Patents Examined by Ryan Andrew Yankey
  • Patent number: 11970270
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a chaff dispensing system that is provided on an aircraft. The chaff dispensing system includes a container, a dispensing assembly, a controller, and a volume of chaff material. The container has a first end, a second end, and a chamber that extends between the first and second ends, and the second end defines an ejection port. The dispensing assembly is provided on the aircraft, and the dispensing assembly is operably engaged to the container. The controller is electrically connected to the dispensing assembly. The volume of chaff material is disposed inside the chamber of the container. The volume of chaff material is dispensed by the dispensing assembly operably through the controller in metered volumes of chaff material. In addition, a first volume of chaff material may be metered at a first time and a second volume chaff material may be metered at a second time in which the second volume of chaff material is different than the first volume of chaff material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.
    Inventors: Danny L. Plemons, Mark J. Dube
  • Patent number: 11965461
    Abstract: A rotatable nacelle includes an engine inlet configured to receive air and an inlet air management system (IAMS). The IAMS includes a primary inlet configured to selectively allow air to flow into a duct associated with the engine air inlet via the primary inlet and a secondary inlet configured to selectively allow air to flow into the duct associated with the engine air inlet via the secondary inlet. The secondary inlet is configured to receive an air filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel John Simpson, Tim Nobel, Mitchell Jay Griffith, Henry Rodger Bredenkamp, Jr., Dave H. Loe, Paul Park
  • Patent number: 11964757
    Abstract: A lockout system for an aircraft having a rotor assembly. The lockout system includes a drive shaft coupled to and rotatable with the rotor assembly, a nonrotating airframe structure disposed proximate the drive shaft and a lock assembly having first and second lock members. The first lock member is rotatable with the drive shaft and includes a plurality of bearing assemblies. The second lock member is coupled to the nonrotating airframe structure and includes a cradle having a plurality of asymmetric slots each with a leading ramp and a trailing stop. The lock assembly has a disengaged position in which rotation of the drive shaft is allowed and an engaged position in which each of the bearing assemblies is seated within one of the asymmetric slots to prevent rotation of the drive shaft. The lock assembly is actuatable between the engaged and disengaged positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.
    Inventors: Grant Michael Beall, Kyle Thomas Cravener, Brady Garrett Atkins, Gilberto Morales
  • Patent number: 11945568
    Abstract: Embodiments for hybrid pressure deck of an aircraft. One embodiment is a pressure deck disposed over a main gear wheel well of an aircraft. The pressure deck includes longitudinal beams extending in a forward and aft direction between an aft wheel well bulkhead and a rear spar of the aircraft. The pressure deck also includes a web attached to an underside of the longitudinal beams. The web includes a flat web portion supported by transverse stiffeners extending in an inboard and outboard direction, and a curved web portion including arches configured to flex laterally from load in the inboard and outboard direction. A transition between the flat web portion and the curved web portion extends at least partially in the forward and aft direction of the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Mark R. McLaughlin, David H. Leibov
  • Patent number: 11945601
    Abstract: A method of operating a supply aircraft for in-flight recharging comprises: transmitting a deploy command signal from a communication unit of the supply aircraft to a communication unit of a receiver aircraft, to cause a line and drogue to deploy from the receiver aircraft; controlling at least one of the supply aircraft and the drogue to engage the drogue with a first end of an electrical cable of the supply aircraft, a second end of the electrical cable being connected to the supply aircraft; and transmitting a return command signal from the communication unit of the supply aircraft to the communication unit of the receiver aircraft, to cause the line and drogue to return to the receiver aircraft with the first end of the electrical cable. The supply aircraft is located behind the receiver aircraft and the deploy command signal is for causing the line and drogue to deploy rearwardly of the receiver aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Brulic Ltd.
