Patents Assigned to Textron
  • Patent number: 11414184
    Abstract: An exemplary electric distributed propulsion system includes two or more rotors that are individually controlled by the rotational speed of associated motors, an input control connected to the associated motors to provide rotational speed control to the two or more rotors to produce a desired net thrust, and a logic connected to the input control and the associated motors, the logic for controlling speed and direction of the two or more rotors to achieve the desired net thrust and to avoid a motor speed condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.
    Inventors: Aaron Alexander Acee, Andrew Paul Haldeman, Eric Albert Sinusas, Yann Lavallee, Albert G. Brand
  • Patent number: 11414185
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to a propulsion assembly for an aircraft. The propulsion assembly comprises a mast, a hub assembly coupled to the mast and having a gimballing degree of freedom relative to the mast, the hub assembly having an inner hub wall spaced part from the mast, a gimbal lock positioned about the mast, the gimbal lock configured to fit between the inner hub wall and the mast in an engaged position, and an over-center locking mechanism coupled to the gimbal lock. The gimbal lock is movable between a disengaged position and the engaged position relative to the hub assembly. The gimbal lock enables the gimballing degree of freedom in the disengaged position and disables the gimballing degree of freedom in the engaged position. The over-center locking mechanism is configured to move the gimbal lock between the engaged position and the disengaged position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.
    Inventor: Kyle Thomas Cravener
  • Patent number: 11414199
    Abstract: A line-replaceable thrust module includes a nacelle configured to be mechanically connected to an anchoring location of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), an electric motor coupled to the nacelle, an electric speed controller configured to control the speed of the electric motor and configured to be electrically connected to a communication network of the UAV, and a fuel cell system configured to produce electrical energy from an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. The fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a hydrogen tank, a pressure regulator coupled to the hydrogen tank, and a supply line coupled between the pressure regulator and the fuel cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph Dean Rainville, John Richard McCullough
  • Publication number: 20220255175
    Abstract: A battery assembly for an aircraft includes a cold plate having an upper planar member, a lower planar member, and at least one fluid channel positioned between the upper and lower planar members and configured to receive a cooling fluid. The battery assembly also includes an upper battery mounted to the upper planar member for transferring heat from the upper battery to the cooling fluid through the upper planar member. The battery assembly further includes a lower battery mounted to the lower planar member for transferring heat from the lower battery to the cooling fluid through the lower planar member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2021
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Applicant: Bell Textron Inc.
    Inventors: William A. Amante, Steven Loveland, Jessica A. Revere
  • Publication number: 20220250755
    Abstract: A configurable electrical architecture for an eVTOL aircraft having a takeoff and landing power mode and a cruise power mode. The configurable electrical architecture includes a power-optimized power source including a high-power battery array and an energy-optimized power source selected from a plurality of interchangeable energy-optimized power sources including a high-energy battery array, a hydrogen fuel cell system and a turbo-generator system. A distribution system is electrically coupled to the power-optimized power source and the energy-optimized power source. At least one electric motor is electrically coupled to the distribution system. In the takeoff and landing power mode, both the power-optimized power source and the energy-optimized power source provide electrical power to the at least one electric motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2021
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Applicant: Textron Innovations Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Raymond Hull, Steven Loveland, Yue Fan
  • Publication number: 20220252144
    Abstract: A gear system includes a gear assembly having a shaft that is at least partially disposed within a housing of the gear system. A thrust bearing has inner and outer races with the outer race coupled to the housing. A bearing flexure is disposed between the inner race of the thrust bearing and the shaft. The bearing flexure includes a cylindrical cage having at least one shaft journal ring and a plurality of circumferentially distributed axially extending fingers coupled thereto with the shaft journal ring coupled to the shaft. A cylindrical bearing journal has inner and outer surfaces with the outer surface coupled to the inner race of the thrust bearing. Each of a plurality of circumferentially distributed radially extending struts extends between one of the fingers and the inner surface of the cylindrical bearing journal. The bearing flexure has an axial stiffness that is greater than its radial stiffness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2021
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Applicant: Textron Innovations Inc.
