508results about "Drag reduction" patented technology

An aircraft wing has a leading edge, a fixed wing portion and a leading-edge spoiler device. The spoiler device is hingedly mounted relative to the fixed wing portion adjacent the leading edge, moveable between retracted and deployed positions. In the retracted position a spoiler surface forms a continuous surface with a fixed wing portion upper aerodynamic surface, and in the deployed position the spoiler surface is rotated relative to the upper aerodynamic surface. In the retracted position the spoiler surface has a first portion forward of the hinge and a second portion aft of the hinge. A center of pressure of the local wing section acts on the spoiler surface providing a moment about the hinge in a first direction to bias the spoiler device to the retracted position and providing a moment about the hinge in a second, opposite direction, rotating the spoiler device to the deployed position.

Apparatus, systems, and methods are contemplated for electric powered vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Such are craft are engineered to carry safely carry at least 500 pounds (approx. 227 kg) using a few (e.g., 2-4) rotors, generally variable speed rigid (non-articulated) rotors. It is contemplated that one or more rotors generate a significant amount of lift (e.g., 70%) during rotorborne flight (e.g., vertical takeoff, hover, etc), and tilt to provide forward propulsion during wingborne flight. The rotors preferably employ individual blade control, and are battery powered. The vehicle preferably flies in an autopilot or pilotless mode and has a relatively small (e.g., less than 45′ diameter) footprint.

Apparatus, systems, and methods are contemplated for electric powered vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Such are craft are engineered to carry safely carry at least 500 pounds (approx. 227 kg) using a few (e.g., 2-4) rotors, generally variable speed rigid (non-articulated) rotors. It is contemplated that one or more rotors generate a significant amount of lift (e.g., 70%) during rotorborne flight (e.g., vertical takeoff, hover, etc), and tilt to provide forward propulsion during wingborne flight. The rotors preferably employ individual blade control, and are battery powered. The vehicle preferably flies in an autopilot or pilotless mode and has a relatively small (e.g., less than 45′ diameter) footprint.

An aircraft wing includes a wing root having a leading edge, a trailing edge, and a distal end. The wing also includes a wing tip and a wing-tip hinge that pivotally couples the wing tip to the wing root and defines a wing-tip axis that is perpendicular to a folding plane. The wing tip is pivotable about the wing-tip axis, within the folding plane, between, and inclusive of, an extended position and a retracted position, relative to the wing root. When in the extended position, the leading edge of the wing tip extends from the leading edge of the wing root in a spanwise direction of the wing root. When in the retracted position, the leading edge of the wing tip extends from the leading edge of the wing root in a chordwise direction of the wing root.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having wings stowed against a fuselage of the UAV in a first arrangement is disclosed. Methods and systems for deploying the wings into a second arrangement are disclosed. For example, after a launch of the UAV, the UAV monitors for at least one precondition. The at least one pre-condition being a pre-condition associated with deploying wings of the UAV into the second arrangement. Upon detecting the at least one precondition, the wings of the UAV are deployed into a second arrangement. Deploying the wings comprises activating, in response to detecting the at least one precondition associated with the UAV, a gearbox configured to transition the wings from the first arrangement to the second arrangement. Roll control may be maintained throughout launch and deployment.

Provided are computer-implemented methods for autonomously controlling an aircraft with vertical take-off and landing capabilities and folding wings that includes controlling a plurality of thrust producing components of an aircraft to cause the aircraft to rise vertically when wings of the aircraft are in a first folded configuration, where when the wings of the aircraft are in the first folded configuration, a leading edge of each wing is oriented in a vertical direction setting motor controller gains based on the wings of the aircraft being in the first folded configuration, and causing the aircraft to align with a direction of airflow when the wings of the aircraft are in the first folded configuration, and controlling thrust producing components and control surfaces and internal articulation mechanisms of the aircraft to cause the aircraft to transition from folded wing configuration to unfolded wing configuration. Systems and computer program products are also provided.

The invention relates to an air system for an aircraft, that includes air consumers; air sources and a network of ducts and associated control valves controlled by a control unit. The air system is characterized in that: the network of ducts and associated valves includes at least one isolation valve, arranged between an air bleed device and an air duct connecting an air conditioning pack and an auxiliary power unit; the control unit is configured to be able to determine an ideal configuration of the control valves according to the identified requirements of each consumer and a degraded configuration that makes it possible to supply air to predetermined air consumers from the available air sources when the ideal configuration is not attainable.

