Patents Examined by Ashesh Dangol
  • Patent number: 11365008
    Abstract: An aircraft passenger compartment suite may include a first side with a first display device, a second side with a second display device, and a privacy divider separating the first side and the second side. The first display device may be configured to actuate between a first deployed position and a first stowed position via a first stowage mechanism. The second display device may be configured to actuate between a second deployed position and a second stowed position via a second stowage mechanism. The privacy divider may include one or more panels configured to actuate between a panel deployed position and a panel stowed position. The privacy divider may be open when at least one of the first display device is in the first stowed position, the second display device is in the second stowed position, or the one or more panels are in the panel stowed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: B/E Aerospace, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark B. Dowty, Dennis M. Heuer, Lyle T. Davis, Robert J. Henshaw, Robert D. Wilkey
  • Patent number: 11358704
    Abstract: An end rib assembly for a high-lift device of an aircraft to reduce the noise caused by the transition between the wing and a high-lift device as well as the noise caused by the lateral side edge of the end rib assembly. An end rib assembly includes a noise-reducing portion configured to reduce noise caused by an airflow around the end rib assembly, and a guiding portion configured for guiding the end rib assembly along a pre-determined path when the high-lift device is moved between a retracted position and an extended position, wherein the guiding portion is formed such that an airflow impinging on the guiding portion is partly guided towards the noise-reducing portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
    Inventors: Wolfgang Machunze, Heiko Fietzek
  • Patent number: 11358702
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an aircraft security door as well as methods, systems and apparatus for handling an aircraft security door. In one implementation, a method for installing an aircraft security door onto an aircraft is disclosed. The method includes transferring the aircraft security door to an aircraft service stair, supporting the aircraft security door by a bridge crane coupled to the aircraft service stair, positioning the aircraft service stair in proximity to a fuselage of the aircraft adjacent to an opening in the fuselage, positioning the aircraft security door relative to the opening using the bridge crane, and securing the aircraft security door to the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventors: Matthew L. Prendergast, Nicholas J. Brimlow, Arthur E. Whitson, Jr., Ryan J. O'Connor, Gregory W. Swanson
  • Patent number: 11352137
    Abstract: Cargo load platform assemblies are especially adapted to provide support for a variety of cargo, such as auxiliary aircraft fuel tanks. According to certain embodiments herein, a load platform is provided which is adapted to being positioned onto a cargo deck of a cargo aircraft. At least one anti-rattle device is operatively associated with the load platform for positionally fixing the load platform to a tie-down ring of the cargo deck of a cargo aircraft. The cargo load platform may support a rigid fuel tank thereon so that auxiliary fuel tankage systems can be provided as may be needed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: EMBRAER S.A.
    Inventors: Adilson Martins de Melo, Andre Rodrigues Ribeiro Pinto, Marcos Vinicus, Bruno Miguel Oliveira Andrade
  • Patent number: 11319076
    Abstract: A seat unit for an aircraft that can be directly fixed at three points to a seat track provided on the floor of the aircraft. One representative seat unit and attachment method thereof relates to a seat unit comprising a lower structure of the seat unit and three fixtures configured to attach the lower structure directly to a pair of seat tracks of a mobile body, wherein the three fixtures include a lateral position adjustment member configured to laterally adjust a fitting position with the pair of seat tracks, a first fixture is fixed to one of the pair of seat tracks, a second fixture is fixed to one of the pair of seat tracks at a point separated from the first fixture, and a third fixture is fixed to another one of the pair of seat tracks at a corresponding portion between the first fixture and the second fixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: JAMCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaji Ozaki, Michihito Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11312499
    Abstract: A fluid diverting air inlet includes an intake opening through an outer surface of an enclosure for receiving air flowing outside the outer surface. The intake opening ramps downwardly below the outer surface to define an intake passageway. An air diversion device is formed by lateral sidewalls of the intake opening that extend vertically above the outer surface. The lateral sidewalls converge together at an upstream end of the air inlet, and the lateral sidewalls diverge apart towards a downstream end of the air inlet. Flanges extend outwardly from the tops of the lateral sidewalls such that divided air passageways for boundary layer fluids are formed on each side of the air diversion device. The sidewalls and flanges are integrated with the air inlet such that fluid moving immediately adjacent the outer surface of the enclosure is diverted around the air inlet to avoid ingestion into the intake opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: Textron Innovations, Inc.
