Multistage suspension for UAV landing gear
AssigneeWing Aviation LLC
InventorsRay Leung, Elizabeth Marshman, Adem Rudin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A landing gear assembly for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) includes a shock tower, a pair of leg members, and suspension assemblies. The shock tower is adapted to mount to a frame of a fuselage of the UAV and includes upper and lower end mounts. The leg members are adapted to extend out from opposing sides of the lower end mounts. The leg members are flexible and each include an upper leg section pivotally mounted to the lower end mount and a lower leg section adapted to connect to a ground gear. The suspension assemblies are each mounted to and extend between the upper end mount and a corresponding one of the leg members. The suspension assemblies each include a damper and a spring.
Claims16
A landing gear assembly for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the landing assembly comprising:
- a shock tower adapted to mount to a frame of a fuselage of the UAV, the shock tower including upper and lower end mounts;
- a pair of leg members adapted to extend out from opposing sides of the lower end mount, wherein each of the leg members is flexible and includes an upper leg section pivotally mounted to the lower end mount and a lower leg section adapted to connect to a ground gear;
- suspension assemblies each mounted to and extending between the upper end mount and a corresponding one of the leg members, each of the suspension assemblies including a damper and a spring;
- and
- preload bumpers each compressed against the upper leg section of a corresponding one of the leg members to press the upper leg section against the lower end mount,
- wherein the shock tower includes a clamping collar adapted to clamp around a central structural member of the frame, and wherein thru-bolts extend through the upper and lower end mounts, through the clamping collar, and into the preload bumpers.
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising:
- a fuselage including a frame;
- and
- a landing gear assembly connected to the fuselage and adapted to absorb an impact shock when the UAV lands, the landing gear assembly including:
- a shock tower mounted to the frame, the shock tower including upper and lower end mounts;
- a pair of leg members extending out from opposing sides of the fuselage, wherein each of the leg members is flexible and includes an upper leg section pivotally mounted to the lower end mount and a lower leg section connected to a ground gear;
- suspension assemblies mounted to and extending between the upper end mount and a corresponding one of the leg members, each of the suspension assemblies including a damper and a spring;
- and
- preload bumpers each compressed against the upper leg section of a corresponding one of the leg members to press the upper leg section against the lower end mount,
- wherein thru-bolts extend through the upper and lower end mounts of the shock tower and extend through the preload bumpers,
- wherein the upper end mount of the shock tower and the spring of each of the suspension assemblies are disposed within a fairing cross-section of the fuselage while the leg members pass through openings in the fuselage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.