Aircraft with displaceable control surface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11235856-B2
Application number	US-201916661740-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2019
Priority date	Oct 23, 2019
Publication date	Feb 1, 2022
Grant date	Feb 1, 2022

Abstract

An aircraft includes a wing and a rotor pod mounted to the wing. The rotor pod includes a body having a forward end and an aft end. A propeller is mounted to the body of the rotor pod at the forward end. A control surface is mounted to the body of the rotor pod between the forward and aft ends and extends outwardly from the body. The control surface is displaceable relative to the body between a first control configuration and a second control configuration to control an attitude of the aircraft. The control surface in the first control configuration is closer to the propeller than the control surface in the second control configuration.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An aircraft, comprising:
a wing;
a rotor pod mounted to the wing, the rotor pod including a body having a forward end and an aft end, and extending along a longitudinal pod axis;
a propeller mounted to the body of the rotor pod at the forward end; and
a control surface mounted to the body of the rotor pod downstream of the propeller and extending outwardly from the body, the control surface having a leading edge and a trailing edge extending outwardly from the body, the control surface being displaceable relative to the body between a first control configuration and a second control configuration, the control surface being further from the propeller in the second control configuration than in the first control configuration, the control surface being rotatable relative to the body about a transverse pod axis extending transversely to the longitudinal pod axis to position one of the leading edge and the trailing edge facing forwardly in the first control configuration and rearwardly in the second control configuration.

2. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the control surface is rotatable about the transverse pod axis to selectively orient a pressure side or a suction side of the control surface toward the propeller to induce at least one of a roll, a pitch and a yaw of the aircraft.

3. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein in the first configuration, the control surface is rotatable about the transverse pod axis between a first range of angular positions to control an attitude of the aircraft, the first range including a first angular position in which the leading edge faces rearwardly and, in the second configuration, the control surface is rotatable about the transverse pod axis within a second range of angular positions to control the attitude of the aircraft, the second range including a second angular position opposite the first angular position in which the leading edge faces forwardly.

4. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the control surface has a root disposed proximate the body and a tip disposed outward of the body opposite the root, the leading and trailing edges respectively extending between the root and the tip at opposite ends thereof, the leading edge facing away from the propeller and the tip being closer to the propeller than the root in the first control configuration, the leading edge facing toward the propeller and the root being closer to the propeller than the tip in the second control configuration.

5. The aircraft of claim 4 , wherein in the first control configuration, the tip is located forward of a center of gravity of the aircraft and in the second configuration, the tip is located aft of the center of gravity.

6. The aircraft of claim 4 , wherein in the first control configuration, the tip is located aft of the aft end of the body.

7. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the control surface is translatable along the longitudinal pod axis relative to the body and relative to the forward and aft ends to displace the control surface between the first and second control configurations.

8. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the control surface is rotatable about the longitudinal pod axis.

9. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the wing is a first wing, the rotor pod is a first rotor pod, and the control surface is a first control surface, the aircraft having a second wing in a same plane as the first wing, a second rotor pod mounted to the wing, and a second control surface mounted to the second rotor pod and extending outwardly therefrom, the second control surface being displaceable and rotatable relative to the second rotor pod independently of the first control surface.

10. A method of operating an aircraft including a wing and a rotor pod mounted to the wing, the rotor pod having a body with a forward end and an aft end and a longitudinal pod axis, a propeller mounted to the body at the forward end and a control surface mounted to the body downstream of the propeller and extending outwardly from the body, the method comprising:
rotating the control surface relative to the body about an axis transverse to the longitudinal pod axis to position the control surface relative to the propeller in a first control configuration; and
rotating the control surface relative to the body about the axis transverse to the longitudinal pod axis to position the control surface in a second control configuration in which the control surface is further from the propeller than the control surface is in the first control configuration.

11. The method of claim 10 , comprising displacing the control surface to the first control configuration and rotating the control surface about the axis to a first angular position to cause a roll, a pitch, and a yaw movement of the aircraft, and displacing the control surface to the second control configuration and rotating the control surface about the axis to a second angular position different from the first angular position to control said roll, pitch, and yaw movement of the aircraft, the second angular position having a greater magnitude than the first angular position.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein rotating the control surface includes rotating the control surface about the longitudinal pod axis of the rotor pod when the control surface is in either one of the first control configuration and the second control configuration, to control at least one of roll, pitch, and yaw of the aircraft.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein rotating the control surface includes rotating the control surface to position at least part of a tip thereof rearward of the aft end of the body in the second control configuration.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein rotating the control surface about the transverse pod axis of the rotor pod includes rotating the control surface between the first and second control configurations.

15. The method of claim 10 , comprising displacing the control surface relative to the body between the forward and aft ends.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein displacing the control surface includes displacing the control surface toward the propeller to increase an authority of the control surface, and displacing the control surface away from the propeller to decrease the authority of the control surface.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein displacing the control surface includes displacing the control surface to position an entirety thereof between the forward and aft ends of the body in the first control configuration.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein displacing the control surface relative to the body includes sliding the control surface along the longitudinal pod axis relative to the body.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein displacing the control surface includes translating the control surface to position at least part of a tip thereof rearward of the aft end of the body in the second control configuration.

Assignees

• Bell Textron Inc
• Textron Innovations Inc

Inventors

• Flynn-Robitaille Pascal

Classifications

• B64C25/32

  characterised by elements which contact the ground or similar surface  (arrester hooks B64C25/68) · CPC title

• B64C13/38

  with power amplification · CPC title

• B64C3/40

  Varying angle of sweep · CPC title

• B64C29/02 Primary

  having its flight directional axis vertical when grounded · CPC title

• B64C9/08 Primary

  bodily displaceable · CPC title