Back to results
US 2023/0264806 A1Published application
High efficiency aircraft flow control actuators
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsArvin Shmilovich, Yoram Yadlin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method, apparatus, and system for managing airflow comprising flow control actuators in an aircraft. The flow control actuators comprise channels having inlets and outlets, wherein the channels are located under a surface of the aircraft and the outlets are in communication with the surface of the aircraft. Pressurized air applied to the inlets causes steady air jets to be emitted at the outlets in which the steady air jets add a momentum to airflow over the surface on the aircraft.
Claims25
A flow control system comprising:
- flow control actuators in an aircraft, wherein the flow control actuators comprise channels having inlets and outlets, wherein the channels are located under a surface of the aircraft and the outlets are in communication with the surface of the aircraft, and wherein pressurized air applied to the inlets cause steady air jets to be emitted at the outlets in which the steady air jets add a momentum to airflow over the surface on the aircraft.
An aircraft comprising:
- a body;
- airfoils connected to the body;
- control surfaces for the airfoils;
- an air source located in the aircraft, wherein the air source operates to generate pressurized air;
- a duct system connected to the air source;
- and
- flow control actuators located in an interior under a surface of the aircraft, wherein the flow control actuators have channels without feedback channels, wherein the channels have inlets, outlets, and throats in which the inlets are connected to the duct system, the outlets are in communication with an exterior on the surface of the aircraft and positioned relative to control surfaces for the airfoils and the throats in the channels are connected to the outlets for the channels and have a smallest cross sectional area in the channels;
- and
- a controller in the aircraft, wherein the controller controls the flow of the pressurized air through the duct system into the inlets causes the pressurized air to travel through the channels and be emitted as steady air jets at the outlets into an airflow over the surface on the aircraft during flight of the aircraft, wherein the steady air jets add a momentum to the airflow.
6 more elements
A method for managing airflow for an aircraft, the method comprising:
- controlling, by a controller in the aircraft, a flow of pressurized air into inlets in flow control actuators;
- increasing a velocity of the pressurized air flowing through channels in the flow control actuators connected to the inlets in response to a geometry of the channels;
- and
- emitting steady air jets from outlets connected to the channels, wherein the steady air jets are emitted into to airflow over a surface on the aircraft and a momentum to the airflow.
1 more element
A flow control system comprising:
- fluidic flow control actuators for an aircraft, wherein each fluidic flow control actuator in the fluidic flow control actuators has a main channel having an inlet, an outlet, a first feedback loop on a first side of the main channel in which the first feedback loop is in communication with the main channel by first ends for the first feedback loop, and a second feedback loop on a second side of the main channel in which the second feedback loop is in communication with the main channel by second ends for the second feedback loop, wherein the main channel, the first ends, and the second ends are bisected by a plane, wherein the first feedback loop extends away from a first side of the plane and the second feedback loop extends away from a second side of the plane,
- wherein first feedback loops in first fluidic flow control actuators in the fluidic flow control actuators overlap second feedback loops in fluidic second flow control actuators in the fluidic flow control actuators, and
- wherein pressurized air applied to the inlets cause air jets to be emitted at the outlets in which the air jets add a momentum to airflow over a surface on the aircraft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.