Abstract: An aircraft with a folding wing tip arrangement having a wing tip device mounted at a joint at the end of a fixed wing. It is desirable to transfer power and/or data into a folding wing tip, which presents challenges such as repeated exposure to potentially harsh environmental conditions, with movement, and/or with changes in tensional loads. A wiring harness includes a plurality of conductors and is arranged to transmit electrical power and/or data to the wing tip device. A length of the harness is received in a protective sleeve, and the sleeve extends over a length of the wiring harness spanning the joint, the sleeve being removable from the wiring harness.

Abstract: A method of docking an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a base station. The method includes landing the UAV on a landing platform of the base station; generally aligning the UAV with a charging hub of the base station; repositioning the UAV on the landing platform via engagement with the charging hub; and deflecting the charging hub to generally align electrical contacts on the UAV with corresponding electrical contacts on the charging hub.

Abstract: A heat exchanger configured to perform heat exchange for a heat source of a fuselage and provide thrust or thrust vectoring to the fuselage, and an aircraft including the same are disclosed. The aircraft includes a fuselage, at least one inlet provided at a side of the fuselage, at least one outlet provided at a bottom of the fuselage, and a fan unit having at least one fan disposed between the inlet and the outlet along a fluid flow direction and drawing air inward through the at least one inlet to discharge through the at least one outlet.

Abstract: An aircraft rudder control system having one or more rudder pedal adjustment systems, each including a rudder pedal actuatable to control movement of a rudder, and further including a support frame component, a rudder pedal arm, a pin, a pin receiving component, a first lever, a second lever, and/or a solenoid. The rudder pedal arm is rotatably attached to the support frame component and the rudder pedal is attached to the rudder arm. While the pin is received in the pin receiving component, the rudder pedal arm is prevented from rotating. When the pin is withdrawn from the pin receiving component, the rudder pedal arm is freed to be rotatably repositioned by user foot actuation. The first lever can manually actuate the pin into and out of the pin receiving component, and the second lever is operated by the solenoid, actuating the pin when the solenoid is activated and deactivated.

Abstract: An aircraft having at least one wing mount system that connects a wing and a primary structure of a pylon and includes at least first and second wing mounts configured to absorb at least some of the forces and moments and positioned at the upper longitudinal member of the primary structure, at least one lateral connecting rod extending between first and second ends connected respectively to the primary structure and to the wing, the second end being spaced apart at least in the horizontal transverse direction and/or the vertical transverse direction with respect to the primary structure.

Abstract: A vertical take-off and landing aircraft includes a fuselage, at least one wing connected to the fuselage, a plurality of rotors connected to the at least one wing for providing lift for vertical take-off and landing of the aircraft and a plurality of proprotors connected to the at least one wing and tiltable between lift configurations for providing lift for vertical take-off and landing of the aircraft and propulsion configurations for providing forward thrust to the aircraft.

Abstract: A vehicle seat apparatus includes: a receiving device provided on a seat of a vehicle, where an auxiliary battery and a portable electronic device are received in the receiving device, and a controller that controls power transmission between the auxiliary battery received in the receiving device and a convenience device of the seat. The receiving device is provided on a back board of the seat, and the auxiliary battery and the portable electronic device may be received in the receiving device or taken from the receiving device. During charging, the auxiliary battery is charged with power of a vehicle power supply or the portable electronic device is wirelessly charged with power of the auxiliary battery in normal times, and the power of the auxiliary battery may be supplied to the convenience device of the seat in an emergency.

Abstract: Disclosed are an aerial vehicle using a hybrid distributed propulsion system and a control method thereof. According to an embodiment of the present specification, an aerial vehicle includes a power generation unit generating electricity by consuming fuel; a battery unit that is charged with power supplied from the power generation unit or supplied with power from the outside; a plurality of fan modules receiving power from the battery unit or the power generation unit to provide lift to the aerial vehicle; a power supply path control unit selecting at least one of the power generation unit and the battery unit to supply power to at least one of the plurality of fan modules; and a route generation unit generating a flight route from a departure point to a destination of the aerial vehicle.

Abstract: A method is provided for operating an aircraft system. During this operating method, a plurality of drive units are provided that include a thermal engine drive unit and an electric machine drive unit. A mechanical load is powered using a first of the drive units. The first of the drive units includes a first rotating structure. A parameter of the first rotating structure is monitored. A failure of the first of the drive units is detected based on the monitored parameter. A switch is made from the first of the drive units to a second of the drive units to power the mechanical load where the failure of the first of the drive units is detected.

Abstract: An unmanned aerial vehicle includes a body, a shaft base, an arm, a triggering member, and a linking member. The shaft base is disposed outside the body. The arm includes a shaft member. The shaft member is movably pivoted on the shaft base along a first axis, so that the arm is folded to the body or unfolded from the body. The triggering member includes an eccentric cam, and a rotation center of the eccentric cam is rotatably disposed on the shaft base along a second axis, so that the triggering member rotates between a fixed position and a release position. The linking member includes a rod and a stopper. The rod extends along the first axis and is movably passed through the shaft member. The rod is disposed between the eccentric cam and the stopper, and the rod extends to the rotation center of the eccentric cam.

