Aircraft Wing Protection Device with Rotating Frame and Casters
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing protection methods for aircraft airfoils against bad weather, such as hail, are cumbersome and difficult to deploy quickly, especially for large vehicles, leading to potential damage and increased maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
A protection device with a load-bearing structure featuring a supporting frame with rotating uprights and casters, including a lattice structure and motorized movement, allowing for easy and rapid deployment over aircraft wings, and a method for positioning the device to cover the wing effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a tarpaulin with multiple pockets is used to protect large vehicles, then protection coverage is improved, but deployment difficulty and time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The protection device is divided into modular components including a supporting frame with uprights and cross members, a separate wall element, and protective covers. This segmentation allows each component to be independently handled and assembled, making deployment of large-area protection structures feasible without requiring complex pre-arranged configurations
Solution Approach 2:
The supporting frame incorporates moveable uprights with feet that can rotate and adjust position, allowing the structure to be dynamically assembled and configured on-site. The linking attachment means enable rotation about axes, providing adaptability during deployment while maintaining structural integrity once positioned
2Reliability
If a complex tarpaulin structure is prepared in advance, then protection effectiveness is improved, but preparation time increases leading to potential damage
Solution Approach 1:
The device components are pre-configured in a compact, transport-ready state with integrated feet and linking mechanisms already in place. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for complex on-site assembly while maintaining the ability to provide effective protection once deployed
Solution Approach 2:
The moveable uprights with rotation capabilities and self-aligning feet enable the structure to self-assemble and self-stabilize during deployment. The linking attachment means automatically engage with the cross members, reducing the need for complex manual configuration and minimizing preparation time
3Strength
If a rigid protective structure is used, then protection strength is improved, but ease of movement and positioning deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The structure employs moveable uprights with feet that can rotate about axes and adjust positions during movement. The linking attachment means provide controlled flexibility, allowing the rigid protective wall to be repositioned easily while maintaining structural strength when in the protective position
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the structure have different mobility characteristics - the feet and lower portions are designed for movement and rotation, while the upper wall portion maintains rigid strength for protection. This local differentiation of properties allows both ease of movement and protection strength to be optimized in their respective zones
Data Source
AI summary
Devices for protecting aircraft against bad weather. A device for protecting a wing of an aircraft including a load-bearing structure for a protective wall for the wing, the load-bearing structure having a supporting frame having at least two uprights linked by at least one cross member, at least one upright, at the end of the frame having a linking attachment arrangement permitting at least rotation about an axis perpendicular to the surface, the other uprights, each having one foot with an arrangement configured to facilitate the movement of the frame over the surface on which the frame rests. The protection device enables immediate, rapid and easy positioning requiring very few operators.