complicated. Also, it would be necessary to lengthen the power conductors for balancing the currents to take the power off the cells.

For now, the final position of the accumulators follows the last draft. The accumulator cells will be placed one above another in ten blocs, each with 14 cells connected in series. The container with cells will be design to be fully removable out of the frame to secure easy replacement. The cable outlets will be connected to one power conductor which will be connected to a connector placed at the container (the bike`s main power distribution will be connected to it).

Seat

The seat will be a composite anatomically shaped shell which will support the pilot up to his loins. The lower part of the seat will have an integrated connecting part allowing attachment to the standard seat-tube so that the seat can be adjusted lengthwise and rotated round the horizontal transversal axis. A safety belt will be attached to the seat allowing quick fastening.

Stabilisation bearing

Stabilisation bearing will be realised according to the last sketch. Springing will be secured by a purchased gas strut which will be integrated in the main bearing tube. We have not solved the subassembly at the point of the contact between the bearing and surface which would secure slipping on the surface in case of horizontal move during takeoff or landing so that the bearing is not deformed or destroyed. One possibility is to create a mechanical lock which would, in case of an uncontrolled touch-down, secure that the bearing will “break off” so that the frame is not deformed.

Control unit

The control unit and control elements are technically the most complicated parts of the machine. The final solution has not been chosen so far. On principle, there are the following options:

1. A ready module by The HowerFly Company

This is a “box solution” which integrates the control unit and the sensors. The producer has been contacted and possible amendments necessary for the bike`s rotors configuration are being discussed.  At the moment, our decision depends on the producer`s opinion. In case we would like to purchase just one piece they may not be willing to make the necessary changes.

As for the ready module the stabilization in the air and the functionality of the whole system would be very good.

2. A tailor-made solution

In case we choose this option it would be necessary to assemble the control unit of partial components (MCU, sensors etc.) and program it. This would be a tailor-made solution. It would be a more time-consuming solution and the stability might not be sufficient and comparable to the first option. On the other hand, there would be more possibilities of the configuration. The whole solution would be assembled and brought to life by Mr. Chmelar from University in Pardubice, The Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics.

At present we are considering the first option. If we do not come to an agreement with the producer of the HowerFly solution, we will change over to the second option.

Current Tasks (up to June 2012) Regarding the Design

Technodat

Duratec

Evektor

Digital mock-up (May 2012)

]]> http://www.designyourdreams.cz/en/konstrukcni-navrh/feed/ 0 http://www.designyourdreams.cz/en/koncepcni-design/ http://www.designyourdreams.cz/en/koncepcni-design/#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 12:05:29 +0000 jan.homola http://wp.technodat.cz/?p=279 The course of the donceptual design development

The first draft was characterised by rather large compact frame which consisted of the main trapezoid horizontal frame carrying the propellers with bars sticking out of it, connecting it to the more or less standard bicycle frame. To reduce the total width during the ride the side propellers could be tilted to the vertical position. This proposal provided satisfactory overall rigidity, but the ergonomics did not meet the requirements.

The pilot would have to mount the bike in a complicated way (in fact, he would have to creep through the frame) and he would have a problem to reach the ground with both feet. When starting and stopping both the pilot and the bike might fall down. The first draft also brought an idea to utilize the propellant units in the riding mode by turning the rear propeller over to the vertical position. The movement forward would then be provided by the rear propeller`s thrust.

Like a common bike

Because of the above mentioned reason, i.e. unsuitable ergonomics, the first option was abandoned. Another draft emerged. It took into account almost classic bicycle frame extended to elements carrying the propellant units. The front part included a simple extension of the standard frame with a bar, while for side drives a revolving bracket that allowed tilting of the propellers was designed. The rear drive was placed into a triangular tipping frame which should secure that for the riding mode, the rear pair of propellers could be tilted to the vertical position.

Based on this technical draft a design study was developed. It drafted the visual aspect of the covering cages and casing of the space for battery and other electronics placed behind the seat.

The technical and design drafts were then further developed, but some more problematic points started to appear. The proposed solution of the covering cages turned out to be very demanding to produce (also costly) and it was necessary to simplify it significantly. The tiltable rear part of the frame required a safety lock to secure the horizontal position of the rear propeller during the takeoff. Shifting the propeller into the vertical position during the ride also combined with the position of the battery in the space behind the seat influenced adversely the centre of the bike`s gravity which could again result in both the pilot`s and the bike`s fall.

Efficient and functional design

The third draft abandoned the idea of turning over the rear propeller and proposed the use of side units to power the bike. The side units would not tilt the longitudinal axis but the transversal axis. Their performance proved to be sufficient. A little disadvantage was its total width. Another significant change was the transposition of the battery pack to the frame space (below the crossbar), which placed the centre of gravity lower and improved the weight distribution.

The last change was the replacement of the intended impact attenuation when landing. The original drafts relied on the use of a front telescopic fork and a swing rear fork (with beam gearing), both with gas-liquid dampers. Much higher weight of the flying bike, compared to a common bike, would load these standard components excessively. Special components would have to be used or be designed, which would again increase the weight of the bike significantly.

