VTOL aircraft
AssigneeAirbus Operations GmbH
InventorsAlexander Hayes, Ashley Bidmead
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A VTOL aircraft (100) including a wheel braking system and a hydraulically coupled shock absorber (5) and brake piston (7). The shock absorber (5) carries the weight of the aircraft (100) when a wheel (1) connected to the shock absorber (5) is in contact with a ground surface. A hydraulic pressure within the shock absorber (5) is proportional to the weight of the aircraft (100) carried by the shock absorber (5). The shock absorber (5) and brake piston (7) are hydraulically coupled such that, when the pressure within the shock absorber (5) exceeds a threshold pressure, the pressure within the shock absorber (5) actuates the brake piston (7) to apply a braking torque to the wheel (1) of the VTOL aircraft (100).
Claims16
A vertical take-off and landing aircraft comprising:
- a first wheel attached to a shock absorber configured to carry at least part of the weight of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft when the first wheel is in contact with a ground surface, wherein a hydraulic pressure within the shock absorber is proportional to the at least part of the weight of the aircraft carried by the shock absorber, and
- a brake piston configured to provide a braking torque to the first wheel or to a second wheel of the aircraft,
- wherein the shock absorber and the brake piston are hydraulically coupled such that, when the hydraulic pressure within the shock absorber exceeds a threshold pressure, the hydraulic pressure within the shock absorber actuates the brake piston to apply a braking torque to the first wheel or to the second wheel of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft.
A method to operate a brake on a vertical take-off and landing aircraft including a first wheel attached to a shock absorber and a second wheel, the method comprising:
- increasing a hydraulic pressure in the shock absorber due to the first wheel contacting a ground surface, wherein the hydraulic pressure is proportional to a part the weight of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft carried by the shock absorber;
- and
- actuating a brake piston to apply a braking torque to the first wheel or to the second wheel using the hydraulic pressure in the shock absorber and in response to the hydraulic pressure in the shock absorber exceeding a threshold pressure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.