Patents Examined by Justin Benedik
  • Patent number: 9714082
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for robust lift generation through flow separation suppression are disclosed. One example apparatus includes a cowling extending from a surface of a fluid dynamic body to provide an exhaust stream directed over the fluid dynamic body. The example apparatus also includes a fluid ejection slot proximate or on the fluid dynamic body, where the fluid ejection slot is to direct a compressed fluid along a surface of the fluid dynamic body. The example apparatus also includes rotatable vanes having blunt leading edges, where the vanes are proximate the fluid ejection slot to direct the compressed fluid to affect attachment of the exhaust stream to the fluid dynamic body to enhance lift.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Arvin Shmilovich, Yoram Yadlin
  • Patent number: 9708049
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for a continuous replenishing of the lift gas and maintaining the proper pressure and lift of a tethered medium altitude aerostat utilizing a novel feed tube running the entire length of the tether. A first end of the feed tube is connected to the aerostat while a second end is connected through a novel slip ring means to a pressure controlled helium ballast chamber and scrubber on the ground to maintain pressure and lift by a reversible compressing pump. A plurality of pressure and temperature sensors and tension gauges strategically placed inside and around the airship continuously monitor the temperature and pressure changes in the aerostat. A data retrieval and communication unit mounted on the aerostat collects measurement data from the pressure, temperature and tension sensors which is relayed to the ground station and the data is used to regulate lifting gas pressure inside the aerostat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Inventor: Yee-Chun Lee
  • Patent number: 9708050
    Abstract: This stiffener is intended for a fuselage. It comprises a hollow section that can be trapezoidal, with a base attached to the fuselage or to the floor, high enough rising sides and a top side contributing to the rigidity and cohesion of the stiffener. A direct assembly with the fuselage is possible. The base is made of two edges provided one on the other or in front of the other. This rigid stiffener, in spite of its discontinuous section, can be manufactured by simple foldings of a planar metal sheet at the beginning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS SAS
    Inventors: Christophe Mialhe, Romain Delahaye, Philipe Rodrigo
  • Patent number: 9708076
    Abstract: A system comprising a low observable aircraft (2) having its surfaces oriented at a limited number of directions, and a lightning diverter strip (4, 22, 30) comprising a plurality of electrically conductive elements (8, 24, 32) arranged in a spaced apart relation, each of the electrically conductive elements (8, 24, 32) comprising an elongate portion. The lightning diverter strip (4, 22, 30) is attached to the aircraft in such a way that the conductive elements (8, 24, 32) are located on an exposed outer surface of the lightning diverter strip (4, 22, 30) and exposed to atmospheric conditions. For each conductive element (8, 24, 32), a long axis of the elongate portion of that conductive element (8, 24, 32) is substantially parallel with a surface of the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: BAE Systems plc
    Inventor: Christopher Charles Rawlinson Jones
  • Patent number: 9708078
    Abstract: An airport terminal traffic and parking management system, which can be automated, is provided wherein one or more and preferably a plurality of the aircraft at an airport are moved on the ground between landing and takeoff without operation of aircraft engines or risks from jet blast and engine ingestion. Aircraft can be moved in a forward direction by tow vehicles, aircraft-moving transfer apparatus, or the like after landing to park in an efficient orientation relative to an airport terminal. Passengers deplaning and boarding and aircraft servicing can use all accessible aircraft doors to minimize time at a gate. Aircraft cleared for departure can be turned and moved in a forward direction to a takeoff runway, where the aircraft-moving apparatus is detached. Airport terminal aircraft traffic and parking are most effectively managed when a significant number of aircraft at an airport are moved by external vehicles as described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: Borealis Technical Limited
    Inventors: Isaiah W. Cox, Joseph J. Cox
  • Patent number: 9701390
    Abstract: An assembly for an aircraft cabin of an aircraft, the aircraft having a fuselage with a plurality of external windows arranged at a pitch. The assembly having a window cone panel with an internal window, top and bottom edges defining a panel height, and side edges defining a panel width. First and second terminator components are disposed on either side of the window cone panel such that the first terminator component is on one side of the window cone panel and the second terminator component is on the other side of the window cone panel. A splice component is disposed on either side of the window cone panel between the window cone panel and one of the first and second terminator components. The splice component includes an index for adjusting an overall width of the assembly to align the internal window opening with the external window pitch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: Aerospace Technologies Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Byron R. Knowles, John Y. Kamin
