Aircraft Wing Active Flow Control for Unsteady State Mitigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircrafts face challenges in minimizing the influence of unsteady flow states, such as gusts and turbulence, which affect wing load and flight stability, and existing technologies do not effectively control these conditions to enhance agility and operational performance.
Innovation Solution
The system incorporates adjustable control flaps, flow-influencing devices, and sensors to detect unsteady flow states, allowing for real-time actuation of flow-influencing mechanisms to minimize their impact, using actuators that can change wing shape and fluid flow patterns to maintain desired lift and drag coefficients.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional aircraft design is used without active flow control, then the structure is simpler and easier to manufacture, but the aircraft cannot effectively minimize the influence of unsteady flow states such as gusts and turbulence
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic flow control by making the wing surface actively adaptable through adjustable control flaps and flow-influencing devices that can change their configuration in real-time based on detected flow conditions, transforming the static wing into a dynamic system that responds to unsteady flow states
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a feedback mechanism where sensors detect unsteady flow states acting on the aircraft, and this information is fed to the flight control device which automatically adjusts the control flaps and flow-influencing devices to counteract the detected disturbances, creating a closed-loop control system
2Reliability
If larger control surfaces are used to handle unsteady flow conditions, then flight stability improves, but the aircraft structure becomes heavier and more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces purely mechanical solutions (larger static control surfaces) with an active control system that uses sensors, actuators, and control algorithms to dynamically adjust smaller control surfaces, substituting mechanical size with intelligent control to achieve the same stability effect with reduced weight
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of control surfaces by adjusting their position, shape, and flow-influencing characteristics dynamically based on flight conditions, allowing smaller surfaces to achieve the effectiveness of larger ones through optimized parameter adjustment
3Adaptability or versatility
If active flow control systems are implemented, then the aircraft can better control wing load and improve agility, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the wing into multiple surface segments with individually controllable flaps and flow-influencing devices, allowing independent adjustment of each segment to optimize local flow control while simplifying the overall system architecture through modular segmentation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs control flaps and flow-influencing devices that serve multiple functions - they can control lift, drag, and roll moments simultaneously, and can operate in different flight phases (takeoff, cruise, landing), reducing the need for separate dedicated components for each function
Data Source
AI summary
An aircraft (F) with wings (1; 1a, 1b) and a system for minimizing the influence of unsteady flow states, wherein the wing consists of a respective main wing (M) and at least one control flap (S) adjustably arranged relative thereto, a adjusting drive (21) for activating the at least one control flap (S), as well as a sensor arrangement for acquiring the setting position of the control flap (S), wherein the system for minimizing the influence of unsteady flow states exhibits: At least one arrangement (15) of flow-influencing devices (16) for influencing the fluid flow over the surface segment (10), which are functionally connected with the flight control device, and incorporated in at least one surface segment (10; 11a, 12a; 11b, 12b) of the main wing (M) of each wing (M; 1a, 1b) extending in a respective wingspan direction and/or at least one control flap (S), A detection device for detecting unsteady flow states acting on the aircraft, An actuating function that is functionally connected with the flow-influencing devices (16) to influence the flow in the different segments of a wing (1; 1a, 1b), designed in such a way that the latter, based on the unsteady flow states detected by the detection device and setting position of the control flap (S) acquired by the sensor arrangement, actuate the flow-influencing devices (16) so as to minimize the influence of unsteady flow states on the aircraft.