Aircraft Wingtip Collision Marker with Breakable Support Rod
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft extremities, such as wingtips, often collide with other objects during parking or towing due to difficulty in judging their locations, leading to costly and potentially airworthy-rendering damage, with existing solutions being complex and expensive.
Innovation Solution
A marker system comprising a flexible portion with a weakened support member and a flag that becomes visible if a collision occurs, providing a lasting indication of impact, featuring a flexible holder, a flag, and a support rod that breaks upon collision, retaining the broken state to indicate damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If radar or video camera detecting devices are mounted in wingtips, then collision detection capability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a disposable flag that breaks or detaches upon collision impact, providing a simple, low-cost indication of collision occurrence. This replaces complex electronic detecting devices with a simple mechanical indicator that serves its purpose and can be easily replaced.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the essential function of collision detection from complex electronic systems and implements it through a simple mechanical flag mechanism. The flag is taken out as a separate, simple component that provides collision indication without requiring radar, video cameras, or other complex detecting devices.
2Illumination intensity
If illumination systems are used to reduce collisions, then visibility of aircraft extremities is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a brightly colored flag that is highly visible against the sky and ground backgrounds. The flag's color provides passive visual enhancement without requiring active illumination systems, lights, or power sources, thereby avoiding the complexity and cost of illumination systems while achieving the goal of improved visibility.
3Reliability
If a support member with weakened portion is used, then collision indication capability is improved, but structural strength is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The support member is pre-weakened at specific locations during manufacturing, creating predetermined fracture points. This preliminary action ensures that upon collision impact, the support member will break at these predetermined locations, providing immediate and clear collision indication. The weakened portions are strategically placed to maintain sufficient strength for normal operation while enabling reliable collision detection.
Data Source
AI summary
A marker for the wingtip or other extremity of an aircraft. The marker includes a fabric pouch having a flap containing hook and loop fasteners, to hold the pouch on the aircraft extremity. A fabric tube extends outwardly and substantially horizontally from the pouch and supports a marker flag at its tip. The fabric tube contains a breakable support rod, so that if the aircraft wingtip collides with an object, the support rod will break and the flag will droop, providing a visible indication that a collision has occurred. The broken rod can then be replaced.