    Inventor: James Pitman
  • Patent number: 11945587
    Abstract: A door mounting system mountable to an overhead luggage bin, which includes a bucket with a belly wall and side walls extending transversely from the belly wall, includes: a bullnose having a bullnose body extending between a first bullnose end and a second bullnose end, the bullnose body having a trailing edge mountable to the belly wall; and a hinge bracket mountable to one of the side walls of the bucket, the hinge bracket extending between a lower portion mountable to one of the first and second bullnose ends, and an upper portion structured for hingedly mounting a door thereto. The hinge bracket has a rear mounting extending between the upper portion and the lower portion. The rear mounting is mountable to a forward edge of the one of the side walls of the bucket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: MHI RJ Aviation ULC
    Inventors: Michel Rheaume, Elio Ruggi
  • Patent number: 11932374
    Abstract: A trunk route aircraft has at least one wing for supporting the aircraft during flight, and at least one propulsor for forward propulsion of the aircraft. The trunk route aircraft further includes a pressurized trunk route fuselage having a double-bubble cross-sectional shape and a generally vertically-oriented longitudinal bulkhead dividing the trunk route fuselage interior into two side-by-side trunk route payload compartments. The longitudinal bulkhead is loaded in tension when the trunk route fuselage is pressurized. The trunk route payload compartments are each configured to receive a plurality of lightweight ISO (International Organization for Standardization) geometry containers arranged end-to-end, or a plurality of container inserts arranged end-to-end, each container insert also configured to be received within the lightweight ISO-geometry container, or a combination of one or more lightweight ISO-geometry containers and one or more container inserts arranged end-to-end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Mithra M. K. V. Sankrithi, Sergey D. Barmichev, Anapathur Ramesh
  • Patent number: 11926420
    Abstract: An aircraft cabin partition system may include at least a first partition with a partition cut-out and a first flange with a first flange cut-out. The aircraft cabin partition system may include a first coupling assembly configured to be inserted within the first flange cut-out, configured to be inserted within an opening of a seat rail within a floor of an aircraft cabin, and configured to couple the at least the first partition to the seat rail when engaged. The aircraft cabin partition system may include at least a second partition with a second flange with a second flange cut-out. The aircraft cabin partition system may include a second coupling assembly configured to be inserted within the partition cut-out, configured to be inserted within the second flange cut-out, and configured to couple the at least the second partition to the at least the first partition when engaged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: B/E Aerospace, Inc.
    Inventors: Trevor Skelly, Michael Krenz
  • Patent number: 11919645
    Abstract: The present application relates to providing an aircraft storage container including a lower portion having a horizontal bottom and a plurality of vertical sides configured to form a storage volume, an upper portion rotationally coupled to one of the plurality of vertical sides, a gas piston having a locking mechanism wherein the gas piston is coupled between the lower portion and the upper portion, the gas piston being configured to support the upper portion when the locking mechanism is engaged, a rotational member operative to disengage the locking mechanism when rotated and to engage the locking mechanism when released, and a latch mechanism having a rotational lever, wherein the latch mechanism is operative to rotate the rotational member in response to a pressure on the rotational lever.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kevin Sethapun, Terry Baker
  • Patent number: 11919632
    Abstract: An air mobility device improves propulsion due to the Coand? effect when flying so as to increase a flying range and reduces noise when flying.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Youn Sic Nam, Myeong Man Park, Kwan Ho Moh, Keon Woo Kim
  • Patent number: 11905021
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention discloses a repair system for a planetary exploration parachute. The repair system includes a folding piece and a fuse, the fuse is provided in the folding piece, a sensing signal for reflecting an impact force of dust is received by the fuse, fusing is generated in the fuse when the sensing signal is greater than a preset threshold, and the folding piece is changed from a folded state to an unfolded state after the fusing is generated in the fuse, so as to automatically repair a damaged part of the parachute.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: SOOCHOW UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Tao Chen, Xuyan Hou, Yongbin Wang, Jiali Yu, Lining Sun
  • Patent number: 11899470
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatuses for an airframe of a volitant body are presented herein. An apparatus may include a body having a normal axis. The body comprising a central air passage communicating through the body along the normal axis of the body. The central air passage may have an inlet at a first end of the body and an outlet at a second end of the body, the second end being opposite the first end. The central air passage may form an interior surface of the body. The central air passage permitting a flow of air through the body via the central air passage. The inlet may be formed to produce a Venturi effect in the flow of air passing through the central air passage from the inlet to the outlet by choking the flow of air at the inlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Clifford W. Wong, Michael P. Goslin, Stephen A. Thornton
  • Patent number: 11885123
    Abstract: An inflatable partition includes a flexible membrane, an inflatable frame, and a support member coupled to the inflatable frame. The inflatable frame extends along a periphery of the flexible membrane and has an inner edge adjacent to the flexible membrane and an outer edge. The inflatable frame further includes a sealing mechanism extending along at least a portion of the outer edge and the inflatable frame is inflatable between a first state and a second state. The inflatable partition includes a first structural member and a second structural member. Each of the first and second structural members is coupled to the inflatable frame and extends vertically from the upper portion to the bottom portion of the inflatable frame and the first and second structural members define an opening in the inflatable partition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Liu Weiqiang, Zhongzhe Dong, Long Long, Daniel Wei
  • Patent number: 11866191
    Abstract: An air to air refueling system that monitors and adapts the movement at an end of an air to air refueling hose of a tanker aircraft to counteract undesirable movements at the end of the hose though generating aerodynamic loads in the end of the hose. The system includes grid fins at the end of the hose that are automatically rotated to counteract the undesirable movements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE, S.A.U.