An aircraft has a boom, a propulsion assembly coupled to a first end of the boom, and a first wing coupled to a second end of the boom. The propulsion assembly is coupled to the boom by a rotating joint. A second wing is optionally coupled to the rotating joint. The first wing is coupled to the boom by a rotating joint. The first wing is coupled to the rotating joint by a hinge. A vehicle with roll, pitch, and yaw maneuverability able to mirror the aircraft movements may be coupled to the second end of the boom. The vehicle body may be picked up with a vehicle chassis disconnected from the vehicle body. The boom houses an energy source to power the propulsion assembly. A rudder is coupled to the second end of the boom. A paddle is disposed between the propulsion assembly and the boom.

Systems, devices, and methods for an aircraft having a fuselage; a wing extending from both sides of the fuselage; a first pair of motors disposed at a first end of the wing; and a second pair of motors disposed at a second end of the wing; where each motor is angled to provide a component of thrust by a propeller attached thereto that for a desired aircraft movement applies a resulting torque additive to the resulting torque created by rotating the propellers.

The invention discloses a wing end standing vortex lift augmentation device which comprises a device upper surface, a device lower surface, a leading edge surface and a wing profile, a wing upper wing surface extends outwards to form the device upper surface, a wing lower wing surface extends outwards to form the device lower surface, and the extension length of the device upper surface is larger than that of the device lower surface. A distance exists between the upper surface and the lower surface of the device, and wingtips do not coincide with each other; the device upper surface, the device lower surface, the front edge surface and the airfoil profile jointly form a semi-closed cavity, when incoming flow exists in the semi-closed cavity, a wing end standing vortex rotating in the direction away from the central axis of the fuselage is formed in the semi-closed cavity, and the rotating direction of the wing end standing vortex is opposite to that of a wingtip vortex. According to the three-dimensional wing, airflow on the lower wing surface of the wing is prevented from flowing to the upper wing surface of the wing through the wing end standing vortex in the semi-closed cavity, so that the trend that the airflow on the lower wing surface of the wing is reversed upwards can be inhibited under the condition of not depending on physical obstruction, the lift force of the three-dimensional wing is effectively increased, and the induced resistance is reduced.

An active wing extension includes a body portion substantially parallel to a wing of an aircraft, as if it were an extension of the wing. The body portion is attachable to an aircraft wing and includes multiple controllable airflow modification devices coupled thereto. By virtue of having multiple controllable airflow modification devices, the wing extension is capable of adjusting control surfaces of the multiple controllable airflow modification devices in response to in-flight conditions, to reduce wing loads, improve wing fatigue characteristics, increase range, reduce torsional loads, alleviate flutter, and / or increase efficiency.

A method for reducing aerodynamic loads on an aircraft located on the ground includes moving a wing tip relative to a fixed wing to an on-ground configuration in which the span of the wing is reduced. The wing tip includes an airflow channel, which is in an open configuration in which airflow through the channel between upper and lower surfaces of the wing tip is enabled, when the wing tip is in the on-ground configuration. This has been found to reduce aerodynamic loads on the wing tip and / or parts of the aircraft connected thereto during this phase of the aircraft's use.

Apparatus, systems, and methods are contemplated for electric powered vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Such are craft are engineered to carry safely carry at least 500 pounds (approx. 227 kg) using a few (e.g., 2-4) rotors, generally variable speed rigid (non-articulated) rotors. It is contemplated that one or more rotors generate a significant amount of lift (e.g., 70%) during rotorborne flight (e.g., vertical takeoff, hover, etc), and tilt to provide forward propulsion during wingborne flight. The rotors preferably employ individual blade control, and are battery powered. The vehicle preferably flies in an autopilot or pilotless mode and has a relatively small (e.g., less than 45′ diameter) footprint.

A wing assembly for an aircraft is disclosed having an actuation assembly configured to move a wing tip device between a flight configuration and a ground configuration. The actuation assembly includes at least two linear actuation devices mounted within the wing assembly. A wing and a wing tip device for the wing assembly, and an aircraft comprising the wing assembly, wing or wing tip, are also disclosed.