Abstract: An improved aircraft design to harness advantages of vertical or short-takeoff and landings (V/STOL) and efficient horizontal flight is disclosed. The aircraft design includes multiple thrust sources and wings which are free to rotate on a spanwise axis, and have their center of gravity aft of the axis of rotation. Wing rotation is decoupled from both the fuselage and the thrust sources. Wings are coupled to each other such that rotation induced in one wing affects rotation in all wings. Thrust sources are directed vertically during hover and some degree forward of vertical for horizontal flight. The disclosed configuration improves aircraft flight stability and efficiency in all flight profiles: vertical flight, transition to/from horizontal flight, and horizontal flight. The aircraft has the possibility of a controlled emergency landing using autorotation of the propellers, wings or a combination of the two.

Abstract: An air drop rack assembly is mounted within the cargo compartment of a cargo aircraft and has a forward part secured to the load deck and an aft part secured to the aircraft cargo ramp. The rack parts have rollers in conveyor assemblies mounted between C-channels which engage skidboards which support smaller aircraft such as gliders or cruise missiles. When the ramp is up two rack parts are tilted with respect to each other. At payload drop, ramp is deployed to bring the rack part conveyor assemblies into alignment. Although the aligned rack parts are spaced apart, when the cargo aircraft is tilted upwardly, the individual payloads on skidboards are discharged out the aircraft aft opening. Cruise missiles or bombs may be supported on a skidboard with a deformable surface, a forward ballast weight, and a spring, such that once launched the skidboard is pushed away from the payload.

Abstract: A cup holder for an armrest of a vehicle is mounted in an armrest of an independent seat so as to be deployed therefrom and stored therein. The cup holder includes an armrest including an open storage space defined in one side portion thereof, a support plate mounted on the bottom of the storage space, a cup holding unit mounted in the storage space and on the support plate so as to be deployed and stored and including a plurality of holding links foldably and unfoldably connected to each other so as to support a peripheral portion of a cup, and a cup support unit mounted in the storage space and on the support plate so as to be deployed and stored and including a plurality of support links foldably and unfoldably connected to each other so as to support a lower surface of the cup.

Abstract: A vertical take-off and landing aircraft includes a fuselage, at least one wing connected to the fuselage, a plurality of rotors connected to the at least one wing for providing lift for vertical take-off and landing of the aircraft and a plurality of proprotors connected to the at least one wing and tiltable between lift configurations for providing lift for vertical take-off and landing of the aircraft and propulsion configurations for providing forward thrust to the aircraft.

Abstract: A seaplane float frame apparatus with extra fuel storage, and a method of installing, comprising: 1) a middle section housing at least one auxiliary fuel storage tank; and 2) two opposing side panels affixed to the middle section, extending outward from about 45-60-degrees from the parallel, each of the two opposing side panels comprising a bottom flat edge fit-able to a float (e.g., carbon composite). The middle section further comprises a fuel pump and a fuel line attached to the auxiliary fuel storage tank(s) and to a main fuel tank within an airplane fuselage-engine. Electrical components enable the pilot, or automatedly as needed, to pump fuel from the frame's tanks. The two opposing side panels comprise triangular shaped cutouts to reduce the float frame's weight and drag, and a built-in steps, a bar, and non-skid coating on the floats to assist in climbing safely into/out of the cockpit.

Abstract: A rotor assembly for a rotary wing aircraft includes a rotor hub including a hub arm and a central opening. The rotor assembly further includes a hydraulic actuation cylinder positioned in the central opening, a pitch change shaft assembly including a pitch change shaft positioned partially within the hydraulic actuation cylinder, a pitch beam coupled to a distal end of the pitch change shaft and configured to be coupled to a rotor blade rotatably mounted to the hub arm. The rotor assembly additionally includes at least one guide rod coupled to the rotor hub and slidably coupled to an opening in the pitch change shaft.

Abstract: A moving object includes a moving object main body, a resistance structure which can be switched at least from a retracted state to a deployed state, and a holding structure which holds the resistance structure in the retracted state. The resistance structure includes an engagement recess. The holding structure includes a holding main body portion supported by the moving object main body, and a rotating body configured to be engaged with the engagement recess in the retracted state of the resistance structure. When a force equal to or larger than a predetermined force is applied to the resistance structure, engagement of the rotating body with the engagement recess is released, and the resistance structure is switched from the retracted state to the deployed state.

Abstract: An aircraft propulsion system is provided. The system may provide improved directional control of an aircraft, eliminating the need for a tail rotor. The system may include a frame connected between a body of the aircraft and a main rotor having a torque effect on the body. The system may also include a first motor mounted to the frame and configured to spin in a first rotational direction. The system may further include a second motor mounted to the frame and configured to spin in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction to create a force opposite the motion imparted to the body by the torque effect of powering the main rotor. The second motor and the first motor drive the main rotor in the first rotational direction. The aircraft is steered around a vertical axis by adjusting the speed of the first motor and the second motor.

Abstract: An aircraft window barrier and aircraft window assembly including the aircraft window barrier for impeding debris entry into aircraft multi-pane windows during aircraft construction, aircraft storage, and non-flight aircraft phases, and methods for installing the aircraft window barrier and forming the aircraft window assembly are disclosed.

Abstract: Disclosed is an automatic throttle arrangement utilizing a servo which receives commands from a controller on an aircraft and responsively rotates a mechanical device that is linked by a cable arrangement with the aircraft's throttle lever enabling automated throttle control. The mechanical device can be fixed to the throttle lever assembly using rivets designed to fail in case the servo/cable arrangement jams. This leaves the lever able to continue manual function.