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US 2010/0133387 A1Published application
Shape changing airfoil system
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsJeffrey H. Wood, James P. Dunne
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for an airfoil, a flexible skin, and a shape control system. The flexible skin forms a control surface of the airfoil. The shape control system is capable of changing a shape of the control surface formed by the flexible skin between a plurality of shapes, wherein a gap does not occur during a changing of the shape of the control surface.
Claims20
An apparatus comprising:
- an airfoil;
- a flexible skin forming a control surface of the airfoil;
- and
- a shape control system capable of changing a shape of the control surface formed by the flexible skin between a plurality of shapes, wherein a gap does not occur during a changing of the shape of the control surface.
1 more element
An aircraft comprising:
- an airfoil;
- a flexible skin forming a portion of a surface of the airfoil;
- a rigid skin forming another portion of the surface of the airfoil, wherein the rigid skin and the flexible skin are adjacent to each other and form a contiguous skin surface for the airfoil;
- a roller system capable of engaging an interior surface of the flexible skin;
- a plurality of linkages coupled to the roller system;
- and
- an actuator system capable of moving the plurality of linkages in a manner that causes the roller system to move against an interior of the flexible skin to change a shape of the flexible skin between a plurality of shapes.
4 more elements
A method for changing a configuration of an airfoil, the method comprising:
- receiving a signal at an actuator system to change a shape of the airfoil having a flexible skin from an undeployed shape to a deployed shape;
- and
- responsive to receiving the signal, activating the actuator system to move a plurality of linkages connected to a roller system to engage an interior surface of the flexible skin adjacent to a rigid skin, wherein the flexible skin changes from an undeployed shape to a deployed shape.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.