Patents Assigned to Textronics, Inc.
  • Patent number: 10793284
    Abstract: A multimode clutch assembly is positioned in a powertrain of a rotorcraft. The multimode clutch assembly includes a freewheeling unit having input and output races. The freewheeling unit has a driving mode in which torque applied to the input race is transferred to the output race and an overrunning mode in which torque applied to the output race is not transferred to the input race. A bypass assembly has an engaged position that couples the input and output races of the freewheeling unit. A hydraulic actuator shifts the bypass assembly between the engaged position and a disengaged position. In the disengaged position, the overrunning mode of the freewheeling unit is enabled such that the multimode clutch assembly is configured for unidirectional torque transfer. In the engaged position, the overrunning mode of the freewheeling unit is disabled such that the multimode clutch assembly is configured for bidirectional torque transfer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Bell Textron Inc.
    Inventors: David Andrew Prater, Eric Stephen Olson
  • Patent number: 10793283
    Abstract: A transition duct assembly includes a shared connector, and a plurality of primary cooling pathways for cooling one or more systems or components. Each primary cooling pathway includes a transition duct in fluid communication with the shared connector, and a transition connector in fluid communication with the transition duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON INC.
    Inventors: Keith David Weaver, Michael Pujol, Andrew Jordan Birkenheuer, Nicholas Plagianos, Karl R. Burge, Thomas Mast
  • Patent number: 10792896
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a rotor system for a rotorcraft includes a yoke, a blade, and a grip that is configured to couple the blade to the yoke. The grip has a plurality of baseline layers and a compliant layer. The baseline layers each have a plurality of fibers disposed in a first polymeric matrix. The compliant layer has a plurality of fibers disposed in a second polymeric matrix. The compliant layer is stronger than the baseline layer and the first polymeric matrix has a different chemical composition than the second polymeric matrix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.
    Inventors: Bogdan Roman Krasnowski, Robert Arnold Brack, Xiaoming Li, Robert Wardlaw
  • Patent number: 10793275
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to an aircraft, such as a tiltrotor, having an internal payload storage area. A rotatable deployment system is mounted within the payload storage area. The rotatable deployment system comprises a frame that is configured to rotate between a stowed position and a deployment position. Two extendible arms are attached to the frame, wherein each extendible arm is configured to move in opposite directions between a retracted position and a plurality of extended positions. Each extendible arm has a fixed end and a moving end. A payload mounting point on each moving end. The payload mounting point allows a payload to pan and tilt in azimuth and elevation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Bell Textron Inc.
    Inventors: Jeremy Robert Chavez, Brent Chadwick Ross
  • Patent number: 10793285
    Abstract: One embodiment is a system comprising fuel tank comprising a pressure vessel for storing fuel for a vehicle, the fuel tank disposed within a fuselage of the vehicle and extending a majority of a length of the fuselage, wherein a center of gravity of the fuel tank is substantially aligned with a center of gravity of the fuselage. The fuel tank may be disposed within the fuselage such that the fuel tank bears at least a portion of a load borne by the fuselage. Alternatively, the fuel tank may be disposed within the fuselage such that the fuel tank is isolated from loads borne by the fuselage. In certain embodiments, the fuel tank comprises a filament wound pressure vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON INC.
    Inventors: James Everett Kooiman, Greg Alan Whittaker, Bryan Keith Sugg
  • Publication number: 20200307779
    Abstract: A fully compounding rotorcraft includes a fuselage having first and second wings extending therefrom and configured to provide lift compounding responsive to forward airspeed. A twin boom includes first and second tail boom members that extend aftward from the first and second wings. An empennage is coupled between the aft ends of the tail boom members. An anti-torque system includes a tail rotor that is rotatably coupled to the empennage. An engine is disposed within the fuselage and is configured to provide torque to a main rotor assembly via an output shaft and a main rotor gearbox. An auxiliary propulsive system is coupled to the fuselage and is configured to generate a propulsive thrust to offload at least a portion of a thrust requirement from the main rotor during forward flight, thereby providing propulsion compounding to increase the forward airspeed of the rotorcraft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2019
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Applicant: Bell Textron Inc.