    Inventors: Colton James Gilliland, Russell Lee Mueller
  • Publication number: 20220250507
    Abstract: A nonintegral cold plate is described for providing cooling of battery charging. The nonintegrated cold plate can receive and circulate coolant against a surface of a battery or of a vehicle. After charging the nonintegrated cold plate can be removed to save weight on the vehicle's payload.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2021
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Applicant: Bell Textron Inc.
    Inventor: William A. Amante
  • Publication number: 20220255159
    Abstract: An aircraft includes a fuselage and an airframe supporting the fuselage. The airframe includes a pair of longitudinally-extending beams. The aircraft further includes a battery assembly including a cold plate secured to the pair of longitudinally-extending beams, and a battery mounted to the cold plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2021
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Applicant: Bell Textron Inc.
    Inventors: William A. Amante, Karl H. Schroeder, Jessica A. Revere
  • Publication number: 20220255160
    Abstract: A cold plate is couplable with a component for dissipating heat from a component. The cold plate includes a top plate coupled with a bottom plate to receive a cooling medium therebetween. The top plate includes a body and a plurality of walls extending from the body, wherein each wall of the plurality of walls includes a recess extending within the wall. The bottom plate includes a body and a plurality of walls extending from the body such that an end portion of each wall of the bottom plate is inserted within the recess of each wall of the top plate to form an interlocking joint.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2021
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Applicant: Bell Textron Inc.
    Inventors: William A. Amante, Jeffrey B. Cloud
  • Patent number: 11407504
    Abstract: A tip gap control system for a ducted aircraft includes a flight control computer including an inner duct surface control module configured to generate an inner duct surface actuator command and a proprotor system in data communication with the flight control computer. The proprotor system includes a duct having active inner duct surfaces movable into various positions including a retracted position and an extended position. The proprotor system also includes proprotor blades surrounded by the duct and one or more actuators coupled to the active inner duct surfaces. The one or more actuators move the active inner duct surfaces between the various positions based on the inner duct surface actuator command, thereby controlling a tip gap between the proprotor blades and the duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan Andrew Knoll, George Matthew Thompson, Nicholas Ralph Carlson
  • Patent number: 11407491
    Abstract: One embodiment includes a rotary aircraft, including: a rotary propulsion system; a body; and a pair of wings connected on opposite sides of the body, wherein each of the wings includes a flap rotatably connected to a trailing edge thereof and configured to rotate downward relative to the wing during low speed and stationary flight of the aircraft, and to rotate upward relative to the wing during high-speed flight of the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.
    Inventors: Tjepke Heeringa, James Everett Kooiman
  • Patent number: 11407451
    Abstract: A canopy for a lightweight vehicle comprising a canopy main panel mountable to a hollow front canopy downspout-strut. The main panel including a first water channel extending, a second water channel extending, a forward water channel integrally and fluidly connected to the first water channel and the second water channel. The main panel additionally including at least one water egress orifice formed in a bottom of an intermediate portion of the forward water channel, and a spout extending from a perimeter of each egress orifice, the spout integrally formed with and extending from an underside of the main panel, wherein each spout is structured and operable to extend into a water ingress opening in the front canopy downspout-strut of the vehicle when the canopy main panel is mounted to the front canopy downspout-strut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: TEXTRON INNOVATIONS INC.
    Inventors: Matthew James Zaremba, Jacob Rutledge Kuglar, Stephen Christopher Campbell
  • Patent number: 11408484
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a planetary gear system. The planetary gear system includes a split double helical ring gear having a first ring gear with first helical ring teeth and a second ring gear with second helical ring teeth, a split double helical sun gear having a first sun gear with first helical sun teeth and a second sun gear with second helical sun teeth, a sun gear coupler coupling the first sun gear and the second sun gear; and a single-piece double helical planet pinion having a first helical planet teeth portion and a second helical planet teeth portion, where the first helical planet teeth mesh with the first helical sun teeth and the first helical ring teeth, and the second helical planet teeth mesh with the second helical sun teeth and the second helical ring teeth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory Alan Spruce, Alan Wayne Falls, Douglas Robert Mueller
  • Publication number: 20220242584
    Abstract: An aircraft includes fuselage, a seat, and battery compartment. Fuselage extends along a longitudinal axis. Seat is configured to support a passenger. The battery compartment that includes a battery configured to provide power to propel the aircraft. The battery compartment, including the battery, is located laterally adjacent to the seat along the longitudinal axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2021
    Publication date: August 4, 2022
    Applicant: Bell Textron Inc.
