Folding wing tip and rotating locking device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10227128-B2
Application number	US-201615152798-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2016
Priority date	May 15, 2015
Publication date	Mar 12, 2019
Grant date	Mar 12, 2019

Abstract

The invention provides an aircraft wing, comprising a fixed wing and a wing tip device at the tip. The wing tip device is configurable between: (i) a locked flight configuration for use during flight and (ii) a ground configuration for use during ground-based operations. The wing further comprises a locking mechanism for locking the folding wing tip device in the locked flight configuration. A rotatable locking member is associated with one of the folding wing tip device and the fixed wing, and a locking pin associated with the other. The rotatable locking member comprises a guide surface to guide the locking pin to a locked configuration, in which the guide surface is shaped such that the locking pin is urged toward the rotation axis of the rotatable locking member by a camming action of the guide surface on the locking pin, thereby preloading the locking mechanism.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft comprising an aircraft wing, the aircraft wing comprising a fixed wing and a wing tip device at the tip thereof, wherein the wing tip device is configurable between: (i) a locked 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 locked flight configuration such that the span of the aircraft wing is reduced, the aircraft wing further comprising a locking mechanism for locking the folding wing tip device in the locked flight configuration, the locking mechanism comprising a rotatable locking member associated with one of the folding wing tip device and the fixed wing, and a locking pin associated with the other of the folding wing tip device and the fixed wing, the rotatable locking member comprising a guide surface arranged to guide the locking pin during rotation of the rotatable locking member to a locked configuration, in which the guide surface is shaped such that the locking pin is urged toward the rotation axis of the rotatable locking member by a camming action of the guide surface on the locking pin, thereby preloading the locking mechanism, and wherein the distance between a point on the guide surface and the axis of rotation of the rotatable locking member decreases from an initial portion of the guide surface which guides the locking pin to a portion of the guide surface in contact with the locking pin when the locking mechanism is in the locked position.

2. The aircraft as claimed in claim 1 , the aircraft wing comprising a first stop, into which the locking pin comes into contact when wing tip device is in the locked flight configuration, with the rotatable locking member acting to urge the locking pin against the first stop when in the locked position.

3. The aircraft as claimed in claim 2 , the aircraft wing comprising a second stop, into which the locking pin comes into contact when the wing tip device is in the locked flight configuration, with the rotatable locking member acting to urge the locking pin against the second stop when in the locked position.

4. The aircraft as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rotatable locking member is a disk comprising a groove, the groove including the guide surface.

5. An aircraft comprising an aircraft wing, the aircraft wing comprising a fixed wing and a wing tip device at the tip thereof, wherein the wing tip device is configurable between: (i) a locked 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 locked flight configuration such that the span of the aircraft wing is reduced, the aircraft wing further comprising a locking mechanism for locking the folding wing tip device in the locked flight configuration, the locking mechanism comprising a rotatable locking member associated with one of the folding wing tip device and the fixed wing, and a locking pin associated with the other of the folding wing tip device and the fixed wing, the rotatable locking member comprising a guide surface arranged to guide the locking pin during rotation of the rotatable locking member to a locked configuration, in which the guide surface is shaped such that the locking pin is urged toward the rotation axis of the rotatable locking member by a camming action of the guide surface on the locking pin, thereby preloading the locking mechanism,
wherein the rotatable locking member is a disk comprising a groove, the groove including the guide surface, and
wherein the groove is formed as result of a portion of the disk that has been removed.

6. The aircraft as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the axis of rotation of the disk is the center of the disk.

7. The aircraft as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the groove extends from an inner portion of the disk to the outside of the disk.

8. An aircraft comprising an aircraft wing, the aircraft wing comprising a fixed wing and a wing tip device at the tip thereof, wherein the wing tip device is configurable between: (i) a locked 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 locked flight configuration such that the span of the aircraft wing is reduced, the aircraft wing further comprising a locking mechanism for locking the folding wing tip device in the locked flight configuration, the locking mechanism comprising a rotatable locking member associated with one of the folding wing tip device and the fixed wing, and a locking pin associated with the other of the folding wing tip device and the fixed wing, the rotatable locking member comprising a guide surface arranged to guide the locking pin during rotation of the rotatable locking member to a locked configuration, in which the guide surface is shaped such that the locking pin is urged toward the rotation axis of the rotatable locking member by a camming action of the guide surface on the locking pin, thereby preloading the locking mechanism
wherein the rotatable locking member is a disk comprising a groove, the groove including the guide surface, and
wherein the outside of the disk comprises a plurality of teeth.

9. The aircraft as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the teeth are arranged to be engaged by a toothed drive mechanism in contact with the outside of the disk.

10. The aircraft as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the drive mechanism is driven by a control unit.

11. The aircraft as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the control unit controls the locking of the locking mechanism when the wing is in the flight configuration and the unlocking of the locking mechanism when the wing is to be moved into the ground configuration.

12. The aircraft as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the locking pin is rotatably mounted.

13. The aircraft as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the aircraft wing comprises a second locking mechanism.

14. The aircraft as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the second locking mechanism comprises a second rotatable locking member, the second rotatable locking member comprising a guide surface arranged to guide the locking pin during rotation of the second rotatable locking member to a locked configuration, in which the guide surface is shaped such that the same locking pin is urged towards the rotation axis of the second rotatable locking member by a camming action of the groove on the locking pin, thereby preloading the second locking mechanism.

15. The aircraft as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the second locking mechanism comprises a second rotatable locking member and a second locking pin, the second rotatable locking member comprising a guide surface arranged to guide the second locking pin during rotation of the second rotatable locking member to a locked configuration, in which the guide surface is shaped such that the locking pin is urged towards the rotation axis of the second rotatable locking member by a camming action of the groove on the second locking pin, thereby preloading the second locking mechanism.

16. The aircraft as claimed in claim 13 wherein the second locking mechanism is arranged to rotate in a plane parallel to the plane of rotation of the first locking mechanism but in the opposite direction.

17. The aircraft as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the first locking mechanism and second locking mechanism have the same axis of rotation.

18. The aircraft as claimed in claim 13 wherein the first

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Ltd

Inventors

• Korya Chetan
• Bryant Anthony
• Harding Matt
• Brakes David

Classifications

• B64C23/072

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

• B64C3/56 Primary

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

• Y02T50/164

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02T50/10

  Drag reduction · CPC title