Airbus Operations Gmbh

Airbus UK Limited

Christopher Neil Wood

Leung Choi Chow

Philip Campbell

Kayvon Barad

Alessio Cipullo

David Leonard Rondeau

Carsten Heuer

Alan Sharp

David A Foot

Andrew John Dyer

A system installed on an aircraft. The system includes a memory storing static information in one or more optical fibre gratings; and an interrogator. The interrogator includes a light source configured to transmit interrogation light to the memory, a receiver configured to receive return light from the memory, and an analyser configured to analyse the return light to obtain the static information.

Avionics system for an aircraft

A communication apparatus for a fiber-optic communication system for an aircraft that includes: an optical coupler; an input port optically coupled to the optical coupler via a first waveguide, the input port arranged to receive light; a modulator optically coupled to the optical coupler via a second waveguide, the modulator having a logic input and a fiber having a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) receiving light from the input port via the optical coupler, the modulator operable to vary a strain force applied to the fiber according to a logic signal received at the logic input to modulate a wavelength of a modulated light signal reflected by the FBG back to the optical coupler; and an output port optically coupled to the optical coupler via a third waveguide to receive the modulated light signal therefrom, the output port being operable to output the modulated light signal.

Fibre-optic communication system, a communication apparatus for the same, and a vehicle

An apparatus for determining the position of an object having one or more magnetic elements. The apparatus includes magnetostrictive optical sensors, each arranged to produce a signal which is indicative of a proximity of the sensor to the one or more magnetic elements. The apparatus is arranged to determine the position of the object based on a plurality of such proximity signals.

Position sensing

An aircraft landing gear assembly comprises a landing gear () arranged to be moveable between a stowed position and a deployed position. The assembly includes a removably mounted cover plate () that covers a void () defined by a part of the landing gear assembly. The plate () may have a substantially constant thickness, one or more fixing elements () on one side only of the plate, and a sealing element () that extends around substantially the entire perimeter () of the plate ().

Landing gear with noise reduction apparatus

An aircraft landing gear () includes a wheel () having a wheel rim () on which a tire () is held. The gap () between the rim () and tire () is bridged and covered by a sealing element (), which thereby presents a smooth surface to the air flowing over the wheel during flight of the aircraft (). Thus, noise that would otherwise be generated by the interaction of air and the parts of the wheel () and/or tire () defining the gap () is reduced. Such noise reduction benefits may also be achieved by providing a tire () and wheel () so shaped that there is no gap () between the tire () and wheel rim ().

Landing gear assembly

An aircraft landing gear is arranged such that in its deployed position it is configured to reduce, during the approach on landing, the noise generated by the interaction of the landing gear and the air flowing past the landing gear. Various means are described to reduce the amount of turbulent air flow generated in the region of the landing gear, including inverting and fairing the nose-gear shock-absorbing leg, providing faired twin in-line oleos and providing fairings that produce shielding air curtains.

Landing gear

An aircraft noise reduction apparatus includes an aircraft landing gear assembly and a noise reduction fairing. The landing gear assembly includes a landing geararranged to be moveable between a stowed position and a fully deployed position. The noise reduction fairingmay include a wrap-around fairing which, when the landing gearis in its fully deployed position, wraps around the landing gearand extends along the majority of the length of a landing gear leg. A landing gear bay door assemblyincluding at least one door may also be provided. The fairingmay have a recessfor accommodating one of landing gear bay doors when the dooris in its fully open position.

Landing gear with noise reduction fairing

An aircraft landing gear is described including a noise-reducing means. In one embodiment there is a noise-reducing element that includes an air-deflecting surface, in the form of a fairing, and a perforated airflow-reducing region. In use, some air passes through the perforations, while other air is deflected by the fairing away from a noise-generating region of the landing gear. Noise caused by the passing of the landing gear through the air is therefore reduced. In another embodiment a noise-reducing layer in the form of a mesh is supported by a skeleton structure.

An aircraft landing gear () includes a torque link set () comprising a first fairing () rotatably connected at a first end () to a first end () of a second fairing (). The fairings (), () may be arranged to act as first and second torque links. The fairings may be in the form of noise reduction fairings.

Torque link set

The invention relates to aircraft noise reduction apparatus, in particular, but not exclusively, to noise reduction apparatus on an aircraft landing gear. The aircraft noise reduction apparatus comprises a noise reduction attachment for a landing gear of an aircraft. The noise reduction apparatus is movable between a first position in which it deflects air away from a noise inducing component of the landing gear and a second position in which it allows access to the noise inducing component. The movement of the noise reduction attachment between the first and second positions is actuated by a part of the landing gear.

Aircraft noise reduction apparatus

An aircraft landing gearincludes a folding side stay, wherein the folding side stay includes an integral locking mechanism and does not require the landing gear to include a lock stay. The lack of a lock stay reduces the airframe noise created by the aircraft, which is particularly significant when the aircraft is landing. The aircraft landing gearis movable between an stowed and deployed position. The folding side staycomprises a first section and a second section foldable relative to the first section. The integral locking mechanismis arranged to lock the first section and second section of the folding side stay into position when the landing gear is in the deployed position.

An aircraft landing gear door assembly includes a door, which is moveable to an open position, in which an aperture is exposed, the landing gear being able to be deployed through said aperture, and moveable to a closed position, in which the door is closed across the aperture. The door is arranged for rotational movement of a first type, in which the door rotates about an axis that is substantially parallel to the length of the aircraft, between the closed position and the open position. The door is also arranged for movement of a second type, different from the first type, in which the door rotates, about an axis that is substantially transverse to the length of the aircraft, to a position in which it acts as a fairing to reduce the noise caused by the landing gear or a part thereof. In one embodiment, the second type of movement is rotational movement about an axis that is substantially parallel to the door when in the closed position and the door forms a ramp type fairing. In another embodiment, the second type of movement is rotational movement about an axis that is substantially transverse to the door when in the closed position and the door forms a V-shaped fairing (when viewed from above) with an opposite door.

Aircraft landing gear and door assembly

An aircraft landing gear () is described including a noise-reducing element that includes an air-deflecting surface, in the form of a fairing (), and a perforated airflow-reducing region (). In use, some air passes through the perforations, whilst other air is deflected by the fairing away from a noise-generating region of the landing gear. Noise caused by the passing of the landing gear through the air is therefore reduced.

Landing gear noise reduction

An aircraft landing gear door assembly () includes a door (), which is moveable to an open position, in which an aperture () is exposed, the landing gear () being able to be deployed through said aperture (), and moveable to a closed position, in which the door () is closed across the aperture (). The door () is arranged for rotational movement of a first type, in which the door rotates about an axis that is substantially parallel to the length of the aircraft, between the closed position and the open position. The door () is also arranged for movement of a second type, different from the first type, in which the door () rotates, about an axis that is substantially transverse to the length of the aircraft, to a position in which it acts as a fairing to reduce the noise caused by the landing gear or a part thereof. In one embodiment, the second type of movement is rotational movement about an axis that is substantially parallel to the door when in the closed position and the door () forms a ramp type fairing. In another embodiment, the second type of movement is rotational movement about an axis that is substantially transverse to the door when in the closed position and the door () forms a V-shaped fairing (when viewed from above) with an opposite door ().

Growing community of inventors

Congleton, United Kingdom

Christopher Neil Wood