    Inventor: Raymond Charters Maple
  • Patent number: 11305882
    Abstract: In order to bring the primary structure of an engine mounting pylon of an aircraft as close as possible to a wing box: an aircraft wing includes a wing box made partly by a front spar and an intermediate spar; a mounting pylon including a primary structure in the form of a box having transverse reinforcement ribs; and attachment means for attaching the primary structure of the mounting pylon on the wing box. These attachment means include a row of bolts along which each bolt passes through a structural part of the pylon on one hand, and on the other hand a fitting attached to one of the front and intermediate spars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Inventors: Olivier Pautis, Laurent Lafont, Rohan Nanda
  • Patent number: 11299252
    Abstract: A rectification structure body 100 of a flying vehicle is provided with a rectification section 30, a heat input control section 20 and a vacuum thermal insulation section 10. The rectification section 30 has a rectification surface 30a and a back surface 30b. The rectification surface 30a rectifies airflow 5 from a travelling direction. The back surface 30b is arranged opposite to the rectification surface 30a. The heat input control section 20 is connected to the back surface 30b. The vacuum thermal insulation section 10 is connected to the heat input control section 20 and its surface is formed of rigid body. In addition, the heat input control section 20 is sandwiched between the back surface 30b and the vacuum thermal insulation section 10.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Rikako Yoshida, Kosuke Nishikawa
  • Patent number: 11293463
    Abstract: A cowl door actuator is arranged between a head end and a rod end connected to a cowl door in an aircraft. The cowl door has a closed position and an open position, and the cowl door actuator includes a piston rod that is axially moveable between the head end and the rod end. The piston rod has an extended position in which the piston rod contacts the rod end to move the cowl door to the open position, and a retracted position in which the piston rod is axially spaced from the rod end. When the cowl door is in the closed position, the gap between the piston rod and the rod end enables an axial displacement of the piston rod toward the extended position during thermal expansion of fluid remaining in the actuator, such that the cowl door is maintained in the closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: Parker-Hannifin Corporation
    Inventor: David J. Bouman
  • Patent number: 11260976
    Abstract: A hypersonic aircraft includes one or more leading edge assemblies that are designed to manage thermal loads experienced at the leading edges during high speed or hypersonic operation. The leading edge assembly includes a plurality of structural layers and a plurality compliant layers alternately stacked with each other to facilitate thermal expansion and movement between the plurality of structural layers, while also providing a thermal break between the plurality of structural layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: William Dwight Gerstler, Nicholas William Rathay, Brian Magann Rush, Pazhayannur R Subramanian
  • Patent number: 11247769
    Abstract: An aerodynamic structure for use on an upper surface of an aircraft wing is disclosed. The wing includes a slat operable between a stowed configuration in which the slat is stowed in a slat recess of the wing, and a deployed configuration in which the slat extends out of the slat recess. When the slat is in the deployed configuration, an end face of the slat recess is exposed, the end face intersecting with the upper surface of the wing at a recess edge. The aerodynamic structure, adjacent to the recess edge, has a volume shaped to encourage air flowing over the recess edge onto the upper surface during flight, to remain attached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS LIMITED
    Inventors: Ching-Yu Hui, Neil John Lyons
  • Patent number: 11242142
    Abstract: An aircraft has a fuselage, and pivot wings pivotally connected with the fuselage, the pivot wings pivoting between a vertical orientation for vertical takeoff, and a horizontal orientation for horizontal flight. Ailerons on each of the pivot wings provide roll control for the aircraft in all phases of flight. A gimbal motor assembly is mounted on the fuselage to adjustably support a motor. An upper rotary pivot free wing is mounted on a mast driven by the motor. A vectored thrust mechanism is provided for forward movement of the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Inventor: Stanley Gordon Sanders, II
  • Patent number: 11231254
    Abstract: A system for defeating a threat unmanned aerial vehicle. The system includes a friendly unmanned aerial vehicle, a capturing device configured to be suspended from the friendly unmanned aerial vehicle for arresting a threat unmanned aerial vehicle, and one or more load-limited release mechanisms for removably suspending a releasable portion of the capturing device from the friendly unmanned aerial vehicle. In certain embodiments, the load-limited release mechanisms are configured to release the entirety of the capturing device from the friendly unmanned aerial vehicle upon capture of the threat unmanned aerial vehicle. In other embodiments, the load limited release mechanisms are configured to release only a peripheral portion of the capturing device to reposition a captured unmanned aerial vehicle to a central portion of the capturing device for carrying the captured vehicle to a remote location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Hunter I. Stephens, Stephen M. Cunningham, Andrew J. Lichtsinn, Travis M. Edwards, Michael L. Anderson, Cory A. Cooper
  • Patent number: 11214376
