Aircraft wing, aircraft, hinge device, geared rotary actuator and engagement ring
By employing articulated devices in the aircraft wings, including fixed-wing joint rings, wingtip joint rings, and geared rotary actuators, the problem of excessively large fairings affecting aerodynamics was solved, resulting in smaller fairings and higher fuel efficiency.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-08-29
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-07
AI Technical Summary
The existing folding wingtip devices have hinges that protrude beyond the wing skin, resulting in an increase in fairing size, which affects aerodynamic performance and increases drag, limiting the aircraft's wingspan and fuel efficiency.
The system employs an articulated mechanism, including a fixed wing joint ring, a wingtip assembly joint ring, and a geared rotary actuator. The geared rotary actuator is partially located within the joint ring and drives the wingtip assembly to move between the flight configuration and the ground configuration, thereby reducing the need for a fairing.
The reduced size of the fairing lowered drag during flight, improving aerodynamic performance and fuel efficiency.
Smart Images
Figure CN121799600A_ABST
Abstract
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] There is a trend for passenger aircraft to become larger, for which it is desirable to have a correspondingly large wing span. However, the largest aircraft wing span is in practice limited by airport operating rules which govern various clearances required when moving around an airport (such as wing span and / or ground clearance required for gate access and use of safety taxiways).
[0002] Accordingly, folding wing tip devices have been introduced into passenger aircraft, in which the wing tip device is movable between a flight configuration for use during flight and a ground configuration for use during ground-based operations. In the ground configuration, the wing tip device is moved away from the flight configuration such that the wing span of the aircraft wing is reduced, thereby allowing the use of existing gates and the use of safety taxiways.
[0003] Folding wing tip devices can be connected to the fixed wing via a hinge arrangement. Typically, the hinge arrangement comprises a series of interleaved lugs which surround the hinge and act as attachment points for the fixed wing or wing tip device. The hinge arrangement comprising lugs can protrude beyond the wing skin of the fixed wing and wing tip device, resulting in the need for a fairing to cover the exposed section of the hinge arrangement so as not to adversely affect the aerodynamic performance of the wing. In order to avoid the hinge arrangement, which potentially comprises interleaved lugs, interfering with the fairing during movement from the flight configuration to the ground configuration, typical known hinge arrangements protrude beyond the wing skin of the fixed wing and wing tip device by a significant amount, and thus the size of the fairing, as presented to the airflow around the aircraft, can be large. The increased size of the fairing can create additional drag on the aircraft, potentially reducing fuel efficiency.
[0004] The present invention seeks to alleviate the above problems. Alternatively or additionally, the present invention seeks to provide an improved hinge arrangement. SUMMARY
[0005] According to a first aspect, the present invention provides an aircraft wing comprising a fixed wing and a wing tip device located at a tip portion of the fixed wing, wherein the wing tip device is configurable between: (i) a flight configuration for use during flight; and (ii) a ground configuration for use during ground-based operations, in which the wing tip device is moved away from the flight configuration such that the wing span of the aircraft wing is reduced, the aircraft wing further comprising a hinge arrangement connecting the fixed wing and the wing tip device, wherein the hinge arrangement comprises a fixed wing engagement ring, a wing tip device engagement ring and a geared rotary actuator (GRA) located partially within the fixed wing engagement ring and the wing tip device engagement ring and arranged to drive the wing tip device engagement ring to move the wing tip device between the flight configuration and the ground configuration.
[0006] The hinging device can provide a hinging axis about which the wingtip device rotates between the flight configuration and the ground configuration. The hinging axis can be aligned with the flight line direction, or at an angle of up to 15 degrees relative to the flight line direction. The geared rotary actuator can comprise a fixed GRA ring and a rotatable GRA ring, the geared rotary actuator being able to drive the rotatable GRA ring to rotate relative to the fixed GRA ring, and the fixed wing engagement ring can be mechanically engaged with the fixed GRA ring, and the wingtip device engagement ring can be mechanically engaged with the rotatable GRA ring, such that the geared rotary actuator moves the wingtip device between the flight configuration and the ground configuration by driving the rotatable GRA ring to rotate relative to the fixed GRA ring.
