The invention relates to a device for propelling a passenger so that the latter can move in the air with very great freedom of movement thanks to his agility and his physique.

The invention also envisages that the device is very simple to use and accessible to as many users as possible.

To move as freely as possible through space is a constant preoccupation for human beings; indeed, for some, it is a virtually unattainable dream. Numerous machines have been devised, from the most basic to the most sophisticated, in order to achieve this aim with more or less success.

Thus, in an attempt to move on the surface of the water or in a sometimes hostile environment, a propulsion device was devised in the sixties last century, as described in documents U.S. Pat. No. 3,243,144 or 3,381,917. Such a device comprises a body in the form of a harness or seat against which or in which a passenger can take up position. Such a body cooperates with a thrust unit, specifically in the form of a pair nozzles to eject a pressurized fluid and thus generate a sufficient thrust force to support the passenger in the air. In order to simplify the passenger's flight and reduce the physical effort thereof, the nozzles are clearly arranged above the center of gravity of the passenger/body assembly, more precisely level with the shoulders of said passenger. The thrust unit also comprises a station for the compression of a fluid supplied as a gas or inflammable liquid(s) and positioned on the passenger's back. This station is capable of sufficiently supplying the nozzles in order to cause the takeoff of the passenger, transformed in a manner of speaking into a human rocket. The short range and dangerous nature of these devices has meant that they have remained relatively private.

More recently, a device, as described in documents U.S. Pat. No. 7,258,301 or US 2008/0014811 A1, draws inspiration from this teaching while adapting it to reduce the dangerous nature thereof. The compression station is now remote. Furthermore, the pressurized fluid is water that is compressed by turbining, drawing inspiration in this aspect chiefly from experiments aimed at using compressed water in order to reduce the physical exertion of a scuba diver, as suggested in document U.S. Pat. No. 3,277,858. Documents U.S. Pat. No. 7,258,301 or US 2008/0014811 A1 thus propose an airborne propulsion device similar to its predecessor, adapted so that the pressurized water is routed through a remote compression station by means of a supply pipe such as a fire hose. The configuration of the nozzles, as well as the means enabling said nozzles to be oriented in order to determine the trajectory of the device, are intentionally retained in order to maintain a certain facility of operation for the passenger. The takeoff phases in particular, however, require an initial position of the passenger in a standing position, his feet on a solid support. The physical exertion of the passenger, reduced to its simplest expression in order to move, is to the detriment of the freedom and variety of the movements and displacements on the surface of the water or beneath the surface thereof. Furthermore, such a “device+station” system according to document U.S. Pat. No. 7,258,301 has a high cost associated with the design of the device comprising articulated nozzles and with the design of a dedicated compression station. The fact of being able to move in space has in itself an entertainment side. However, the configuration of the nozzles, located above the center of gravity of the device, gives the impression to the passenger of being suspended from the shoulders by a virtual crane hook and thus deprives him of numerous sensations brought on by drops and improvised or acrobatic stylistic expressions. Moreover, the variety of directions and movements is limited. It is not easy, for example, to move “crablike” with a known device, or to pass instantaneously from a straight trajectory on the surface of the water to a diving phase followed by multiple movements beneath the surface of the water.

