# US 7,744,038 B2 · Controllable winglets > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,744,038 B2 - Document ID: US7744038B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/763,701 - Filed: 2007-06-15 - Published: 2008-12-18 - Granted: 2010-06-29 - Earliest claimed: 2007-06-15 - Assignees: The Boeing Company - Inventors: Mithra M. K. V. Sankrithi; Joshua B. Frommer - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7744038B2 ## CPC - B64C 23/076: {the wing tip airfoil devices comprising one or more separate moveable members thereon affecting the vortices, e.g. flaps} - B64C 23/072: {the wing tip airfoil devices being moveable in their entirety} - Y02T 50/10: Drag reduction - B64C: AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract Systems and methods for providing variable geometry winglets to an aircraft are disclosed. In one embodiment, a winglet includes a base portion configured to attach to a wing. The winglet further includes a body portion. In turn, the body portion includes at least one of a deflectable control surface, a shape memory alloy (SMA) bending plate, and a SMA torque tube. The base portion is configured to attach to the wing such that the body portion projects at an upward angle from the wing. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A winglet, comprising: a base portion to attach to a distal portion of a wing; and a body portion that includes a controllable section to adjust a shape of the body portion, the controllable section contains at a shaped memory alloy (SMA) bending plate that bends the body portion span-wise relative to the wing and a SMA torque tube that twists the body portion stream-wise, wherein the base portion attaches to the wing such that the body portion projects at an upward angle from the wing. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The winglet of claim 1, wherein each of the SMA bending plate and the SMA torque tube is interconnected to the base portion and the body portion. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The winglet of claim 1, wherein the body portion further includes a deflectable control surface that is positioned on the body portion and deflects with respect to the body portion, further comprising an actuator that connects the deflectable control surface to the body portion, the actuator to deflect the deflectable control surface. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The winglet of claim 1, wherein the base portion includes a bendable super elastic base structure that connects to the body portion. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The winglet of claim 4, wherein the super elastic base structure includes at least a SMA portion, further comprising a SMA heating element to reversibly deform the SMA portion. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The winglet of claim 1, further comprising a SMA heating element to reversibly deform at least one of the SMA bending plate or the SMA torque tube. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The winglet of claim 1, wherein at least one of the SMA bending plate or the SMA torque tube changes a camber of the winglet. ### Claim 8 A method for adapting an aircraft to a plurality of flight conditions, comprising: providing a plurality of winglets, each of the winglets coupled to a distal end of a different wing of a pair of wings, each of the winglets including a corresponding body portion that comprises, a shape memory alloy (SMA) bending plate to bend the body portion span-wise relative to a corresponding wing, and a SMA torque tube that twists the body portion stream-wise; providing a first winglet modification signal that reversibly deforms at least one of the SMA bending plate or the SMA torque tube; and modifying at least one of the winglets based on the modification signal. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein providing a plurality of winglets further includes providing a deflectable control surface on each winglet, and providing each deflectable control surface with an actuator that connects the deflectable control surface to the body portion, the actuator to deflect the deflectable control surface. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising providing a control surface deflection signal and wherein modifying the winglet includes deflecting the deflectable control surface in response to the control surface deflection signal. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein providing a plurality of winglets includes providing a base portion to each winglet that connects a corresponding body portion to a corresponding wing, each of the base portion includes a super elastic base structure having a bendable SMA portion. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising providing a heating element that reversibly deforms one of the SMA bending plate, the SMA torque tube, or the SMA portion. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein providing the wing modification signal includes providing the winglet modification signal to modify at least one of the plurality of winglets to at least one of minimize a ground wingspan of the corresponding wing, reduce induced drag on the corresponding wing during flight, augment one of a rolling movement or a yaw movement of the aircraft, or redistribute a wing load on the corresponding wing during flight. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein modifying the at least one winglet further includes reversibly deforming at least one of the SMA bending plate or the SMA torque tube to change the camber of the winglet body portion. ### Claim 15 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein providing the winglet modification signal includes providing the winglet modification signal based on sensor data, the sensor data including at least one of air speed sensor data, gust sensor data, inertia load sensor data, look-ahead sensor data, accelerometer data, dynamic pressure sensor data, altimeter data, Mach sensor data, or fuel flow sensor data. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein providing the winglet modification signal includes analyzing the sensor data using at least one of a Kalman filter algorithm, a time jerk algorithm, a proportional control algorithm, or an integral-proportional control algorithm. ### Claim 17 An aircraft comprising: a fuselage; a pair of wings operatively coupled to the fuselage; and a winglet coupled to each wing, the winglet comprising: a base portion to attach to the wing; a body portion including a shape memory alloy (SMA) bending plate to bend the body portion span-wise to at least one of the pair of wings, and at least one SMA torque tube to perform stream-wise twist of the body portion; and a super elastic SMA base portion attached to the wing and the body portion, the super elastic base portion having a hollow SMA structure that at least partially encloses the SMA bending plate and the at least one SMA torque tube, wherein the super elastic base portion attaches to the wing such that the body portion projects at an upward angle from the wing. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The aircraft of claim 17, wherein the body portion further includes a deflectable control surface, further comprising an actuator to deflect the deflectable control surface and a thermal element to reversibly deform the SMA bending plate or the a SMA torque tube. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The aircraft of claim 18, further comprising a winglet control system that includes: an input component to obtain sensor data from one or more sensors, the sensor including at least one of an air speed sensor, gust sensor data, inertia sensor data, look-ahead sensor data, and accelerometer data; an analysis component to analyze the sensor data to generate one or more winglet modification signals; and an output component to provide the one or more winglet modification signal to at least one of the actuator or the thermal element. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The aircraft of claim 17, wherein the pair of wings includes one of a pair of dihedral wings, a pair of anhedral wings, a pair of polyhedral wings, a pair of aft-swept wings, a pair of forward-swept wings, a pair of aerodynamically-twisted wings, or a pair of blended wings.