[0007] The present application allows the fixed wing and the wingtip device to be coupled to one another via engagement with the geared rotary actuator, which is partially located within the corresponding engagement ring. This arrangement can be particularly space efficient, and the corresponding engagement ring can extend only a small amount beyond the size of the geared rotary actuator. This arrangement can allow a smaller fairing to be provided to cover the hinging device, or can not require a fairing. In this arrangement, the reduced size of the fairing, or the absence of a fairing, can result in reduced drag being generated by the hinging device during flight, compared to a larger fairing.
[0008] The skilled person will understand that the terms "fixed" and "rotatable" are used relative to the movement of these elements during operation of the geared rotary actuator. For example, the fixed GRA ring is mechanically coupled to the fixed wing engagement ring, and the fixed wing does not move when the wingtip device is moved between the flight configuration and the ground configuration. The rotatable GRA ring is mechanically coupled to the wingtip device engagement ring, and the wingtip device moves when the wingtip device is moved between the flight configuration and the ground configuration.
[0009] The fixed wing engagement ring can comprise an internally splined or toothed surface, and the fixed GRA ring can comprise a corresponding externally splined or toothed surface, the fixed wing engagement ring and the fixed GRA ring being mechanically connected via these. This mechanical coupling is arranged to transmit rotational forces from the fixed GRA ring to the fixed wing engagement ring.
[0010] The wingtip device engagement ring can comprise an internally splined or toothed surface, and the rotatable GRA ring can comprise a corresponding externally splined or toothed surface, the wingtip device engagement ring and the fixed GRA ring being mechanically connected via these. This mechanical coupling is arranged to transmit rotational forces from the fixed GRA ring to the fixed wing engagement ring.
[0011] The splined or toothed inner surface of the fixed-wing engagement ring and the wingtip device engagement ring can have the same surface profile, such that a geared rotary actuator can be easily inserted into place. The fixed GRA ring and the rotatable GRA ring can include the same surface profile to allow direct engagement with the fixed-wing engagement ring and the wingtip device engagement ring.
[0012] As will be appreciated by the skilled person, other profiles can be provided that transmit rotational force between the geared rotary actuator, the fixed wing and the wingtip device. For example, the fixed-wing engagement ring or the wingtip device engagement ring can comprise a simple polygonal profile, wherein the fixed GRA ring or the rotatable GRA ring has a corresponding simple polygonal profile. The simple polygonal profile can have any of 3 sides, 4 sides, 5 sides, 6 sides or more.
[0013] The fixed-wing engagement ring can comprise a wing box engagement portion that enables the fixed-wing engagement ring to be mechanically coupled to a wing box of the fixed wing. The wingtip device engagement ring can comprise a wing box engagement portion that enables the wingtip device engagement ring to be mechanically coupled to a wing box of the wingtip device. The mechanical coupling can be achieved via rivets, bolts or any conventional fastening mechanism well known to the skilled person. This arrangement allows the fixed-wing engagement ring and the wingtip device engagement ring to be manufactured and provided separately from the remainder of the fixed wing and the wingtip device. This arrangement can allow the various components that make up the aircraft wing to be more easily maintained or replaced.
[0014] The articulation device can comprise a plurality of fixed-wing engagement rings mechanically coupled to corresponding fixed GRA rings.
[0015] The articulation device can comprise a plurality of wingtip device engagement rings mechanically coupled to corresponding rotatable GRA rings.
[0016] The articulation device can comprise a plurality of fixed-wing engagement rings mechanically coupled to corresponding fixed GRA rings, sandwiched between a plurality of wingtip device engagement rings mechanically coupled to corresponding rotatable GRA rings. The number of fixed-wing engagement rings and wingtip device engagement rings can be the same, or can be different.
[0017] During construction of the aircraft wing, the geared rotary actuator can be slid into place within the fixed-wing engagement ring and the wingtip device engagement ring. This arrangement advantageously allows the geared rotary actuator to be supplied to the fixed-wing engagement ring and the wingtip device engagement ring individually. This arrangement can also allow the geared rotary actuator to be maintained and / or replaced by allowing the geared rotary actuator to be removed from the aircraft ring. The articulation device can comprise one or more retaining pins or rings in order to secure the geared rotary actuator in place once the wing has been placed together. The one or more retaining pins or rings can not be under load during flight.