]]> http://www.designyourdreams.cz/en/koncepcni-design/feed/ 0 http://www.designyourdreams.cz/en/technologie-podporujici-design/ http://www.designyourdreams.cz/en/technologie-podporujici-design/#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 08:08:38 +0000 jindrich.vitu http://wp.technodat.cz/?p=197 Since the very beginning, both in the area of the conception and detailed draft and in the area of realisation processes management, the whole flying bike project has been treated using the tools of the new PLM 2.0 V6 platform by the Dassault Systèmes Company.

Dassault Systèmes launches V6R2013

In particular, the following V6 PLM Express solution configurations for smaller and middle-sized organisations were used:

• MEK: CATIA Mechanical Engineering Pack (the bike`s frame and components)
• MCE: CATIA Mechanical Product Creation (more complex mechanical components)
• SUR: CATIA Mechanical Surface Design (components of shape)
• STA: CATIA Structural Analysis (strength analysis)
• CEK: CATIA Composites Engineering Pack (composite parts)
• DSR: SIMULIA DesignSight Structure (more demanding strength analysis)
• REV: CATIA Reverse Engineering (reverse engineering for propellers digitizing)
• IDK: CATIA Industrial Design Pack (conceptual design)

The purpose of the web page you are looking at is to document the project and support a discussion about fulfilling one of such dreams – designing and creating a prototype of a “flying bike”.

We will be pleased to see that this page has become a discussion and innovative forum for all those interested in the project.

The assignment of the project had two basic requirements:

In the above mentioned film we could see a whole range of flying machines people have not managed to make until now and have only dreamt about. Films by Karel Zeman were developed in the film studios in Zlin, the home town of one of the partners of the project.

The name of the French writer Jules Verne is a global phenomenon. In comparison, the books by Czech author Jaroslav Foglar are strictly Czech matter. Almost every Czech kid has gone through times of reading “Foglars” – adventurous books meant primarily for boys. We can`t ignore the ethical and educational aspects of scouting embodied in the group of the boys called “Fast Arrows“. However the most interesting factor in Foglar`s books was the fanciful environment connected with the mysterious district Stinadla, with the person of Jan Tleskac, his flying bicycle and the legendary puzzle “Hedgehog in the Cage” in which a draft of the flying bicycle was hidden.

“Design your dreams” – our Flying Bike Project created by the technologies of the 21st century is a response to such kind of dreams.

Recommended:

• Human-powered aircraft – see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human-powered_aircraft
• Hedgehog in the Cage – see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedgehog_in_the_Cage
• Para-cycling – www.para-cycle.com

At the very beginning of this bold project, which was in the autumn 2011, we came up with an idea of a marketing campaign. The objective of such a campaign was to design an attractive and practicable product and create its prototype with the assistance of modern 3D/PLM software tools by Dassault Systèmes, in particular the latest  PLM 2.0 V6 platform tools.

Originally, the practicable product should have been a timeless high-tech electric bicycle, e-bike for short. However, it was found to be a too earthly target for our imagination – an insufficient challenge, in fact. The original modest idea was given wings. Thus, on a dreamy day the e-bike lifted off and changed into a flying bike.

We were thinking hard about how to carry out such an idea in a smart way to make it work, mainly to make it fly, or at least, to make it take off. The first studies and drafts brought the initial conception of a bike in the form of a so called multicopter. The main force necessary for the bike to take off would not come from the upward lift on the wings like in case of an ordinary aircraft (this is how Jan Tleskac, the legendary hero of a Czech children`s book, flew his bike at one time), but from the static thrust of several horizontal propellers.

This conceptual solution should allow a coordinated and safe vertical takeoff from a random place. On the other hand, it is necessary to solve a lot of conceptual and technical problems that increase the demands on the design and generally speaking make the whole project more complicated.

We will keep you informed about how the realisation team will manage to accomplish the challenges one after another.

The Basic Parameters of the Flying Bike 

Due to organizational reasons we could not start the flight tests immediately after the MSV Fair in Brno, we started up to test in November 2012 in area PVA Letňany. After several flight tests are interrupted activity in order to optimize some parts of the prototype. Again, we started to test in the last week of March 2013. After a week of intensive testing had technical problems seem to be resolved and the project has successfully moved into its final phase.

First short controlled flight of Flying Bike in light version is a clear answer to the question that haunted us throughout the winter 2012/2013: Fly or not fly?

Flight test Flying Bike are ongoing and we will keep you regularly bring news of their progress.

Flying bike at the International Engineering Fair MSV 2012 (September 2012, Brno)

Assembly of  the Flying bike before International Engineering Fair MSV 2012 (5th September 2012, Duratec)

12►

Assembly of  the Flying bike before International Engineering Fair MSV 2012 (4th September 2012, Duratec)

Technodat held PLM Forum 2012

Traditional professional seminar and at the same time meeting customers of Technodat and users of DS products “PLM Forum 2012″ held on 30 and 31 May in the „Vinařství U Kapličky”.

Highlight of the program was the presentation of the “Flying bike”  (in a virtual prototype), which originated and developed on the platform 3D/PLM Dassault Systèmes V6 and collaboration between Technodat, Evektor a Duratec.

Press conference and presentation of a virtual mock-up of a Flying bike

Companies Grayling Czech Republic and Dassault Systèmes held on Thursday 24th May in Hotel Fusion (Prague) a press conference at which representatives of Duratec, and Evektor Technodat presented a joint project of Flying bike.