Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.

Textron Innovations Inc.

Bell Textron Inc.

Other

Bell Helicopter

Frank B Stamps

Michael Reaugh Smith

Richard Erler Rauber

Patrick R Tisdale

Jouyoung Jason Choi

David Popelka

Drew Alan Sutton

Gary Michael Miller

Michael Scott Seifert

James Braswell, Jr

Andrew Paul Haldeman

David Heverly

Thomas Clement Parham, Jr

Daniel Bryan Robertson

Christopher Edward Foskey

David E Heverly, Ii

Daniel P Sottiaux

Kirk Landon Groninga

Bryan W Marshall

Thomas Parham

Dalton T Hampton

Chad Lewis Jarrett

Thomas C Campbell

Paul K Oldroyd

Robert Patrick Wardlaw

Mithat Yuce

Tom Donovan

Emily Schofield

Troy Cyril Schank

Matthew Edward Louis

Andrew Ryan Maresh

Amarjit Olenchery Kizhakkepat

Ken Shundo

Ronald J Measom

Timothy Kent Ledbetter

Eric Ricardo Gonzalez

Pat Tisdale

Tom Campbell

Dan Sottiaux

James Donn Hethcock, Jr

Bryan Kenneth Baskin

Albert Gerard Brand

Mark Adam Wiinikka

Glenn Alan Shimek

Brian Stanley Modrzejewski

Taeoh Lee

Alan Carl Ewing

Hunter Jay Davis

Terry K Thompson

David Allen Haynie

Carlos Alexander Fenny

John R McCullough

John Richard Mccullough

Charles Eric Covington

Eric Albert Sinusas

Tyler Wayne Baldwin

Paul Branson Sherrill

Levi Charles Hefner

Dudley E Smith

Maurice D Griffin

Jeffrey Mark Bosworth

Christopher Michael Bothwell

Ernst C Schellhase

Zachary Edwin Dailey

Charles L Hollimon

John James Corrigan

Lawrence M Corso

Robert J Pascal

Thomas J Newman

Jason Hoyle

Ron Measom

Michael E Rinehart

George Matthew Thompson

Ryan Thomas Ehinger

Russell Lee Mueller

Mark Loring Isaac

Cecil E Covington

Charles J Kilmain

Michael Kevin McNair

Keith Alan Stanney

Peter Quinn Romano

Clifton B Day

Steven Kirk Spears

Christopher Mike Bothwell

John T Lloyd

Gilberto Morales

Jonathan Andrew Knoll

Aaron Alexander Acee

John Elton Brunken, Jr

Nicholas Ralph Carlson

Brett Rodney Zimmerman

Joseph Scott Drennan

Michael John Ryan

Tommie Lynn Wood

Ajay Sehgal

William L McKeown

Martin Peryea

Peter H Kintzinger

Stanley G Sadler

Carey Cannon

A compound helicopter includes a fuselage including a fuselage airframe, a translational thrust system coupled to the fuselage airframe and a pylon assembly subject to vibration. The pylon assembly includes a transmission and a rotor system having a main rotor assembly. The compound helicopter also includes a main rotor vibration isolation system including a plurality of augmented liquid inertia vibration eliminator units each having an isolation frequency and each coupled between the fuselage airframe and the pylon assembly to reduce transmission of the pylon assembly vibration to the fuselage airframe at the isolation frequency. Each augmented liquid inertia vibration eliminator unit includes at least one active tuning element movable to tune the isolation frequency thereof.

Vibration isolation systems for compound helicopters

A system is provided for controlling the pitch of blades of a rotor, the system comprising an actuator for each blade, each actuator being configured for selective control of the pitch of an associated blade about a pitch axis. Sensors are configured for determining aerodynamic forces acting on the rotor, and a flight control system is configured to receive signals from the sensors and for operating the actuators in response to the signals to achieve a desired pitch-flap coupling value.

Electronic control of blade pitch on a tiltrotor

A system and method for slowing the rotation of a rotor using, for example, rotor brake system for a rotorcraft comprises: one or more generators connected to a main rotor gearbox; an electric distributed anti-torque system mounted on a tail boom of the rotorcraft comprising two or more electric motors connected to the one or more generators, wherein the two or more electric motors are connected to one or more blades; and wherein a rotation of the rotor is slowed by placing a drive load on the main rotor gearbox with the one or more generators to bleed the mechanical power from rotor into electrical power via the two or more electric motors, wherein the electric distributed anti-torque system generates thrust in opposing directions.

Rotor break effect by using electric distributed anti-torque generators and opposing electric motor thrust to slow a main rotor

A vibration control system for a rotor hub provides vibration attenuation in an aircraft by reducing the magnitude of rotor induced vibratory. The system can include a force generating device attached to a rotor hub which rotates along with the rotor at the rotational speed of the rotor. Vibratory shear force is generated by rotating unbalanced weights each about an axis non-concentric with the rotor hub axis at high speed to create large centrifugal forces. The rotational speed of the weights can be a multiple of the rotor rotational speed to create shear forces for canceling rotor induced vibrations. The amplitude of the generated shear force is controlled by indexing the positions of the unbalanced weights relative to each other, while the phase of the shear force is adjusted by equally phasing each weight relative to the rotor.

