The Boeing Company

Other

Stephen John Fox

Seiya Sakurai

Mark Steven Good

Jan A Kordel

Matthew August Lassen

Douglas S Lacy

Kevin W Beyer

Keith Townsend

Bruce Robert Fox

Victor H Reyes

Mark John Gardner

Stephen L Wells

Clayton A Prow

James Miller Wheaton

Jack S Noble

Paul T Meredith

Neal Van Huynh

Steven Paul Walker

Gregory M Santini

Kelly Thomas Jones

Paul W Dees

Paul M Vijgen

Mark Nicholas Simpson

Richard B Odell

Victor A Munsen

John E Fox

Huw James Salmon

Nicholas I Bennett

Michael F Fitzpatrick

Edward W Gronenthal

Kristin E Grimlund

John A Ennes

Sharon Xiangdong Che

Russell R Christianson

Paul L Johnson

Kara Marie Charles

John Tony Skomorowski

Victor Reyes

Bruce R Fox

Matthew A Lassen

A wing assembly comprises a raked wing tip having an outboard portion hinged to one of a main wing having at least one moveable control surface and an inboard raked wing tip portion. The outboard portion of the raked wing tip does not carry any moveable flight control surfaces.

Hinged raked wing tip

An apparatus and method of a wing fold system may include a latch assembly rotating an unfixed portion of a wing, with respect to a fixed portion of the wing, between a flight position of the wing and a folded position of the wing. A first portion of the wing may hold a rotating portion of the latch assembly. A second portion of the wing may hold a secured portion of the latch assembly. The rotating portion of the latch assembly may rotate between an open position and a closed position. A slot in the rotating portion may receive the secured portion of the latch assembly. A securing portion of the rotating portion may secure a secured portion of the latch assembly. The latch assembly may prevent rotation of the second portion when the wing may be in the flight position.

Wing fold system rotating latch

A rotary drive assembly is provided. The assembly includes a tip hinge box, a body hinge box pivotably coupled to the tip hinge box, a rotary actuator positioned within the body hinge box, and a linkage mechanism coupled between the rotary actuator and the tip hinge box, the linkage mechanism including a first linkage fixedly coupled to the rotary actuator, and a second linkage coupled between the first linkage and the tip hinge box, wherein rotation of the rotary actuator causes the tip hinge box to rotate relative to the body hinge box.

Rotary drive assembly for wing tip

A variable camber Krueger flap deployment linkage mechanism is presented. A first linkage assembly couples a flap assembly and an airfoil, and comprising a first drive arm, a first drive link, and a support arm. A second linkage assembly couples the flap assembly and the first drive arm, and comprises a drive transfer arm, a middle connection segment, and a bullnose link.

High-positioned 2-position variable camber Krueger

A wing fold system may move a second portion of a wing with respect to a first portion of the wing between flight positionand folded position. A first link may rotate in response to actuating an actuator. A second link may move in response to rotating of the first link. The second portion of the wing may move in response to moving the second link and the second portion may move with respect to the first portion of the wing. One of the first portion and the second portion may be a fixed portion of the wing and the other of the first portion and the second portion may be a wingtip of the wing.

Wing fold system

A system and method to enable natural laminar flow over a fluid-dynamic body using a variable camber Krueger flap is disclosed. A sequence of flap positions is deployed where the variable camber Krueger flap is below and aft of the wing leading edge before reaching a configured takeoff and landing position. The variable camber Krueger flap is positioned in a high position relative to a wing leading edge when the variable camber Krueger flap is fully deployed.

High-positioned 3-position variable camber krueger

An aircraft flap actuator assembly includes at least one fixed support, at least one track having a curvilinear track surface connected to the fixed support, at least one flap support adapted to traverse the curvilinear track surface, a trailing edge flap connected to the at least one flap support and a flap actuator engaging the at least one flap support.

Aircraft flap actuator assembly

A rotation joint and methods for rotationally coupling a swing tip assembly to a fluid-dynamic body are presented. A rotation plate configured to couple to the swing tip assembly comprises a slide ring comprising an open center, an upper slide surface, an inner slide surface, and a lower slide surface. An upper joint plate is slidably coupled to the upper slide surface and the inner slide surface is configured to couple the fluid-dynamic body. A lower joint plate is slidably coupled to the lower slide surface and the inner slide surface, and is coupled to the upper joint plate through the open center. The lower joint plate is configured to couple to the fluid-dynamic body.

Swing tip assembly rotation joint

A trailing edge flap mechanism incorporates a support beam, a flap carrier beam supporting an aerodynamic flap, a first link interconnecting a first and second rotation points and a second link interconnecting third and fourth rotation points. The support beam has a ground connection on a first fixed axis of rotation. A connecting link has a ground connection on a second fixed axis of rotation and is connected to the first link intermediate the first and second rotation points. An actuator is connected with a drive link pivotally engaged to the first link for initial forward and aft movement of a nose profile of the Fowler flap substantially parallel to the wing lower surface with extending aft movement providing a rapidly changing angle of the flap with respect to the wing upper surface.

Aircraft flap mechanism having compact large fowler motion providing multiple cruise positions

A device and methods for low speed performance improvement of a lifting surface assembly are disclosed. At least one vortex generator is coupled to the lifting surface assembly, and the vortex generator is extended through the lifting surface assembly by drooping a hinged leading coupled to the lifting surface assembly to increase lift. The vortex generator is retracted inside the lifting surface assembly to decrease drag.

Retractable vortex generator for reducing stall speed

Link mechanisms for gapped rigid Krueger flaps, and associated methods and systems are disclosed. A system in accordance with one embodiment includes a deployable leading edge assembly that in turn includes a deployable leading edge panel having a generally fixed-shape flow surface, a bullnose coupled to the panel, and a link mechanism coupled to the panel and the bullnose to move the panel between a stowed position and a deployed position. The mechanism can include a first support link, a second support link, and first, second, and third positioning links. The positioning links can be pivotably connected among the leading edge panel, the bullnose, the first support link and the second support link so that the leading edge panel forms a gap with the airfoil when in the deployed position. The positioning links can be the only positioning links coupled between the support links, the leading edge panel, and the bullnose at a particular wing span location.

Link mechanisms for gapped rigid krueger flaps, and associated systems and methods

A method and apparatus for controlling airflow with a gapped trailing edge device having a flexible flow surface. The airfoil can include a first portion having a first leading edge, a first flow surface, and a second flow surface facing opposite from the first flow surface. The airfoil can further include a second portion having a second leading edge and a trailing edge, with at least part of the second portion being positioned aft of the first portion. The second portion is moveable relative to the first portion between a first position and a second position, with the second leading edge separated from at least part of the first portion by an airflow gap when the second portion is in the second position. The second portion includes a flexible flow surface that has a first shape when the second portion is in the first position, and has a second shape different than the first shape when the second portion is in the second position.

Method and apparatus for controlling airflow with a gapped trailing edge device having a flexible flow surface

Trailing edge devices configured to carry out multiple functions, and associated methods of use and manufacture are disclosed. An external fluid flow body (e.g., an airfoil) configured in accordance with an embodiment of the invention includes a first portion and a second portion, at least a part of the second portion being positioned aft of the first portion, with the second portion being movable relative to the first portion between a neutral position, a plurality of upward positions, and a plurality of downward positions. A guide structure can be coupled between the first and second portions, and an actuator can be operatively coupled between the first and second portions to move the second portion relative to the first portion. In one embodiment, a flexible surface can track the motion of the second portion and can expose a gap at some positions. In another embodiment, a controller can be coupled to the actuator and can be configured to direct the actuator to move the second portion to a high lift setting, a high drag setting, a roll setting, and a trim setting. In yet another embodiment, trailing edge devices on an airfoil can have scaled, mechanically similar guide structures.

Multi-function trailing edge devices and associated methods

Growing community of inventors

Everett, WA, United States of America

Stephen John Fox