Aerodynamic brake system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11014646-B2
Application number	US-201916278450-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 18, 2019
Priority date	Feb 18, 2019
Publication date	May 25, 2021
Grant date	May 25, 2021

Abstract

An aerodynamic brake includes a rigid panel having a panel leading edge portion and a panel trailing edge portion. The panel trailing edge portion is pivotably coupled to a vehicle body. The aerodynamic brake also includes a flexible sheet having a sheet lower edge portion coupled to the vehicle body, and a sheet upper edge portion coupled to the panel leading edge portion. The aerodynamic brake further includes a panel actuator configured to pivot the rigid panel between a stowed position and a deployed position. In the stowed position, the rigid panel is located proximate the vehicle body and covers the flexible sheet in a folded state. In the deployed position, the panel leading edge portion is pivoted away from the vehicle body and the flexible sheet is in an open state exposable to an oncoming airflow for generating aerodynamic drag for slowing the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An aerodynamic brake for a vehicle, comprising:
at least one rigid panel having a panel leading edge portion and a panel trailing edge portion, the panel trailing edge portion pivotably coupled to a vehicle body;
at least one flexible sheet having a sheet lower edge portion and a sheet upper edge portion, the sheet lower edge portion coupled to the vehicle body, the sheet upper edge portion coupled to the panel leading edge portion;
at least one panel actuator configured to pivot the at least one rigid panel for moving the at least one rigid panel between a stowed position and a deployed position;
in the stowed position, the at least one rigid panel being proximate the vehicle body and covering the at least one flexible sheet in a folded state between the at least one rigid panel and the vehicle body; and
in the deployed position, the panel leading edge portion being pivoted away from the vehicle body and the at least one flexible sheet being in an open state exposable to an oncoming airflow relative to a forward-moving direction of the vehicle for generating aerodynamic drag for slowing the vehicle.

2. The aerodynamic brake of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one flexible sheet is a fiber-reinforced fabric.

3. The aerodynamic brake of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one flexible sheet includes one or more battens extending along a spanwise direction of the at least one flexible sheet for increasing a spanwise stiffness of the at least one flexible sheet.

4. The aerodynamic brake of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one flexible sheet has a plurality of air cells and one or more air cell openings for inflating the air cells when the at least one flexible sheet is in the open state and subjected to the oncoming airflow.

5. The aerodynamic brake of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one rigid panel has a panel perimeter; and
the vehicle body has a recess having a recess perimeter sized and configured complementary to the at least one rigid panel for receiving the at least one rigid panel in the stowed position.

6. The aerodynamic brake of claim 1 , wherein:
the panel actuator is a linear actuator coupled between the at least one rigid panel and the vehicle body.

7. The aerodynamic brake of claim 1 , further including:
at least one panel leading edge securing mechanism configured to releasably couple the panel leading edge portion to the vehicle body when the at least one rigid panel is in the stowed position.

8. The aerodynamic brake of claim 7 , wherein the panel leading edge securing mechanism is configured as one of:
a U-shaped channel included with the vehicle body and oriented in an aft-facing direction and configured to receive the panel leading edge portion when the at least one rigid panel is in the stowed position; and
one or more panel leading edge latches releasably securing the panel leading edge portion to the vehicle body when the at least one rigid panel is in the stowed position.

9. The aerodynamic brake of claim 1 , further including:
at least one auxiliary actuator;
at least one mounting bracket having a mounting bracket body end and a mounting bracket panel end;
the mounting bracket body end pivotably coupled to the vehicle body for pivoting, via the at least one panel actuator, the mounting bracket for moving the at least one rigid panel between the stowed position and the deployed position;
the at least one rigid panel pivotably coupled to the mounting bracket panel end; and
the at least one auxiliary actuator configured to pivot the at least one rigid panel about the mounting bracket panel end during at least one of the following:
when the at least one rigid panel is in the deployed position;
when the at least one rigid panel is moving from the stowed position to the deployed position; and
when the at least one rigid panel is moving from the deployed position to the stowed position.

10. The aerodynamic brake of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one rigid panel is comprised of a plurality of panel segments arranged side-by-side in a spanwise direction;
the at least one flexible sheet is comprised of a plurality of sheet segments respectively associated with the plurality of panel segments; and
the plurality of panel segments and the plurality of sheet segments collectively defining a plurality of brake segments each having at least one panel actuator configured to actuate a brake segment independent of the remaining ones of the plurality of brake segments.

11. An aircraft, comprising:
a pair of wings;
at least one aerodynamic brake mounted to a wing upper surface of each wing, each aerodynamic brake including:
at least one rigid panel having a panel leading edge portion and a panel trailing edge portion, the panel trailing edge portion pivotably coupled to the wing;
at least one flexible sheet having a sheet lower edge portion and a sheet upper edge portion, the sheet lower edge portion coupled to the wing, the sheet upper edge portion coupled to the panel leading edge portion;
at least one panel actuator configured to pivot the at least one rigid panel about a location proximate the panel trailing edge portion for moving the aerodynamic brake between a stowed position and a deployed position;
in the stowed position, the at least one rigid panel being positioned proximate the wing and covering the at least one flexible sheet in a folded state between the at least one rigid panel and the wing; and
in the deployed position, the panel leading edge portion being pivoted away from the wing and the at least one flexible sheet being in an open state exposable to an oncoming airflow relative to a forward-moving direction of the aircraft for generating aerodynamic drag for slowing the aircraft.

12. A method of aerodynamically braking a vehicle, comprising:
moving the vehicle along a forward-moving direction causing an oncoming airflow to pass over a vehicle body;
deploying an aerodynamic brake from the vehicle body by performing the following:
pivoting, using a panel actuator, at least one rigid panel from a stowed position to a deployed position, the at least one rigid panel having a panel trailing edge portion pivotably coupled to the vehicle body, the at least one rigid panel in the stowed position being proximate the vehicle body and covering at least one flexible sheet in a folded state having a sheet lower edge portion coupled to the vehicle body and a sheet upper edge portion coupled to a panel leading edge portion, the at least one rigid panel in the deployed position having the panel leading edge portion pivoted away from the vehicle body; and
transitioning, when pivoting the at least one rigid panel from the stowed position to the deployed position, the at least one flexible sheet from the folded state to an open state exposing the at least one flexible sheet to the oncoming airflow relative to the forward-moving direction of the vehicle; and

generating aerodynamic drag of the vehicle in response to deploying the aerodynamic brake.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising stiffening the at least one flexible sheet in the open state using at least one of the following:
one or more battens extending along a spanwise direction of the at least one flexible sheet; and
a plurality of air cells generally aligned with the forward-moving direction and having air cell openings for inflating the plurality of air cells when the at least one flexible sheet is in the open state and subjected to the oncoming airflow.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
receiving the at least one rigid panel within a recess in the vehicle body when the a

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Mackin Steve G
• Campbell Lowell B

Classifications

• B64C9/323 Primary

  associated with wings · CPC title

• Y02T50/30

  Wing lift efficiency · CPC title

• B64C9/326

  associated with fuselages · CPC title

• Y02T50/40

  Weight reduction · CPC title

• B64C13/40

  using fluid pressure · CPC title