Aircraft with active aerosurfaces

• US 10,442,522 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2017
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bell Helicopter Textron Incorporated (Textron Inc)
• Original Assignee: Bell Textron Inc. (Textron Inc)
• Inventors: Oldroyd, Paul K., McCullough, John Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Topolski, Magdalena
• Application Number:
  US15/606,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20180339771A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 11/46 Arrangements of, or constructional features peculiar to, multiple propellers B64C11/306 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 2211/00 Modular constructions of airplanes or helicopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/52 Tilting of rotor bodily relative to fuselage of see-saw type construction B64C27/43
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/59 mechanical
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/0033 the propellers being tiltable relative to the fuselage
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/02 having its flight directional axis vertical when grounded
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 3/10 Shape of wings
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 3/385 Variable incidence wings
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 5/02 Tailplanes
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/291 Detachable rotors or rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/297 Tilting rotors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/11 using internal combustion piston engines
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/20 Transmission of mechanical power to rotors or propellers
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/80 Vertical take-off or landing, e.g. using rockets rotorcrafts B64U10/10; VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/10 Drag reduction

Abstract

An aircraft operable to transition between a forward flight mode and a vertical takeoff and landing flight mode. The aircraft includes an airframe having first and second wings. A plurality of propulsion assemblies is attached to the airframe with each of the propulsion assemblies including a nacelle and a tail assembly having at least one active aerosurface. A flight control system is operable to independently control each of the propulsion assemblies. For each of the propulsion assemblies, the tail assembly is rotatable relative to the nacelle such that the active aerosurface has a first orientation generally parallel to the wings and a second orientation generally perpendicular to the wings.

Claims

1. An aircraft operable to transition between a forward flight mode and a vertical takeoff and landing flight mode, the aircraft comprising:

an airframe including first and second wings with first and second pylons extending therebetween;

a plurality of propulsion assemblies including two propulsion assemblies coupled to the first wing and two propulsion assemblies coupled to the second wing, each of the propulsion assemblies including a nacelle and a tail assembly having at least one active aerosurface; and

a flight control system operable to independently control each of the propulsion assemblies;

wherein, for each of the propulsion assemblies, the tail assembly is rotatable relative to the nacelle such that the active aerosurface has a first orientation generally parallel to the wings and a second orientation generally perpendicular to the wings.

2. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein, each of the propulsion assemblies further comprises an actuator and wherein, for each of the propulsion assemblies, the actuator is operable to rotate the tail assembly relative to the nacelle.

3. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein, each of the propulsion assemblies further comprises an actuator and wherein, for each of the propulsion assemblies, the actuator is operable to translate the tail assembly relative to the nacelle between a retracted configuration and an extended configuration.

4. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein, in the first orientation, each of the active aerosurface further comprises a horizontal stabilizer.

5. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein, in the first orientation, each of the active aerosurfaces further comprises an elevator.

6. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein, in the first orientation, each of the active aerosurfaces provides pitch control to the aircraft.

7. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein, in the second orientation, each of the active aerosurfaces further comprises a vertical stabilizer.

8. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein, in the second orientation, each of the active aerosurfaces further comprises a rudder.

9. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein, in the second orientation, each of the active aerosurfaces provides yaw control to the aircraft.

10. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein, during vertical takeoff and landing flight maneuvers, each of the active aerosurfaces is in the first orientation.

11. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein, during hover flight maneuvers, each of the active aerosurfaces is in the first orientation.

12. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein, during transitions from vertical takeoff and landing flight maneuvers to forward flight maneuvers, each of the active aerosurfaces is in the first orientation.

13. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein, during transitions from forward flight maneuvers to vertical takeoff and landing flight maneuvers, each of the active aerosurfaces is in the first orientation.

14. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein, during forward flight maneuvers, each of the active aerosurfaces is in the second orientation.

15. An aircraft operable to transition between a forward flight mode and a vertical takeoff and landing flight mode, the aircraft comprising:

an airframe including first and second wings with first and second pylons extending therebetween;

a plurality of propulsion assemblies including two propulsion assemblies coupled to the first wing and two propulsion assemblies coupled to the second wing, each of the propulsion assemblies including a nacelle, a tail assembly having at least one active aerosurface, a first actuator and a second actuator; and

a flight control system operable to independently control each of the propulsion assemblies, the flight control system including an active aerosurface control system operable to control operations of each of the first and second actuators;

wherein, for each of the propulsion assemblies, the first actuator is operable to rotate the tail assembly relative to the nacelle such that the active aerosurface has a first orientation generally parallel to the wings and a second orientation generally perpendicular to the wings; and

wherein, for each of the propulsion assemblies, the second actuator is operable to translate the tail assembly relative to the nacelle between a retracted configuration and an extended configuration.

16. The aircraft as recited in claim 15 wherein, in the first orientation, each of the active aerosurfaces further comprises a horizontal stabilizer operable to provide pitch control to the aircraft.

17. The aircraft as recited in claim 15 wherein, in the first orientation, each of the active aerosurfaces further comprises an elevator operable to provide pitch control to the aircraft.

18. The aircraft as recited in claim 15 wherein, in the second orientation, each of the active aerosurfaces further comprises a vertical stabilizer operable to provide yaw control to the aircraft.

19. The aircraft as recited in claim 15 wherein, in the second orientation, each of the active aerosurfaces further comprises a rudder operable to provide yaw control to the aircraft.

20. The aircraft as recited in claim 15 wherein, during vertical takeoff and landing flight maneuvers, during hover flight maneuvers and during transitions between vertical takeoff and landing flight maneuvers and forward flight maneuvers, each of the active aerosurfaces is in the first orientation and wherein, during forward flight maneuvers, each of the active aerosurfaces is in the second orientation.