Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.

Textron Innovations Inc.

Other

Dudley E Smith

Daniel Bryan Robertson

Carlos Alexander Fenny

Charles L Hollimon

Bryan W Marshall

Cory M Hitte

Frank B Stamps

Jimmy Charles Narramore

Walter C Joiner

David Ludolph

Ryan Thomas Ehinger

Mark E Dreier

James R Andrews

Justin Daw

Sidney Xue

John T Brieger

Jim C Narramore

Kirk Landon Groninga

Steven Ray Ivans

Paul Branson Sherrill

Charles J Kilmain

John Michael Kebrle

Bob Collins

Jim Hurdle

Bryce Docker

Jennifer D Langston

Christopher Edward Foskey

Drew Alan Sutton

Walter West Riley

Robert Michael Laramee

Paul Madej

J Donn Hethcock

Robert Lee Robinson

Steve Ray Ivans

Robert B Mullins

David J Ludolph

Paul J Madej

A system and method for providing supplemental power includes: a motor-generator or a hydraulic pump-motor configured to attach to a transmission of an engine, a controller connected to the motor-generator or the hydraulic pump-motor, and a battery system or a hydraulic accumulator coupled to the motor-generator or the hydraulic pump-motor, respectively. During normal operation of the engine, the engine drives the transmission to rotate rotor blades connected to the transmission, and the motor-generator or the hydraulic pump-motor draws an energy from the transmission and store the energy in the battery system or the hydraulic accumulator, respectively. Upon a manual and/or an automatic control by the controller, the battery system or the hydraulic accumulator discharges the energy to the motor-generator or the hydraulic pump-motor, respectively, and the motor-generator or the hydraulic pump-motor provides the supplemental power to drive the transmission to rotate the rotor blades.

Autorotative enhancement system

In some embodiments, a rotorcraft includes a fuselage, a tailboom, a drive system and a variable thrust cross-flow fan system. The cross-flow fan system includes a cross-flow fan assembly that is mechanically coupled to a drive shaft and operable to rotate with the drive shaft about a longitudinal axis. The cross-flow fan assembly includes first and second driver plates having a plurality of blades rotatably mounted therebetween. The blades are disposed radially outwardly from the longitudinal axis and have a generally circular path of travel when the cross-flow fan assembly rotates about the longitudinal axis. The blades are moveable between a plurality of pitch angle configurations. A control assembly is coupled to the blades. The control assembly is operable to change the pitch angle configuration of the blades to generate variable thrust at a substantially constant rotational speed of the cross-flow fan assembly.

Rotorcraft variable thrust cross-flow fan systems

Embodiments refer generally to systems and methods for providing autorotative enhancement for helicopters using an autorotative assist unit coupled to the transmission of the helicopter. Methods of utilizing an autorotative assist unit as well as retrofitting an autorotative assist unit to an existing helicopter are also disclosed. By employing an autorotative assist unit, improved autorotation can be achieved without the need to increase the weight of the rotor.

A rotorcraft includes a proprotor coupled to the wing and a pusher propeller. Power is transferred from the proprotor to the pusher propeller with the use of a torque splitter. The torque splitter contains several gears, including a ring gear which rotates on an axis. The power outputted by the torque splitter is increased or decreased by selectively slowing down the rotation of the ring gear by the use of a clamp.

Convertible tiltrotor aircraft

According to one embodiment, a constant velocity (CV) joint includes a first yoke, a second yoke, and a control mechanism. The first yoke is configured to be rotatably coupled to an input device about a first axis and configured to receive the input device through a first opening. The second yoke is rotatably coupled to the first yoke about a second axis and rotatably coupled to an output device about a third axis. The control mechanism is adapted to constrain the first yoke and the second yoke so as to achieve a substantially CV characteristic between the input device and the output device.

Constant velocity joint with control mechanism

A method of managing aircraft exhaust includes providing hot air at a hot air mass flow rate, providing cold air at a cold air mass flow rate, and mixing the hot air and the cold air at a variable hot air mass flow rate to cold air mass flow rate ratio, wherein the variable hot air mass flow rate to cold air mass flow rate ratio is selectively maintained independent of at least one of (1) a variation in the hot air mass flow rate and (2) a variation in a translational speed of the aircraft.

