Patents Assigned to Airbus Operations
  • Patent number: 11242157
    Abstract: A primary structure of an aircraft pylon, which comprises upper and lower spars, right-hand and left-hand lateral panels, transverse reinforcers that are disposed in transverse planes and, each have a square or rectangular contour and at least one sole to which the upper and lower spars and the right-hand and left-hand lateral panels are fastened. At least one of the transverse reinforcers of the primary structure has first and second link rods that are oriented along diagonals of the transverse reinforcer, and connecting systems that each connect first and second ends of the first and second link rods to the sole or to one of the soles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS SAS
    Inventor: Olivier Gleize
  • Patent number: 11242821
    Abstract: A turbofan having a nacelle delimiting a duct for a bypass flow and including a fixed structure including a guide vane support with guide vanes, a mobile cowl movable in translation between an advanced position and a retracted position, arms, each one being mobile in rotation on the guide vane support between a stowed position and a deployed position and comprising a distal end and a proximal end, for each pair of adjacent arms, a flexible screen extending angularly between the two arms, and of which an exterior edge is attached to the guide vane support, and wherein the distal end of each arm is fixed along the interior edge, a link rod mounted articulated between the distal ends, actuators to cause the mobile cowl to move, and an operating system which moves each arm. Such an arrangement allows a reduction in weight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS SAS
    Inventors: Lionel Czapla, Benjamin Thubert, Julien Le Fanic
  • Patent number: 11242133
    Abstract: A control mechanism includes an existing aerodynamic device, such as a slat 5, that moves between at least one deployed position and a retracted position; and a load-alleviation mechanism 10 arranged to move the aerodynamic device into a load-alleviation position in response to a load 18, such as a gust of wind acting over a predetermined threshold. During flight, an aircraft can experience gusts of wind that cause strain on the wings 4. The addition of a load-alleviation mechanism to a pre-existing aircraft component allows for gust loading to be alleviated without adding significantly to the weight or complexity of the aircraft. The control mechanism may be retro-fitted to existing aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: Airbus Operations Limited
    Inventor: David Brakes
  • Publication number: 20220033054
    Abstract: A rail for an aircraft floor includes an upper plate for supporting a set of floor panels covering the plate, and a lower stiffening structure. The rail is formed by a beam and by an anticorrosion protection. The beam is at least formed by a body made of a first material and defining the lower stiffening structure and an upper platform. The anticorrosion protection fully covers an upper face of the upper platform and forms therewith the upper plate of the rail, thus layered. The anticorrosion protection is at least formed by a protective sheet made of a second material that is more corrosion resistant than the first material and is selected from a metal and a fiber-reinforced plastic composite material. Such a rail exhibits good corrosion resistance at a moderate cost.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2021
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Applicants: Airbus Operations (S.A.S.), Airbus Operations GmbH
    Inventors: Armin Fangmeier, Giuseppe Vassilakakis
  • Patent number: 11235887
    Abstract: An aircraft landing gear assembly (112) including a shock absorber strut (114), a bogie (120), a link assembly (124), and a movement detector (132). The shock absorber strut includes an upper and a lower telescoping parts (118, 116), the upper part being connectable to the airframe of an aircraft and the lower part being connected to the bogie such that the bogie may adopt different pitch angles. The link assembly extends between the upper and lower telescoping parts, such that relative movement between the upper and lower telescoping parts causes relative movement between parts of the link assembly. The movement detector is arranged to detect movement of the link assembly relative to the bogie. The movement detector detects movement by sensing a change in linear displacement of, or angle between, one or more members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: Airbus Operations Limited
    Inventor: Robert Ian Thompson
  • Patent number: 11235855
    Abstract: An aerodynamic structure comprising an aerodynamic surface. The aerodynamic surface is formed by a first part of the aerodynamic structure; a second part of the aerodynamic structure; and a sealed gap between the first part and the second part. The sealed gap contains a sealant material and a support material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS LIMITED
    Inventors: David Liversage, Darren Crew
  • Patent number: 11235864
    Abstract: A retractable landing gear assembly for an aircraft includes a leg mounted to airframe structure for rotation about a pivot axis. A stay assembly is provided for maintaining the landing gear assembly in a deployed, for example down and unlocked, configuration. The stay assembly has a linkage mechanism including a first stay and a second stay movable between a folded state and an unfolded state. Room that would otherwise be occupied within a landing gear bay may be freed up above the landing gear leg when in a stowed configuration by the stay assembly being unfolded but generally aligned with the length of the landing gear leg, with the stay assembly being mostly positioned beneath the leg.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: Airbus Operations Limited
    Inventor: Nick White
  • Patent number: 11235541
    Abstract: A method for the production of stiffened components made of fiber-reinforced composite material using two rigid form tools which are suitable for covering the longer end sides of T-shaped preformed reinforcing fibers, using a folded hose core and inflation of the hose core so as to exert pressure on the end side of the preformed reinforcing fibers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS GMBH
    Inventor: Jan-Christoph Kako
  • Patent number: 11239556
    Abstract: A multi-band antenna (100) including a metal base plate (10) forming an electrical ground plane, and a plurality of metal patches (1 to 3) superimposed on top of the metal base plate. The metal patches are connected in parallel between a signal lead wire (11A) and the metal base plate. The metal patches have respective surface areas which increase with the distance of each metal patch from the metal base plate. The antenna provides as many different resonant frequency values as there are patches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignees: OFFICE NATIONAL D'ETUDES ET DE RECHERCHES AEROSPATIALES, AIRBUS OPERATIONS (S.A.S.)
