Patents Examined by Rodney Bonnette
  • Patent number: 11866155
    Abstract: An actuator arrangement for a fixed leading edge member of an aircraft wing. The fixed leading edge member has an inner cavity defined by the outer skin and ribs. The actuator arrangement comprises at least one geared rotary actuator which moves relative to the other parts along a circular arc section during extending and retracting of the high-lift device between a fully retracted position and a fully extended position. In the fully retracted position, the actuator is predominantly accommodated within the inner cavity and in the extended position the actuator is predominantly positioned outside the inner cavity, preferably protruding through a D-nose cut-out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS GMBH
    Inventors: Bernhard Schlipf, Norbert Geyer
  • Patent number: 11866170
    Abstract: A movable flow body device for an aircraft including an elongated flow body having a main extension axis, a first mechanical interface in a first position along the main extension axis, a second mechanical interface in a second position and a third mechanical interface in a third position. The first mechanical interface may be a master interface arranged in a central region, while the second and third mechanical interfaces are slave interfaces. Preferably, in the outboard position, a link plate between a support lever and a support rib of the flow body is inverted compared to the further inboard mechanical interface, which allows for supporting slimmer and longer flow bodies in the outboard region and providing a rigging hinge line through the whole flow body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH
    Inventors: Stefan Bensmann, Marcus Erban, Martin Fees
  • Patent number: 11851160
    Abstract: An actuation apparatus for a control surface rotatably coupled to a swept-wing includes a pivot arm coupled to the control surface and proximate the hinged end of the control surface, a drive rod oriented normal to the trailing edge of the swept-wing, the drive rod having an aft end coupled to the pivot arm, a pivot fitting pivotally coupled to a lower surface of the swept-wing by a pivot pin, the pivot fitting having an aft portion coupled to a forward end of the drive rod, and an actuator disposed on the lower surface of the swept-wing. The actuator is coupled to the pivot fitting such that an applied force by the actuator in the streamwise direction rotates the pivot fitting such that the applied force is translated to the drive rod to rotate the control surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Michael Yan Ye, Bret A. Bowers
  • Patent number: 11851159
    Abstract: A system for flight control of an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The system generally includes a pilot control, a pusher component, a lift component and a flight controller. The pilot control is mechanically coupled to the eVTOL aircraft. The pilot control is configured to transmit an input datum. The pusher component is mechanically coupled to the eVTOL aircraft. The lift component is mechanically coupled to the eVTOL aircraft. The flight controller is communicatively connected to the pilot control. The flight controller is configured to receive the input datum from the pilot control, initiate operation of the pusher component, and terminate operation of the lift component. A method for flight control of an eVTOL aircraft is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: BETA AIR, LLC
    Inventor: Joshua E. Auerbach
  • Patent number: 11845537
    Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling a fixed-wing aircraft during flight are disclosed. The aircraft comprises first and second flight control surfaces of different types. The method comprises determining that a pilot command of the first flight control surface will excite a structural flexible mode of the aircraft and then executing the pilot command of the first flight control surface in conjunction with a command of the second flight control surface to mitigate the effect of the excitation of the structural flexible mode of the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: BOMBARDIER INC.
