Wing lock and deployment mechanism
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsKeith Ryan Hollen, Nathan Adam Kostelecky, Bryan Michael Loris, Jonathan David Gettinger, Alexander McGregor, Everett Ryan Eaton, Michael L. Oleshchuk
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A wing lock and deployment apparatus for an air launched vehicle includes a ball screw and driver acted on by a single actuation event. The disclosed wing lock and deployment apparatus is capable of unlocking deployable wings of an air launched vehicle, deploying deployable wings of the air launched vehicle from a stored position, and locking deployable wings of the air launched vehicle in a deployed position in sequential order with the one single actuation event.
Claims20
A wing lock and deployment apparatus, comprising:
- a driver threadably engaged with a ball screw;
- a deployable wing connected to the driver;
- a lock keeper engaged with a toggle lock, the toggle lock releasably engaged with the deployable wing;
- and
- a bias on the lock keeper, the bias configured to urge the lock keeper in a first direction and force the toggle lock into engagement with the deployable wing.
A wing lock and deployment system for storing, unlocking, and deploying wings of an air launched vehicle, comprising:
- a glide kit attached to the air launched vehicle, the glide kit comprising a stored position and a deployed position;
- the glide kit comprising:
- a housing;
- a first deployable wing pivotably attached to the housing and a second deployable wing pivotably attached to the housing;
- a driver threadably engaged with a ball screw;
- a lock keeper engaged with a toggle lock, the toggle lock releasably engaged with the first deployable wing and the second deployable wing;
- and
- a bias on the lock keeper, the bias configured to urge the lock keeper in a first direction and force the toggle lock into engagement with the first deployable wing and the second deployable wing.
A method for unlocking and deploying wings of an air launched vehicle, the method comprising:
- providing a wing lock and deployment apparatus attached to an air launched vehicle, wherein the wing lock and deployment apparatus comprises:
- deployable wings;
- and
- a driver threadably engaged with a ball screw and connected to the deployable wings;
- receiving a single command to initiate rotational movement of the ball screw from a resting state to a moving state;
- and
- as a result of the rotational movement of the ball screw, sequentially unlocking the deployable wings and deploying the deployable wings from a stored position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.