    Inventor: Cédric Martel
  • Patent number: 11230364
    Abstract: A slat (108) for the leading edge of a swept aircraft wing includes slat tracks (114) that dictate the path of movement of the slat as it moves from a retracted position (FIG. 7) to a fully deployed position (FIG. 15). Each slat track (114) has a shape that follows a helical path. The motion of the slat thus includes a component of rotation about a first axis, which may be perpendicular to the line of flight (120) and a component of translational movement parallel to the first axis. When viewed from above the slat may move predominantly in a direction parallel to the line of flight (120).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Airbus Operations Limited
    Inventor: Denys Custance
  • Patent number: 11230034
    Abstract: A method for producing an aircraft structural component includes the steps of introducing a plurality of semi-finished product layers for producing a component from a fibre-reinforced, thermoplastic plastic material into a compression mould, applying pressure to the stacked semi-finished product layers, the stacked semi-finished product layers being fixed, before pressure is applied, at particular points in their position in the compression mould and/or relative to one another in such a way that, while pressure is being applied to the semi-finished product layers stacked in the compression mould, a sliding movement of the semi-finished product layers relative to one another and/or relative to the compression mould, preventing wrinkling in the semi-finished product layers, takes place, and removing the aircraft structural component from the compression mould.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH
    Inventors: Niko Naumann, Michaela Willamowski
  • Patent number: 11225015
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing, layer-upon-layer, an integral composite aeronautical structure, wherein the method comprises: (a) providing an additive manufacturing tool comprising a depositing mold shaping an aerodynamic surface and at least one head configured to be moved over the depositing mold and to deposit fibrous material reinforcement and/or meltable material; (b) depositing fibrous material reinforcement embedded within meltable material onto the depositing mold, at least one layer of a lower aerodynamic face-sheet being built thereby; (c) depositing meltable material onto at least a portion of the outer layer of the lower aerodynamic face-sheet, at least one layer of core structure being built thereby; and (d) depositing fibrous material reinforcement embedded within meltable material onto at least the outer layer of the core structure, at least one layer of an upper aerodynamic face-sheet being built thereby; wherein steps (b), (c) and (d) are performed using Additive Manufacturing technology.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: Airbus Operations S.L.U.
    Inventors: Francisco Javier Honorato Ruiz, Enrique Guinaldo Fernández, Carlos García Nieto, Guillermo Hernáiz López, Jesús Javier Vázquez Castro, Diego Lastra Gil, Iker Vélez De Mendizábal Alonso, Alberto Arana Hidalgo
  • Patent number: 11225333
    Abstract: A fuel tank inerting module, a fuel tank inerting system for an aircraft, and a method of providing fuel tank inerting systems for aircraft are disclosed. The module includes an inlet for ullage gas from a fuel tank, a catalyst, an outlet for the ODA, sensors, filters and valves. The module is sized and shaped to fit in a range of positions near to fuel tanks in various aircraft. The inerting system includes one or more modules connected to the fuel tanks and a controller to control passage of ullage and ODA between the fuel tanks and the modules. The method includes providing an inert gas generation module compatible with any suitable aircraft, positioning one or more modules in an aircraft at locations near to a fuel tank to be inerted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS LIMITED
    Inventors: Neil Terence Frost, Ian Plastow
  • Patent number: 11224892
    Abstract: A device for a lacquer transfer is disclosed having a transfer roller, the transfer roller includes a cylindrical support body, a first ring element, a second ring element, and a tire, wherein the tire comprises a middle section forming a circumferential outer contact surface with several depressions. The transfer roller is configured to roll with the outer contact surface on a work surface of a workpiece for transferring lacquer from the outer contact surface and from the depressions to the work surface of the workpiece. The tire includes two annular end sections, which are attached to the support body resulting in two axially separated and circumferentially extending connections. The tire, the connections, and the outer shell of the support body are fluid-tight and arranged such that a fluid-tight main cavity is formed between the tire and the support body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS GmbH
    Inventors: Sebastian Kerger, Alexander Gillessen, Pierre Zahlen
  • Patent number: 11225999