    Inventors: Sylvain Therien, David Reist
  • Patent number: 11845542
    Abstract: An aircraft wing having a fixed wing and a wing tip device rotatable about a hinge at the tip of the fixed wing is disclosed. The wing further includes an actuation assembly for rotating the wing tip device about the hinge. The upper cover of the wing tip device includes an offset region extending inboard of the hinge axis, such that when the wing tip device is rotated to the ground configuration, the offset region extends into a space previously-occupied by the actuation assembly, but is outside the space occupied by the actuation assembly in the ground configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS LIMITED
    Inventors: Jack Horwood, Paul Morrell, Matt Harding
  • Patent number: 11845565
    Abstract: Aircraft refuelling device including a fuel circulation pipe of which the downstream end is equipped with a wing coupling for connecting it to an inlet orifice of a fuel tank of the aircraft. The wing coupling includes a body which defines a fuel circulation duct at the end of the pipe, a sensor for measuring the value of a parameter indicative of a flow of fuel passing through the wing coupling, and at least one battery electrically powering the sensor. The sensor and the electrical power supply battery are housed in two half-shells mounted together around the body of the wing coupling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: DESAUTEL
    Inventor: Claude Beck
  • Patent number: 11845549
    Abstract: An aircraft wing including a wingbox with an upper cover, a lower cover, a forward spar and a rear spar. A leading edge of a trailing edge panel is attached to the wingbox. A support structure is attached to the wingbox and a connector is movably mounted to the trailing edge panel on a bearing. A first end of a link is attached to the connector, and a second end of the link is attached to the support structure. During assembly, the connector is moved on the bearing from a first position to a second position where the connector is aligned with the first end of the link, then the connector at the second position is attached to the first end of the link. The connector may be moved by a rack-and-pinion mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: Airbus Operations Limited
    Inventor: William Tulloch
  • Patent number: 11840336
    Abstract: To reduce vibration of movable airfoil structures, such as rudders, elevators, and ailerons, a spring device, a leaf spring for example, is mounted to an airfoil mounting structure, such as a vertical tail plane, horizontal tail plane or the wings, such that the spring device exerts a force on a cam device, which transforms the spring force into an airfoil torque. The airfoil torque is applied to the airfoil structure and thus reduces a risk of vibration. The cam device is configured to redirect the spring force such that when the airfoil structure is moved in a first direction, torque decreases and when moved in the opposite second direction the torque is zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH
    Inventors: Ivano Bertolini, Henrik Lüttmann, Wim Westbroek
  • Patent number: 11840328
    Abstract: An aircraft with wing tip devices, for example, folding wing tips, is disclosed. The folding wing tip may have a flight configuration for use during flight, and a ground configuration for use in ground-based operations. The ground configuration creates a shorter wing span than when the aircraft is in the flight configuration. A hinge arrangement protrudes beyond an outer surface of the fixed wing and wing tip device. In order to reduce the aerodynamic effect of the protruding hinge a fairing may be provided. In the flight configuration the fairing comprises a front portion blended into and extending rearwardly from the leading edge of the fixed wing and the wing tip device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS LIMITED
    Inventor: Richard Lowry
  • Patent number: 11820487
    Abstract: An aircraft has an aft main cargo cabin with a low deck floor, and a rear access configured to provide access to the aft main cargo cabin from behind the fuselage. The deck floor of the aft main cargo cabin is lower than a first deck floor of a forward main cabin of a forward section of the fuselage. The aft main cargo cabin has a second height that is greater than the first height of the forward main cabin, allowing the aft main cargo cabin to accommodate oversize cargo with larger dimension(s). The aircraft may be built with such an aft main cargo cabin and rear access, or may be a modified aircraft that includes such an aft main cargo cabin and rear access. Related methods of reconfiguring a base aircraft into a modified aircraft having such an aft main cargo cabin and rear access are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventors: Sergey D. Barmichev, Mithra M. Sankrithi
  • Patent number: 11820503
    Abstract: An aircraft has an empennage and a folding system. The folding system has aerofoils and node bodies which are connected to one another. The aerofoils have at least two nose-side aerofoils and at least two tail-side aerofoils, of which one of the nose-side aerofoils and one of the tail-side aerofoils are port-side aerofoils and one of the nose-side aerofoils and one of the tail-side aerofoils are starboard-side aerofoils. The node bodies have fuselage-side node bodies and outer node bodies. The nose-side aerofoils and tail-side aerofoils are each articulated at a first end to an associated fuselage-side node body, and the nose-side aerofoils and tail-side aerofoils are each articulated at a second end to an outer node body. The tail-side node bodies are displaceable at least partially along an associated translation axis. The folding system functions as the empennage during flight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Inventor: Friedrich Grimm
  • Patent number: 11822266
    Abstract: A toner cartridge comprises a toner container which contains toner, a driving member which rotationally drives a conveying member, an agitating member which agitates a toner in the toner container while being rotated, a driven member which rotates in association with the driving member which is for rotationally driving the agitating member, and a rotational body which rotates according to rotation of the driven member, has a plurality of slits in rotational circumference for identifying a type of the toner cartridge, and has 1/K or more of the slits when a ratio of a rotational speed R1 (rad/s) of the driving member and a rotational speed R2 (rad/s) of the driven member is K=R2/R1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignees: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha, Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Tsutomu Sato
  • Patent number: 11820490
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture for actuating control surfaces of an aircraft are disclosed. An example apparatus to control a control surface of an aerodynamic body includes a track rotatable about a pivot of a support structure of the aerodynamic body, the control surface slidably coupled to the track, a first actuator operatively coupled to the track, the first actuator to cause rotation of the track and the flaperon about the pivot, and a second actuator operatively coupled to the control surface, the second actuator to cause translation of the control surface along the track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Kevin Tsai, Mark S. Good
  • Patent number: 11814165
    Abstract: A method of deploying an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) includes launching a UAV and deploying at least one portion of a wing assembly from a stowed configuration to a deployed configuration in which the at least one portion of the wing assembly extends away from a body of the UAV. Deploying the portion of the wing assembly, which may be an outboard portion of a wing assembly, includes deflecting an aerodynamic control surface on the at least one portion of the wing assembly to cause an aerodynamic force to move the portion of the wing assembly into the deployed configuration without assistance from a spring or motor. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) includes a UAV having a body and a plurality of wing assemblies carried by the body, at least a portion of a wing assembly is deployable using aerodynamic forces and without assistance form a spring or motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: SWIFT ENGINEERING, INC.