In order largely to overcome these drawbacks, a particularly effective device, known as a “Flyboard,” has been developed. It is described specifically in document U.S. Pat. No. 8,336,805 and has met with worldwide success.FIG. 1thus shows an embodiment of such a propulsion device10. This device10comprises a main body in the form of a substantially flat platform11on which a passenger1can take up position. The propulsion device, described with reference toFIG. 1, comprises a thrust unit cooperating with the platform11. Such a thrust unit consists in a pair of main nozzles12aand12bfixed against the lower face of the platform11. According toFIG. 1, the thrust unit of such a device can also comprise two secondary nozzles13aand13bto facilitate its handling. The latter are free and designed to be possibly and respectively held by a passenger1at the forearms or in the hands. In order to deliver a sufficient thrust force and enable a flight then a movement, the device10also comprises means to collect and distribute a pressurized fluid, water for example, to the main and secondary nozzles. Such a fluid is preferably routed by means of a flexible supply pipe2from a remote compression station, not shown inFIG. 1. Such a supply pipe can be made from a fire hose or any other materials having the necessary resistance to the pressure exerted by the pressurized fluid. A collector14ycan thus have a base14cto which is connected an end-piece2aof a supply pipe2, for example by means of a groove adapted to receive said pipe2. According toFIG. 1, the collector14ycan have a shape similar to a “Y” in order to collect from the base14cand distribute via the arms the pressurized fluid to the main nozzles12aand12brespectively. The collector14yis connected to the main nozzles or by means of a possible elbow15, in order to orient the main nozzles along an axis substantially perpendicular to the lower face of the platform11. The arms are connected to said main nozzles, via said elbow15, by means of a pivoting connection at the arms. Such an arrangement enables a free rotation about an axis F substantially parallel to the arms of the collector14y. Thus, said collector can describe an almost free rotation r1about said axis F, taking into account the end stop that the lower face of platform11represents in the event of an excessive inclination of the latter. Furthermore, such a pivoting connection allows the user to “take off” easily from the surface of the water and gives him a great capacity for orientation and movement. A relative rotation r1of the collector about the axis F facing the plane of the lower face of the platform11, a consecutive rotation of the connection of the collector with the supply pipe2, does not cause the rotation of the platform11. The end-piece2aof the supply pipe2can advantageously cooperate with the collector14yat its base14cby means of a pivoting connection to allow a free rotation r2about an axis C substantially parallel to the pipe2. The device can thus pivot freely about said axis C without creating loops or excessive stresses on the supply pipe2.

In order to distribute the pressurized fluid to the secondary nozzles13aand13b, by way of example and as illustrated inFIG. 1, secondary tubes18aand18b—in the advantageous form of flexible pipes—can be provided to deliver from the collector14ysaid pressurized fluid to the secondary nozzles. So as not to inconvenience the passenger1, said secondary pipes can be guided along his back up to the shoulders by using retaining means19, such as straps, harnesses, etc. A passenger can also use means to constrain the secondary nozzles at his forearms.

The platform11can have means for holding a passenger on the upper face of said platform11. Thus, depending on the preferred position of a passenger on the platform, said retaining means can consist—as shown inFIG. 1—in a pair of shoes, also known as foot straps, or fixing boots16of a type similar to that which can be found, for example, in the practice of wakeboarding.

A propulsion device, such as the device10described in relation toFIG. 1, can be supplied by any fluid compression station provided that the latter is capable of delivering a fluid the pressure of which is sufficient to ensure the operation of the propulsion device. This station can be remote and dedicated to this use, at the risk of increasing the overall cost of a propulsion system comprising a propulsion device, a compression station and a supply pipe cooperating with said device and station to convey the pressurized fluid. Such a station can, as a variation, involve using a personal watercraft (hereinafter referred to as “PWC”) adapted, as described in document WO2013/041787A1, to reduce the costs.

FIG. 1preferably illustrates a system wherein the fluid used is pressurized water to move on the surface of the water. Although the propulsion device described in relation toFIG. 1allows easy movement in and/or on the surface of the water and offers its user very great freedom of movement in order to perform a large number of figures, for certain people, it can have some drawbacks.

Like the previous device, the nozzles are supplied with compressed fluid, specifically water, conveyed to the device by means of a pipe via a collector, connecting said device to an advantageously remote fluid compression station. Such a solution works particularly well above, or even below, the surface of a stretch of water. Thus a compression station floating on said stretch of water, for example a personal watercraft adapted to cooperate with said pipe at the fluid outlet, collects the water, compresses it by turbining and delivers it via the pipe.