    Inventors: Gonzalo Martín Gómez, Samuel De La Fuente López
  • Patent number: 11866162
    Abstract: An electrically distributed yaw control system for a helicopter having a tailboom and a power system includes one or more tail rotors including a motor rotatably coupled to the tailboom and a power distribution unit. The power distribution unit includes a power management monitoring module configured to monitor one or more flight parameters of the helicopter and a power management command module configured to allocate power between the power system and the one or more tail rotor motors based on the one or more flight parameters of the helicopter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.
    Inventors: Marc Ouellet, Guillaume Biron, Alexis Dugré, Marc Bustamante, Chen Kuang
  • Patent number: 11858613
    Abstract: An aerospace vehicle including: a body, wherein the body is configured to generate heat during operation; a coating disposed over at least a portion of the body, the coating being configured to shift a frequency of at least one wavelength of the heat generated by the body from a first frequency to a second frequency having higher transmissivity relative to a neighboring medium surrounding the body as compared to the first frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Hendrik Pieter Jacobus de Bock, William Dwight Gerstler, Anant Achyut Setlur, James William Bray
  • Patent number: 11820184
    Abstract: A land-and-air vehicle configured to switch between a ground traveling mode and an aerial flight mode incudes a body, a wing, a wheel, a suspension, and a lock mechanism. The wing is attached to the body. The wheel is provided on a lower side of the body. The suspension is configured to support the body via the wheel on ground, and to contract due to self-weight of the land-and-air vehicle. The lock mechanism is configured to limit expansion of the suspension from a state in which the suspension has contracted due to the self-weight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Daisuke Hirabayashi, Keisuke Tajiri
  • Patent number: 11807383
    Abstract: A hydrogen-fuelled aircraft 200 comprises a fuselage, wings and a plurality of cylindrical elongate hydrogen storage tanks mounted on the exterior of the fuselage and disposed vertically above a plane containing the wing-tips of the aircraft. An aerodynamic fairing forms a continuous air-washed surface of the aircraft together with a lower portion of the fuselage. The hydrogen storage tanks extend generally parallel to the fuselage and are contained between the fairing and the fuselage. The aircraft provides for storage of a large volume of compressed hydrogen without compromising the volume of usable space within the fuselage. The aircraft is able to carry out flight missions comparable in range and payload to those of an equivalent conventionally-fuelled aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Inventor: Eric W Dean
  • Patent number: 11794877
    Abstract: An integrated asymmetric brake system for an aircraft includes a housing and a control surface actuator arranged in the housing. The control surface actuator includes a torque limiter output member and is operable to selectively deploy and retract a control surface. An asymmetry brake system is arranged in the housing and is operably connected to the control surface actuator and the torque limiter output member. The asymmetry brake system is selectively operable to prevent deployment of the control surface by activating the torque limiter output member upon detecting an asymmetry event. An asymmetry brake test monitor switch is mounted in the housing and operably coupled to the asymmetry brake system. The asymmetry brake test monitor switch is monitored to confirm functionality of the asymmetry brake system prior to flight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventor: Victor Barger
  • Patent number: 11794874
    Abstract: Examples for low impact hat stringer fluid dams are presented herein. An aircraft structure may include a wing with a vent stringer coupled to the wing. The vent stringer may include a center portion positioned between a first section and a second section. The center portion of the vent stringer includes a slot. A vent dam may be coupled within the vent stringer proximate the slot in the center portion. The vent dam can include a sealant coupled between an integrated pair of baffles such that a combination of the sealant and the integrated pair of baffles prevents fluid communication between the first section and the second section of the vent stringer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Garrett C. Hanson