Aircraft Wing Deployment With Spherical Four-Bar Linkage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft designs face challenges in efficiently deploying and storing wings without causing imbalance, uneven wind resistance, or interference during deployment, particularly in compact spaces.
Innovation Solution
A spherical four-bar linkage mechanism with kinematic constraints and optimized geometric parameters ensures coordinated wing deployment, preventing collisions and stabilizing the wings in the in-use position, using a system of kinematic equations to define the motion profile.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If wings are stored inside or alongside the fuselage in a non-deployed position, then the aircraft can be stored in smaller spaces and reduces air resistance, but the mechanism for deploying and storing wings becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The wing is nested within the fuselage when in the non-deployed position, with the wing structure contained inside the aircraft body. The deployment mechanism utilizes the fuselage structure itself as part of the deployment path, allowing the wing to transition from a nested storage configuration to an extended operational configuration without requiring external deployment structures.
2Productivity
If a mechanism is used to rotate or pivot the wings into the deployed position, then the wings can be efficiently deployed, but the mechanism may cause imbalance, uneven wind resistance, or interference during deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The deployment mechanism is designed with asymmetric characteristics where the wing deployment path and rotation axis are specifically configured to maintain aerodynamic balance. The mechanism allows the wing to pivot along a controlled trajectory that prevents interference with the fuselage and ensures uniform wind resistance distribution during the deployment process, addressing the reliability concerns while maintaining deployment efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for deploying the wings of a movable-wing aircraft includes a spherical four-bar mechanism. The spherical four-bar mechanism has a first bar to which a first wing is attached, a second bar to which a second wing is attached, a third, movable bar rotatably or movably linking the first bar to the second bar at a first respective point on each bar, and a fourth bar grounding the first and second bar at a second respective point on each bar. The spherical four-bar mechanism may be mathematically optimized for space, size, and movement by a system of kinematic equations to allow the first and second wing to open at substantially the same time without colliding with one another. The wings of the aircraft may further include a mid-wing hinge with a movable stiffening spar to allow the wings to fold to a more compact size during storage.