The Boeing Company

Michael R Finn

Matthew A Moser

Mark John Gardner

Mark Steven Good

Adam Marshall Thoreen

Benjamin M Liu

Stephen Roger Amorosi

Christopher Andrew Konings

Adam P Malachowski

Michael E Renzelmann

Stefan Richard Bieniawski

Brian T Whitehead

Dan Onu

David Daniel Leopold

Alan D Marx

Robert M Murphy

Christopher D Feet

Gary A Emch

Thomas S Koch

Monica E Thommen

Richard I Apfel

Gregory J Seehusen

Sarah A Jones

Duk Park

Paul H Carpenter

Abraham J Pachikara

Mark J Gardner

An adaptive trailing edge system for an aircraft may include an adaptive trailing edge element mounted to a trailing edge. An electric motor actuator having an electric motor may be configured to actuate the adaptive trailing edge element. A linkage system may couple the electric motor actuator to the adaptive trailing edge element for actuation thereof.

Adaptive trailing edge actuator system and method

Closed loop control of control surfaces is described herein. One disclosed example method includes measuring a flight metric of an aircraft during flight and calculating, using a processor, a deflection of a control surface of the aircraft based on the flight metric. The disclosed example method also includes adjusting the deflection to an effective deflection level based on the calculated deflection to reduce a drag coefficient of the aircraft.

Closed loop control of aircraft control surfaces

A slat control system for an aircraft may include a flight control computer configured to generate a gap command in response to an occurrence of a gap-command condition. The slat control system may further include an edge control system including an edge control device having a plurality of control device positions including at least one designated control device position. The slat control system may additionally include a device actuation system configured to move a leading edge device of an aircraft. The edge control system may be configured to automatically command the device actuation system to extend the leading edge device from a sealed position to a gapped position when the edge control device is in the designated control device position and the gap command is received by the edge control system.

Leading edge system and method for approach noise reduction

A system for controlling a high-lift device of an aircraft may include an interface for placement in a flight deck of an aircraft. The interface may include an edge control device for controlling a position of the high-lift device. The interface may be operable to select any of a plurality of control device positions. Each one of the plurality of control device positions may correspond to a different flight phase of the aircraft. The edge control device may be operable to engage, in response to a selection of a first control device position, a command mode for actuating the high-lift device in an automated manner based on the flight phase associated with the first control device position.

Control interface for leading and trailing edge devices

A system for optimizing performance of an aircraft may include a flight control computer for computing an optimum flap setting based on aircraft data. The system may further include a flap control system having a flap control device. The system may additionally include a flap actuation system coupled to the flap control system for positioning the trailing edge device at the optimum flap setting.

System and method for optimizing performance of an aircraft

An system for increasing the descent rate of an aircraft may include a flight control computer, an edge control system, and a speedbrake control device. The flight control computer may be configured to compute a first setting for a leading edge device and/or a trailing edge device of an aircraft wing. The edge control system may be communicatively coupled to the flight control computer and may include an edge control device having a plurality of control device positions including a cruise position. The speedbrake control device may include a plurality of speedbrake detents including a flight detent. The edge control system may be configured to automatically command the leading edge device, the trailing edge device, or both, to a deflection angle corresponding to the first setting if the edge control device is in the cruise position and the speedbrake control device is in the flight detent.

Leading and trailing edge device deflections during descent of an aircraft

A system for reducing a stopping distance of an aircraft may include an edge control system configured to control a leading edge device mounted to a wing of an aircraft. The edge control system may be configured to automatically command extension of the leading edge device from a first position to a second position in response to deployment of a spoiler if a ground speed of the aircraft is greater than a threshold ground speed.

System and method for reducing the stopping distance of an aircraft

A system for optimizing a flap setting of an aircraft may include a flap optimizing computer configured to compute an optimum flap setting for one or more flaps of an aircraft. The system may further include a flap control system communicatively coupled to the flap optimizing computer. The flap control system may be operable to select any one of a plurality of flap settings including a designated flap setting. The flap control system may be configured to automatically command the one or more flaps from a first position to a second position corresponding to the optimum flap setting in response to the selection of one of the plurality of flap settings using the flap control system.

Optimized flap positioning for go-around operations

A variable camber system for an aircraft may include a variable camber trim unit (VCTU) positioned between an inboard device and an outboard device. The inboard device and the outboard device may be mounted to at least one of a leading edge and a trailing edge of a wing. The VCTU may include a speed sum gearbox having an inboard shaft coupled to the inboard device and an outboard shaft coupled to the outboard device. The VCTU may additionally include a VCTU electric motor engaged to the speed sum gearbox. The VCTU electric motor may be selectively operable in conjunction with the speed sum gearbox to rotate the outboard shaft independent of the inboard shaft in a manner causing the outboard device to be actuated independent of the inboard device.

Variable camber flap system and method

A system for varying a wing camber of an aircraft wing may include a leading edge device coupled to the wing. The leading edge device may be configured to be actuated in an upward direction and a downward direction relative to a retracted position of the leading edge device.

Leading edge variable camber system and method

A method for detecting freewheeling skew failures in the wing flaps of an aircraft includes measuring the outputs of flap skew sensors when the aircraft is in flight (IF) and the flaps are extended to a selected position, and when the aircraft is next on the ground (OG) and the flaps are extended to the selected position. The respective differences between the IF and OG outputs of symmetrical pairs of the flap skew sensors are computed, and then the respective difference between the computed IF output difference and the computed OG output difference of each symmetrical pair of the sensors is computed. The computed IF and OG difference of each symmetrical pair of the sensors is then compared with each of predetermined maximum and minimum threshold value to determine whether a freewheeling skew failure exists in any of the flaps of the aircraft.

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Kirkland, WA, United States of America

Michael R Finn