Textron Innovations Inc.

Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.

Other

Bell Textron Inc.

Bell Helicopter

Michael Reaugh Smith

Frank B Stamps

Cheng-Ho Tho

Michael Scott Seifert

David Heverly

Jouyoung Jason Choi

Taeoh Lee

David E Heverly, Ii

Maurice D Griffin

Thomas Parham

Robert J Pascal

David Popelka

Amarjit Olenchery Kizhakkepat

James Braswell, Jr

Thomas Clement Parham, Jr

Christopher Michael Bothwell

Matthew Wade Hendricks

Zi Lu

Anand Kumar Marimuthu

Gary Michael Miller

Daniel Bryan Robertson

Richard Erler Rauber

Bryan Kenneth Baskin

David Williams

Ernst C Schellhase

David Haynes

Charles L Hollimon

Thomas C Campbell

Lawrence M Corso

Andrew T Hill

Thomas J Newman

Timothy Brian Carr

Ramesh Thiagarajan

Timothy Kent Ledbetter

John V Howard

Bradley Joseph Passe

Daniel Frank Devitt

Ashish K Sareen

Somen Chowdhury

Christopher Edward Foskey

Charles Eric Covington

William Anthony Amante

Sung Kyun Kim

Albert Gerard Brand

Joseph Richard Carpenter, Jr

Bryan W Marshall

Joshua Andrew Emrich

Jeffrey Mark Bosworth

Jillian Samantha Alfred

Robert J Stewart

Steve Michael Loveland

Mithat Yuce

Ajay Sehgal

Nicholas James Plagianos

William L McKeown

Steven A Stringfellow

Martin Peryea

David Allen Haynie

Terry K Thompson

Steven Kirk Spears

Nicholas Lappos

Eric Ricardo Gonzalez

Mark E Wasikowski

Christopher Mike Bothwell

Scott Hemmen

James D Cronkhite

Craig Turner

Timothy Myron Hazen

Marko Vuga

Victor L Berry

James A Wilson

John C Larkin, Iii

Douglas Hamelwright, Jr

Brad Stamps

Kevin Ronnie Brooker

Peggy Covington, Legal Representative

Walter Sonneborn

David P Shipman

Emery N Ward

Samgeeth Rajan

James E Wright

John Frakes

Frank Bradley Stamps

Douglas Hamelwright Jr

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

An implementation of an external airbag system may include a plurality of inflatable air bags, a duct coupled to the plurality of inflatable air bags, and an exhaust vent coupled to each of the plurality of inflatable air bags via the duct.

External airbag for an aircraft and aircraft having an external airbag system

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 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 some implementations, in an emergency in the vehicle, an emergency evacuation path is illuminated using the light emitted from the emergency evacuation rope where at least a portion of the emergency evacuation path extends to a location outside the vehicle. Egress of occupants along the emergency evacuation path is enabled using an emergency evacuation rope.

Illuminated rope as an aircraft emergency egress aid

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 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.

An aircraft structure protected from collisions with foreign objects includes a first support proximate to an aircraft structure root; first sheets attached to the first support to form a first leading edge portion of the aircraft structure; a second support proximate to an outer end of the aircraft structure; second sheets attached to the second support to form a second leading edge portion; and a door including one or more ribs disposed between the first and second supports and configured to give shape to a third leading edge portion of the aircraft structure; and third sheets, attached to the ribs to form the third portion of the leading edge; wherein the first support, the first sheets, the second support, the second sheets, the one or more ribs, and the third sheets are disposed to mitigate damage from a foreign object collision by absorbing kinetic energy from a collision.

System and method of protection of aircraft from foreign object strikes

In an embodiment, a ducted fan assembly includes a housing that further includes a rotor. The ducted fan assembly also includes a rim that extends around at least a portion of a perimeter of the ducted fan assembly, where the rim defines an opening surrounding at least a portion of the housing. The ducted fan assembly also includes a skin that is attached to the rim and extends around the at least a portion of a perimeter of the ducted fan assembly to form a leading edge of the ducted fan assembly. The ducted fan assembly also includes a blade positioned on the rim underneath the skin.

