Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
  • B64C—AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS
  • B64C39/00—Aircraft not otherwise provided for
  • B64C39/08—Aircraft not otherwise provided for having multiple wings

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a device for controlling the control surfaces of an aircraft of the type with two wings offset horizontally and vertically, called slit effect.
• the present invention also relates to the aircraft equipped with this device.
• French patent application FR-A-757,605 discloses an aircraft lift balancer.
• FIG. 6 shows schematically the characteristics of this balancer.
• the aircraft comprises a fuselage 1, with an engine 2 and a propeller 3 at the front while the rear is fitted with a rudder 4.
• On the fuselage there is a front wing 5 and a rear wing 6.
• the rear wing is offset in the horizontal plane towards the rear but also in the vertical plane towards the bottom.
• the front wing 5 is movable around an axis 7 perpendicular to the direction of advance and it is controlled by a mechanical system 8 such as a set of rods and a handle, to vary the angle of incidence of this front wing 5.
• This wing is called "living wing”.
• the mechanical system 8 makes it possible to control the front wing, when the handle is maneuvered in the front / rear plane, but also the rudder when the handle is maneuvered laterally.
• the rear wing 6 is fixed in incidence in the simplest version, defining a slot 9, through which an air flow passes. On the embodiment shown it has been shown that in the case where the wing is movable in incidence, an independent control mechanism is provided.
• this aircraft is devoid of tail depth control surfaces.
• the variations of the engine speed are controlled by hand by a lever (not shown).
• a first arrangement provides for controlling the incidence of the front wing and the rudder with the same handle. When the stick is pushed or pulled, the aircraft descends or climbs and when the stick is moved to the right or to the left, the aircraft turns to the right or left.
• the left wing travels a greater distance and therefore goes faster so that it tends to climb while the right wing goes slower and tends lose altitude, the aircraft tilts to the right and turns.
• the rudder is controlled by foot pedals, while the stick controls the front and rear incidence of the front wing and on the right and left sides, the differential tilt fins.
• the combination of these movements is provided by mounting the handle on a suitable articulation.
• the forces for controlling the wing are much greater than the forces for differential control of the ailerons, the surface of which is very small compared to the front wing. This command is also not homogeneous.
• the present invention provides a device for controlling the living wing which makes it possible to achieve a homogeneous control of the control surfaces of the aircraft which is equipped with it, whether it is of simple design or with ailerons.
• This device is very simple, highly reliable and low cost.
• this device makes it possible to reach extreme positions allowing specific maneuvers of the aircraft, as will be explained in the detailed description which follows.
• control device for control surfaces of an aircraft comprising a fuselage, an engine and a propeller, a rudder, as well as a front wing pivotally mounted around an axis passing substantially through the maximum lift line and a fixed rear wing, means for controlling the movable elements, is characterized in that it comprises at least one servo-tab arranged on the trailing edge of the front wing, and at least one control making it possible to maneuver at least the servo-tab upwards or downwards so as to modify the incidence of the front wing by rotation about its pivot axis.
• the command for operating the servo-tab also makes it possible to operate the rudder in a combined manner.
• control is a handle whose front / rear movements correspond to movements of the servo-tab downwards and upwards and the right and left movements correspond to pivotings of the rudder towards the right or left.
• At least one servo-tab arranged on the trailing edge of the front wing, two right and left fins, arranged on the trailing edge of the rear wing, so as to ensure a certain warping of this rear wing, and at least one command making it possible to maneuver at least the servo-tab upwards or downwards so as to modify the incidence of the front wing by rotation about its pivot axis.
• Either a handle is provided whose front / rear movements correspond to movements of the servo-tab downwards and upwards and whose right and left movements correspond to symmetrical differential pivoting of the ailerons, as well as a foot system of the type with two spreaders to control the rudder, i.e. a handle whose front / rear movements correspond to movements of the servo-table down and up and whose right and left movements correspond to pivoting of the control surface steering, as well as a foot system of the type with two spreaders to control the differential movements of the ailerons.
• two right and left servo-tabs / ailerons are provided, arranged on the trailing edge of the front wing, and at least one command making it possible to maneuver these two servo-tabs / fins up or towards bottom, simultaneously or differentially, symmetrically or relative, so as to modify the incidence of the front wing by rotation about its pivot axis and to ensure a warping effect.
• the rudder is controlled by a foot system of the type with two spreaders.
• the device comprises complementary mechanical control means making it possible to force the incidences of the front wing into extreme positions, beyond the operating capabilities of the servo-tab.
• Another subject of the invention is the aircraft equipped with one of these control surfaces.
• FIG. 1 a side elevation view of an aircraft arranged according to the invention
• FIG. 2 a front view of the same aircraft as that of FIG. 1,
• FIG. 3 a top view of a first embodiment of the control device according to the invention