    Inventors: Brent Chadwick Ross, Alan Carl Ewing, Steven Ray Ivans
  • Publication number: 20200309066
    Abstract: A hybrid propulsion engine for a rotorcraft includes a core turboshaft engine having a gas path and an output shaft that provides torque to a main rotor. A fan module is disposed relative to the core turboshaft engine and is coupled to the output shaft. The fan module has a bypass air path that is independent of the gas path. A thrust nozzle is configured to mix exhaust gases from the core turboshaft engine with bypass air from the fan module and to discharge the mixture to provide propulsive thrust. In a turboshaft configuration, the fan module is closed to prevent the flow of bypass air therethrough such that the thrust nozzle does not provide propulsive thrust. In a turboshaft and turbofan configuration, the fan module is open allowing the flow of bypass air therethrough such that the thrust nozzle provides propulsive thrust, thereby supplying propulsion compounding for the rotorcraft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2019
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Applicant: Bell Textron Inc.
    Inventors: Brent Chadwick Ross, Steven Ray Ivans, Alan Carl Ewing
  • Publication number: 20200313209
    Abstract: A tank configured to store a pressurized gas therein and carry a structural load between components of a vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2019
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Applicant: Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph Dean Rainville, William Ben Johns
  • Publication number: 20200307773
    Abstract: A tiltrotor controls shield having a blade or wire substructure under a fragile spinner fairing improves bird strike durability. The present disclosure discloses a spinner wind fairing with a shield structure disposed thereunder for providing protection to the proprotor assembly components. The shield structure can segment a projectile, such as a bird, that penetrates the spinner fairing into a series of smaller and lower energy elements spread across a wider area, such that the rotor components can withstand the impact of the smaller elements without damage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Applicant: Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.
    Inventors: Ken Shundo, Michael Dearman, Terry Thompson
  • Patent number: 10787267
    Abstract: The present invention includes a first barrier layer configured to cover a leading edge of the blade or wing; one or more electrical bus bars disposed on the first barrier layer proximate to and substantially parallel with the leading edge; a ground bus bar disposed on the first barrier layer proximate to and substantially parallel with the leading edge; a second barrier layer disposed over the one or more electrical bus bars and the ground bus bar; one or more heating elements disposed on the second barrier layer, and each heating element electrically connected to one of the electrical bus bars and to the ground bus bar; and a third barrier layer disposed over the one or more heating elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON INC.
    Inventors: Jared Mark Paulson, Michael Christopher Burnett, Christopher E. Foskey
  • Patent number: 10787253
    Abstract: The present invention includes an anti-torque assembly for a helicopter comprising a plurality of fixed blade pitch motors mounted on one or more pivots on the tail boom of the helicopter, wherein the plurality of fixed blade pitch motors on the one or more pivots are adapted to be oriented substantially in-plane with a tail boom of a helicopter during a first mode of operation that comprises a hover mode and wherein the fixed blade pitch motors are adapted to be oriented substantially off-plane from the tail boom of the helicopter during a second mode of helicopter operation that is different from the first mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON INC.
    Inventors: Thomas Dewey Parsons, Carlos Alexander Fenny, Erik John Oltheten
  • Patent number: 10788088
    Abstract: A selectable clutch assembly for a multimode powertrain of a rotorcraft. The selectable clutch assembly includes a freewheeling unit having input and output sides. The freewheeling unit has a driving mode wherein torque applied to the input side is transferred to the output side and an over running mode wherein torque applied to the output side is not transferred to the input side. A bypass assembly is coupled to and rotatable with the output side of the freewheeling unit and is actuatable between engaged and disengaged positions with the input side of the freewheeling unit. In the disengaged position, the freewheeling unit is operable in the driving and the over running modes such that the selectable clutch assembly is configured for unidirectional torque transfer. In the engaged position, the over running mode of the freewheeling unit is disabled such that the selectable clutch assembly is configured for bidirectional torque transfer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: Bell Textron Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Stephen Olson, Mark Alan Przybyla, David R. Bockmiller
  • Patent number: 10787244
    Abstract: A blade-fold bushing system includes a splined bushing comprising a first plurality of teeth, a castellated bushing comprising a second plurality of teeth and a shaft portion configured to coaxially fit within the splined bushing, and a lock bushing coaxially aligned with the castellated bushing. A support tool for use with a blade-fold bushing system includes an outer head comprising a third plurality of teeth configured to mesh with the first plurality of teeth of the splined bushing, and an inner head comprising a fourth plurality of teeth configured to mesh with the second plurality of teeth of the castellated bushing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.