    Abstract: A rotary joint includes an inner joint element which has a spherically shaped inner convex joint face and an inner joint connection head protruding from the inner convex joint face; an outer joint element which has a spherically shaped inner concave joint face, a spherically shaped outer convex joint face and an outer joint connection head protruding from the outer convex joint face, wherein the inner joint element is held within the outer joint element such that the two joint elements can be rotated with respect to one another along the inner joint faces; and a joint bearing which has a spherically shaped outer concave joint face, wherein the outer joint element is held within the joint bearing such that the outer joint element can be rotated in the joint bearing along the outer joint faces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH
    Inventors: Jan Christoph Koelln, Volker Riehl
  • Patent number: 11225315
    Abstract: An aircraft wing having a fixed root part hingedly connected to a moveable tip part is disclosed. The tip part is configured to pivot relative to the root part about a substantially horizontal axis, between a load-alleviating configuration in which the tip part is oriented relative to the root part such that at least one of the upper and lower surface of the tip part is positioned away from the respective surface of the root part and a flight configuration in which the upper and lower surfaces of the tip part are continuations of the upper and lower surfaces of the root part. The shape of the tip part is controllably switchable between a cruise shape in which the tip part has positive camber and a recovery shape in which the tip part has negative camber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS LIMITED
    Inventor: Simon Way
  • Patent number: 11220958
    Abstract: A turbomachine comprising an engine body and an annular nacelle. The nacelle has an air intake comprising an outer skin, an inner skin, an air intake lip connecting the outer and inner skins together, and an annular frame connecting the outer and inner skins together. The turbomachine comprises a system for de-icing the air intake having an air bleeding port for bleeding a flow of hot air from the engine body, and two interconnected heating systems. An inner skin heating system receives the hot air flow to heat, by means of a gas-liquid heat exchanger, a heat transfer liquid contained in a hydraulic circuit arranged in part in the heat exchanger and in the inner skin. An air intake lip heating system diffuses the flow of hot air, once it has passed through the inner skin heating system, through the annular frame to heat the air intake lip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS SAS
    Inventor: Maxime Zebian
  • Patent number: 11220343
    Abstract: A frost protection system for an aircraft engine nacelle, the nacelle comprising an inner shroud provided with at least one acoustic panel and an air intake lip forming a leading edge of the nacelle. The protection system comprises a heat exchanger device including at least one heat pipe configured to transfer heat emitted by a heat source to the at least one acoustic panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS SAS
    Inventors: Alain Porte, Jonathan Carcone
  • Patent number: 11220345
    Abstract: A leading edge structure (13) for a flow control system of an aircraft (1), including a double-walled leading edge panel having an inner wall element (45) and an outer wall element (47). Between the inner and outer wall elements (45, 47) are elongate stiffeners (49) spaced apart from one another. And, between adjacent stiffeners (49) are a hollow chamber (51). The outer wall element (47) includes micro pores (53). The inner wall element (45) includes passages (55) forming a fluid connection between the hollow chambers (51) and a vacuum system (15). An ice protection system in the stiffeners (49) includes hot air ducts (57) configured for connection to a hot air system (17), and the stiffeners (49) include hot air openings (59) forming a fluid connection between the hot air ducts (57) and the hollow chambers (51).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS GMBH
    Inventor: Christian Heck
  • Patent number: 11220354
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a composite rear section assembly having a continuous skin solution including obtaining a vertical tail plane tooling that has intermediate tooling for tooling intermediate preforms of a vertical tail plane (800), obtaining a fuselage barrel tooling (420a), (420b), (420c) and (420d) the fuselage barrel tooling having a cut-out (503a), (503b), (503c) and longitudinal cavities (501a), (501b), (501c) and (501d), attaching the vertical tail plane tooling to the fuselage barrel tooling by the cut-out of the fuselage barrel tooling, performing a composite skin lay-up (801) over the fuselage barrel tooling and the vertical tail plane tooling to obtain a continuous skin, curing the composite skin lay-up, the vertical tail plane tooling and the fuselage barrel tooling and demolding the tools to obtain the composite assembly with a continuous skin (1300), (1600).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: Airbus Operations S.L.U.
    Inventors: Esteban Martino-Gonzalez, Alberto Arana Hidalgo, Melania Sanchez Perez, Carlos Garcia Nieto, Jesus Javier Vazquez Castro, Edouard Menard, Fernando Iniesta Lozano, Maria Almudena Canas Rios