Patents Examined by Nicholas A McFall
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Patent number: 12006036Abstract: The present invention includes a distributed propulsion system for a craft that comprises a frame, a plurality of hydraulic or electric motors disposed within or attached to the frame in a distributed configuration; a propeller operably connected to each of the hydraulic or electric motors, a source of hydraulic or electric power disposed within or attached to the frame and coupled to each of the disposed within or attached to the frame, wherein the source of hydraulic or electric power provides sufficient energy density for the craft to attain and maintain operations of the craft, a controller coupled to each of the hydraulic or electric motors, and one or more processors communicably coupled to each controller that control an operation and speed of the plurality of hydraulic or electric motors.Type: GrantFiled: February 13, 2023Date of Patent: June 11, 2024Assignee: TEXTRON INNOVATIONS INC.Inventors: Carlos Alexander Fenny, Rohn Lee Olson
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Patent number: 12006037Abstract: An aircraft comprises a fuselage, first and second wing segments each having a leading edge and a trailing edge, a plurality of spokes coupling the fuselage to the first and second wing segments, one or more motors disposed within or attached to the plurality of spokes, and three or more propellers proximate to a leading edge of the plurality of spokes, distributed along the plurality of spokes, and operably connected to the motors to provide lift whenever the aircraft is in vertical takeoff and landing and stationary flight and provide thrust whenever the aircraft is in forward flight. When the aircraft is in vertical takeoff and landing and stationary flight, the fuselage is approximately vertical. When the aircraft is in forward flight, the fuselage is approximately in the direction of the forward flight and extends forward beyond the leading edges of the first wing segment and the second wing segment.Type: GrantFiled: May 1, 2023Date of Patent: June 11, 2024Assignee: TEXTRON INNOVATIONS INC.Inventors: Carlos Alexander Fenny, Rohn Lee Olson, Andrew James Zahasky
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Patent number: 12006026Abstract: This invention provides convenient airframe vibration, tracking, and acoustic improvements of a helicopter rotor blade by use of a profile system. The profile system is designed to minimize acoustic disturbances as air passes the airfoil. The profile may be attached through an adhesive system that allows convenient removal and relocation for use by the helicopter manufacturer or by the helicopter operator in a field environment.Type: GrantFiled: July 7, 2021Date of Patent: June 11, 2024Assignee: HAYMATT, L.L.C.Inventor: Robert T. Loftus
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Patent number: 11993367Abstract: An aircraft includes wings having integrated ducted fans. The integrated ducted fans each have a duct with a stiffness ring. Each stiffness ring is made up of stiffness boxes and circular-arc-shaped ring segments. The stiffness boxes can include first stiffness boxes and second stiffness boxes, and the first stiffness boxes and second stiffness boxes differ in terms of height.Type: GrantFiled: August 5, 2021Date of Patent: May 28, 2024Assignee: DR. ING. H.C. F. PORSCHE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFTInventors: Patrick Scholl, Jens-Ole Thoebel, Christian Wenzel
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Patent number: 11993361Abstract: A fan apparatus is disclosed, including a duct having an inlet opening, a fan mounted in the duct, and a plurality of louver devices positioned at the inlet opening. Each louver device has an open position and a closed position, and adjacent louver devices define a plurality of airflow channels. Each airflow channel has a curvature profile that changes as the louver devices move between open and closed positions.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 2020Date of Patent: May 28, 2024Assignee: Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation, a subsidiary of The Boeing CompanyInventor: Robert William Parks
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Patent number: 11993363Abstract: A portable cockpit seat apparatus, the apparatus including a portable cockpit seat, wherein the portable cockpit seat includes a hinge and has a stowed position, wherein the portable cockpit seat is folded about the hinge. The apparatus further including a headset including a display, and at least a flight control communicatively connected to the headset. The headset configured to and display a cockpit view of an aircraft. The flight control of the at least a flight control is connected to the portable cockpit seat and the at least a flight control, in response to actuation by a user, is configured to send a thrust signal, wherein the thrust signal causes the aircraft to alter its thrust and send a lift signal, wherein the lift signal causes the aircraft to alter its lift.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 2022Date of Patent: May 28, 2024Assignee: BETA AIR, LLCInventors: Edward Hall, Charles Camron Guthrie
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Patent number: 11987343Abstract: An aircraft empennage includes a vertical tail plane, a rear fuselage section attached to the vertical tail plane and including a skin and internal reinforcing members, a horizontal tail plane comprising two lateral torsion boxes and a framework located between the two lateral torsion boxes comprising a front spar, a rear spar and two ribs extending between the front and the rear spar and each adjacent to a lateral torsion box. The framework encloses a portion of the vertical tail plane along its spanwise direction. The aircraft empennage includes an attachment assembly attaching the framework to the rear fuselage section, the attachment assembly crossing the skin and extends between the internal reinforcing members of the rear fuselage section and the framework.Type: GrantFiled: November 15, 2021Date of Patent: May 21, 2024Assignee: Airbus Operations S.L.U.Inventors: Francisco Javier Honorato Ruiz, María Muruzabal Sopelana