    Inventors: Ken Shundo, Glenn Alan Shimek
  • Publication number: 20200301463
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to a flight control stick support comprising a spherical bearing coupled to a flight control stick, a first plate having a first hole configured to receive a top portion of the spherical bearing, a second plate having a second hole configured to receive a bottom portion of the spherical bearing, and a clamping device configured to move the first plate relative to and the second plate to apply a variable force against the spherical bearing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2019
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Applicant: Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua Rogers, Joshua Emrich
  • Publication number: 20200298970
    Abstract: An exemplary anti-torque system for a helicopter includes two or more electric fans rotatably mounted on a tail boom, the two or more electric fans rotatable about a longitudinal axis of the tail boom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2019
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Applicant: Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.
    Inventors: Aaron Alexander ACEE, Andrew Paul HALDEMAN
  • Patent number: 10783671
    Abstract: A method for aligning displayed data in an augmented reality (AR) display includes determining a selected location context associated with a piece of equipment, determining a process element associated with the piece of equipment and according to a selected engineering process, determining, according to a digital representation of the equipment, a first location of the process element, receiving meta-sensor location data for one or more meta-sensors in the piece of equipment and indicating a second location for each of the meta-sensors with respect to the selected location context, determining a third location of the AR display with respect to the selected location context, determining overlay data for the process element, determining a display location according to the first location, the third location and the location data of each meta-sensor, and displaying the overlay data at the display location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: BELL TEXTRON INC.
    Inventors: Jeremy Robert Chavez, Daniel Wesley Rowe, Michael Eugene Moody, Brian Edward Tucker
  • Publication number: 20200290735
    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: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2019
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Applicant: Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.
    Inventors: Aaron Alexander Acee, Andrew Paul Haldeman, Eric Albert Sinusas, Yann Lavallee, Albert G. Brand
  • Publication number: 20200290725
    Abstract: An aircraft has a ducted thruster. The ducted thruster includes a duct having an inner wall, a stator hub disposed within the duct, a first stator extending along a first longitudinal axis between the inner wall and the stator hub, and a second stator. The second stator extends along a second longitudinal axis between the inner wall and the stator hub. The second longitudinal axis is either (1) substantially perpendicular to the first longitudinal axis or (2) substantially parallel to the first longitudinal axis and offset from the first longitudinal axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2019
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Applicant: Bell Textron Inc.
    Inventors: Chad Lewis Jarrett, Frank Bradley Stamps, Daniel Bryan Robertson, Kirk Landon Groninga, Matthew Edward Louis, William Anthony Amante, Robert Vaughn, Joseph Richard Carpenter, JR.
  • Publication number: 20200292410
    Abstract: An example of a rotor-state determining method for a rotor system includes, by a flight control computer, collecting data from a first sensor positioned on a first component of the rotorcraft, wherein the first sensor is isolated from movement of a rotor blade, collecting data from a second sensor positioned on a second component of the rotor system, wherein the second sensor detects movement of the rotor blade, filtering the data collected by the first sensor to remove noise from the data collected by the first sensor, filtering the data collected by the second sensor to remove noise from the data collected by the second sensor, calculating a difference between the filtered first data and the filtered second data to determine a parameter of the rotor blade, and responsive to the motion of the rotor blade, taking a corrective action.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2019
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Applicant: Bell Textron Inc.
    Inventors: Charles Eric COVINGTON, Michael David TRANTHAM, Evan Butler BENNETT
  • Patent number: D896730
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: Bell Textron Inc.
    Inventors: James Everett Kooiman, Michael Edwin Rinehart, Lynn Francis Eschete, Jason Paul Winter, Derek Ray Eddins, Steven Allen Robedeau, Jr., Clegg Benjamin Brian Smith, Andrew Thomas Carter, Aaron Alexander Acee, Andrew Paul Haldeman