• FIG. 3A a view of the control means of the device of FIG. 3,
• FIG. 3B a view of the movements of the front wing as a function of the movements of the control means
• FIG. 4 a top view of a second embodiment of the control device according to the invention
• FIG. 4A a view of the control means of the device of FIG. 4,
• FIG. 4B a view of the movements of the front wing and the ailerons of the rear wing as a function of the movements of the control means
• FIG. 5 a top view of a third embodiment of the control device according to the invention
• FIG. 5A a view of the control means of the device of FIG. 5,
• FIG. 5B a view of the movements of the front wing as a function of the movements of the control means
• FIG. 6, a view of an aircraft of the prior art comprising two offset wings with the effect of slitting.
• FIGS. 1 and 2 an aircraft is shown comprising a fuselage 1 0, an engine 1 2 and a propeller 1 4, equipped with a landing gear 1 6.
• the wings are two in number, a front wing 1 8 movable about an axis 20 and a rear wing 22, fixed in incidence.
• the axis 20 passes substantially through the maximum lift line.
• the rear wing 22 is offset rearward and downward relative to the front wing as in the prior art so as to obtain the effect of particular circulation of the air streams through the slot 24.
• the rudder 26 At the tail of the aircraft, there is the rudder 26, arranged in a known manner, pivoting about an axis 28, substantially vertical.
• the front wing 1 8 is equipped with a servo-tab 30, disposed on the trailing edge of said wing in the central part.
• This servo-tab has a relatively small surface. It is movable around an axis 32, up or down, relative to the wing which also is movable around the axis 20, remember.
• This servo-tab is controlled by any known suitable means, the simplest being by a double cable or even by a simple push / pull type cable, sold commercially in particular under the trade mark TELEFLEX.
• the rudder is also controlled by cable.
• control means 34 comprise a single handle 36 which is articulated to allow combined movements in all directions.
• the handle 36 is movable in the front / rear plane along the double arrow 38. This displacement corresponds to the movement of the servo-tab 30 around the axis 32.
• the handle 36 is movable laterally along the double arrow 40. This movement corresponds to the movement of the rudder to the right or to the left.
• FIG. 3B in addition to FIGS. 3 and 3A, the movements of the different elements can be understood.
• the servo-tab pivots and causes the modification of the incidence of the front wing which carries it, under the leverage effect generated by the air flow on the servo -tab relative to the pivot axis 20 of the wing.
• the handle is pushed forward the servo-tab lowers, which brings up the wing on the back, the aircraft descends and when the handle is pulled back, the servo-tab goes up which lowers the back of the wing, the aircraft goes up.
• the wing When stopped, the wing is inclined at the rear, resting on the top of the fuselage or on an adapted bracket not provided for in this embodiment.
• an extreme position of the handle 36 is noted in the front / rear plane, corresponding to the arrows 42.
• This additional control means is not necessary, but, as an improvement, it increases the piloting possibilities and allows an optimization of the flight capacities and performance of the aircraft which is equipped with it.
• the incidence control of the entire wing by the single servo-tab makes it possible to obtain this homogeneous control by reducing the values of the forces necessary for the maneuver of the wing to values close to those of the forces necessary for the control of the rear control surface.
• FIGS. 4, 4A and 4B proposes to have ailerons 46G and 46D on the rear wing 22, pivotally mounted about an axis 48. This induces means for controlling these ailerons which are operated in a differential manner, that is to say one downward when the other is upward, symmetrically.
• the handle 36 is provided in this case for controlling, in the same way as previously the servo-tab of the front wing 1 8, in the front / rear plane along the double arrow 38 with a possibility of two extreme positions according to the two arrows 42.
• the movements along the double arrow 40 make it possible to control the fins 46G and 46D to cause the aircraft to tilt around the roll axis.
• the orientations of the rear control surface are represented by the double arrow 54 in FIG. 4 and in FIG. 4A.
• the front wing 18 is equipped with two servo-tab / aileron 56G and 56D while the rear wing is fixed and has no movable element.
• the control means comprise, identically to the second embodiment, a handle 36 and a foot control 50 with two spreaders 52G and 52D for the operation of the rudder 26 as previously according to the double arrow 54.
• the handle 36 controls in an identical manner to that of the preceding embodiments, the two servo-tab / aileron 56G and 56D simultaneously in the same direction downwards or upwards, which produces the same effects on the front wing 1 8, when the handle is maneuvered in the front / rear plane corresponding to the double arrow 38.
• the servo-tab / fin move in a differential manner to allow warping of the wing.
• control on the handle 36 is homogeneous and allows fine and pleasant piloting.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
• Toys (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=9505701

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (3)

Family Cites Families (7)

• 1997
  • 1997-04-04 FR FR9704361A patent/FR2761658B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1998
  • 1998-04-03 AU AU73381/98A patent/AU7338198A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1998-04-03 WO PCT/FR1998/000680 patent/WO1998045172A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1998-04-03 EP EP98920565A patent/EP0971840A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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