  • Patent number: 9688393
    Abstract: An auxiliary drive wheel taxi system for driving an aircraft autonomously without reliance on engine operation during ground travel is designed for installation in an aircraft location other than on nose or main landing gear components. The auxiliary drive wheel taxi system may be mounted in an integral housing located internally or externally on an aircraft's body at a selected location relative to main or nose landing gears and includes one or more auxiliary drive wheels mounted on an extensible strut adapted to extend from and retract into the housing. An electric, hydraulic, or pneumatic non-engine drive means controllable to provide torque required to rotate the drive wheel and drive the aircraft at desired taxi speeds may be mounted in a selected location to drive the auxiliary drive wheel. The manually or automatically controllable auxiliary taxi system is operable only to drive the aircraft during taxi.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Borealis Technical Limited
    Inventors: Hans J. Walitzki, Wing S. Luk
  • Patent number: 9688378
    Abstract: A drain mast or discharging fluids from an aircraft and associated method are provided. This drain mast includes a fairing including a base including an upstream section intended to be attached on an outer surface of the aircraft and a downstream section. The drain mast also includes a discharge nozzle including a discharge end opening onto the outside of the fairing, the discharge nozzle protruding from the downstream section in a first direction with respect to the base, the base and the discharge nozzle defining a tubular through-cavity, extending from the upstream section as far as the discharge end. The fairing also includes a profiled section for guiding air, protruding from the downstream section, in a direction opposite to the first direction, and configured for orienting an incident mass of air on the profiled section towards the discharge end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: DASSAULT AVIATION
    Inventor: Eugène Wielgosz
  • Patent number: 9689650
    Abstract: Wing deployment mechanism for deploying a pair of wings from an airborne body, wherein their deployment in motion, each one around an axis, defines the wings' deployment plane relative to the airborne body, and wherein the mechanism is characterized by that it comprises a propelable assembly mounted in the airborne body and suited to a rotational motion around an axis that is substantially orthogonal in its direction to the wings' deployment plane, a pair of arms that are linked, each one, on its one side to the assembly and at distance from the assembly's rotation axis, and on its other side to an end of one of the wings and at a distance from the axis around which the rotational motion of the wing in the wings' deployment plane is enabled, and wherein the link of each one of the arms is performed in a manner that enables angular motion of each of the arms relative to the assembly and to the end of the wing unto which it is linked, and wherein propelling the assembly to rotational motion and actuating a mome
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd.
    Inventors: Alexander Vainshtein, Alexey Bouhryakov
  • Patent number: 9682767
    Abstract: A control system having a series of control loops for determining the upper and lower cyclic limit increments due to the contribution of collective pitch in rotorcraft based at least on nacelle angle and airspeed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.
    Inventor: Robert L. Fortenbaugh
  • Patent number: 9682772
    Abstract: The present invention provides a multi-stage tilting and multi-rotor flying car including: a main frame externally shaped like a rectangle and internally partitioned to have a grid structure; a body mounted at a center of the main frame in consideration of balance; a plurality of rotors mounted to the main frame to face upward; a plurality of wheels mounted to the main frame to face downward; body wings provided at opposite sides of the body; and an automatic driving controller provided in the body and controlling the rotors and the wheels, thereby having effects on spending only the minimum necessary flying time for taking off and landing in a narrow area, and improving flight performance three times higher in flight time and flight speed and five times higher in fight distance than a rotary-wing aircraft such as a helicopter while flying in the fixed-wing mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: EXENS
    Inventor: Kwang Joon Yoon
  • Patent number: 9676499
    Abstract: A fuel depot in space is provided. The fuel depot has a collapsible housing with a guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) system, a power management system, and a reaction control system (RNC). Connected to the housing are a plurality of fuel tanks that are connected via collapsible rods. The fuel tanks have pipe systems that are in communication with a plurality of pumps to transfer fuel from the tanks through a refueling arm and into a spacecraft during refueling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Gateway Galactic, Inc.
