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US 7,097,133 B2Granted
Articulated folding wing structure and method
AssigneeRaytheon Company
InventorDaryl B. Elam
Life of this patent
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AssigneeRaytheon Company
InventorDaryl B. Elam
Estimating the term…
An articulated wing (20) is readily deployable from a stowed configuration that occupies minimal volume to an extended configuration for flight. The wing (20) includes a frame (24) having a pair of beams (30) spaced by one or more ribs (36), and a flexible covering material (26) over the frame (24) that defines the surface of the wing (20). Each beam (30) typically has multiple segments (40), and each segment (40) is pivotally connected to an adjacent segment (40) at a joint (42). A flexible actuation line (52) extends past each joint (42) and is attached to a portion of the beam beyond the joint. The beam (30) also includes portions that act as stops (46). The stops (46) limit the range of angular motion through which the respective segments (40) can rotate relative to one another. Consequently, when tension is applied to the line (52), the segments (40) rotate until respective stops (46) prevent further rotation. Tension in each line (52) keeps the wing (20) in its extended configuration.
An articulated wing on an aerial vehicle, comprising:
A missile having a fuselage and an articulated wing mounted to and extendable from the fuselage, the wing including a pair of beams, each beam having a plurality of segments that are pivotably connected together at respective joints between adjacent segments for rotation about axes passing through the joints, a stop at each joint that limits the rotation of adjacent segments, a flexible actuation line that extends past each joint and is connected to the beam such that applying tension to the line causes the segments to rotate and deploy the beam from a retracted position to an extended position, a plurality of ribs spanning the distance between the segments, and a covering material extending over the segments and ribs that forms a substantially continuous surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.