The Boeing Company

Mcdonnell Douglas Corporation

Michael Allan Long

Mitchell Mellor

Richard B Odell

Justin D Cottet

Wilfred E Boehringer

Geoffrey E Gouette

Sergey D Barmichev

James Jason Salmon

Tony Hoang Nguyen

Carl Edward Trustee

Christopher M Newton

Mitchell L Mellor

A wheeled support structure is presented and may include a shock absorber strut assembly comprising a wheel, a truss structure, a drag brace, and a pivot joint. The pivot joint may connect the truss structure to the drag brace. The drag brace may have an upper drag brace that may be pivotingly attached to a vehicle, and may be pivotingly attached to a lower drag brace. The lower drag brace may be pivotingly attached to the upper drag brace, and may be pivotingly attached to the truss structure. The drag brace may be configured to move between a deployed position and a stowed position. The truss structure may be configured to pivotably attach to the vehicle.

Aircraft landing gear with compression drag brace and fixed truss structure

An aircraft includes: a wing landing gear; and a body landing gear which includes a shock absorber strut assembly comprising a wheel, a fixed truss structure and an aircraft structure connection point, a drag brace, and a pivot joint that connects the fixed truss structure to the drag brace; and a body landing gear wheel well configured to store the body landing gear in a stowed position. The drag brace includes an upper drag brace, and a lower drag brace pivotingly attached to the upper drag brace. In a stowed position, the shock absorber strut assembly, the fixed strut structure, the upper drag brace and the lower drag brace may be positioned outside of a swing path of a wing landing gear of the aircraft. In the deployed position, the lower drag brace may be positioned in the swing path of the wing landing gear of the aircraft.

Aircraft landing gear with tension drag brace

A method of positioning landing gear of an airplane is provided that includes providing the landing gear including a shock strut, a truck beam operatively pivotally connected to the shock strut, first and second interconnected links operatively connected to the truck beam and a third link extending between the shock strut and the first and second links with the third link pivotally connected to the second link at a third pivot. When the landing gear is commanded to a lowered position, the third pivot is positioned in a first position to support a taxi mode, a take-off mode and a landing mode if the landing gear is operational and in a second position to support an alternate landing mode if the landing gear is not fully operational. When the landing gear is commanded to a raised position, the third pivot is in the second position to support a stow mode.

Method of positioning landing gear

A landing gear for an aircraft. The landing gear may have a wheel/truck assembly, an oleo strut/support frame for supporting the wheel/truck assembly, and a retraction assembly attached to the oleo strut/support frame, the retraction assembly for moving the landing gear between a deployed position and a retracted position. The retraction assembly may have a pivoting trunnion brace attached to the oleo strut/support frame and to a fuselage of the aircraft for positioning the wheel/truck assembly, the oleo strut/support frame and the retraction assembly at least substantially fully within the fuselage of the aircraft in the retracted position.

Fuselage mounted landing gear

A semi-levered landing gear is provided that includes a shock strut, a truck beam pivotally connected to the shock strut and a semi-levered landing gear mechanism including at least three links configured to angularly orient the truck beam and a truck pitch actuation system operatively connected to at least one of the three links. The landing gear mechanism may be configured to cooperate with an extension of a shock strut by positioning the truck pitch actuator in a retracted position, thereby positioning a forward end of the truck beam in a raised position relative to the aft end of the truck beam. The landing gear mechanism may also be configured to cooperate with a retraction of the shock strut into the wheel well by extending the truck pitch actuator to position a forward end of the truck beam in a lower position relative to the aft end of the truck beam.

Semi-levered landing gear and associated method

An onboard system and method for determining the instantaneous weight and balance of an aircraft simply, reliably, accurately, and requiring a minimum amount of calibration includes a memory for storing previously determined breakout friction data of the aircraft's landing gear shock struts, sensors for sensing the pressures in the struts, the vertical loads exerted by the landing gear on the aircraft, and the attitude of the aircraft relative to the horizontal during loading or unloading thereof, and a computer for computing the vertical load in each of the landing gears from the stored calibration breakout friction data and the shock strut pressures, landing gear vertical loads and aircraft attitude sensed during the loading or unloading. The computer then computes the gross weight of the aircraft and the location of its center of gravity (CG) using the computed vertical loads in the landing gears.

Onboard aircraft weight and balance system

An onboard system for determining the instantaneous weight and balance of an aircraft simply, reliably, accurately, and requiring a minimum amount of calibration includes a memory for storing previously determined breakout friction data of the aircraft's landing gear shock struts, sensors for sensing the pressures in the struts, the vertical loads exerted by the landing gear on the aircraft, and the attitude of the aircraft relative to the horizontal during loading or unloading thereof, and a computer for computing the vertical load in each of the landing gears from the stored calibration breakout friction data and the shock strut pressures, landing gear vertical loads and aircraft attitude sensed during the loading or unloading. The computer then computes the gross weight of the aircraft and the location of its center of gravity (CG) using the computed vertical loads in the landing gears.

Exercise apparatus including first and second foot pads coupled to a frame. The frame includes first and second telescoping members to enable the apparatus to be moved between a stored position and an exercise position. The apparatus may be conveniently stowed beneath a seat of a transport vehicle, and may be secured to the seat tracks aboard the vehicle. Foot pad supports provide resistance to movement of the foots pads, enabling a user to exercise his or her legs while seated to reduce fatigue, increase blood flow and decrease the formation of blood clots.

Exercise apparatus for transport vehicles and related methods

A wheel and brake assembly comprising an axle, a bearing supported on the axle, a wheel rotatably mounted on the axle by the bearing and a torque tube located in a fixed position about the axle. The torque tube includes a torque tube foot extending radially inward from the torque tube to the axle for support by the axle. At least one stator disc is connected with the torque tube and one rotor disc is connected with the wheel for conjoint rotation therewith. An actuator is provided for axially moving the rotor and stator discs into frictional engagement with one another for braking the wheel. A clamp is located at one end of the axle for axially clamping the bearing, torque tube, brake housing and axle. A vibration dampener operatively engages the torque tube and is arranged to attenuate vibrations in the torque tube and inhibit their transmission to the axle.

Wheel and brake assembly

Axial and rotational movement of the torque tube foot of an aircraft's disc brake assembly is restrained to substantially dampen or eliminate the short interval high frequency vibration previously experienced on brake application. Restraining means is employed to restrain the torque tube foot and includes an annular flange member mounted to the axle by an axle sleeve and positioned adjacent a first side of the torque tube foot to stop lateral movement of the torque tube foot in the direction of the first side. Wheel spacer means is also provided containing a cylindrical passage for mounting the wheel spacer means to the axle opposite the annular flange member and on the opposite side of the torque tube foot. The wheel spacer means also contains an annular portion extending radially outwardly from the wheel axis and the annular portion is positioned adjacent the second side of the torque tube foot to stop lateral movement of the torque tube foot in the direction of the second side such that the torque tube foot is restrained from moving in both axial and rotational directions relative to the axle. Vibration damage experienced to brake and landing gear components with brake assemblies of the prior design is avoided.

Growing community of inventors

Freeland, WA, United States of America

Michael Allan Long