902results about "Spars/stringers" patented technology

A flight guidance system providing perspective flight guidance symbology using positioning and terrain information provides increased pilot situational awareness of the pilot's aircraft. The guidance system uses a positioning system and a detailed mapping system to provide a perspective display for use in an aircraft. A precision pathway flight guidance (PFG) symbology set is thereby displayed on a pilot display. The PFG symbology set includes broken line symbols representing an open tunnel and providing flow field data, a half-bracket symbol to indicate that the aircraft is no longer in the open tunnel represented by the broken line symbols and a quickened flight path vector (QFPV) symbol to provide the pilot with predictive flight path information. A flight director system and tunnel generator component provide for updating the displayed PDFG symbology set based upon current aircraft conditions (e.g., aircraft position) and stored flight path information.

An automatic takeoff thrust management system can be used in an aircraft with at least two engines. The management system comprises an aircraft status sensor or set of sensors capable of detecting establishment of takeoff climb conditions, and engine failure detectors respectively coupled to the at least two engines and capable of detecting engine failure. The management system further comprises thrust control modules respectively coupled to the at least two engines and capable of controlling the thrust of the engines, and a controller coupled to the aircraft status sensors, the engine failure detectors, and the thrust control modules. The controller reduces thrust by a selected amount upon detecting establishment of takeoff climb conditions and, if engine failure is detected, restoring thrust to an initial or a higher schedule.

A system for power generation comprises a wing, a turbine, a tether, and a tether tension sensor. The wing is for generating lift. The turbine is coupled to the wing and is used for generating power from rotation of a propeller or for generating thrust using the propeller. One end of the tether is coupled to the wing. The tether tension sensor is for determining a tension of the tether.

A system and method for forming structural assemblies with 3-D woven joint pre-forms. The method of the present invention forms complex structural assemblies with pre-formed structures. Adhesive is applied between the preformed structures and uncured 3-D woven textile pre-forms. Then together the preformed structures and uncured resin impregnated 3-D woven textile are cured with heat and / or pressure to form the larger complex structural assemblies.

A miniature, unmanned aircraft for acquiring and / or transmitting data, capable of automatically maintaining desired airframe stability while operating by remote directional commands. The aircraft comprises a fuselage and a wing, a piston engine and propeller, a fuel supply, at least one data sensor and / or radio transceiver, a microprocessor disposed to manage flight, a radio transceiver for receiving remotely generated flight direction commands, a GPS receiver, a plurality of control surfaces and associated servomechanisms, for controlling flight stabilization and direction, roll, pitch, yaw, velocity, and altitude sensors. The microprocessor uses roll, pitch, yaw, and altitude data to control attitude and altitude of the aircraft automatically, but controls flight direction solely based on external commands. The aircraft does not exceed fifty-five pounds.

A totally integrated system for automatic formation flight control of multiple vehicles not limited to aircraft, helicopters, or space platforms. For instance, the system may be used to control any number of aircraft in a pre-determined flight formation and provide “positive” identification, control and discrete communications between any number of vehicles. Thus the invention prevents mid-air collisions between vehicles in formation flight. The system generally includes a processor located on the vehicles to enable communications, unique position computations and control messaging between any number of aircraft in formation flight, a communications transceiver located on the vehicle that provides discrete communication links to any number of aircraft in formation flight an autopilot and a display. The processor may take into consideration velocity, direction, winds aloft, wing tip clearance of any number of vehicles. On aircraft, the system will display the current formation and vehicles relative position under control by this invention. The system may be overridden in flight.

An airfoil box and associated method are provided. The airfoil box includes two or more half-shell structures. Each half-shell structure is an integral or unitary member that includes at least a portion of the outer skin of the airfoil as well as stiffener members and connection members. For example, the half-shell structures can be integrally formed of composite materials. The half-shell structures can be assembled by connecting the connection members with fasteners such as rivets to form the airfoil box.

A porous surface on an aircraft structure driven with oscillating positive and negative pressures is used as an active control device for attenuating negative aerodynamic interactions. The porous surfaces can be driven with positive and negative pressures either continuously or when predetermined flight conditions are present. The porous surfaces can be used on rotor blades to reduce BVI noise in descent flight conditions. The porous surfaces can be configured on rotor blades for affecting blade variable twist in accordance with various flight conditions, and can further be incorporated for reducing rotor hub vibrations as well. Porous surfaces placed on aerodynamic surfaces below the rotor blades of a tiltrotor aircraft can attenuate or eliminate download and fountain flow conditions. When placed on the trailing edges of a tip jet-exhaust driven rotor blade, the porous surfaces of the present invention can supplement the tip jet momentum of the exhaust to thereby reduce an amount of exhaust needed to drive the rotor blade.