    Abstract: Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide an ice management system, including: a plurality of pulsejets located within an interior volume of an aircraft and configured to heat an aircraft surface, wherein each pulsejet of the plurality of pulsejets comprises: an inlet; a combustor; a fuel source; and an exhaust nozzle; and a plurality of intake apertures in the aircraft, wherein each intake aperture of the plurality of intake apertures corresponds to an inlet of one pulsejet of the plurality of pulsejets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventors: Aaron J. Kutzmann, William Noll Kamerow, Steven Edmon Chapel, Richard Phillip Ouellette, Robert Erik Grip
  • Patent number: 11208194
    Abstract: A spar assembly for an aircraft wing extends between an upper cover and a lower cover and includes linkages spaced consecutively along the length of the spar assembly, each linkage extending from an upper pivot, to a lower pivot, thereby joining upper and lower attachment structures of the spar assembly together. Each linkage includes a pair of fixed-length links pivotably connected at one end about a center pivot and pivotably connected at respective other ends. The spar assembly includes a drive bar connected to the center pivot of each of the linkages, and an actuator arranged to move the drive bar along the length of the spar assembly. When the actuator moves the drive bar along the length of the spar structure, the links in each pair of links are rotated relative to each other about the center pivot, thereby moving the upper and lower covers and warping the wing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Airbus Operations Limited
    Inventors: David Brakes, Denys Custance
  • Patent number: 11203439
    Abstract: Rotary electric engines, aircraft including the same, and associated methods. A rotary electric engine includes a nacelle, a fan configured to generate thrust, a stator operatively coupled to the nacelle, and a rotor operatively coupled to the fan. The fan includes a plurality of fan blades. The rotor includes a plurality of rotor magnets operatively coupled to respective blade tips of the fan blades. The stator includes a plurality of field coils configured to produce a magnetic interaction between the field coils and the rotor magnets to rotate the fan. In examples, the stator is configured to rotate each field coil relative to the nacelle. In examples, an aircraft includes one or more rotary electric engines pivotally mounted within engine mount regions. In examples, a method of operating an aircraft includes operating one or more rotary electric engines in a vertical lift configuration and in a forward flight configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Tyler Emerson Berkey, Daniel S. Thomas
  • Patent number: 11174008
    Abstract: A method of retrofitting a wing of a fixed wing aircraft is disclosed including the steps of providing an existing aircraft wing with a main fixed wing portion, and the main fixed wing portion having a tip end and an existing movable flight control surface connected adjacent the tip end. The existing movable flight control surface is then removed from the main fixed wing portion, and a wing tip device and movable flight control surface are selected as a pair to replace the existing movable flight control surface, with the selected movable flight control surface having an aerodynamic surface of different shape to the shape of the flight control surface removed from the wing. The selected wing tip device and movable flight control surface are then fitted to the main fixed wing portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS LIMITED
    Inventors: Neil John Lyons, Ben Commis
  • Patent number: 11161601
    Abstract: A hydro-elastic damper comprising at least one elastic assembly comprising an elastic member between two strength members. The elastic assembly including a compression chamber. The hydro-elastic damper includes a damping assembly provided with an expansion chamber that is defined in a transverse direction by an end wall and by a piston. The compression chamber is hydraulically connected to the expansion chamber by three hydraulic connections comprising respectively: a duct; at least one first passage with an overpressure valve; and at least one second passage with a check valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: AIRBUS HELICOPTERS
    Inventors: Jean-Romain Bihel, Damien Sequera, Jean-Pierre Jalaguier
  • Patent number: 11161606
    Abstract: A propulsion assembly includes a rotor assembly, a mast coupled to the rotor assembly and a bull gear coupled to the mast. The bull gear is subject to radial and axial loads. The propulsion assembly includes a flexured standpipe extending through the bull gear and a ball bearing including inner and outer races interposed between the bull gear and the flexured standpipe. The ball bearing is configured to absorb axial loads from the bull gear. The bull gear is rotatably coupled to the flexured standpipe via the ball bearing. The flexured standpipe flexes in response to radial loads from the bull gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.
    Inventor: Eric Stephen Olson
  • Patent number: 11155358
    Abstract: Fuel tank inerting systems and methods for aircraft are described. The systems and methods include controlling of (i) a first reactant control element, (ii) a second reactant control valve, (iii) a ram air control valve, (iv) a driving mechanism, and (v) a flow control valve, to control a state of a fuel tank inerting system. The states of the fuel tank inerting system include an OFF state, a CIRCULATE state, a PRIME state, a CATWARM state, an ON state, a DEPRESSURIZE state, and a COOLDOWN state, wherein the states are determined in part by a prior state and/or a position/actuation of a given element of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventors: Earl Jean LaVallee, III, Eric Surawski