Aircraft having convertible tailboom and landing gear systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11312484-B2
Application number	US-202016815625-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 11, 2020
Priority date	Mar 11, 2020
Publication date	Apr 26, 2022
Grant date	Apr 26, 2022

Abstract

A tiltwing aircraft convertible between a vertical takeoff and landing flight mode and a forward flight mode includes a fuselage, a tiltwing rotatably coupled to the fuselage and a convertible tailboom and landing gear system rotatably coupled to the fuselage. The tiltwing is rotatable between a substantially vertical position in the vertical takeoff and landing flight mode and a substantially horizontal position in the forward flight mode. The convertible tailboom and landing gear system is rotatable between a landing gear position in the vertical takeoff and landing flight mode and a tailboom position in the forward flight mode. The convertible tailboom and landing gear system includes skids and linkages that rotatably couple the skids to the fuselage. The skids are positioned below the fuselage in the landing gear position and extend aft of the fuselage in the tailboom position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tiltwing aircraft convertible between a vertical takeoff and landing flight mode and a forward flight mode comprising:
a fuselage;
a tiltwing rotatably coupled to the fuselage, the tiltwing rotatable between a plurality of positions including a substantially vertical position in the vertical takeoff and landing flight mode and a substantially horizontal position in the forward flight mode; and
a convertible tailboom and landing gear system rotatably coupled to the fuselage, the convertible tailboom and landing gear system rotatable between a plurality of positions including a landing gear position in the vertical takeoff and landing flight mode and a tailboom position in the forward flight mode, the convertible tailboom and landing gear system comprising:
a plurality of skids each having an underside configured to contact a landing surface upon landing in the landing gear position, the underside of each skid facing downward in the tailboom position; and
a plurality of linkages rotatably coupling the skids to the fuselage;
wherein, in the landing gear position, the skids are positioned below the fuselage with a forward portion of the skids forward of the tiltwing; and
wherein, in the tailboom position, the skids extend aft of the fuselage with the forward portion of the skids aft of the tiltwing.

2. The tiltwing aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein the convertible tailboom and landing gear system further comprises a horizontal stabilizer and one or more vertical fins, the horizontal stabilizer coupled to the skids via the one or more vertical fins.

3. The tiltwing aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein the convertible tailboom and landing gear system is rotatable through an angular range of motion of at least 90 degrees.

4. The tiltwing aircraft as recited in claim 3 wherein the angular range of motion between the landing gear position and the tailboom position is approximately 90 degrees.

5. The tiltwing aircraft as recited in claim 3 wherein the linkages remain parallel throughout the angular range of motion.

6. The tiltwing aircraft as recited in claim 3 wherein the skids remain horizontal throughout the angular range of motion.

7. The tiltwing aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein the convertible tailboom and landing gear system further comprises raised tiers coupled to aft portions of the skids and a stabilizer coupled to the raised tiers.

8. The tiltwing aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein the skids are adjacent to an underside of the fuselage in the landing gear position and are adjacent to a top side of the fuselage in the tailboom position.

9. The tiltwing aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein the linkages have aft ends rotatably coupled to inboard sides of the skids via revolute joints.

10. The tiltwing aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein the linkages have forward ends rotatably coupled to lateral sides of the fuselage via revolute joints.

11. The tiltwing aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein the linkages further comprise left and right leading linkages and left and right trailing linkages, the leading linkages having forward ends rotatably coupled to a middle section of the fuselage, the trailing linkages having forward ends rotatably coupled to an aft section of the fuselage.

12. The tiltwing aircraft as recited in claim 11 wherein the tiltwing further comprises left and right tiltwings each having an inboard end, the forward ends of the leading linkages fixedly coupled to the inboard ends of the tiltwings such that the tiltwings rotate with the leading linkages.

13. The tiltwing aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein the linkages are approximately vertical in the vertical takeoff and landing flight mode and approximately horizontal in the forward flight mode.

14. The tiltwing aircraft as recited in claim 1 further comprising a proprotor assembly coupled to the tiltwing, wherein the tiltwing is forwardly and aftwardly tiltable in the vertical takeoff and landing flight mode to permit thrust vectoring.

15. The tiltwing aircraft as recited in claim 14 wherein the tiltwing, the proprotor assembly and the linkages are configured to synchronously rotate between the vertical takeoff and landing flight mode and the forward flight mode.

16. The tiltwing aircraft as recited in claim 1 further comprising a coaxial proprotor system having top and bottom proprotor assemblies; and
a proprotor system mount rotatably coupled to the fuselage, the proprotor system mount including a forward mount arch configured to rotate with the linkages, the coaxial proprotor system coupled to the forward mount arch.

17. An aircraft comprising:
a fuselage;
left and right tiltwings rotatably coupled to the fuselage; and
a convertible tailboom and landing gear system rotatably coupled to the fuselage, the convertible tailboom and landing gear system comprising:
a plurality of skids; and
a plurality of linkages rotatably coupling the skids to the fuselage;
wherein the aircraft is convertible between a vertical takeoff and landing flight mode and a forward flight mode;
wherein the convertible tailboom and landing gear system is rotatable between a plurality of positions including a landing gear position in the vertical takeoff and landing flight mode and a tailboom position in the forward flight mode, the skids positioned below the fuselage with a forward portion of the skids forward of the tiltwings in the landing gear position and the skids extending aft of the fuselage with the forward portion of the skids aft of the tiltwings in the tailboom position; and
wherein each skid has an underside configured to contact a landing surface upon landing in the landing gear position, the underside of each skid facing downward in the tailboom position.

18. The aircraft as recited in claim 17 further
comprising left and right proprotor assemblies coupled to outboard ends of the left and right tiltwings, respectively.

19. The aircraft as recited in claim 17 further comprising a conversion motor configured to rotate at least one of the linkages to transition the convertible tailboom and landing gear system between the landing gear position and the tailboom position.

20. The tiltwing aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein the linkages comprise left and right leading linkages and left and right trailing linkages, the left and right leading and trailing linkages extending in a uniform direction in the landing gear position and in the tailboom position.

Assignees

• Textron Innovations Inc

Inventors

• Bernard Guy

Classifications

• B64C5/02

  Tailplanes · CPC title

• B64C25/52 Primary

  Skis or runners · CPC title

• B64C29/0033

  the propellers being tiltable relative to the fuselage · CPC title

• B64C5/12

  for retraction against or within fuselage or nacelle · CPC title

• B64C25/24

  electric · CPC title