Passive Control Surface Restraint for Tactical Flight Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing control surface restraint systems for tactical flight vehicles require active actuation and wiring, consuming internal space and preventing manual rotation during handling and loading, limiting the use of common load straps and requiring specialized equipment.
Innovation Solution
A passively triggered and manually movable control surface restraining system that aligns control surfaces along the longitudinal axis, allowing temporary rotation for loading and maintaining alignment until launch, then automatically releasing without active stimuli or wiring, using a disengagement assembly with a mounting ring and rotation lock to move from an engaged to a disengaged position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If actively actuated mechanisms are used to restrain control surfaces, then control surface alignment is maintained, but internal storage space is consumed and manual rotation during handling is prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the actuator from the control surface restraint system, extracting the active actuation mechanism entirely. The restraint system now relies on passive mechanical features (friction, geometry) rather than powered actuators, eliminating the need for internal storage of actuation components and wiring while maintaining alignment functionality through manual positioning and passive retention
Solution Approach 2:
The control surface restraint system uses self-service mechanisms where the control surface itself provides the restraint through friction and geometric constraints. The system does not require external power or active control - the aligned position is maintained passively through the interaction between the control surface edges and the restraint structure, allowing manual rotation when needed while maintaining alignment when restrained
2Reliability
If actively actuated mechanisms are used to restrain control surfaces, then control surface alignment is maintained, but wiring and power requirements increase system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes all active actuation components, including motors, wiring, and power systems. The control surface restraint is achieved through passive mechanical features alone, eliminating the complexity associated with electrical systems while maintaining the alignment function through geometric and friction-based restraint mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the electrical/mechanical actuation system with a purely passive mechanical restraint system. Instead of using powered actuators to maintain alignment, the system uses friction, geometric constraints, and mechanical interference features to passively maintain control surface alignment without requiring any active mechanical or electrical systems
3Reliability
If control surfaces are restrained actively, then alignment is maintained during flight, but manual rotation for loading with common straps is prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The control surface restraint system transitions from a static, permanently restrained design to a dynamic system that can be manually positioned and restrained as needed. The control surfaces can be freely rotated during handling and loading operations, then manually positioned to the aligned position and passively restrained for flight, providing adaptability for both loading flexibility and flight alignment requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The restraint system allows manual manipulation during handling where operators can freely position control surfaces for loading with common straps, then the system passively maintains the aligned position once manually positioned. The system serves itself by maintaining alignment through passive mechanical features without requiring active actuation, while allowing full manual freedom during handling operations
Data Source
AI summary
A control surface restraining system for variably restraining a control surface on a flight vehicle includes a passively triggered and manually movable control surface restraint for keeping the control surface aligned along a longitudinal axis of the flight vehicle, while allowing for temporary control surface rotation during handling and loading. The control surface restraining system allows the control surfaces to be manually rotated out of and back to the “zero position” (i.e., aligned along the longitudinal axis) for loading the flight vehicle with a common load strap, and thereafter maintained in the “zero position” until launch for proper control actuation system initialization. Upon launch, the control surface restraining system is passively actuated for releasing the control surface, requiring no active stimulus from the guidance section, power, or associated wiring, therefore saving critical space and volume within the tactical flight vehicle.