Wing Hinge Latch Mechanism for Folding Without Added Drag
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current machines and processes for rotating aircraft wings to reduce wingspan at airports increase thickness, weight, and drag, and lack desirable redundancy and reliability.
Innovation Solution
A novel machine and process using a rotalliever system with rotalatch configuration, which allows a second structure to rotate relative to a first structure, reducing the need for bulky fairings and distributing load-bearing components, incorporating a hinge with a cylinder, movable and stationary members, and a lock-plate to securely fix the wing at desired angles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a rotary gear actuator is used to reduce wingspan at airports, then the wingspan can be reduced, but the thickness, weight, and drag of the wing and components increase greater than desired
Solution Approach 1:
The wing is divided into a fixed portion and an unfixed portion that can be independently positioned. The hinge assembly segments the wing structure, allowing the unfixed portion to be rotated and latched at different positions (folded, extended, intermediate) without requiring a bulky actuator throughout the entire wing structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotation and positioning function is extracted from the main wing structure and concentrated in a separate hinge assembly. This allows the wing itself to remain thin and aerodynamic, while the mechanism for wingspan reduction is contained in a dedicated component that can be optimized independently.
2Length of moving object
If a rotary gear actuator is used to reduce wingspan at airports, then the wingspan can be reduced, but the thickness, weight, and drag of the wing and components increase greater than desired
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the wing into fixed and unfixed portions connected by a hinge, the unfixed portion can be rotated to reduce wingspan without requiring the entire wing structure to be thickened to accommodate a rotary gear actuator. This maintains a thin, aerodynamic profile that reduces drag.
3Length of moving object
If a rotary gear actuator is used to reduce wingspan at airports, then the wingspan can be reduced, but the thickness, weight, and drag of the wing and components increase greater than desired
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanism for wingspan reduction is extracted from the main wing structure and placed in a separate hinge assembly. This allows the wing to maintain its normal thin profile for aerodynamic efficiency, while the rotation mechanism is contained in a dedicated component that does not increase overall wing thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge assembly allows motion in multiple dimensions - the unfixed portion can be rotated about the hinge axis to change wingspan, and the latch mechanism provides positioning in the radial direction. This multi-dimensional approach enables compact packaging of the mechanism without increasing wing thickness.
4Length of moving object
If current machines are used for rotating wings, then wingspan reduction is achieved, but reliability and redundancy are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The latch assembly provides localized redundancy at critical positioning points. Multiple latches can be positioned at different angular locations around the hinge, ensuring that if one latch fails, others can still maintain the wing in safe positions. This local reinforcement of reliability does not compromise the overall lightweight design.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments are shown for a machine and process to rotate and fix a second structure relative to a first structure via a hinge that may include a central axis, a lock-plate, and a moveable, a stationary, and a driving, member. The process may include: attaching a hinge to the first structure; moving a pin, extending parallel to the central axis through the stationary and driving members, out of a first notch of the movable member toward the central axis via rotating the driving member around the central axis; rotating the movable member via rotating the second structure around the central axis; fixing the movable member by latching the hinge via moving the pin away from the central axis and into a second notch in the movable member; and locking the latch by moving, along a length of the central axis, the lock-plate toward the driving member and the pin.