Textron Innovations Inc.

Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.

Jeffrey Paul Nissen

Jared Mark Paulson

John R McCullough

Troy Cyril Schank

Steven Ray Ivans

John Richard Mccullough

Edward Hohman

Daniel Brent McCall

Joshua Peter Riccobono

Brent Chadwick Ross

Robert J Barry

Thomas S Chiang

Jason Paul Hurst

Peter Charles Robichaux

Todd Christopher Worden

Jonathan Andrew Knoll

Brian Cupples

An ice protection system is configured for a rotor blade having a leading edge along at least a portion of a spanwise length extending between a root portion and a tip portion. The system has an electric spanwise anti-ice heater configured for placement on the leading edge of the blade and a first electric spanwise de-ice heater adjacent the anti-ice heater and having varying chordwise dimensions. The de-ice heater is configured for placement on an upper surface of the blade or a lower surface of the blade. Electrical connectors for each heater are configured for connection near the root portion of the blade to a source of electrical power.

Tailored rotor-blade ice-protection system

A seabased resupply system includes a fuel containment structure containing fuel and extending fore and aft along a longitudinal axis, a pump on the fuel containment structure operable to pump the fuel, containers located on an exterior of opposite lateral sides of the fuel containment structure, and an operating system located inside one or more of the containers, the operating system comprising at least one selected from a power supply, a communication system, and a control processor.

Autonomous seabased resupply system

An aerial resupply system (ARS) including a supply aircraft. The supply aircraft includes at least one of supply fuel, an ordinance, and data. The supply aircraft also includes a retractable boom system (RBS) configured for selective stowage within a fuselage of the supply aircraft and configured to supply at least one of supply fuel, the ordinance, and data to a location external to the fuselage.

Systems and methods for aerial aircraft resupply

An aircraft operable to transition between thrust-borne lift in a VTOL orientation and wing-borne lift in a biplane orientation. The aircraft has an airframe including first and second wings with first and second pylons coupled therebetween. A distributed thrust array is coupled to the airframe including a plurality of propulsion assemblies coupled to the first wing and a plurality of propulsion assemblies coupled to the second wing. A UAV carrier assembly is coupled between the first and second pylons. The UAV carrier assembly has a plurality of UAV stations each configured to selectively transport and release a UAV. A flight control system is configured to control each of the propulsion assemblies and launch each of the UAVs during flight.

Aircraft for transporting and deploying UAVs

An airfoil member having a root end, a tip end, a leading edge, and a trailing edge, the airfoil member including an upper skin; a lower skin; and a support network having a plurality of interconnected support members in a lattice arrangement and/or a reticulated arrangement, the support network being configured to provide tailored characteristics of the airfoil member. Also provided are methods and systems for repairing an airfoil member.

Methods of customizing, manufacturing, and repairing a rotor blade using additive manufacturing processes and a rotor blade incorporating the same

Systems and methods include providing a virtual reality ('VR') flight emulator system that simulates control, operation, and response of a vehicle. The flight emulator includes a control interface and a head-mounted display worn by a user. Motion, orientation, and/or forces experienced by the simulated vehicle are imparted to a user through a motion-control seat. Multiple flight emulators can be connected to a communication network, and a master flight emulator may teleport into a slave flight emulator in order to observe, overtake, override, and/or assume control of the slave flight emulator. Inputs made via the control interface of the master flight emulator or during playback of a pre-recorded training exercise or flight mission are translated into the control interface, head-mounted display, and motion-control seat of the slave flight emulator to provide real-time feedback to the user of the slave flight emulator.

VR emulator

An exemplary autonomous seabased resupply system includes an unmanned blob positioned in a water body, the blob containing fuel, a pump on the blob configured to pump the fuel through a conduit to a craft, and a ballast system operable to change a vertical position of the blob in the water body.

A field deployable infrared imaging (FDIR) system and method for inspecting a composite component comprises a hand-held long-wave IR camera to capture a thermal image of the composite component, wherein the camera has an adjustable temperature control that captures an image with a 10 degree working range, a frame capture rate of at least 1 second for a length of time of not less than 90 seconds; and a processor for post-processing the thermal image using a second order derivative algorithm wherein the post-processed thermal image shows the defect better than the captured infrared image, and detects the one or more defects in the composite component.

Nondestructive inspection techniques for rotorcraft composites

A method for mobile robotic based inspection includes delivery of inspection requirements identifying a part and one or more inspection mode types. A three-dimensional model of the part and one or more physical attributes or specifications of the aeronautical part are received. A plurality of different motion sequences for the robot inspection system are determined to evaluate a plurality of predefined points on the component using one or more sensors for the one or more inspection types. Data acquisition parameters are determined for inspection sequence to allow for collection of inspection data for one or more inspection modes. A motion sequence from the plurality of different motion sequences is selected based on one or more parameters. An optimized inspection program configured to update operating parameters of the robot inspection system to perform the selected motion sequence and capture data using the one or more sensors is generated.

Inspecting components using mobile robotic inspection systems

Systems and methods include providing a virtual reality ('VR') flight teleport system that includes a master aircraft and a plurality of remote slave aircraft connected through a network. A flight emulator in the master aircraft allows a user in the master aircraft to 'teleport' into a remote slave vehicle in order to observe and/or assume control of the remote slave aircraft. Motion of, orientation of, and/or forces acting on the remote stave vehicle are emulated to the user of the master vehicle through a pilot control interface, a motion-control seat, and a head-mounted display to provide real-time feedback to the user of the master aircraft. Inputs made via the pilot control interface of the flight emulator system in the master aircraft are transferred through the network into the flight control system of the remote slave vehicle to control operation of the remote slave vehicle.

VR emulator aboard aircraft

Methods and systems of locating an object of interest with a hyperspectral imaging system include placing a hyperspectral tag on the object of interest. A hyperspectral camera then then collects light emitted by an area of interest. An analyzer unit of the hyperspectral imaging system processes the collected light emitted by the area of interest into a hyperspectral image. The hyperspectral image includes a data file that includes information regarding a spectral response at each pixel of the first hyperspectral image. The analyzer unit then compares the spectral response at a first pixel of the hyperspectral image with the spectral response of the hyperspectral tag. Based upon the comparison, the analyzer unit generates an identity of the object of interest.

Hyperspectral identification of target

In a first aspect, there is a method of making a rotor blade, including designing at least one of an upper skin, a lower skin, a support network, and components therefor; and forming at least one of the upper skin, the lower skin, a support network, and components therefor using an additive manufacturing process. In a second aspect, there is an airfoil member having a root end, a tip end, a leading edge, and a trailing edge, the airfoil member including an upper skin; a lower skin; and a support network having a plurality of interconnected support members in a lattice arrangement and/or a reticulated arrangement, the support network being configured to provide tailored characteristics of the airfoil member. Also provided are methods and systems for repairing an airfoil member.

Methods of customizing, manufacturing, and repairing a rotor blade using additive manufacturing processes

An erosion protection system (EPS) has a first erosion protection unit (EPU) having a first ligament and a first scale attached to the first ligament, the first scale having an outer hardness that is greater than a hardness of the first ligament. The EPS also has a second EPU having a second ligament and a second scale attached to the second ligament, the second scale having an outer hardness that is greater than a hardness of the second ligament. The EPS also has an interstitial space between the first ligament and the second ligament wherein at least one of (1) the first scale overlaps at least a portion of the second EPU and (2) the second scale overlaps at least a portion of the first EPU.

Growing community of inventors

Fort Worth, TX, United States of America

Jeffrey Paul Nissen