A safe, quiet, easy to control, efficient, and compact aircraft configuration is enabled through the combination of multiple vertical lift rotor assemblies, tandem wings, and forward thrust propellers. The vertical lift rotor assemblies, in combination with a front and rear wing, permits a balancing of the center of lift with the center of gravity for both vertical and horizontal flight. This wing and multiple rotor system has the ability to tolerate a relatively large variation of the payload weight for hover, transition, or cruise flight while also providing vertical thrust redundancy. The propulsion system uses multiple lift rotor assemblies and forward thrust propellers of a small enough size to be shielded from potential blade strike and provide increased perceived and real safety to the passengers. Using multiple independent rotor assemblies provides redundancy and the elimination of single point failure modes that can make the vehicle non-operable in flight.

A wing designed to pass through a fluid medium is provided, the wing having a plurality of alternating protrusions and valleys along a trailing edge thereof. The described wing uses the plurality of protrusions and valleys to counteract noise that is a function of wind speed and chord length. In an alternative variant, instead of or in addition to cancelling noise, the plurality of protrusions and valleys are adapted to generate or correct noise such that the noise is generated in a desired frequency band. In this variation, the plurality of protrusions and valleys are configured such that the generated noise is in the desired frequency band based at least on a frequency band that repels various types of animals given a specified local wind speed. In another variation, the plurality of protrusions and valleys are adapted to improve the aerodynamic performance of the wings, whether in the context of separate use or with multiple wings working together within the system.

An aircraft wing is disclosed having a fixed wing with a tip, and a wing tip device rotatably mounted on a hinge at the tip of the fixed wing, such that the wing tip device is rotatable about the hinge, and an actuation system for rotating the wing tip device about the hinge. The actuation system includes a motor, at least one geared rotary actuator, a reduction gearbox, a clutch for selectively decoupling rotation of the motor from rotation of the geared rotary actuator, the geared rotary actuator is driveable by the motor and arranged to convert rotary motion into a different rotary motion and is arranged to rotate the wing tip device relative to the tip of the fixed wing. The clutch is coupled to the geared rotary actuator by a shaft and the shaft is fixed in rotation to a mass disposed radially outwardly from the shaft.

A wing assembly for an aircraft including a fixed wing and a wing tip device rotatable about a joint assembly. The wing assembly is configurable between a flight configuration for use during flight and a ground configuration for use during ground-based operations. The wing assembly includes joint-bordering structure located adjacent the joint assembly, the joint-bordering structure having a rib, an upper cover and a lower cover. The joint assembly includes a moveable panel. The panel includes a first hard stop element, and the joint-bordering structure includes a second hard stop element. The first hard stop element is integrally formed in the panel, and the second hard stop element is integrally formed in one of the rib, the upper cover or the lower cover of the joint-bordering structure. The hard stop elements may be configured to self-align.

An aircraft includes an aircraft heat source; a propulsion system including an electric propulsion engine, the electric propulsion engine including an electric motor and a fan rotatable by the electric motor, the electric propulsion engine further defining a fan air flowpath; a thermal management system including a heat source exchanger in thermal communication with the aircraft heat source, a heat sink exchanger in thermal communication with the fan air flowpath of the electric propulsion engine, and a thermal distribution bus extending from the heat source exchanger to the heat sink exchanger; and a control system operably connected to the thermal management system for selectively thermally coupling the heat sink exchanger with the heat source exchanger.

A folding wingtip aircraft includes a wing that includes a primary portion and a wingtip. The folding wingtip aircraft includes a folding wingtip system configured to rotate the wingtip relative to the primary portion. The folding wingtip aircraft also includes a flight control computer. The flight control computer is configured to, in response to a first determination that a wingtip position of the wingtip is not in a folded position when a second determination indicates that a last completed command by the folding wingtip system was a fold command, set error codes for the folding wingtip system. The flight control computer is also configured to change a setting to indicate that the folding wingtip aircraft is grounded based on the error codes.

A method for reducing aerodynamic loads on an aircraft located on the ground includes moving a wing tip relative to a fixed wing to an on-ground configuration in which the span of the wing is reduced. The wing tip includes an airflow channel, which is in an open configuration in which airflow through the channel between upper and lower surfaces of the wing tip is enabled, when the wing tip is in the on-ground configuration. This has been found to reduce aerodynamic loads on the wing tip and / or parts of the aircraft connected thereto during this phase of the aircraft's use.