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Patent number: 11988140Abstract: A blended wing aircraft including a blended wing fuselage and at least one embedded gas turbine engine in the fuselage. The gas turbine engine includes an inlet duct formed with a generally elliptical shape that includes a first set of ellipse sections along an upper portion of the inlet duct and a second set of ellipse sections along a lower portion of the inlet duct. The inlet duct includes a vertical centerline. The first set of ellipse sections at a throat of the inlet duct is larger in area than an area of an upstream most end of the second set of ellipse sections. The area of the second set of ellipse sections increases toward a downstream end of the inlet duct. A fan section has an axis of rotation that is spaced from the vertical centerline and is disposed within an inlet duct orifice. The inlet duct is upstream of the fan section.Type: GrantFiled: January 12, 2021Date of Patent: May 21, 2024Assignee: RTX CorporationInventors: Dmytro Mykolayovych Voytovych, Om P. Sharma
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Patent number: 11987350Abstract: A tandem tiltrotor aircraft in which the tiltrotor assemblies are operably coupled at the forward and aft ends of the fuselage of the aircraft is disclosed. The tiltrotor assemblies are capable of rotating between a vertical lift position and a horizontal flight position. The in-line location of the tiltrotor assemblies allow the aircraft to have the vertical take-off and landing capabilities, and, in combination with the at least one wing, can be used in horizontal flight. The aft rotor assembly can assume a horizontal flight position that places the rotor blades forward of a vertical fin of the aircraft. In another embodiment, a winged triple tiltrotor aircraft is disclosed. In another embodiment, a winged quad tiltrotor aircraft is disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: June 3, 2021Date of Patent: May 21, 2024Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.Inventors: Steven Ray Ivans, Brent Chadwick Ross
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Patent number: 11987372Abstract: An assembly including a nacelle element, such as a cover, a device for locking the nacelle element, a key for locking/unlocking the locking device and an indicator for indicating the position of the locking device. This assembly includes a control device which is configured to be actuated by the key when the key is withdrawn from the locking device so as to make the indicator move from a first state to a second state, the state of the indicator being representative of the locked or unlocked position of the locking device.Type: GrantFiled: June 2, 2020Date of Patent: May 21, 2024Assignee: SAFRAN NACELLESInventors: Sébastien Laurent Marie Pascal, Alexandre Phi, Vincent Jean-François Peyron
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Patent number: 11981421Abstract: A system and method for controlling boundary layer transition for a high-speed vehicle are disclosed. The method includes determining a location of onset of boundary-layer transition that naturally develops during high-speed flight of the high-speed vehicle, and providing a pair of flow control strips at a surface/wall/skin of the high-speed vehicle such that the boundary-layer transition is delayed or prevented during high-speed flight of the high-speed vehicle. The delayed or prevented locations of the transition result in a change in the high-speed boundary layer during the high-speed flight of the high-speed vehicle. The change in the high-speed boundary layer transition affects skin friction drag, aero-thermodynamic heating, and pressure fluctuations in the boundary layer of the high-speed vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: December 24, 2020Date of Patent: May 14, 2024Assignee: Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of ArizonaInventors: Hermann F. Fasel, Christoph Hader
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Patent number: 11981416Abstract: An aircraft fuselage end cargo door mechanism including a hinge rotatably coupling an aircraft fuselage end cargo door to a fuselage. The hinge being coupled to both the aircraft fuselage end cargo door and the fuselage so that an entirety of an axis of rotation of the aircraft fuselage end cargo door, defined by the hinge, relative to the fuselage is located forward of an entirety of a major joint line between the aircraft fuselage end cargo door and the fuselage. An uppermost portion of the major joint line comprises a joint line radius where a portion of the joint line radius formed by the aircraft fuselage end cargo door pivots within another portion of the joint line radius formed by the fuselage.Type: GrantFiled: October 21, 2022Date of Patent: May 14, 2024Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANYInventor: Rick A. Jackson
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Patent number: 11983019Abstract: An unmanned aerial vehicle that delivers a package includes a plurality of rotary wings, a plurality of first motors, a main body, a connector, a movable block, and a processor. When the connector is connected to a rail, the processor sets a rotation rate of the plurality of first motors to a rotation rate that is lower than a minimum rotation rate necessary for floating and higher than a minimum rotation rate necessary for propulsion along the rail. Furthermore, the processor causes the movable block to increase the angle formed by the normal direction of an imaginary plane containing the plurality of rotary wings relative to a support direction of the connector.Type: GrantFiled: August 9, 2019Date of Patent: May 14, 2024Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICAInventors: Mitsuaki Oshima, Takuya Takahama, Fumio Muramatsu, Nobuaki Hayashi, Hideki Aoyama, Gaku Sasaki