Embodiments of the invention relate to a stringer (108) adapted to transport fluid in an aircraft wing (100). For example, the stringer may be adapted to provide venting to one or more fuel tanks (111) in the aircraft wing, or may be adapted to provide fuel to the one or more fuel tanks. To perform this function, the stringer comprises a duct member (120) providing a duct and a structural member (121) providing an attachment surface for attachment of the stringer to a wing panel (112). Typically, the stringer is formed from a composite material such as carbon fibre reinforced plastic. A method of manufacturing the stringer is also disclosed.

A harness is provided comprising a body having a series of electrical conductors embedded therein and substantially running along the length thereof. The body may be part of a structural component such as stringer.

A battery-structure that may be located at least partially in the wings of an aircraft. The battery-structure forms a portion of the structural support of the wings and includes a plurality of battery receiving compartments; and a plurality of batteries located in the battery-structure. The batteries are configured to fit snugly within the battery receiving compartments, thereby increasing the rigidity of the battery-structure and the wings. The structural constituent of the battery-structure may be made from a carbon or graphite reinforced composite material or from a fiberglass composite material. The battery-structure may include a top panel, a bottom panel, a pair of side panels, and a plurality of web members. The panels and the web members may define the battery receiving compartments. The batteries can be received snugly between the web members to reinforce the rigidity and / or strength of the battery-structure.

The present invention describes a drive system for an aircraft involving one or more nose wheel motors. Data regarding the nose wheel rotation is used to control the ground travel of the aircraft, to predict potential problems, to provide more precise control over the aircraft, and to improve aircraft safety.

A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program product for symmetric and anti-symmetric control of aircraft flight control surfaces to reduce wing-body loads. Commands are sent to symmetrically deploy outboard control surfaces to shift wing air-loads inboard based on airplane state and speed brake deployment. Surface rate retraction on a wing with peak loads is limited to reduce maximum loads due to wheel checkback accompanied by utilization of opposite wing control surfaces to retain roll characteristics. Airloads are shifted inboard on a swept wing to move the center of pressure forward, thereby reducing the tail load required to perform a positive gravity maneuver. In a negative gravity maneuver, speed brakes are retracted, thereby reducing the positive tail load and reducing the aft body design loads. High gain feedback commands are filtered from wing structural modes above one hertz by a set of linear and non-linear filters.

An aircraft joint comprises a wing structure and a wing tip. The wing structure has a first part of a clevis and lug fastening system located around an outer end of the wing structure. The wing tip has a second part of the clevis and lug fastening system located around an end of the wing tip. The wing tip is capable of being joined to the outer end of the wing structure. An upper aerodynamic surface and a lower aerodynamic surface are formed by joining the wing structure and the wing tip. The first part and the second part are located about a center between the upper aerodynamic surface and the lower aerodynamic surface. The first part and the second part engage each other such that a moment reaction occurs around the upper aerodynamic surface and the lower aerodynamic surface.

An unmanned helicopter includes an altitude control device for giving a command of a collective pitch blade angle based on an altitude change rate command, etc., and performing altitude control of an airframe and takeoff device, upon reception of a takeoff start command from the ground, for causing the airframe to take off and climbing the airframe to a first altitude while increasing the collective pitch blade angle without performing the altitude control of the altitude control device and then causing the altitude control device to start the altitude control. The unmanned helicopter further includes descending device for causing the airframe to descend to a second altitude while changing descent rate command of the altitude control device and giving a descent rate command smaller than the descent rate command to the second altitude to the altitude control device for causing the airframe to descend from the second altitude to the ground.

A structural member comprising at least two aluminum alloy parts displaying different property balances, said at least two parts being welded and wherein one of said parts either is (i) selected from an aluminum alloy different from the other of said at least two parts and / or (ii) is selected from an initial temper different from the other of said at least two parts, and wherein at least one of said at least two parts has been pre-aged prior to being welded, and, wherein said structural member has undergone a post-welding thermal treatment conferring a final temper to each of said at least two parts. The parts are advantageously welded by friction stir welding. Another subject of the invention is a method for manufacturing a structural member.

