Wing deployment mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9689650-B2
Application number	US-201314653129-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2013
Priority date	Dec 18, 2012
Publication date	Jun 27, 2017
Grant date	Jun 27, 2017

Abstract

Wing deployment mechanism for deploying a pair of wings from an airborne body, wherein their deployment in motion, each one around an axis, defines the wings' deployment plane relative to the airborne body, and wherein the mechanism is characterized by that it comprises a propelable assembly mounted in the airborne body and suited to a rotational motion around an axis that is substantially orthogonal in its direction to the wings' deployment plane, a pair of arms that are linked, each one, on its one side to the assembly and at distance from the assembly's rotation axis, and on its other side to an end of one of the wings and at a distance from the axis around which the rotational motion of the wing in the wings' deployment plane is enabled, and wherein the link of each one of the arms is performed in a manner that enables angular motion of each of the arms relative to the assembly and to the end of the wing unto which it is linked, and wherein propelling the assembly to rotational motion and actuating a momentum for turning the wing as a result by the arm that is connected to it bring about concurrent rotational motion of the pair of wings in opposing directions and to their deployment on the wings' deployment plane, a method for deploying a pair of wings from an airborne body that is implementable in such mechanism and an airborne body equipped with such mechanism.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mechanism for deploying a pair of wings from an airborne body, wherein deployment of the wings in motion, each wing around an axis, defines the wings' deployment plane relative to the airborne body, and wherein the mechanism comprises—
an assembly that can be propelled that is mounted in said airborne body and is suited to a rotational motion around an axis that is substantially orthogonal to said wings' deployment plane, and
a pair of arms that are linked, each one, on one side of each arm to said assembly that can be propelled and at distance from the rotation axis of said assembly, and on each arm's opposite side to an end of one of said wings and at a distance from said axis around which said rotational motion of the wing in the wings' deployment plane is enabled, and
wherein said link of each one of the arms is performed in a manner that enables angular motion of each of the arms relative to the assembly and to said end of the wing unto which each one of the arms is linked, and
wherein propelling said assembly to rotational motion and actuating a momentum for turning the wing as a result by said arm that is connected to the wing bring about concurrent rotational motion of the pair of wings in opposing directions and to deployment of the pair of wings on the wings' deployment plane.

2. A mechanism according to claim 1 wherein—
a spherical joint means is implemented at ends of each of said arms, in a manner that wings' deviation and change of angle of attack in the course of deployment would not detract from said arms' angular motion capability, from an instant of each arm being connected at one end to said assembly and on the second end to a wings' end.

3. A mechanism according to claim 1 wherein—
each wing has a separate axis around which wings' rotational motion would be realized as said, and
said two separate axes are located in parallel one to the other, at a distance from said assembly's rotation axis and said two separate axes are substantially perpendicular to the wings' deployment plane.

4. A mechanism according to claim 3 wherein—
the rotation axis of said assembly is located between the said two separate axes of the wings.

5. A mechanism according to claim 3 wherein—
the rotation axis of said assembly is located alongside one of said two separate axes of the wings.

6. A mechanism according to claim 1 wherein—
the two wings are mounted one above the other with a common axis around which said rotational motion of said wings would be executed, and
said common axis is located at a distance from the rotation axis of the assembly and is also substantially orthogonal to said wings' deployment plane.

7. A mechanism according to claim 1 wherein—
propelling said assembly to a rotational motion as said, is executed by a means that is selected from a group consisting of an electro-mechanic actuator, a pneumatic means, a pyrotechnic means or a revolving gas piston.

8. A method for deploying a pair of wings from an airborne body, wherein each wing is deployable in a rotational motion around an axis on a wings' deployment plane relative to said airborne body, the method comprising—
positioning a rotatable assembly at a distance from the axis of each of the wings and in a manner that a rotation axis of the rotatable assembly is substantially orthogonal to each one of the wings; and
harnessing an end of each one of the wings at a distance from the rotation axis unto the rotatable assembly at a distance from the rotation axis using arms and in a manner that enables angular motion of each arm relative to the rotatable assembly and to the end of the wing unto which each arm is connected; and
propelling the rotatable assembly to a rotational motion in a manner that the rotatable assembly actuates a momentum for revolving the wings around their axis, in opposing directions, and to their deployment over said wings' deployment plane.