Closed wing aircraft design and configuration with three wings on either side of the fuselage wherein at least one closed frame is established between the 1st wing and the 2nd wing, by using at least one bracing entity. A separate closed frame is established between the 2nd wing and the 3rd wing, by using at least one bracing entity. Each of said closed frames defines its own aerodynamic channel. The framework is strong and stiff, the mutually supported parts level out the stress. The fuselage is lifted in three points. The Aspect Ratio is high and the wingspan is relatively short but there are embodiments wherein the 3rd wing has an extended folding tip section.

A wing structure is disclosed having a first span portion including a depth that reduces in a spanwise outward direction, and a second span portion outboard of the first span portion and having a substantially uniform spanwise depth D3. The second span portion may be non-tapered, and may include parallel fore and aft spar portions. In some embodiments the non-tapered portion supports a movable wing tip device. A wing assembly and an aircraft are also disclosed.

The invention belongs to the technical field of morphing aircrafts, and discloses a connecting rod type mechanism for wing tip turning of a morphing aircraft. Comprising a double-four-rod symmetrical movement mechanism, a driving rod and a driving unit of the driving rod, wherein the double-four-rod symmetrical movement mechanism consists of a vertical rod, an inclined long rod and an inclined short rod, and two sides of the vertical rod are connected with wing ribs. Two or more connecting rod mechanism modules can be connected in parallel, and single drive is achieved through one rigid rod. The driving element transmits force to the vertical rod on the right side through the driving rod to achieve mechanism turning, and the rotation center is located on the outer side of all the movable mechanisms, so that upper and lower skins of a turning section of the wing are both pulled in the turning process, the skin wrinkling or swelling phenomenon is avoided, and the phenomenon that wingtip deformation and pneumatic discontinuity are easily solved.

A propulsion system for an aircraft can include an electric power source and an propulsion assembly having a propulsor. An electric power bus can electrically connect the electric power source to the propulsion assembly. The electric power source can be configured to provide electrical power to the electric power bus. An inverter converter controller can be positioned along the electric power bus and can be electrically connected to the electric power source at a location downstream of the electric power source and upstream of the electric propulsion assembly.

An unmanned aerial vehicle with deployable components (UAVDC) may comprise a foldable propeller blade with a locking mechanism. Foldable propeller blades may have a stowed configuration and a deployed configuration relative to the UAVDC, and the foldable propeller blades may pivot about a hinge to move between configurations. In the deployed configuration, the foldable propellor may experience forward folding forces acting upon it. The locking mechanism may lock the foldable propeller blade in the deployed configuration. The locking mechanism may keep the foldable propeller locked into place to prevent forward folding tendency.

Apparatus, systems, and methods are contemplated for electric powered vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Such are craft are engineered to carry safely carry at least 500 pounds (approx. 227 kg) using a few (e.g., 2-4) rotors, generally variable speed rigid (non-articulated) rotors. It is contemplated that one or more rotors generate a significant amount of lift (e.g., 70%) during rotorborne flight (e.g., vertical takeoff, hover, etc), and tilt to provide forward propulsion during wingborne flight. The rotors preferably employ individual blade control, and are battery powered. The vehicle preferably flies in an autopilot or pilotless mode and has a relatively small (e.g., less than 45′ diameter) footprint.

An aircraft designed to provide sustained G forces, with a relatively high steady angle of attack maneuverability using less thrust by balancing thrust and drag to sustain a high turn rate with dual low thrust engines using novel wing and fuselage designs. The aircraft includes a wing oriented laterally relative to the fuselage, at least one horizontal tail surface extending laterally from the fuselage and positioned rearward of the fixed wing, and at least one vertical tail surface extending upward from the fuselage. The first and second engines are mounted to the fuselage at locations positioned vertically below the fixed wing.

A wing tip device for fixing to the outboard end of a wing, the wing defining a wing plane, the wing tip device comprising: an upper wing-like element projecting upwardly with respect to the wing plane and having a trailing edge; and a lower wing-like element fixed with respect to the upper wing-like element and having a root chord and a trailing edge, the lower wing-like element root chord intersecting with the upper wing-like element, and the lower wing-like element projecting downwardly from the intersection, wherein the upper wing-like element is larger than the lower wing-like element and the trailing edge of the lower wing-like element is adjacent the trailing edge of the upper wing-like element at the intersection, and wherein an included angle between the upper and lower wing-like elements at the intersection is less than, or equal to, 160 degrees.