    Inventor: Christopher Noskowicz
  • Patent number: 11814156
    Abstract: An actuation unit for actuating a foldable wing tip portion of a wing for an aircraft is disclosed including a motor configured to be mounted to a fixed wing for an aircraft, a drive pinion driven rotationally by the motor, a first rack configured to be mounted to the fixed wing, a second rack configured to be mounted to the foldable wing tip portion, a third rack configured to be mounted to the fixed wing movably along a defined first movement path and drivingly engaged by the drive pinion, and a transfer pinion mounted to the third rack rotatably about an axis of rotation extending perpendicular to the first movement path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS GmbH
    Inventor: Christian Lorenz
  • Patent number: 11807360
    Abstract: A wing for an aircraft is disclosed having a fixed wing, a foldable wing tip portion, and a flight latch device for latching the foldable wing tip portion in the extended position, wherein the flight latch device includes a housing, a latch bolt linearly movable relative to the housing, and a motor for driving the latch bolt. The flight latch device includes a threaded shaft having an external thread and being mounted to the housing in a torque proof manner, the flight latch device includes a nut having an internal thread engaging the external thread of the shaft, so that the nut can rotate about the shaft along the external thread.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS GmbH
    Inventor: Christian Lorenz
  • Patent number: 11807382
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to an apparatus for managing thermal energy of an electric aircraft energy source. Apparatus may include fins, which extend from a skin of electric aircraft. The energy source may bias or be adjacent to the fins so that heat energy may dissipate from the energy source and through the fins and, thus, the skin. A coolant may also be run through the apparatus, where the coolant may flow through channels that are disposed between the fins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: BETA AIR, LLC
    Inventors: Braedon Lohe, Sean Donovan, Sarah Overfield
  • Patent number: 11807366
    Abstract: A wing (5) for an aircraft (1) including a main wing (11) and a high lift assembly (13) having a high lift body (15), and a connection assembly (17) movably connecting the high lift body (15) to the main wing (11), wherein the connection assembly (17) includes a first connection element (19) and a second connection element (21) movably mounted to the main wing (11) and mounted to the high lift body (15), wherein the connection assembly (17) includes a first drive unit (27) drivingly coupled to the first connection element (19), a second drive unit (29) drivingly coupled to the second connection element (21) and a third connection element (57) movably mounted to the main wing (11) and mounted to the high lift body (15), the third connection element (57) is arranged between the first connection element (19) and the second connection element (21).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH
    Inventors: Bernhard Schlipf, Marc Hencke
  • Patent number: 11807377
    Abstract: An aircraft propulsion system includes a turbomachine and at least one electric motor. The motor includes a first half-motor and a second half-motor that include, respectively, a first stator and a second stator cooperating with a common rotor of the motor. The propulsion system further includes at least one first energy source (B) capable of delivering a DC voltage and at least one electric generator (PMG) driven by the turbomachine. The electric generator generates an AC voltage to form a second energy source and is associated with an active rectifier that transforms the AC voltage into a DC voltage. The value of the DC voltage is controlled by the active rectifier, the output of which is connected to the first energy source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: SAFRAN ELECTRICAL & POWER
    Inventors: Pierre-Julien Sonnette, Alexis Renotte, Benoit Linck