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Patent number: 11975836Abstract: An aircraft, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle or single-seat aircraft, including a main body and a pair of wing sections, each wing section including a front wing and a rear wing, wherein the front wing and the rear wing each include a first end that is connected to the main body, and a second end, wherein the second end of the front wing is connected to the second end of the rear wing. The main body is located between the pair of wing sections, and each wing section includes a propulsion unit located between the front wing and the rear wing of the wing section. Each propulsion unit may include a first rotor and a second rotor, which may be pivotable with respect to the rest of the aircraft.Type: GrantFiled: July 17, 2020Date of Patent: May 7, 2024Assignee: GKN Aerospace Services LimitedInventor: Arent-Jan De Graaff
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Patent number: 11964766Abstract: Trailing edge assemblies, couplers and methods for deploying a trailing edge flap of an aircraft wing are disclosed. An exemplary method disclosed herein comprises guiding an aft portion of the trailing edge flap along an elongated track member as the trailing edge flap moves toward the deployed position; guiding a forward portion of the trailing edge flap along the elongated track member as the trailing edge flap moves toward the deployed position; and accommodating transverse movement of the forward portion of the trailing edge flap relative to the elongated track member.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2022Date of Patent: April 23, 2024Assignee: BOMBARDIER INC.Inventors: Dmitry Budnitsky, Howard Ian Smith, Thomas Hanson
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Patent number: 11958633Abstract: The present technology relates to an artificial satellite and a control method thereof that enable to ensure quality of a captured image while suppressing battery consumption. An artificial satellite includes: an imaging device configured to perform imaging of a predetermined region on the ground; and a management unit configured to change accuracy of attitude control in accordance with a remaining battery amount at an instructed imaging time, and configured to change an imaging condition in accordance with accuracy of the attitude control. The present technology can be applied to, for example, an artificial satellite or the like that performs satellite remote sensing by formation flight.Type: GrantFiled: May 29, 2020Date of Patent: April 16, 2024Assignee: SONY GROUP CORPORATIONInventors: Satoshi Ezawa, Itaru Shimizu, Naomi Kurahara, Kazuo Ishigame, Tetsu Ogawa
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Patent number: 11958599Abstract: The invention relates to a supporting structure (46) which is positioned in a fluid flow (44) and characterised in that it is configured to be elastically deformed, on at least one portion of the supporting structure (46), between a first idle state in the absence of external stress and a second deformed state in the presence of external stresses caused by the fluid flow (44) due to a change in the orientation of the supporting structure (46) and/or the fluid flow (44). The invention also relates to an aircraft comprising at least one such supporting structure (46).Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 2020Date of Patent: April 16, 2024Inventor: Guilhem Colombiès
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Patent number: 11958629Abstract: Described herein is an elevated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) station. The elevated UAV station includes an elevated platform and a conveyance device configured to raise a payload to the elevated platform. The elevated unmanned UAV station may further include a launch device configured to cause a takeoff of a UAV from the elevated platform. The elevated UAV station may further include a recovery device configured to cause a controlled landing of the UAV at the elevated platform. The elevated UAV station may be associated with a payload housing structure to establish a system for payload storage and launch.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 2021Date of Patent: April 16, 2024Assignee: Zipline International Inc.Inventors: Tyler P. McNish, Stefan C. Aprodu, Keenan A. Wyrobek, William Hetzler, Bijal Mehta, Ryan Alam
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Patent number: 11945578Abstract: Apparatus and methods for limiting trailing edge deflection in aircraft folding wing tips are disclosed herein. An example aircraft wing disclosed herein includes a fixed wing portion. The fixed wing portion includes an outboard rib. The aircraft wing also includes a wing tip moveably coupled to the fixed wing portion. The wing tip is moveable between an extended position and a folded position. The wing tip includes an inboard rib that is disposed in a trailing edge section of the wing tip. The wing tip includes a stop plate coupled to the inboard rib. The stop plate extends inboard from the inboard rib such that when the wing tip is in the extended position, the stop plate is disposed below a portion of the outboard rib of the fixed wing portion to limit upward deflection of the trailing edge section of the wing tip relative to the fixed wing portion.Type: GrantFiled: October 18, 2021Date of Patent: April 2, 2024Assignee: The Boeing CompanyInventors: Jeffrey Michael Olds, Eric George Gruner, Billy P. Tung, Eric Dwight Blohm
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Patent number: 11945577Abstract: Aerial vehicles may be selectively transitioned between a fixed wing flight configuration and a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) configuration. In the fixed wing flight configuration, a forward propeller may rotate in a first forward plane, whereas in the VTOL configuration, the forward propeller may be tilted to rotate in a second forward plane. A forward landing arm may extend downward in the VTOL configuration and be configured to be tilted to a stowed position when the aerial vehicle is in the fixed wing flight configuration. The forward landing arm may be coupled to the forward propeller such that tilting of the forward propeller causes corresponding tilting of the forward landing arm. In some examples, a plurality of such landing arms and propellers are tilted during transitioning of the aerial vehicle, such as one or more forward propellers and landing arms and/or one or more aft propellers and landing arms.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 2022Date of Patent: April 2, 2024Assignee: INSITU, INC., a subsidiary of THE BOEING COMPANYInventor: Ovidiu Cristian Mihai