Wing Tip Aileron Actuation via Bell Crank
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Solution Overview
Problem
Deployable wings on small flight vehicles, such as glide bombs and precision guided munitions, face challenges in actuating ailerons due to the need to transfer force through pivot points, requiring a lightweight, inexpensive, and reliable system for control.
Innovation Solution
A wing tip aileron actuation system utilizing a bell crank mechanism with lever pins and pivot pins that rotate between stowed and deployed positions, allowing for efficient actuation of ailerons when wings are extended, using common materials and simple components to ensure reliability and cost-effectiveness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional actuation system is used to control ailerons on deployable wings, then the system can provide control authority, but the system becomes heavy and complex due to the need to transfer actuation forces through pivot points
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the actuation mechanism from the wing structure by using a bell crank mounted on the fuselage that directly actuates the ailerons through cables, eliminating the need to transfer actuation forces through the wing pivot points. This separation removes unnecessary weight and complexity from the moving wing assembly while maintaining reliable control authority.
Solution Approach 2:
The bell crank serves as an intermediary mechanism that converts the actuator's motion into the appropriate cable tension to control the ailerons. This intermediary device allows direct actuation from the fuselage without requiring force transfer through the wing pivots, thereby reducing the weight and complexity of the actuation system while ensuring reliable control.
2Reliability
If a robust actuation system is designed to handle extreme forces during launch and flight, then the system becomes reliable, but the system becomes more complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The actuation system is segmented into distinct functional components: a bell crank for force direction change, cables for force transmission, and ailerons for control. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently for handling extreme forces while keeping the overall system design simple and cost-effective.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of designing a complex rigid linkage system to handle extreme forces, the patent inverts the approach by using a flexible cable-pulley system with a bell crank. This inverted mechanism naturally handles extreme forces through the flexibility and mechanical advantage of the cable system, reducing overall complexity while maintaining reliability.
3Ease of operation
If actuation forces are transferred through the wing pivot points to reach the ailerons, then the ailerons can be controlled, but the system becomes more complex and requires additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the actuation mechanism from the wing pivot assembly and relocates it to the fuselage. The bell crank is mounted on the fuselage and directly actuates the ailerons via cables, eliminating the need to route actuation forces through the wing pivot points and thereby simplifying the overall actuation mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The bell crank acts as an intermediary that enables direct actuation of the ailerons from the fuselage without requiring force transfer through the wing pivots. This intermediary mechanism simplifies the actuation path while maintaining ease of aileron control.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides reliable and efficient control of ailerons, handling extreme forces during launch and flight, while being lightweight and inexpensive, suitable for various flight vehicles including glide bombs and precision guided munitions.
Implementation Method 1
a bell crank that moves two lever pins within respective pivot pins to actuate ailerons on the tips of wings
Implementation Method 2
The bell crank has a first end connected to the actuator, a pivot point at a second end, and first and second arms extending outward from the second end
Implementation Method 3
The lever pins, pivot pins, and wings are rotatable such that the wings are able to pivot about the pivot pins between a stowed position and a deployed position
Implementation Method 4
ailerons on the tips of wings to control the flight of the flight vehicle
Implementation Method 5
A top portion of the first lever pin is between prongs of the first fork with the top portion of the first lever pin having an elongated shape
Data Source
AI summary
A control system for a flight vehicle includes first and second pivot pins each having a hollow cylindrical shape with an opening therein, first and second deployable wings configured to pivot about the first and second pivot pins between a stowed position and a deployed position with the first and second deployable wings each having first and second wing tip shafts extending between the first and second pivot pins and first and second ailerons at a tip of the deployable wings, first and second lever pins within the opening in the pivot pins with the first and second lever pins each having a first end that extends out from a top of the pivot pin and a second end connected to the wing tip shaft and with the first and second lever pins configured to rotate the wing tip shafts to control the ailerons.