Spoiler

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024253772-A1
Application number	US-202418422761-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 25, 2024
Priority date	Jan 26, 2023
Publication date	Aug 1, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

An aircraft wing including a wing structure supporting a wing cover having an outer aerodynamic surface, and a pop-up spoiler unit including an actuation mechanism and a spoiler coupled to the actuation mechanism. The spoiler is moveable by the actuation mechanism to deploy through an aperture in the wing cover. The pop-up spoiler unit is mounted to the wing structure to be substantially isolated from wing bending deflections. The wing structure has a neutral plane which is substantially neither stretched nor compressed during bending of the wing structure. The pop-up spoiler unit is mounted to the wing structure at only two pin joints each having a respective pin axis about which the pop-up spoiler unit is substantially free to rotate, and each pin axis substantially lies in the neutral plane.

First claim

1 . An aircraft wing comprising:
a wing structure supporting a wing cover having an outer aerodynamic surface, and a pop-up spoiler unit including an actuation mechanism, and a spoiler coupled to the actuation mechanism, wherein the spoiler is moveable by the actuation mechanism to deploy through an aperture in the wing cover, and wherein the pop-up spoiler unit is mounted to the wing structure to be substantially isolated from wing bending deflections.

2 . The aircraft wing according to claim 1 , wherein the wing structure has a neutral plane, and
wherein the pop-up spoiler unit is mounted to the wing structure only at locations substantially lying in the neutral plane.

3 . The aircraft wing according to claim 1 , wherein the pop-up spoiler unit is mounted to the wing structure by pin joints about which the pop-up spoiler unit is substantially free to rotate.

4 . The aircraft wing according to claim 3 , wherein each of the pin joints includes a pin having a pin axis oriented substantially transverse to a spanwise axis of the wing.

5 . The aircraft wing according to claim 4 , wherein each of the pin joints constrains to pure rotation along the pin axis relative motion of the wing structure and the pop-up spoiler unit.

6 . The aircraft wing according to claim 3 , wherein the pop-up spoiler unit is mounted to the wing structure by a pair of the pin joints, one of the pair of pin joints being located at each end of the pop-up spoiler unit.

7 . The aircraft wing according to claim 1 , wherein the spoiler has a length extending substantially in a spanwise direction of the wing, and a height extending substantially in a thickness direction of the wing.

8 . The aircraft wing according to claim 1 , wherein the spoiler is configured to deploy through an upper aerodynamic surface of the wing.

9 . The aircraft wing according to claim 1 , wherein the aperture is an elongate slot.

10 . The aircraft wing according to claim 1 , wherein the spoiler is arranged to move in a direction substantially normal to the outer aerodynamic surface of the wing cover.

11 . The aircraft wing according to claim 1 , wherein the spoiler is moveable between a retracted and an extended position, and
wherein the spoiler does not extend beyond an aerofoil profile of the wing when the spoiler is in the retracted position.

12 . The aircraft wing according to claim 11 , wherein the spoiler carries a panel, and the panel forms a substantially flush surface with the outer aerodynamic surface of the wing cover when the spoiler is in the retracted position.

13 . The aircraft wing according to claim 1 , wherein the spoiler unit occupies substantially a full depth of the wing between an upper aerodynamic surface of the wing and a lower aerodynamic surface of the wing.

14 . The aircraft wing according to claim 1 , wherein the actuation mechanism is operable to move the spoiler without jamming during wing bending deflections under all normal operating conditions of the aircraft wing.

15 . The aircraft wing according to claim 1 , wherein the actuation mechanism is operable to move the spoiler when the aircraft wing is in flight or is on the ground under all normal operating conditions of the aircraft wing.

16 . The aircraft wing according to claim 1 , wherein the aircraft wing is a subsonic or transonic large transport aircraft wing.

17 . The aircraft wing according to claim 1 , wherein the neutral plane is curve with respect to a spanwise direction of the wing structure, and the spoiler is curved to conform to the neutral plane.

18 . An aircraft wing comprising:
a wing structure supporting a wing cover having an outer aerodynamic surface, and a pop-up spoiler unit including an actuation mechanism, and a spoiler coupled to the actuation mechanism, wherein the spoiler is moveable by the actuation mechanism to deploy through an aperture in the wing cover, wherein the wing structure has a neutral plane which is substantially neither stretched nor compressed during bending of the wing structure, and wherein the pop-up spoiler unit is mounted to the wing structure at only two pin joints each having a respective pin axis about which the pop-up spoiler unit is substantially free to rotate, and each of the pin axes substantially lies in the neutral plane.

19 . The aircraft wing according to claim 18 , wherein the neutral plane is curve with respect to a spanwise direction of the wing structure, and the spoiler is curved to conform to the neutral plane.

20 . An aircraft wing comprising:
a neutral plane extending in a spanwise direction of the aircraft wing and perpendicular to the spanwise direction, wherein the neutral plane is curved along the spanwise direction and the neutral plane is defined as a region of the aircraft wing which does not compress or stretch as the wing bends; a wing cover including an upper aerodynamic wing surface and a lower aerodynamic wing surface opposite the upper aerodynamic wing surface; a spoiler in the upper aerodynamic wing surface, wherein the spoiler, while at a retracted position, is flush with the upper aerodynamic wing surface and extends out from the upper aerodynamic wing surface while at a deployed position, wherein the spoiler is curved has a longitudinal axis parallel to the neutral plane; a pop-up spoiler unit including an actuation mechanism between the upper aerodynamic wing surface and the lower aerodynamic wing surface, wherein the pop-up spoiler unit is configured to move the spoiler between the retracted position and the deployed position; and joints connecting the pop-up spoiler unit to the spoiler, wherein all of the joints connecting the pop-up spoiler to the spoiler are in the neutral plane.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Ltd

Inventors

• Custance Denys

Classifications

• B64C9/323 Primary

  associated with wings · CPC title

• B64C3/58 Primary

  provided with fences or spoilers (adjustable for control purposes B64C9/00) · CPC title

• B64C13/28

  mechanical · CPC title

• B64C30/00

  Supersonic type aircraft · CPC title

• B64C9/34 Primary

  collapsing or retracting against or within other surfaces or other members · CPC title