# US 10,479,516 B2 · Aircraft, aircraft engine, and aircraft engine nacelle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,479,516 B2 - Document ID: US10479516B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/421,619 - Filed: 2017-02-01 - Published: 2017-08-24 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2016-02-19 - Assignees: Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation - Applicants: Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation - Inventors: Tetsuya Oonishi; Masahiro Shimojo; Takanori Suzuki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10479516B2 ## CPC - B64D 27/18: within, or attached to, wings - B64C 7/02: Nacelles - B64D 29/06: Attaching of nacelles, fairings or cowlings - B64D 45/0005: {Devices specially adapted to indicate the position of a movable element of the aircraft, e.g. landing gear} - B64D 47/02: Arrangements or adaptations of signal or lighting devices - B64D: EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT - B64C: AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS ## Abstract To surely grasp an unlocked state of a cowl member while suppressing cost and time necessary for measures against forgetting of locking of an engine nacelle. An aircraft according to the present invention includes: an engine (3) that includes an engine main body (4, 5) outputting thrust force and an engine nacelle (7) surrounding the engine main body (4, 5); an engine pylon (2) that supports the engine main body (4, 5) to a main wing (1) and axially supports a cowl member (8) to be openable, the cowl member (8) configuring the engine nacelle (7); a locking part (30) that locks the cowl member (8) of the engine nacelle (7) in a closed state; and one or more light emitting sections (15) that are disposed inside the cowl member (8) and show an unlocked state of the cowl member (8). ## Claims ### Claim 1 An aircraft, comprising: an engine that includes an engine main body and an engine nacelle, the engine main body outputting thrust force, and the engine nacelle surrounding the engine main body; an engine pylon that supports the engine main body to an airframe, and axially supports a cowl member to be openable, the cowl member configuring the engine nacelle; a locking part that locks the cowl member of the engine nacelle in a closed state; and one or more light emitting sections that are disposed inside the cowl member and show an unlocked state of the cowl member, wherein the unlocked state of the cowl member becomes visible by light emitted from the one or more light emitting sections and visible from an outside of the engine nacelle through a gap generated on an inner circumference of the cowl member when the cowl member is not locked. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The aircraft according to claim 1, further comprising an apparatus that acquires a state of a switch, the switch being put into an ON state when a load of the airframe is applied to a leg, wherein the apparatus feeds power to the one or more light emitting sections to turn on the one or more light emitting sections when the switch is in the ON state, and the apparatus does not feed power to the one or more light emitting sections to turn off the one or more light emitting sections when the switch is in an OFF state. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The aircraft according to claim 1, further comprising a circuit section that applies a pulse-form voltage signal to the one or more light emitting sections, wherein the one or more light emitting sections each blink in a cycle corresponding to the applied voltage. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the cowl member comprises a first cowl and a second cowl, the first cowl surrounding a fan included in the engine main body, and the second cowl surrounding an engine core included in the engine main body, and the one or more light emitting sections are disposed inside at least one of the first cowl and the second cowl. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The aircraft according to claim 1, further comprising a push mechanism that is disposed near a lower end of the engine nacelle, the push mechanism pushing the cowl member located on an airframe side of the engine nacelle and the cowl member located on an outer side of the engine nacelle to expand a space between the cowl members. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the locking part includes a handle that is operated to lock the cowl member, and the one or more light emitting sections are disposed on a rear side of the handle in addition to inside the cowl member, the rear side of the handle being exposed when the cowl member is not locked. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the one or more light emitting sections are disposed in a vicinity of a leading edge of the cowl member or in a vicinity of a trailing edge of the cowl member or both. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the one or more light emitting sections are disposed over a predetermined range in a circumferential direction including a position of a diameter of the engine nacelle in a horizontal direction or a vicinity of the position. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the one or more light emitting sections are connected with a power supply through a switch, the switch being put into an ON state when a load of the airframe is applied to a leg, and the one or more light emitting sections are turned on when the switch is in the ON state, and are turned off when the switch is in an OFF state. ### Claim 10 An aircraft, comprising: an engine that includes an engine main body and an engine nacelle, the engine main body outputting thrust force, and the engine nacelle surrounding the engine main body; an engine pylon that supports the engine main body to an airframe, and axially supports a cowl member to be openable, the cowl member configuring the engine nacelle; a locking part that locks the cowl member of the engine nacelle in a closed state; and one or more light emitting sections that are disposed inside the cowl member and show an unlocked state of the cowl member, wherein the one or more light emitting sections are connected with a power supply through a switch, the switch being put into an ON state when a load of the airframe is applied to a leg, and the one or more light emitting sections are turned on when the switch is in the ON state, and are turned off when the switch is in an OFF state. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The aircraft according to claim 10, wherein the one or more light emitting sections are disposed in a vicinity of a leading edge of the cowl member or in a vicinity of a trailing edge of the cowl member or both. ### Claim 12 An aircraft engine attached to an aircraft, the engine comprising: an engine main body that outputs thrust force; and an engine nacelle that surrounds the engine main body, wherein the engine nacelle includes a cowl member, a locking member, and a light emitting section, the cowl member being axially supported to be openable by an engine pylon of the aircraft and surrounding the engine main body, the locking member locking the cowl member in a closed state, and the light emitting section being disposed inside the cowl member and showing an unlocked state of the cowl member, wherein the unlocked state of the cowl member becomes visible by light emitted from the one or more light emitting sections and visible from an outside of the engine nacelle through a gap generated on an inner circumference of the cowl member when the cowl member is not locked. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The aircraft engine according to claim 12, wherein the cowl member comprises a first cowl and a second cowl, the first cowl surrounding a fan included in the engine main body, and the second cowl surrounding an engine core included in the engine main body, and the one or more light emitting sections are disposed inside at least one of the first cowl and the second cowl. ### Claim 14 An aircraft engine nacelle, comprising: a cowl member that is axially supported to be openable by an engine pylon of an aircraft and surrounds an engine main body; a locking member that locks the cowl member in a closed state; and a light emitting section that is disposed inside the cowl member and emits light outside through a gap generated on an inner circumference of the cowl member when the locking member is not locked. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The aircraft engine nacelle according to claim 14, further comprising a circuit section that applies a pulse-form voltage signal to the one or more light emitting sections, wherein the one or more light emitting sections each blink in a cycle corresponding to the applied voltage. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The aircraft engine nacelle according to claim 14, further comprising a push mechanism that is disposed near a lower end of the engine nacelle, the push mechanism pushing the cowl member located on an airframe side of the engine nacelle and the cowl member located on an outer side of the engine nacelle to expand a space between the cowl members. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The aircraft engine nacelle according to claim 14, wherein the locking part includes a handle that is operated to lock the cowl member, and the one or more light emitting sections are disposed on a rear side of the handle in addition to inside the cowl member, the rear side of the handle being exposed when the cowl member is not locked. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The aircraft engine nacelle according to claim 14, wherein the one or more light emitting sections are disposed over a predetermined range in a circumferential direction including a position of a diameter of the engine nacelle in a horizontal direction or a vicinity of the position.