Aircraft landing gear assemblies, aircraft including the landing gear assemblies, and methods of deploying the landing gear assemblies

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11034437-B2
Application number	US-201916419548-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 22, 2019
Priority date	May 22, 2019
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

Abstract

Aircraft landing gear assemblies, aircraft including the landing gear assemblies, and methods of deploying landing gear assemblies. The landing gear assemblies include an elongate landing gear strut, a wheel assembly, and a deployment structure. The elongate landing gear strut includes a first strut end region, an opposed second strut end region, and a wheel assembly mount. The wheel assembly is coupled to the wheel assembly mount. The deployment structure is configured to selectively transition the landing gear assembly between a stowed state and a deployed state.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A landing gear assembly for an aircraft, the landing gear assembly comprising:
an elongate landing gear strut that includes a first strut end region, an opposed second strut end region, a wheel assembly mount in the first strut end region, a first strut mount positioned between the first strut end region and the second strut end region, and a second strut mount positioned between the first strut mount and the second strut end region;
a wheel assembly coupled to the wheel assembly mount; and
a deployment structure, wherein the deployment structure:
(i) includes an aircraft mount;
(ii) is configured to selectively transition the landing gear assembly between a stowed state and a deployed state; and
(iii) is configured to operatively translate the second strut end region relative to the aircraft mount as the landing gear assembly transitions between the stowed state and the deployed state.

2. The aircraft landing gear assembly of claim 1 , wherein the deployment structure further includes a forward link that includes a forward link strut mount, which is rotationally coupled to the first strut mount of the elongate landing gear strut, and a forward link aircraft mount, which is configured to be rotationally coupled to a forward link mount of the aircraft.

3. The aircraft landing gear assembly of claim 2 , wherein the forward link further includes a forward link lock mount, which is configured to be rotationally coupled to a forward link locking structure of the deployment structure.

4. The aircraft landing gear assembly of claim 3 , wherein the forward link lock mount is offset from a forward link elongate axis that extends between the forward link strut mount and the forward link aircraft mount.

5. The aircraft landing gear assembly of claim 3 , wherein the deployment structure further includes the forward link locking structure, which is configured to selectively and operatively retain the landing gear assembly in the stowed state by resisting motion of the landing gear assembly from the stowed state.

6. The aircraft landing gear assembly of claim 2 , wherein, when the landing gear assembly transitions between the stowed state and the deployed state, the deployment structure is configured maintain a fixed relative orientation between the aircraft mount and the forward link aircraft mount.

7. The aircraft landing gear assembly of claim 1 , wherein the deployment structure further includes an aft link that includes an aft link strut mount rotationally coupled to the second strut mount of the elongate landing gear strut and an aft link aircraft mount configured to be rotationally coupled to an aft link mount of the aircraft.

8. The aircraft landing gear assembly of claim 7 , wherein the aft link further includes an aft link actuator mount rotationally coupled to an actuator of the deployment structure.

9. The aircraft landing gear assembly of claim 8 , wherein the aft link strut mount is offset from an aft link elongate axis that extends between the aft link actuator mount and the aft link aircraft mount.

10. The aircraft landing gear assembly of claim 8 , wherein the deployment structure further includes the actuator.

11. The aircraft landing gear assembly of claim 10 , wherein the actuator includes a linear actuator.

12. The aircraft landing gear assembly of claim 10 , wherein the actuator includes an actuator link mount that rotationally couples the actuator to the aft link actuator mount and an actuator aircraft mount configured to rotationally couple the actuator to an actuator mount of the aircraft.

13. The aircraft landing gear assembly of claim 10 , wherein the actuator is an elongate actuator that extends between an actuator link mount and an actuator aircraft mount.

14. The aircraft landing gear assembly of claim 13 , wherein the actuator is configured to selectively vary a distance between the actuator link mount and the actuator aircraft mount to transition the landing gear assembly between the stowed state and the deployed state.

15. The aircraft landing gear assembly of claim 1 , wherein the deployment structure further includes a strut locking structure configured to selectively and operatively retain the landing gear assembly in the deployed state.

16. An aircraft, comprising:
a fuselage;
a wing;
a landing gear bay; and
the landing gear assembly of claim 1 operatively attached to the landing gear bay.

17. The aircraft of claim 16 , wherein the landing gear assembly is a nose landing gear assembly of the aircraft.

18. A landing gear assembly for an aircraft, the landing gear assembly comprising:
an elongate landing gear strut that includes:
(i) a first strut end region;
(ii) an opposed second strut end region;
(iii) a wheel assembly mount in the first strut end region;
(iv) a first strut mount positioned between the first strut end region and the second strut end region; and
(v) a second strut mount positioned between the first strut mount and the second strut end region;
a wheel assembly coupled to the wheel assembly mount; and
a deployment structure operatively attached to the elongate landing gear strut, wherein the deployment structure is configured to:
(i) selectively transition the landing gear assembly between a stowed state and a deployed state;
(ii) rotate the first strut mount about a first axis of rotation as the landing gear assembly transitions between the stowed state and the deployed state; and
(iii) rotate the second strut mount about a second axis of rotation as the landing gear assembly transitions between the stowed state and the deployed state.

19. A method of deploying a landing gear assembly for an aircraft, the method comprising:
transitioning the landing gear assembly between a stowed state and a deployed state, wherein the landing gear assembly includes:
(i) an elongate landing gear strut that includes a first strut end region, an opposed second strut end region, a wheel assembly mount in the first strut end region, a first strut mount positioned between the first strut end region and the second strut end region, and a second strut mount positioned between the first strut mount and the second strut end region;
(ii) a wheel assembly coupled to the wheel assembly mount; and
(iii) a deployment structure that includes an aircraft mount;
and further wherein at least one of:
(i) the transitioning includes operatively translating the second strut end region relative to the aircraft mount as the landing gear assembly transitions between the stowed state and the deployed state;
(ii) translating the elongate landing gear strut relative to the aircraft mount and rotating the elongate landing gear strut relative to the aircraft mount as the landing gear assembly transitions between the stowed state and the deployed state; and
(iii) rotating a first strut mount of the elongate landing gear strut about a first axis of rotation as the landing gear assembly transitions between the stowed state and the deployed state and also rotating a second strut mount of the elongate landing gear strut about a second axis of rotation as the landing gear assembly transitions between the stowed state and the deployed state.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the deployment structure is operatively attached to the elongate landing gear strut.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Jackson Rick A

Classifications

• B64C25/60 Primary

  Oleo legs · CPC title

• B64C25/10

  retractable, foldable, or the like · CPC title

• B64C25/34

  wheeled type, e.g. multi-wheeled bogies · CPC title

• B64C25/14

  fore-and-aft · CPC title

• B64C25/40 Primary

  the elements being rotated before touch-down · CPC title