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:
Sep. 09, 2003
Filed:
Jan. 18, 2002
Frank B. Stamps, Colleyville, TX (US);
James L. Braswell, Jr., Colleyville, TX (US);
David A. Popelka, Colleyville, TX (US);
Richard L. Bennett, Forth Worth, TX (US);
Thomas B. Settle, Jr., Arlington, TX (US);
Charles E. Covington, Bedford, TX (US);
Cecil E. Covington, late of Azle, TX (US);
Bell Helicopter Textron Inc., Fort Worth, TX (US);
Abstract
The subject tiltrotor aircraft has three modes of operation: airplane mode, helicopter mode, and transition mode. A tilting mast, which transitions the aircraft between airplane mode and helicopter mode, is controlled by systems that allow selective movement of the rotor blades between the flight modes. A hub couples the rotor blades to the tilting mast such that torque and thrust are transferred, while allowing rotor thrust vector tilting. A main swash plate controls rotor thrust vector direction. Pitch horns are coupled to the rotor blades and the main swash plate via pitch links such that swash plate inputs are communicated to the rotor blades. The pitch links are coupled at “delta-3” values that are not optimum. A feedback swash plate and feedback links receive disk tilting inputs from the rotor blades, and supply inputs to the main swash plate, which compensates for the less than optimum delta-3 coupling.