Ducted fan assembly with blade in leading edge

A vibration attenuator for a rotor of an aircraft has a track housing adapted for rotation relative to the rotor and configured for rotation at a second angular velocity greater than a first angular velocity of the rotor. A track is located within the track housing and has a reaction surface, a pair of weights being configured for movement within the track and in contact with the reaction surface. A stop assembly has a pair of stops spaced 180 degrees apart, the stops separating the weights from each other, and each weight being allowed to travel within the track between the stops. A motor rotates the track housing relative to the rotor. The weights are free to travel relative to each other between a minimum-force configuration, in which the weights are positioned 180 degrees apart, and a maximum-force configuration, in which both weights are adjacent one of the stops.

An apparatus comprising a float bag comprising an air bladder configured to inflate when an aircraft lands in the water, a girt coupled to the air bladder and configured to attach the air bladder to the aircraft via at least one airframe fitting, and a load attenuator coupled to the girt and configured to be positioned between the girt and the airframe fitting when the float bag is attached to the aircraft, wherein the plurality of load attenuators are configured to mechanically deform in a progressive failure fashion from a first effective length to a second effective length greater than the first length in response to an applied tensile load on the load attenuators coupled to the plurality of girts and the aircraft airframe, wherein the load attenuators are selected to reduce the force with a total length that minimizes buoyancy depth of the aircraft.

Crash load attenuator for water ditching and floatation

A vibration attenuator for an aircraft has first and second coaxial spinners configured for rotation about a mast axis and relative to a rotor. Upper and lower weights of each spinner are spaced radially from the axis and positioned 180 degrees from each other about the axis. The weights of each spinner are spaced from each other a distance parallel to the mast axis, each weight rotating about the mast axis in a different plane. The spinners rotate together relative to the rotor at a selected angular rate and are selectively rotatable relative to each other between a minimum-moment configuration, in which the upper weight of each spinner is angularly aligned with the lower weight of the other spinner, and a maximum-moment configuration, in which the upper weights are angularly aligned and the lower weights are angularly aligned, producing a whirling moment about the mast axis as the spinners rotate.

An advancing blade concept rotorcraft includes an airframe and a pylon assembly subject to vibration. The pylon assembly includes a dual rotor system having coaxially disposed top and bottom rotor assemblies that counter rotate relative to one another. The advancing blade concept rotorcraft includes a vibration isolation system including at least one pylon link coupled to the airframe and the pylon assembly. The pylon link includes a Liquid Inertia Vibration Eliminator unit operable to reduce transmission of the pylon assembly vibration to the airframe. The advancing blade concept rotorcraft includes active force generators adjacent to the pylon assembly. The active force generators include a first active force generator producing a force in a first direction and a second active force generator producing a force in a second direction to counteract multidirectional oscillations of the pylon assembly, thereby reducing vibration of the advancing blade concept rotorcraft.

Vibration isolation systems for advancing blade concept rotorcraft

A mount system for tiltably supporting a pylon assembly of a rotorcraft. First, second, third and fourth pylon links are each coupled between the pylon assembly and the airframe of the rotorcraft. The first pylon link has a first axis, the second pylon link has a second axis, the third pylon link has a third axis and the fourth pylon link has a fourth axis. Each of the axes intersects at a focal point located proximate a coaxial rotor system having counter-rotating upper and lower rotor assemblies such that the focal point provides a virtual pivot point about which the pylon assembly tilts to generate a control moment about a center of gravity of the rotorcraft that counteracts lateral and fore/aft moments generated by the upper and lower rotor assemblies during rotorcraft maneuvers.

Mount systems for pylon assemblies with coaxial rotors

Growing community of inventors

Colleyville, TX, United States of America

Michael Reaugh Smith