In order to move on the surface of the sea but also on the surface of the land, even without being hampered by a pipe conveying a compressed fluid, and thus rise to a very great height, in addition to the experimental solutions previously referred to in connection with documents U.S. Pat. No. 3,243,144 or 3,381,917 according to which a passenger cooperates with a harness provided with nozzles positioned substantially at shoulder height of said passenger and supplied by gaseous discharge delivered by combustion of an inflammable fuel contained in a tank on said passenger's back, other stakeholders have developed solutions that have remained confidential for some, because they were not appropriate for a potential market or required conditions of use that reserved said solution to a few privileged individuals. Thus, we can mention the device referred to in document U.S. Pat. No. 4,447,024 comprising a cradle onboard which a passenger can take up position. Said cradle contains within it a jet engine, substantially positioned along the passenger's legs. Such a solution is very bulky and not too movable. In fact, the cradle is very enveloping and the dimensions of the jet engine are massive. Such a technical teaching has never stood out as a solution appropriate for the majority and by its design remains inappropriate for leisure and acrobatics. By contrast, some have developed a flying wing that includes, like an aircraft, jet engines. Such a wing, the span of which is substantially that of the height of a human being, is positioned with the aid of a harness on the back of its driver. The latter is thus transformed into the fuselage of an aircraft. However, such a device is clearly appropriate for rectilinear movements and requires that the passenger, equipped with his wing, be released from an aircraft, for example a plane or a helicopter. In fact, it is not possible to take off from the ground and perform acrobatic figures near the ground. Furthermore, landing requires a parachute.

In short, so far no technical and realistic solution exists that offers mobility capabilities similar to those of a Flyboard, which has very small dimensions and offers its driver or passenger virtually unlimited acrobatic opportunities, movements on the surface of the land at high or low speeds and with extreme precision, all for a limited budget enabling widespread use to be envisaged.

The invention allows such an objective to be achieved, thus resolving the drawbacks of the known solutions. New perspectives regarding passenger movement and entertainment are thus available to everyone. Only the range perhaps remains to be increased depending on the application envisaged. The rise of technologies, particularly in terms of thrusters or batteries, will only confirm the appropriateness of a device for propelling a passenger according to the invention. Furthermore, the invention applies to different configurations of platform to convey one or more passengers and offers new methods of transport to all passengers, whatever his agility, whether seeking physical challenges or thrills or requiring comfort like a passenger or driver of a motorcycle or motor vehicle.

Among the numerous advantages offered by the invention, we can mention that:operating a device according to the invention is particularly intuitive; more particularly and by way of non-limiting example, the operation of such a device according to a first embodiment is very similar to that of a Flyboard that until now has set the standard of reference in terms of handling;the arrangement of a device according to the invention, whatever its configuration or its arrangement, keeps it operational, even when the thrust unit is partially faulty, thus maintaining the safety of the driver and any passengers;according to the embodiments of a device according to the invention and the accessories that can be associated therewith, it is possible easily to increase the range of said device and thus the duration and/or distance of the flight;the design of such a device enables takeoff and landing from or onto a particularly small area, on the order of a few square meters.

To this end, initially a passenger propulsion device is envisaged, said device comprising a body containing a platform arranged to accommodate said passenger and a thrust unit. So that such a device is particularly usable specifically for entertainment activities:said thrust unit comprises at least one thrust sub-unit comprising at least two thrusters;the direction of gaseous flow ejection from each thruster can be oriented along an axis that is substantially normal to a longitudinal plane of the platform;said body of the device comprises support means of the thrust unit cooperating with the platform and being arranged to support said thrust unit and minimize the distance between the direction of gaseous flow ejection from the ejection nozzle of each thruster and the orthogonal projection of said direction of gaseous flow ejection in a median plane passing through the center of gravity of the body of the device.

Depending on the configuration of the body of such a device, the latter can include a second thrust sub-unit cooperating with the platform, the support means of the thrust unit being arranged to support said second thrust unit parallel to the first thrust sub-unit, while minimizing the distance between a median plane passing through the center of gravity of the body of the device and the direction of gaseous flow ejection through the ejection nozzle of each thruster.

In order to increase the maneuverability of such a propulsion device, the platform can be arranged so that the passenger's feet occupy a position in which the height relative to the bottom point of the device, when said passenger assumes a standing and substantially vertical position on said platform and the ejection nozzles of the thrusters are oriented towards the ground, is:substantially equal to or greater than the height relative to said bottom point of the center of gravity of the body of the device, andless than the height relative to said bottom point of the center of gravity of the assembly including the device and the passenger.

In order to protect the thrust unit of such a propulsion device, the body thereof can comprise projecting means cooperating with the platform and arranged to prevent any shock or direct contact between the ground and the thrust unit of the device.

According to a first embodiment, one of said thrusters can be a propeller thruster.

As a variation, according to another embodiment, one of said thrusters can be a turbojet.