    Inventors: Steven R. Ivans, Kirk L. Groninga
  • Publication number: 20220243666
    Abstract: A fuel sample extractor (FSE) for an aircraft includes a sample chamber, a lid configured to seal the sample chamber, a pump in selective fluid communication with an upper portion of the sample chamber, and a straw in selective fluid communication with a lower portion of the sample chamber and a fuel tank.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2021
    Publication date: August 4, 2022
    Applicant: Bell Textron Inc.
    Inventor: Ralph Michael Gannarelli
  • Publication number: 20220243726
    Abstract: A pump assembly, comprising a pump and housing having an inlet passage and an outlet passage. The pump includes inlet and outlet ports and opposing first and second drive inputs configured to be rotated together in a pumping direction to operate the pump. The pump can be installed in the housing in a first orientation, in which the first drive input is configured for being rotated by a drive source in a first external direction to operate the pump, and a second orientation, in which the second drive input is configured for being rotated by the drive source in a second external direction opposite of the first external direction to operate the pump. In both the first orientation and the second orientation, the inlet port is in fluid communication with the inlet passage and the outlet port is in fluid communication with the outlet passage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2021
    Publication date: August 4, 2022
    Applicant: Bell Textron Inc.
    Inventors: Ezra Mike Tiprigan, Charles Hubert Speller
  • Patent number: 11401040
    Abstract: One embodiment is a rotor system including a rotor hub comprising a plurality of extension arms for connecting rotor blades to the rotor hub; a plurality of dampers connected between a respective one of the extension arms and the rotor hub; and a fairing disposed over the rotor hub, the fairing including an inlet plenum through which air is drawn from outside the fairing into the fairing; and at least one duct for conducting the air toward the at least one of the dampers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Paul Haldeman, Amarjit Olenchery Kizhakkepat, Gary Miller, Diana Tinlin, Glenn Shimek
  • Patent number: 11401035
    Abstract: A system is described and includes a rack for carrying payload disposed in payload bay; a rack extension assembly for affecting linear displacement of the rack between a first position in which the rack is stowed within the payload bay and a second position in which the rack is supported outside the payload bay; a payload actuator system for selectively causing the rack extension assembly to move the rack between the first and second positions; a payload bay door; and a door actuator system for selectively opening and closing the payload bay door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.
    Inventors: James Everett Kooiman, Jeffrey Matthew Williams, Clegg Benjamin Brian Smith, Michael E. Rinehart, Franklin Foster Caldwell, Tjepke Heeringa
  • Patent number: 11401052
    Abstract: A component equipped with a high-visibility impact detection system. The component includes a composite layer with a minimum impact energy level known to potentially cause damage to the composite layer, a high-visibility layer covering at least a portion of the composite layer, and a top layer covering the high-visibility layer. The top layer is configured to fracture, and expose the high-visibility layer, when subjected to an impact energy level greater than or equal to the minimum impact energy level known to potentially cause damage to the composite layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.
    Inventor: Guillaume Noiseux-Boucher
  • Publication number: 20220234728
    Abstract: A vertical takeoff and landing aircraft is described in which rotors can be disposed underneath the booms. This will allow for zero downward force resulting from thrust on the aircraft and therefore greater energy efficiency. Retractable doors can shield the rotors when not in use, decreasing drag during forward flight.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2021
    Publication date: July 28, 2022
    Applicant: Bell Textron Inc.
    Inventors: Kirk L. Groninga, Danielle L. Moore