[0018] The articulation device can comprise one or more locking pins to lock the fixed wing and the wing tip device to each other. The locking pins can be used to lock the wing tip device in a flight position, a ground position or an intermediate position. The one or more locking pins can be positioned such that flight loads are directly transmitted between the fixed wing engagement ring and the wing tip device engagement ring when in the flight position or the intermediate position. Alternatively, flight loads can be transmitted to the geared rotary actuator.
[0019] According to a second aspect of the application, there is provided an aircraft comprising an aircraft wing according to the first aspect of the application.
[0020] According to a third aspect, there is provided an articulation device for connecting a fixed wing and a wing tip device, wherein the articulation device comprises: a fixed wing engagement ring; a wing tip device engagement ring; and a geared rotary actuator (GRA) located partially within the fixed wing engagement ring and the wing tip device engagement ring and arranged to drive the wing tip device engagement ring to move the wing tip device between a flight configuration and a ground configuration.
[0021] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a geared rotary actuator comprising a fixed GRA ring and a rotatable GRA ring, the actuator being configured to drive rotational movement between the fixed GRA ring and the rotatable GRA ring, both the fixed GRA ring and the rotatable GRA ring comprising a splined or toothed outer surface.
[0022] According to a fifth aspect, there is provided an engagement ring for use in an articulation device according to the third aspect of the application, the engagement ring comprising: a splined or toothed inner ring surface; and a wing box engagement portion configured for connection to a wing box of a fixed wing or a wing tip device.
[0023] The aircraft can be a passenger aircraft. The passenger aircraft preferably comprises a passenger cabin comprising a plurality of rows and columns of seat units for accommodating a plurality of passengers. The aircraft can have a capacity of at least 20 passengers, more preferably at least 50 passengers, and optionally more than 75 passengers. The aircraft can be a commercial aircraft, for example a commercial passenger aircraft, for example a single-aisle or a twin-aisle aircraft. The aircraft need not be configured for carrying passengers, but can for example be a comparable sized aircraft configured for cargo and / or use on a non-commercial basis. The aircraft can have a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of at least 20 tonnes, optionally at least 40 tonnes, and possibly 50 tonnes or more. The aircraft can have an operating empty weight of at least 20 tonnes, optionally at least 30 tonnes, and possibly about 40 tonnes or more.
[0024] It will be understood, of course, that the features described with respect to one aspect of the invention can be incorporated into other aspects of the invention. For example, the method of the invention can be incorporated with any of the features described with reference to the device of the invention, and vice versa. Attached Figure Description
[0025] Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying schematic diagrams, in which:
[0026] Figure 1a An aircraft wing according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown;
[0027] Figure 1b An aircraft including an aircraft wing according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown;
[0028] Figure 2a , Figure 2b and Figure 2c This illustrates a prior art wingtip mechanism;
[0029] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the hinge mechanism according to the present invention is shown;
[0030] Figure 4 It shows Figure 3 The components of the hinge mechanism shown;
[0031] Figure 5 A plan view of the ring of a gear-type rotary actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation
[0032] Figure 1a and Figure 1b An aircraft wing 100 with an aircraft wing 10 is shown. The aircraft wing 10 includes a fixed wing 12 and a wingtip device 14, which is movable between a flight configuration and a ground configuration with a reduced wing span.
[0033] Figure 2a , Figure 2b and Figure 2cVarious views of a prior art wing tip mechanism and associated fairing are shown. The wing tip mechanism includes a hinge arrangement 16 having a hinge axis X-X about which the wing tip arrangement 14 can be rotated between a flight configuration and a ground configuration. As can be seen in the figures, the hinge axis is oriented in the direction of flight. The hinge arrangement 16 includes a geared rotary actuator 18 having a plurality of lugs 20 extending therefrom that are bolted to corresponding lugs 22 on the fixed wing 12 and the wing tip arrangement 14. The lugs 20 and 22 rotationally couple the geared rotary actuator 18 to the fixed wing 12 and the wing tip arrangement 14 such that activation of the geared rotary actuator 18 drives the wing tip arrangement 14 between the flight configuration and the ground configuration. As Figure 2b shown, to provide a more aerodynamically compliant wing surface, a fairing 24 is positioned over the hinge arrangement 16. To accommodate the movement of the lugs 20 and 22, the fairing is relatively large, with the size of the fairing being determined in part by the extension of the lugs 20 and 22 away from the center of the geared rotary actuator 18.
