Mechanisms for deploying and actuating airfoil-shaped bodies on unmanned aerial vehicles
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorJonathan David Gettinger
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Deployment and control actuation mechanisms are incorporated in unmanned aerial vehicles having folding wings and/or folding canards and/or a folding vertical stabilizer. The folding canards and folding vertical stabilizer can be deployed using respective four-bar over-center mechanisms. Elevators pivotably mounted to the folding canards and a rudder pivotably mounted to the folding vertical stabilizer can be controlled by means of respective twist link mechanisms. The folding wings have respective wing roots that are driven by respective gas springs to pivot on bearings about a wing root hub having control servo wire paths.
Claims15
An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising a fuselage, a deployment mechanism supported by said fuselage, and an airfoil-shaped body attached to said deployment mechanism and rotatable between stowed and deployed positions, wherein said deployment mechanism comprises:
- first and second links which are pivotably coupled to each other at a first joint,
- a third link that is attached to said fuselage and pivotably coupled to said first link at a second joint, and
- a fourth link comprising a first portion that is pivotably coupled to said second link at a third joint and a second portion that is pivotably coupled to said third link, said fourth link being rotatable about an axis of rotation,
- wherein said airfoil-shaped body is attached to said second portion of said fourth link and is not attached to any of said first, second and third links, and
- wherein said airfoil-shaped body can rotate with said fourth link from said stowed position at which said first, second and third joints are not aligned to a deployed position at which said first, second and third joints are aligned.
An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising a fuselage, a first airfoil-shaped body that is rotatably mounted to said fuselage for rotation from a stowed position to a deployed position about a first axis of rotation, an actuation mechanism supported by said fuselage, and a second airfoil-shaped body pivotably coupled to a trailing edge of said first airfoil-shaped body for rotation about a second axis of rotation, wherein said actuation mechanism comprises a motor, a first arm coupled to said motor, a second arm coupled to said second airfoil-shaped body, and a twist link that couples said first and second arms to each other, an angle of said second airfoil-shaped body relative to said first airfoil-shaped body being adjustable in response to movement of said first arm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.