Arrangement for effecting movement of a wing tip device between a flight configuration and a ground configuration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10137977-B2
Application number	US-201615045311-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 17, 2016
Priority date	Feb 17, 2015
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

An aircraft comprises a wing, a wing tip device at the tip of the wing and an actuator. The actuator is arranged to effect movement of the wing tip device between a flight configuration for use during flight and a ground configuration in which the wing tip device is moved away from the flight configuration such that the span of the aircraft is reduced. The aircraft comprises a carriage guide, such as a track assembly, fixed relative to the wing, and a carriage arranged to move along the track assembly as the wing tip device moves between the flight and ground configurations. The carriage carries the wing tip device on a pivot, such that the wing tip device is rotatable relative to the carriage, about the pivot, as the carriage moves along the track assembly. The movement of the wing tip device between the flight and the ground configurations, may thereby comprise both a rotational component of movement of the wing tip device about the pivot, and a translational component of movement, of the pivot, along the track assembly.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft comprising a wing having a span, a wing tip device at the tip of the wing and an actuator, wherein the actuator is arranged to effect movement of the wing tip device between:
(i) a flight configuration for use during flight and
(ii) a ground configuration for use during ground-based operations, in which ground configuration the wing tip device is moved away from the flight configuration such that the span of the aircraft wing is reduced,
characterised in that the aircraft comprises:
a carriage guide, fixed relative to the wing, and
a carriage arranged to move along the carriage guide as the wing tip device moves between the flight and ground configurations,

wherein the carriage carries the wing tip device on a pivot, such that the wing tip device is rotatable relative to the carriage, about the pivot, as the carriage moves along the carriage guide
the movement of the wing tip device, between the flight and the ground configurations, comprising both a rotational component of movement of the wing tip device about the pivot, and a translational component of movement, of the pivot, along the carriage guide.

2. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator is coupled to the wing tip device at a coupling, and the actuator is arranged such that the coupling, during movement of the wing tip device between the flight configuration and the ground configuration, follows a substantially arcuate locus.

3. The aircraft according to claim 2 , wherein the relative locations of the pivot and the coupling, when the wing tip device is in the ground configuration, are such that when the wing tip device is urged to undergo a rotation about the pivot, from that ground configuration, the reaction force at the coupling is substantially radial with respect to the arcuate locus.

4. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the movement from the flight configuration to the ground configuration comprises an initial phase of motion that comprises only a translational component of movement of the wing tip device.

5. The aircraft according to claim 4 , wherein the actuator applies an actuation-force vector, and during the initial phase of motion the actuation-force vector and the pivot are substantially inline such that the actuation force vector passes substantially through, or close to, the pivot.

6. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein when the wing tip device is in the ground configuration the pivot is located at a height, and the height of the pivot is at a local minimum, such that movement of the carriage along the carriage guide to move the wing tip device away from the ground configuration will result in the lifting of the pivot.

7. An assembly for attaching a wing tip device to an aircraft wing, wherein the wing tip device is moveable between:
(i) a flight configuration for use during flight and
(ii) a ground configuration for use during ground-based operations, in which ground configuration the wing tip device is moved away from the flight configuration such that the span of the aircraft is reduced,
wherein the assembly comprises:
a carriage guide, for fixing relative to the wing, and
a carriage arranged to move along the carriage guide as the wing tip device moves between the flight and ground configurations,
wherein the carriage carries the wing tip device on a pivot, such that the wing tip device is rotatable relative to the carriage, about the pivot, as the carriage moves along the carriage guide.

8. A method of designing the path of movement of a wing tip device on the aircraft according to claim 2 ,
wherein the method comprises the steps of determining:
(i) the radius of the arcuate locus, and/or
(ii) the shape of the carriage guide and/or
(iii) the relative positions of the pivot and the coupling,

such that as the wing tip device moves along the carriage guide between the flight and the ground configurations, the movement of the wing tip device comprises a translational component of movement along the carriage guide, and rotational component about the pivot.

9. A method of moving a wing tip device between a flight configuration and a ground configuration, wherein the wing tip device is pivotable on a carriage that is movable along a carriage guide, such that the wing tip device is rotatable relative to the carriage,
wherein the method comprises the step of:
moving the carriage along the carriage guide, such that the movement of the wing tip device, between the flight and the ground configurations, comprises both a rotational component of movement of the wing tip device about the pivot, and a translational component of movement, of the pivot, along the carriage guide.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Ltd

Inventors

• Thompson Robert Ian

Classifications

• B64C3/56 Primary

  Folding or collapsing to reduce overall dimensions of aircraft · CPC title

• B64C23/072

  the wing tip airfoil devices being moveable in their entirety · CPC title

• Y02T50/164

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B64C3/546 Primary

  by foldable elements · CPC title

• B64C3/58

  provided with fences or spoilers (adjustable for control purposes B64C9/00) · CPC title