[0034] Figure 3 and Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of an aircraft wing 30 according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. The aircraft wing includes a fixed wing 32 and a wing tip arrangement 34 that is movable between a flight configuration and a ground configuration in which the wing span is reduced, in Figure 3 The wing tip arrangement is shown in the flight configuration. The wing tip arrangement 34 is movable between the flight configuration and the ground configuration by rotation about a hinge arrangement 36. As shown in Figure 2A, the hinge arrangement has a hinge axis that is oriented in the direction of flight, although those skilled in the art will appreciate that in alternative embodiments the hinge axis can be angled to the direction of flight, for example up to 15 degrees. The hinge arrangement includes a geared rotary actuator 38 that includes a conventional geared rotary actuator drive mechanism (not shown), a plurality of fixed GRA rings 40 and a plurality of rotatable GRA rings 41 sandwiched between the plurality of fixed GRA rings 40. The drive mechanism of the geared rotary actuator 38 is configured to drive the rotatable GRA rings 41 relative to the fixed GRA rings 40. Figure 5 A plan view of a plurality of GRA rings as described is shown.
[0035] The fixed wing 32 is attached to a fixed wing joint ring 42 via a wing box joint 44. The wing box joint 44 allows the fixed wing joint ring 42 to be supplied separately to the fixed wing 32 and joined to the fixed wing 32 during construction of the wing 30. In addition to the advantages during construction of the wing 30, this arrangement can also be advantageous if maintenance or replacement operations are required.
[0036] The wing tip device 34 is attached to the wing tip device joint ring 46 via a wing tip device wing box joint 48. As noted above, this allows the wing tip device joint ring 46 to be supplied separately to the wing tip device 34, which has possible construction, maintenance and / or replacement advantages.
[0037] The wing box joints 44, 48 can be mechanically fixed to the fixed wing and wing tip device by any suitable fixing means as understood by the skilled person, such as rivets, bolts, welding or other means.
[0038] The fixed GRA ring 40 and the rotatable GRA ring 41 of the geared rotary actuator 38 have splined outer surfaces. The fixed wing joint ring 42 and the wing tip device joint ring 46 have corresponding splined inner surfaces. During construction, the fixed wing joint ring 42 and the wing tip device joint ring 46 are held in alignment with each other, and the geared rotary actuator 38 is slid through the corresponding rings so that the fixed GRA ring 40 is aligned with and rotatably engaged with the fixed wing joint ring 42 and the rotatable GRA ring 42. One or more pins can be positioned to prevent further translational movement of the geared rotary actuator relative to the fixed wing joint ring 42 and the wing tip device joint ring 46. Furthermore, the skilled person will understand that while only a single fixed wing joint ring 42 and a single wing tip device joint ring are described, either ring or both rings can be provided in multiple, with corresponding fixed and rotatable GRA rings provided on the geared rotary actuator 38 as shown in Figure 5
[0039] As Figure 4 is best shown, the profile of the articulation device according to the present application is significantly reduced compared to the prior art articulation devices shown in Figure 2a , Figure 2b and Figure 2c The use of splined rings to engage with the geared rotary actuator results in a fairing that can be used that has a smaller cross-sectional area than the fairing 24, which is also shown in dashed lines in Figure 4 and needs to accommodate the lugs connected to the prior art geared rotary actuator.
[0040] Although the invention has been described and illustrated with reference to specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that the invention itself is applicable to many different variations not specifically described herein. Some possible variations will now be described by way of example only. One or more locking pins may also be provided to lock the GRA rings to each other, thereby preventing rotational movement of the rotatable GRA rings relative to the fixed GRA rings and ultimately locking the wingtip assembly 34 in place. Alternatively or additionally, one or more locking pins may be provided to lock the fixed wing engagement ring 42 to the wingtip assembly engagement ring 46, thereby locking the wingtip assembly 34 in place. Thus, the wingtip assembly can be locked in a flight configuration, a ground configuration, or an intermediate configuration.
[0041] Where references have been made to an element or component having a known, obvious, or foreseeable equivalent in the foregoing description, such equivalent is incorporated herein as if separately stated. The true scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims, and should be interpreted as including any such equivalent. The reader will also understand that elements or features of the invention described as preferred, advantageous, convenient, etc., are optional and do not limit the scope of the independent claims. Furthermore, it should be understood that such optional elements or features, while potentially beneficial in some embodiments of the invention, may not be desirable in other embodiments and therefore may not be present.