Infrared suppressing exhaust system

A speed control assembly includes an input drive shaft coupled to a first gear subassembly having a rotatable gear, a second gear subassembly coupled to an output drive shaft, and a linkage coupling the first and second gear subassemblies, wherein the input drive shaft, the first and second gear subassemblies, and the linkage are configured such that a rotational speed of the rotatable gear adjusts a ratio of a rotational speed of the output drive shaft to a rotational speed of the output drive shaft. In some embodiments, the first gear subassembly includes a sun gear coupled to the input drive shaft, one or more planet gears, and a ring gear as the rotatable gear. In some embodiments, the second gear subassembly includes a sun gear coupled to the output drive shaft, one or more planet gears, and a fixed ring gear.

Speed control assembly and methods of using same

An autorotative enhancement system comprises a transmission having a driveshaft configured to couple to an engine. A mast is configured to couple to multiple rotor blades. An autorotative assist unit is configured to the transmission and is configured to store energy during normal operation and drive the rotor blades through the transmission to provide supplemental autorotative assistance upon loss of engine power.

A convertible helicopter ring member includes a ring member and a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism orients the ring member substantially in-plane with a tail rotor of a helicopter during a first mode of helicopter operation and orients the ring member substantially off-plane with the tail rotor of the helicopter during a second mode of helicopter operation that is different from the first mode.

Convertible helicopter ring member

A foldable rotor system for a rotorcraft, the foldable rotor system comprising a rotor assembly operably associated with a driveshaft, the driveshaft being operable associated with an engine, the rotor assembly comprising a rotor blade connected to a grip pin. A swashplate is operable associated with the grip pin in order selectively change a pitch of the rotor blade. A blade fold actuator is operably associated with the grip pin such that the blade fold actuator is configured to fold and unfold the rotor blade about a blade fold axis. During an airplane mode, the rotorcraft can stop and fold the rotor blades so that the rotorcraft relies upon thrust from the engine for propulsion. The rotor blades are folded in a spiral fold path so that the rotor blades remain substantially edgewise, or feathered, during the folding process. The spiral fold path minimizes the aerodynamic drag experienced by the rotor blades while being folded during flight of the rotorcraft.

Method and apparatus for in-flight blade folding

A ducted fan for a helicopter includes a transverse duct and a counter-torque device supported within the duct. The counter-torque device includes a rotor rotatably mounted within the duct and a stator fixedly mounted within the duct downstream from the rotor. The rotor includes a rotor hub having a rotor axis, and rotor blades extending from the hub. The Rotor blades have a modulated angular distribution about the rotor axis. The stator includes a stator hub, and a plurality of stator vanes distributed around the stator hub. The stator vanes are angularly modulated around the stator hub.

Counter-torque device for a helicopter

The system of the present application includes a system duct in fluid communication with a tailboom duct, the system duct having a downstream portion with an anti-torque cutout and a pro-torque cutout. The system further includes an anti-torque nozzle exteriorly proximate to the anti-torque cutout and a pro-torque nozzle exteriorly proximate to the pro-torque cutout. A rotating sleeve is configured to selectively allow airflow into at least one of the anti-torque nozzle and the pro-torque nozzle. A thrust nozzle is in fluid communication with the system duct. An upper clamshell and a lower clamshell are each configured to selectively control airflow in the thrust nozzle.

Propulsive anti-torque nozzle system with external rotating sleeve for a rotorcraft

A twin-rotor side-by-side compound rotorcraft has a fuselage and variable incident wing assembly that pivots relative to fuselage. The aircraft also has landing gear assembly and a tail fin assembly. The variable incident wing assembly is pivotally attached to the fuselage, and includes wing members, engines fixedly mounted to the wing members or another area of the rotorcraft, and a mast attached at a fixed angle relative to the wing members. Then engines may also be located near the fuselage or another area of the rotorcraft. The variable incident wing assembly is capable of pivoting about a pivot axis, thereby allowing mast orientation in at least a hover mast position and a forward flight mast position. The rotors provide additional forward thrust and the wings provide additional lift, when the mast is in the forward flight mast position.

Rotorcraft with variable incident wing

A transmission for a rotary-wing aircraft has a differential torque-splitting mechanism associated with an input shaft. The differential has a drive disk coaxial with the shaft and integral in rotation with the shaft, a first driven member coaxial with the shaft and generally adjacent the drive disk, and a second driven member coaxial with the shaft and generally adjacent the drive disk. At least one pin engages each of the drive disk, the first driven member, and the second driven member. The first driven member is configured to drive a first transfer gear, and the second driven member is configured to drive a second transfer gear for supplying torque to a bull gear associated with a rotor mast.

Growing community of inventors

Arlington, TX, United States of America

Dudley E Smith