Wing fold system rotating latch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9469392-B2
Application number	US-201313966754-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2013
Priority date	Oct 30, 2012
Publication date	Oct 18, 2016
Grant date	Oct 18, 2016

Abstract

An apparatus and method of a wing fold system may include a latch assembly rotating an unfixed portion of a wing, with respect to a fixed portion of the wing, between a flight position of the wing and a folded position of the wing. A first portion of the wing may hold a rotating portion of the latch assembly. A second portion of the wing may hold a secured portion of the latch assembly. The rotating portion of the latch assembly may rotate between an open position and a closed position. A slot in the rotating portion may receive the secured portion of the latch assembly. A securing portion of the rotating portion may secure a secured portion of the latch assembly. The latch assembly may prevent rotation of the second portion when the wing may be in the flight position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of folding and unfolding a wing, the method comprising:
rotating an unfixed portion of the wing with respect to a fixed portion of the wing between a flight position of the wing and a folded position of the wing;
securing, about a rotation axis in a lower-side of the fixed portion of the wing, a rotating portion of a latch assembly, to the fixed portion, the rotating portion connecting to a rotation bar that rotates, the rotating portion comprising a slot;
securing a secured portion, comprising a latch bar, of the latch assembly to a lower-side of the unfixed portion of the wing; and
rotating, between an open position of the latch assembly and a closed position of the latch assembly, the rotating portion of the latch assembly, via moving a latch actuator connecting to the rotation bar at a lug that rotates about the rotation axis, the rotation bar being radially offset from the rotation axis and located between the lug and the slot.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
the closed position comprising a securing portion of the rotating portion securing the latch bar of the secured portion of the latch assembly within the slot in the rotating portion; and
preventing, via a hook on the securing portion of the rotating portion, rotating the unfixed portion when the wing is in the flight position.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
engaging the rotating portion by a lock of the latch assembly when the rotating portion is in the closed position; and
preventing rotation of the rotating portion by the lock when the lock is engaged.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fixed portion comprises a wing box of the wing and the unfixed portion comprises a wingtip of the wing.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising configuring the latch assembly as a hook latch.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
the latch assembly comprising multiple rotating portions connected to the rotation bar connected to the latch actuator; and
the secured portion comprising the latch bar.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising the latch assembly in the closed position comprising multiple rotating portions interleaving with multiple unfixed portion lower-side stops in the secured portion.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising: exerting a force, via a pawl contacting a surface of the rotating portion, that prevents rotation of the rotating portion in the closed position of the latch assembly.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the latch actuator being in the fixed portion of the wing.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising connecting the rotation bar to the latch actuator via the lug extending, away from the slot, from the rotation bar.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the rotating portion connecting, about the rotation axis, to a fixed portion lower-side stop of the fixed portion of the wing.

12. An apparatus comprising:
a fixed portion of a wing;
an unfixed portion of the wing configured to rotate between a folded position of the wing and a flight position of the wing, such that the unfixed portion comprises a secured portion that comprises a latch bar in an unfixed portion lower-side stop, and the fixed portion of the wing comprises a fixed portion lower-side stop that connects, about a rotation axis, to a rotating portion connected to a rotation bar that connects to a latch actuator via a lug such that the rotating portion comprises:
the rotation bar and a slot, the rotation bar being radially offset from the rotation axis and located between the lug and the slot; and
a securing portion that comprises a hook such that with a latch assembly, of the wing, in a closed position, the slot receives the latch bar and holds the fixed portion lower-side stop against the unfixed portion lower-side stop.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , the latch assembly further comprising a lock configured to:
engage the rotating portion when the rotating portion is in the closed position and
prevent rotation of the rotating portion when the lock is in an engaged position.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the fixed portion comprises a wing box of the wing and the unfixed portion comprises a wingtip of the wing.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising:
multiple rotating portions connected to the rotation bar;
the secured portion comprises a group of openings configured such that the multiple rotating portions fit between the openings;
the slot configured such that the hook rotates around the latch bar as the rotating portion moves from an open position of the latch assembly to the closed position of the latch assembly; and
the securing portion of the rotating portion configured to secure the secured portion with the latch assembly in the closed position.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising:
the securing portion of the rotating portion configured such that in operation, the securing portion rotates about the rotation axis located in the fixed portion lower-side stop.

17. The apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising:
a lock configured such that in operation the lock secures the latch bar within the securing portion via contacting a surface of the rotating portion with a pawl.

18. The apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising:
the securing portion comprising a target on a perimeter of the rotating portion that aligns with a sensor in the unfixed portion based upon the latch assembly being in the closed position.

19. A system for improving a fuel efficiency of an aircraft, the system comprising:
a first wingspan of the aircraft configured to expand beyond a length allowed for ground operation of the aircraft at an airport; and
a wing fold system that comprises a latch assembly located within a wing such that a size of the wing fold system precludes a need to add any thickness and any fairing to a shape of the wing, the wing fold system configured to reduce the first wingspan of the aircraft to a second wingspan of the aircraft, such that the second wingspan comprises a shorter length than the length allowed for ground operation of the aircraft at the airport, the latch assembly comprising a rotating portion, secured about a rotation axis in a lower-side of a fixed portion of the wing, connected to a rotation bar connected to a lug connected to a latch actuator within the fixed portion of the wing, the rotation bar being radially offset from the rotation axis and located between the lug and a slot in the rotating portion.

20. The system of claim 19 further comprising the wing fold system configured to preclude a change, due to the latch assembly within the wing of the wing fold system, of a cross-sectional outline of the wing, such that the wing fold system comprises a secured portion configured such that in operation, the secured portion engages the rotating portion comprising the slot and a securing portion.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Fox Stephen John
• Kordel Jan A
• Townsend Keith
• Lassen Matthew August
• Gardner Mark John
• Good Mark Steven

Classifications

• B64C3/56 Primary

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

• B64C23/065

  at the wing tips · CPC title

• Y02T50/164

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02T50/54

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02T50/145

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic