The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 11, 2026
Filed:
Feb. 20, 2025
University of Notre Dame Du Lac, South Bend, IN (US);
United States Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH (US);
Mark Plecnik, South Bend, IN (US);
Sam Patrick O'connor, South Bend, IN (US);
Aravind Baskar, South Bend, IN (US);
James Joo, Dayton, OH (US);
University of Notre Dame du Lac, South Bend, IN (US);
Government of the United States as Represented by the Secretary of The Air Force, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH (US);
Abstract
An apparatus for deploying the wings of a movable-wing aircraft includes a spherical four-bar mechanism. The spherical four-bar mechanism has a first bar to which a first wing is attached, a second bar to which a second wing is attached, a third, movable bar rotatably or movably linking the first bar to the second bar at a first respective point on each bar, and a fourth bar grounding the first and second bar at a second respective point on each bar. The spherical four-bar mechanism may be mathematically optimized for space, size, and movement by a system of kinematic equations to allow the first and second wing to open at substantially the same time without colliding with one another. The wings of the aircraft may further include a mid-wing hinge with a movable stiffening spar to allow the wings to fold to a more compact size during storage.