Advantageously, so as not to impair the movement of the propulsion device, the thrusters of the thrust unit can be arranged counter-rotating.

As a variation or in addition, the support means and/or the thrusters of the thrust unit can be arranged so as to orient the direction of gaseous flow ejection through the respective ejection nozzles of said thrusters at an angle of between −45° and +45° with an axis parallel to a median axis of the platform.

In order to preserve the physical integrity of the passenger, a propulsion device according to the invention can comprise a fairing, cooperating with the platform or forming with said platform one physical entity, arranged to prevent any direct contact between the thrust unit and the passenger. In addition, said fairing can comprise a grating arranged to partially conceal the fluid inlets of the thrusters of the thrust unit and thus prevent the aspiration of foreign bodies through said fluid inlets.

In order to be able easily to operate the propulsion device, particularly along curved trajectories, the thrust unit can comprise course-correction secondary thrusters, the support means of the thrusters being arranged to cooperate with said course-correction secondary thrusters. Said support means can advantageously be arranged to keep the latter in an orientation that is substantially parallel to a longitudinal plane of the platform.

Depending on the configuration of the platform, particularly if the latter is extended, like the frame of an equivalent terrestrial vehicle such as a motorcycle or motor vehicle, the passenger may not sufficiently influence the attitude of the platform merely by the orientation of his body. In order to facilitate the operation of such a propulsion device, the thrust unit can comprise attitude-correction secondary thrusters, the support means of the thrusters being arranged to cooperate with said attitude-correction secondary thrusters. Said support means can advantageously be arranged to keep the latter in an orientation that is substantially normal to a longitudinal plane of the platform.

In order to supply the thrust unit of a propulsion device according to the invention, said device may advantageously also comprise a fuel tank in fluid communication with the thrusters of the thrust unit to supply said thrusters with fuel, said tank cooperating with the body of the device or the passenger.

So that the passenger can carry such a tank himself, like a backpack, such a tank can comprise a flexible envelope and a harness to cooperate with the body of the passenger, the fasteners of which are provided so as to be easily released by said passenger in an emergency situation.

So that said passenger can operate his propulsion device, the latter may comprise a man/machine interface of instructions translating a gesture of the passenger into an instruction, means for processing said produced instruction and for generating a power command of the thrusters based on said produced instruction, said thruster power command being conveyed to the thrust unit by communication means.

Such a propulsion device can also comprise an attitude and/or trajectory sensor cooperating with the body of the device substantially in the position of the center of gravity thereof and with the processing means, the latter generating the power command of the thrusters from information delivered by the attitude and/or trajectory sensor together with an instruction produced by the man/machine interface.

When the device comprises course-correction secondary thrusters, in order to relieve the passenger of a propulsion device according to the invention from performing a manual compensation for losses of course connected chiefly with meteorological conditions, the processing means, present on the body of the device, can generate power commands of said course-correction secondary thrusters based on information delivered by the attitude and/or trajectory sensor in order to activate one of said secondary thrusters and maintain the current trajectory of said body, in the absence of an instruction produced by the man/machine interface.

Similarly, when the device comprises attitude-correction secondary thrusters, in order to relieve the passenger of a propulsion device according to the invention from performing a manual compensation for losses in maintaining the attitude connected chiefly with meteorological conditions, the processing means, present on the body of the device, can generate power commands of said attitude-correction secondary thrusters based on information delivered by the attitude and/or trajectory sensor in order to activate one of said attitude-correction secondary thrusters and maintain a substantially horizontal attitude of said body, in the absence of an instruction produced by the man/machine interface.

By way of example of a preferred embodiment, such a man/machine interface of instructions can comprise a trigger that can be activated by one or more fingers of the passenger. The processing unit can then generate a power command of the thrusters in order to adjust the power generated by the thrust unit according to the travel of said trigger.

As a variation or in addition, said man/machine interface of instructions could comprise an angular measurement sensor measuring the angle described by a wrist of the passenger in relation to the longitudinal axis of the forearm concerned compared to a reference position in which the passenger's hand is aligned with said forearm. The processing unit can consequently generate a power command of the secondary thrusters in order to adjust the power generated by the latter according the travel of the wrist.

In order to hold the passenger on the body of a propulsion device, the latter can advantageously include means to ensure that said passenger is hold on the platform.