[0042] Unless the context otherwise requires, the term “or” should be interpreted as “and / or”.
Claims
1. An aircraft wing, the aircraft wing comprising a fixed wing and a wingtip device located at the tip of the fixed wing, wherein, The wingtip device can be configured between two configurations: (i) a flight configuration for use during flight; and (ii) a ground configuration for use during ground-based operations, in which the wingtip device moves away from the flight configuration, causing a reduction in the wingspan of the aircraft wing, the aircraft wing further comprising: A hinge device connecting the fixed wing and the wingtip device, wherein the hinge device includes: Multiple fixed-wing joint rings, Multiple wingtip assembly joint rings, and A gear-type rotary actuator, partially located within the fixed wing engagement ring and the wingtip assembly engagement ring, and arranged to drive the wingtip assembly engagement ring to move the wingtip assembly between the flight configuration and the ground configuration.
2. The aircraft wing according to claim 1, wherein, The gear-type rotary actuator includes multiple fixed GRA rings and multiple rotatable GRA rings. The gear-type rotary actuator is capable of driving the rotatable GRA rings to rotate relative to the fixed GRA rings. The fixed wing engagement ring is mechanically engaged with the fixed GRA ring, and the wingtip device engagement ring is mechanically engaged with the rotatable GRA ring, such that the gear-type rotary actuator moves the wingtip device between the flight configuration and the ground configuration by driving the rotational movement of the rotatable GRA ring relative to the fixed GRA ring.
3. The aircraft wing according to claim 2, wherein, The fixed wing engagement ring includes an inner surface with splines or teeth, and the fixed GRA ring includes a corresponding outer surface with splines or teeth. The fixed wing engagement ring and the fixed GRA ring are mechanically connected via the inner surface with splines or teeth and the corresponding outer surface with splines or teeth.
4. The aircraft wing according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, The wingtip assembly engagement ring includes an inner surface with splines or teeth, and the rotatable GRA ring includes a corresponding outer surface with splines or teeth. The wingtip assembly engagement ring and the fixed GRA ring are mechanically connected via the inner surface with splines or teeth and the corresponding outer surface with splines or teeth.
5. The aircraft wing according to claim 2, wherein, The fixed wing engagement ring or the wingtip device engagement ring includes a simple polygonal profile, wherein the fixed GRA ring or the rotatable GRA ring has a corresponding simple polygonal profile, and the simple polygonal profile has any one of 3, 4, 5, 6 or more sides.
6. The aircraft wing according to any of the preceding claims, wherein, The fixed wing coupling ring includes a wing box coupling portion that can mechanically connect the fixed wing coupling ring to the wing box of the fixed wing.
7. The aircraft wing according to any of the preceding claims, wherein, The wingtip device coupling ring includes a wing box coupling portion, which can mechanically connect the wingtip device coupling ring to the wing box of the wingtip device.
8. The aircraft wing according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein, The articulation device includes a plurality of fixed wing engagement rings mechanically connected to corresponding fixed GRA rings, the plurality of fixed wing engagement rings being sandwiched between a plurality of wingtip device engagement rings mechanically connected to corresponding rotatable GRA rings.
9. The aircraft wing according to any of the preceding claims, wherein, The hinge device includes one or more retaining pins or rings to hold the geared rotary actuator in place once the wing has been assembled.
10. An aircraft comprising an aircraft wing according to any one of claims 1 to 9.
11. A hinge device for connecting a fixed wing and a wingtip device, wherein, The hinge device includes: Multiple fixed-wing joint rings, Multiple wingtip assembly joint rings, and A gear-type rotary actuator, which is partially located within the fixed wing engagement ring and the wingtip assembly engagement ring, and is arranged to drive the wingtip assembly engagement ring to move the wingtip assembly between a flight configuration and a ground configuration.
12. A gear-type rotary actuator comprising a fixed GRA ring and a rotatable GRA ring, the actuator being configured to drive rotational movement between the fixed GRA ring and the rotatable GRA ring, both the fixed GRA ring and the rotatable GRA ring comprising an outer surface with splines or teeth.
13. A connecting ring for use in the articulation device according to claim 11, the connecting ring comprising an inner ring surface with splines or teeth and a wing box engagement portion configured for connection to a wing box of a fixed wing or wingtip device.