    Inventors: Justin J. Myers, Floyd R. Richardson
  • Patent number: 9664141
    Abstract: A thrust deflecting device for deflecting a thrust stream is disclosed, which includes a flap system having a plurality of deflecting flaps, each of which is pivotable around its yaw axis, the flap system being situated between parallel control surfaces such as baffle plates which, together with the flap system, form a box structure, which is pivotable around a pivot axis running in the direction of the transverse axis for the purpose of deflecting the thrust stream in the pitch direction, an aircraft engine also being disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: MTU Aero Engines AG
    Inventors: Hermann Klingels, Stephan Klaen, Christian Scherer, Uwe Vogel
  • Patent number: 9663222
    Abstract: The thrust vectoring apparatus has a nozzle, a jet tab arranged behind the nozzle, a rotation shaft 30 connected to the jet tab, and a gas seal member arranged on an outer circumferential surface of the rotation shaft. The rotation shaft is connected to the jet tab, and has the protrusion in the redial direction out of the rotation shaft on the rear side of the gas seal member. The protrusion restrains that the combustion gas exhausted from the nozzle flows toward the gas seal member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Fuminori Fujisawa, Hiroyuki Tani, Daisuke Hyuga
  • Patent number: 9656736
    Abstract: In the case of an aircraft aft portion equipped with an engine mounting structure passing across the fuselage, assembly of the aft portion presents problems caused by the moving of the box structure of the mounting structure through lateral openings in the fuselage. In order to overcome these problems, a method of assembling an aircraft aft portion is proposed, in which method the box structure of the engine mounting structure is inserted into the fuselage through a top opening extending from one side of the fuselage to the other across a vertical midplane of the fuselage such that the top opening opens to the top and to the sides of the fuselage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignees: Airbus Operations (S.A.S.), Airbus Operations SL
    Inventors: Julien Guillemaut, Esteban Martino Gonzalez, Diego Folch Cortes, Jerome Colmagro, Jonathan Blanc
  • Patent number: 9656762
    Abstract: A system for fluid temperature control and actuation control for an aircraft engine fueled by dual fuels. The system includes a first fuel system having a first fuel tank fluidly coupled to the engine, a second fuel system having a second fuel tank fluidly coupled to the engine, with the second fuel being different from the first fuel and having a different temperature than the first fuel, a fuel distribution unit (FDU) fluidly coupled to the first fuel tank of the first fuel system, and a fuel-to-fuel cooler (FFC) configured to transfer heat between the first fuel in the first fuel system and the second fuel in the second fuel system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Deepak Manohar Kamath, Mehdi Milani Baladi, Sergei A. Jerebets, Robert Lawrence Mayer, Scott Chandler Morton, Alejandro Yatzail Perez Valadez
  • Patent number: 9650130
    Abstract: An electric hydraulic motor system for aircraft having a taxing and takeoff mode and a braking mode. While in the taxiing and takeoff mode, a battery and optionally other sources of energy stored within the aircraft together provide energy to drive an electric motor which in turn drives a hydraulic pump creating hydraulic pressure within the aircraft hydraulic system. The increase in hydraulic pressure within the system actuates a hydraulic motor connected to the aircraft wheels, thereby providing rotation to the wheels of the aircraft, moving the aircraft forward. Alternatively, while in the braking mode, the rotation of the wheels of the aircraft drive a second hydraulic pump which imparts an increase of the hydraulic pressure within the aircraft hydraulic system. The increase in hydraulic pressure within the aircraft hydraulic system drives a second hydraulic motor which drives an electric generator which simultaneously slows the aircraft and charges the aircraft battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Inventor: Mohammed Bouzmane
  • Patent number: 9650134
    Abstract: Embodiments of unmanned aerial rescue systems are disclosed, which may comprise: a frame or chassis, a landing member, a control system, a propulsion system, a propulsion system support member, a propulsion system orientation mechanism, a rotor shield or protector, a sealed equipment container, a cover or shroud, an equipment carrier, an equipment release mechanism, a navigation system, a sensor system, a sound system, a light system, a data communication system, an emergency equipment system, and a power management system. In some embodiments, a parabolic shroud increases the performance of sensor systems of the unmanned aerial rescue system, such as sound and light systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Inventor: Dana R. Chappell
  • Patent number: 9650126
    Abstract: A telescopic strut for electrically connecting a fixed structure of an aircraft to a movable structure mounted to the fixed structure, wherein the strut is adapted to be mechanically connected to the fixed structure by its one end and to be mechanically connected to the movable structure by its opposite end, the strut comprising a plurality of telescopic elements and containing a helically coiled electrical cable, wherein the cable is adapted to move between retracted and extended positions with the telescoping of the strut. Also, a method of operating an aircraft having a movable structure mounted to a fixed structure, and one or more of the telescopic struts mechanically and electrically connected between the fixed and movable structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS LIMITED
    Inventors: Jack Blanchard, Andreas Yiasoumi
  • Patent number: 9643720
    Abstract: A vertical-takeoff aircraft with a wing. A first drive unit and a second drive unit are swivellably mounted on the wing. The first drive unit and the second drive unit are arranged on the wing at a distance from a wing-end of the wing. A first distance between the first drive unit and a longitudinal axis of the aircraft is approximately equal to a second distance between the second drive unit and the longitudinal axis of the aircraft. The first drive unit and the second drive unit are swivellable into a horizontal flying position and a vertical flying position. In the horizontal flying position the first drive unit is arranged above a wing surface and the second drive unit below the wing surface on the wing. In the vertical flying position the first drive unit and the second drive unit are arranged in an approximately horizontal plane. The first drive unit and the second drive unit each have a swivel arm, wherein the swivel arms are swivellably mounted on the wing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Inventor: Jonathan Hesselbarth