Telescopic wing system
AssigneeQorTek, Inc.
InventorsGareth Knowles, Ross W. Bird
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention is a wing having telescoping segments deployed via an actuator composed of a heat activated material. The actuator is a coiled tube of shape memory alloy (SMA) with large force-displacement characteristics activated thermally by either a fluid or an electrical charge. Actuator motion extends an inner wing segment from an outer wing segment when the coiled tube is compressed. Compression is achieved by heating the coiled tube so as to cause a phase transformation from Martensite to Austenite. The inner wing segment may be retracted by a mechanical device or second SMA coil when the coiled tube is cooled and returned to its Martensite phase.
Claims16
A telescopic wing system comprising:
- (a) an outer wing segment;
- (b) an inner wing segment telescopically disposed from said outer wing segment, said outer wing segment and said inner wing segment each having a first end and a second end;
- and
- (c) an actuator comprising a coiled tube composed of a shape memory alloy, said actuator fastened to said second end of said outer wing segment and to said first end of said inner wing segment so that said actuator is disposed lengthwise in an extended fashion within said telescopic wing system, said coiled tube having a fluid therein so as to contract said actuator lengthwise when heated by said fluid and extending said inner wing segment from said outer wing segment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.