Active vibration control system with non-concentric revolving masses

A laminated elastomeric journal bearing has an outer sleeve having an inner surface, at least a portion of each end of the inner surface being a concave surface of revolution, and an inner sleeve having an outer surface, at least a portion of each end of the outer surface being a convex surface of revolution. Alternating layers of elastomer and metal are located between the sleeves, with adjacent surfaces of the layers and the sleeves being adhered to each other.

Journal bearings

A vibration attenuator is configured for use on an aircraft rotor rotatable about a mast axis and has upper and lower weight assemblies, each comprising a weight with a center of gravity being a radial distance from the mast axis. The weight assemblies are configured for rotation together relative to the rotor at a selected angular rate about the mast axis, the weights being located on opposing sides of the mast axis. A first motor is configured for selective translation of one of the weight assemblies relative to the other weight assembly along the mast axis between a minimum-moment configuration, in which the centers of gravity of the weights revolve about the mast axis in the same plane, and a maximum-moment configuration, in which the centers of gravity of the weights revolve about the mast axis in different planes for producing a whirling moment about the mast axis.

Vibration attenuator

A gimbaled rotor assembly for an aircraft. The gimbaled rotor assembly including a static mast; a spherical bearing comprising an inner component and an outer component pivotable relative to each other about a bearing focus, the inner component fixedly coupled to the static mast; a rotor hub rotatably coupled to the outer component, allowing for relative rotation of the rotor hub about a rotor axis and for pivoting together with the outer component about the bearing focus; and a primary hub spring coupling the outer component to the static mast and configured for opposing pivoting of the rotor hub about the bearing focus from a neutral position.

Rotor assembly with static mast and pivoting rotor hub

A vibration attenuator has a first spinner configured for rotation about a first axis and a first mass coupled to the first spinner for rotation therewith, the first mass being movable radially relative to the first axis between an inner position and an outer position. An actuator is coupled to the first mass for selectively controlling a radial location of the first mass relative to the axis, and a first motor is configured for driving the first spinner in rotation about the first axis.

Rotor hub vibration attenuator

In an embodiment, a duct for a ducted-rotor aircraft includes a hub, the hub including a rotor and one or more motors configured to drive the rotor. The duct also includes a duct ring that defines an opening surrounding at least a portion of the hub. The duct also includes a plurality of stators that extend outward from the hub. The duct also includes at least one battery electrically coupled to the rotor and configured to power the one or more motors.

Distributed battery bank for ducted-rotor aircraft

An aircraft, has an airframe, a transmission, and a liquid inertia vibration elimination (LIVE) system disposed between the airframe and the transmission via spherical bearings of two legs and via a central spherical bearing.

Liquid inertia vibration elimination system

In some examples, an oscillatory pumping system comprises: one or more active piston, a fluid, and two motors. The one or more active piston is disposed in a channel fluidically coupling two fluid chambers. The passive piston has a frequency response operable to counteract a vibratory displacement. The fluid is disposed in the channel and the two fluid chambers. The two motors couple to the one or more active piston. The two motors are operable to selectively change the frequency response of the passive piston based on oscillating the one or more active piston.

Oscillatory pumping system for liquid vibration isolator

A vibration attenuator for a rotor of an aircraft has a housing adapted for rotation with the rotor about an axis. A first ring is rotatably carried within the housing on a first bearing, a first weight being coupled to the first ring for rotation therewith relative to the housing about the axis. A second ring is rotatably carried by the first ring on a second bearing, a second weight being coupled to the second ring for rotation therewith relative to the housing and to the first ring. A first motor is configured for rotating the first ring relative to the housing, and a second motor is configured for rotating the second ring relative to the housing and to the first ring. The first and second motors are operated to rotate the weights within the housing and position the weights relative to each other for attenuating vibrations.

A vibration attenuator for a rotor of an aircraft has a first ring with an eccentric weight, a coaxial second ring with an eccentric weight, and a central ring coaxial with the first and second rings and located therebetween. A first post extends from the first ring toward the central ring and is received in a first arcuate groove formed on the central ring, whereas a second post extends from the second ring toward the central ring and is received in a second groove formed on the central ring. A motor is configured for driving the central ring in rotation about the axis relative to the motor. The grooves are equal in length, and a center of the first groove is located on an opposite side from a center of the second groove. Rotation of the central ring by the motor causes rotation of the first and second rings.

A propulsion assembly for a rotorcraft includes a blade assembly, a drive shaft coupled to the blade assembly and an electric motor coupled to the drive shaft and operable to provide rotational energy to the drive shaft to rotate the blade assembly. The propulsion assembly includes a landing assistance turbine coupled to the drive shaft and operable to selectively provide rotational energy to the drive shaft during an underpowered descent to rotate the blade assembly and provide upward thrust, thereby reducing a descent rate of the rotorcraft prior to landing.

Assisted landing systems for rotorcraft

Growing community of inventors

Colleyville, TX, United States of America

Frank B Stamps