Wing fold system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9415857-B2
Application number	US-201313962952-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2013
Priority date	Oct 30, 2012
Publication date	Aug 16, 2016
Grant date	Aug 16, 2016

Abstract

A wing fold system may move a second portion of a wing with respect to a first portion of the wing between flight position 301 and folded position 303 . A first link may rotate in response to actuating an actuator. A second link may move in response to rotating of the first link. The second portion of the wing may move in response to moving the second link and the second portion may move with respect to the first portion of the wing. One of the first portion and the second portion may be a fixed portion of the wing and the other of the first portion and the second portion may be a wingtip of the wing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of folding a wing, the method comprising:
connecting a first opening in a first fixed portion of a wing to a first opening in an unfixed portion of a wing at a first joint;
aligning a first opening in a first link to a second opening in the fixed portion at a second joint, the second joint being located in the fixed portion and distinct from the unfixed portion;
actuating a link actuator that engages the first link and causes the first link to rotate concentrically about the first opening of the first link and the second joint;
connecting the first link to a second link via aligning a second opening of the first link with a first opening in the second link at a third joint located distinct from both the fixed portion and the unfixed portion;
aligning and connecting a second opening in the second link to a second opening in the unfixed portion at a fourth joint, such that rotating the first link concentrically about the first opening of the first link and the second joint causes rotating the second link about a fourth joint and thereby moving the unfixed portion of the wing with respect to the fixed portion of the wing via rotating the unfixed portion of the wing concentrically about the first joint and the first opening of the unfixed portion; said method further comprising sensing a position of one of the first link and the second link via a group of sensors; and
a link actuator driving a torque tube having at least one toothed member, the toothed member fitting with teeth engaging the first link and causing the third joint to rotate about the second joint located in the first fixed portion of the wing,
the toothed member being located between the first joint and the second joint.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
the unfixed portion configured as a wingtip without moveable control surfaces of the wing; and
the fixed portion comprising a wing box.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
engaging a latch of a lock, in response to the sensing of the position, with one of the first link and the second link; and
preventing moving of the second link in response to the engaging of the latch.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the latch engages a lock sector of the second link.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
transferring movement from the link actuator to the first link via a toothed member.

6. The method of claim 1 , the moving of the unfixed portion of the wing comprising:
rotating, via the first joint, the unfixed portion with respect to the fixed portion, the first joint comprising:
a first joint element of the fixed portion of the wing comprising the first opening in the fixed portion; and
a third joint element of the unfixed portion of the wing comprising the first opening in the unfixed portion.

7. The method of claim 1 , the rotating of the first link comprising:
rotating, via the second joint, the first link with respect to the fixed portion, the second joint comprising:
a second joint element of the fixed portion of the wing comprising the second opening in the fixed portion; and
a fifth joint element of the first link comprising the first opening in the first link.

8. The method of claim 1 , the moving of the second link comprising:
rotating, via the third joint, the second link with respect to the first link, the third joint comprising:
a sixth joint element of the first link comprising the second opening in the first link; and
an eighth joint element of the second link comprising the first opening in the second link.

9. The method of claim 1 , the moving of the unfixed portion of the wing comprising:
rotating, via the fourth joint, the unfixed portion of the wing with respect to the second link, the fourth joint comprising:
a fourth joint element of the second unfixed portion of the wing comprising the second opening in the unfixed portion; and
a seventh joint element of the second link comprising the second opening in the second link.

10. An apparatus of a wing fold system, the apparatus comprising:
a first opening in a fixed portion of a wing connected to a first opening in an unfixed portion of a wing via a first joint;
a second opening in the fixed portion connected to a first opening in a first link via a second joint located distinct from the unfixed portion;
a second opening in the first link connected to a first opening in a second link via a third joint located distinct from the fixed portion and the unfixed portion;
a second opening in the second link connected to a second opening in the unfixed portion of a wing via a fourth joint distinct from the fixed portion;
a link actuator located between the first opening in the fixed portion and the second opening in the fixed portion configured such that in operation, the link actuator rotates the first link concentrically about the first opening of the first link and about the second joint and moves the second link via a movement of the third joint such that a movement of the second link rotates about the first joint, the unfixed portion of the wing with respect to the fixed portion of the wing via a movement of the fourth joint; said apparatus further comprising:
a group of sensors configured to sense a position of one of the first link and the second link; and
the link actuator driving a torque tube having at least one toothed member, the toothed member fitting with teeth of the first link, such that in operation, a rotation of the first link causes the third joint to rotate about the second joint located in the first fixed portion of the wing, the toothed member being located between the first joint and the second joint.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising:
the unfixed portion of the wing configured as a wingtip without moveable control surfaces of the wing; and
the fixed portion comprising a wing box.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:
the toothed member configured to transfer movement from the link actuator to the first link.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:
the first joint configured to rotate the unfixed portion with respect to the fixed portion, the first joint comprising:
a first joint element comprising a first opening of the fixed portion of the wing; and
a third joint element comprising a first opening of the unfixed portion of the wing.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:
the second joint configured to rotate the first link with respect to the fixed portion, the second joint comprising:
a second joint element comprising a second opening of the fixed portion of the wing; and
a fifth joint element comprising a first opening of the first link.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:
the third joint configured to rotate the second link with respect to the first link, the third joint comprising:
a sixth joint element comprising a second opening of the first link; and
an eighth joint element comprising a first opening of the second link.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:
the fourth joint configured to rotate the unfixed portion of the wing with respect to the second link, the fourth joint comprising:
a fourth joint element comprising a second opening of the unfixed portion of the wing; and
a seventh joint element comprising a second opening of the second link.

17. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:
a latch of a lock configured to engage with one of the first link and the second link in response to the sensing of the position;
wherein the latch is configur

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Fox Stephen John
• Sakurai Seiya
• Munsen Victor A
• Noble Jack S
• Skomorowski John Tony

Classifications

• Y02T50/145

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02T50/164

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B64C3/56 Primary

  Folding or collapsing to reduce overall dimensions of aircraft · CPC title

• B64C23/065

  at the wing tips · CPC title

• B64C23/072

  the wing tip airfoil devices being moveable in their entirety · CPC title