There is provided a composite hat stiffener, a composite hat-stiffened pressure web, and a method of making the same. The composite hat stiffener has a composite hat section having a first side and a second side. The composite hat stiffener further has a plurality of composite stiffening plies coupled to the composite hat section. The plurality of composite stiffening plies include a body ply coupled to the first side of the composite hat section, a wrap ply coupled the body ply, and a base ply coupled to the body ply and the wrap ply. The composite hat stiffener further has a pair of radius filler noodles coupled to the composite hat section and disposed between the plurality of composite stiffening plies. The composite hat stiffener further has an outer ply coupled to the second side of the composite hat section.

In a structural element of high unidirectional rigidity, in which unidirectional fiber strands are completely embedded in sheaths and said sheaths are connected to a shell skin and wherein part of the shell skin is in the form of stringers, there is provided an inner division of the cross-section of the shell skin thereby providing the strength of the fibers and the stiffness of the fibers in a direction perpendicular to the skin plane for every direction of loading.

A system and method for refueling unmanned aerial vehicles. The system is adapted to refuel a first unmanned aerial vehicle from a second unmanned aerial vehicle and includes an arrangement for flying the first and second vehicles to proximity within a predetermined range and for connecting an umbilical from the second vehicle to the first vehicle in flight. In the illustrative embodiment, the arrangement for connecting includes a targeting system for electromagnetically detecting a refueling receptacle on the first vehicle. The targeting system includes a first coil around a refueling receptacle on the first vehicle. A seeker is disposed at a first end of said umbilical on the second vehicle. The seeker includes three detector coils adapted to detect a magnetic signal from the first coil around the receptacle on the first vehicle. The coils are mounted such that the detector coils point in different directions. The outputs of the coils are processed to determine the direction and range to the UAV from the tanker UAV.

An aircraft joint comprises a wing structure and a wing tip. The wing structure has a first part of a clevis and lug fastening system located around an outer end of the wing structure. The wing tip has a second part of the clevis and lug fastening system located around an end of the wing tip. The wing tip is capable of being joined to the outer end of the wing structure. An upper aerodynamic surface and a lower aerodynamic surface are formed by joining the wing structure and the wing tip. The first part and the second part are located about a center between the upper aerodynamic surface and the lower aerodynamic surface. The first part and the second part engage each other such that a moment reaction occurs around the upper aerodynamic surface and the lower aerodynamic surface.

An auto-guidance and control method and system is provided for use in conjunction with an aircraft electric taxi system. Aircraft status data is obtained, and airport feature data accessed. A processor generates taxi path guidance and control information including at least taxi speed guidance information, and sends commands derived from the taxi speed guidance information by the processor directly to an electric taxi controller to regulate the taxi speed of the aircraft.

An internal stiffening member of varying configurations in which the stiffening elements support the skin using a compression-only load path is dislcosed. In the preferred embodiment, the stiffening element has a peripheral edge that is adapted to be press fit into contact with the skin. The stiffening member may be held in place by various retention devices. Another configuration is a slip-in rib having a flange with a peripheral channel in which a filler material is disposed. The rib is inserted into an assembled structural box beam, and the filler material is used to fill any gaps between the slip-in rib and the interior surface of the structural box beam. The filler material is preferably an expandable material, such as an expandable foam-type material. However, in situations where a slip-in rib forms a primary structural rib, the filler material is preferably a structural adhesive or liquid shim material. A solid adhesive or filler would not crush under the clamping forces from fasteners or bolts at localized fitting attachments.

A method and apparatus for assisting in management of unmanned aerial vehicles. Planned routes are identified for the unmanned aerial vehicles. The planned routes are displayed on a map. A set of planned routes is identified that is within a predefined distance of a selected planned route during substantially a same point in time within a viewing area on the map.

A composite material elongate structural member, such as a spar, for use in an aerospace structure, comprises a web disposed between upper and lower flanges. The web may include a clockwise twist about an axis parallel to the length L at a first portion towards the wing-root-end of the spar and a counter-twist in the anticlockwise direction at a second portion towards the wing-tip-end of the spar. The geometry of the spar may vary non-linearly along its length (L) so that the developed width of the spar as measured from a distal edge of the upper flange via the web to a distal edge of the lower flange varies linearly with increasing distance along the length (L). The risk of causing, during fabrication of the spar, undesirable creasing, stressing or stretching of composite material layers in a region in which the geometry of the member varies non-linearly may be reduced by means of such an arrangement.