9. An airborne body equipped with a pair of deployable wings by motion around an axis, on a wings' deployment plane relative to said airborne body, the airborne comprising the mechanism for deployment of the wings in accordance with claim 1 .

10. An airborne body equipped with a pair of deployable wings by motion around an axis, on a wings' deployment plane relative to said airborne body, and wherein the mechanism for the wings' deployment that is mounted in said airborne body implements through operation of the mechanism the method defined in claim 8 .

11. A system for deploying wings from an airborne body across a deployment plane, comprising:
a first wing axis bearing adapted to rotatably couple a first wing to the airborne body at a first axis, the first wing capable of rotating around the first axis from a folded state to a deployed state by traversing the wings' deployment plane;
a second wing axis bearing adapted to rotatably couple a second wing to the airborne body at a second axis, the second wing capable of rotating around the second axis from the folded state to the deployed state by traversing the wings' deployment plane, wherein a long axis of each of the first and second wings are positioned substantially alongside the length of the airborne body in the folded state, and wherein the first and second wings are positioned outwards from the airborne body in the deployed state; and
a deploying mechanism coupled to the airborne body and the first and second wings, the deploying mechanism comprising:
a rotating assembly rotatably coupled to the airborne body at a third axis, the rotating assembly having a first joint and a second joint, wherein the third axis is substantially orthogonal to the wings' deployment plane;
a first arm having a distal end portion coupled to the first wing and a proximate end portion coupled to the first joint of the rotating assembly, the first arm being a link where rotation of the rotating assembly actuates angular motion on the first wing; and
a second arm having a distal end portion coupled to the second wing and a proximate end portion coupled to the second joint of the rotating assembly, the second arm being a link where rotation of the rotating assembly actuates angular motion on the second wing;
wherein the rotating assembly is configured to rotate around the third axis such that the first arm actuates outward movement of the first wing concurrently with the second arm actuating an opposite outward movement of the second wing, thereby deploying the first and second wings along the wings' deployment plane from the folded state into the deployed state.

12. The system according to claim 11 wherein:
the distal end portion of the first arm is rotatably coupled to the first wing and the proximate end portion of the first arm is rotatably coupled to the first joint;
the distal end portion of the second arm is rotatably coupled to the second wing and the proximate end portion of the second arm is rotatably coupled to the second joint, thereby deviation and change of the angle of attack of the first and second wings deploying from the folded state to the deployed state will not detract from the angular motion capability of the first and second arms.

13. The system according to claim 11 , wherein:
the first axis and the second axis are positioned parallel to each other and aft of the third axis on the airborne body;
the first axis is substantially perpendicular to the wings' deployment plane; and
the second axis is substantially perpendicular to the wings' deployment plane.

14. The system according to claim 13 , wherein the third axis is located between and fore of the first and second axes on the airborne body.

Assignees

• Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd

Inventors

• Vainshtein Alexander
• Bouhryakov Alexey

Classifications

• F42B15/01 Primary

  Arrangements thereon for guidance or control ({steering arrangements F42B10/60}; aircraft flight control B64C; guidance systems other than those installed aboard F41G7/00, F41G9/00; locating by use of radio or other waves G01S; flight control in general G05D1/00; computer aspects G06]) · CPC title

• F42B10/14 Primary

  using fins spread or deployed after launch, e.g. after leaving the barrel · CPC title

• F42B10/38

  Range-increasing arrangements (F42B10/34, F42B14/06 {and F42B15/105} take precedence) · CPC title

• F42B15/10

  Missiles having a trajectory only in the air · CPC title