阅读说明：本技术 用于飞行器的机翼安排的闩锁装置 (Latching device for a wing arrangement of an aircraft ) 是由 克里斯蒂安·洛伦兹 于 2019-05-31 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种用于飞行器(1)的机翼安排(3)的闩锁装置、一种相应的机翼安排(3)以及一种相应的飞行器(1)。闩锁装置(29)包括壳体(33)；长形的主轴(39)；螺母(47)；闩锁栓(31),闩锁栓被联接到螺母(47)并且被可滑动地支撑在壳体(33)中,其中,闩锁栓(31)在伸出位置比缩回位置时穿过开口(37)向壳体(33)的外部延伸得更远；导引件(49),导引件被适配成导引螺母(47)沿主轴(39)移动并且导引闩锁栓(31)在缩回位置和伸出位置之间移动；以及闩锁致动器(41),闩锁致动器被适配成实现主轴(39)绕纵向轴线的旋转、以及由此实现闩锁栓(31)在伸出位置和缩回位置之间的移动。(The invention relates to a latching device for a wing arrangement (3) of an aircraft (1), to a corresponding wing arrangement (3) and to a corresponding aircraft (1). The latch device (29) comprises a housing (33); an elongate spindle (39); a nut (47); a latch bolt (31) coupled to the nut (47) and slidably supported in the housing (33), wherein the latch bolt (31) extends further outside of the housing (33) through the opening (37) in the extended position than in the retracted position; a guide (49) adapted to guide the nut (47) to move along the spindle (39) and to guide the latch bolt (31) to move between a retracted position and an extended position; and a latch actuator (41) adapted to effect rotation of the spindle (39) about the longitudinal axis and thereby movement of the latch bolt (31) between the extended and retracted positions.)

1. A latching device for a wing arrangement (3) of an aircraft (1),

Wherein the wing arrangement (3) comprises a wing (9) comprising a base section (11) having a first end portion (11a) adapted to be fastened to a fuselage (5) of an aircraft (1) and an opposite second end portion (11b), and a tip section (13) having a third end portion (13a) and an opposite fourth end portion (13b), wherein the third end portion (13a) is pivotably connected to the second end portion (11b) such that the tip section (13) is pivotable about a pivot axis (17) between a deployed position and a stowed position in which a spanwise length of the wing (9) is smaller than in the deployed position, wherein a first engagement portion (23a, 25a) with a first hole (27) extends from the base section (11) at the second end portion (11b), and a second engagement portion (23b, 25b) having a second aperture (27) extending from the tip section (13) at the third end portion (13a) such that when the tip section (13) is in the deployed position the first aperture is aligned with the second aperture (27) and when the tip section (13) is in the stowed position the first aperture is misaligned with the second aperture (27) and

Wherein the latching device (29) comprises:

a housing (33) comprising an interior cavity (35) and an opening (37), the interior cavity (35) opening out of the housing (33) at the opening,

An elongated spindle (39) threaded on the outside and supported in the internal cavity (35) such that it can rotate about the longitudinal axis of the spindle (39) and is secured against axial movement relative to the housing (33),

A nut (47) threaded on the spindle (39) and supported in the housing (33) such that the nut (47) is prevented from rotating relative to the housing (33) and rotation of the spindle (39) causes the nut (47) to move along the spindle (39),

A latch bolt (31) coupled to the nut (47) and slidably supported in the housing (33) such that by moving the nut (47) along the spindle (39), the latch bolt (31) is selectively movable along a longitudinal axis of the spindle (39) between a retracted position and an extended position, wherein the latch bolt (31) extends further outside of the housing (33) through the opening (37) in the extended position than in the retracted position,

a guide (49) adapted to guide movement of the nut (47) along the spindle (39) and movement of the latch bolt (31) between the retracted position and the extended position, and

A latch actuator (41) adapted to effect rotation of the spindle (39) about the longitudinal axis, and thereby movement of the latch bolt (31) between the extended and retracted positions.

2. The latching device according to claim 1, wherein the nut (47) is a ball nut.

3. The latching device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the latch bolt (31) is releasably coupled to the nut (47) and/or wherein the latch bolt (31) is rigidly coupled to the nut (47).

4. A latching arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the latch bolt (31) is a hollow cylinder.

5. The latching device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one part of the guide (49) is a hollow cylinder, wherein the latch bolt (31) and the nut (47) are in contact with an inner surface of the guide (49).

6. The latching arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the nut (47) comprises one of a slot (51) and a radial projection (53) and the guide (49) comprises the other of the slot (51) and the radial projection (53), wherein the slot (51) and the radial projection (53) engage each other and are configured to thereby prevent relative rotation between the nut (47) and the housing (33) and to guide movement of the nut (47) along the spindle (39).

7. The latching device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the latch actuator (41) is or comprises an electric, hydraulic or pneumatic actuator.

8. The latching device according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one locking mechanism (55) having a locking element (57) selectively movable between a locking position and an enabling position, wherein

When the latch bolt (31) is in the protruding position and the locking element (57) is moved from the enabled position to the locked position, the locking element (57) engages the latch bolt (31) or a component secured to the latch bolt and prevents the latch bolt (31) from moving out of the protruding position, and

The latch bolt (31) is movable from the protruding position into the retracted position when the latch bolt (31) is in the protruding position and the locking element (57) is moved from the locking position into the enabling position.

9. The latching arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the at least one locking mechanism (55) further comprises a locking actuator operable to move the at least one locking element (57) from the locking position to the enabling position, and a biasing arrangement arranged and adapted to bias the locking element (57) to the extended position.

10. The latching device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein an end portion of the latch bolt (31) opposite the nut (47) is chamfered.

11. The latching device according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a mount arrangement (61, 63) adapted to fixedly mount the housing (33) to a surface in a defined orientation in which the opening (37) faces the surface such that the housing (33) can be mounted to a surface of a first engagement portion (23a, 25a) or a second engagement portion (23b, 25b) of a wing arrangement of an aircraft by the mount arrangement such that the opening (37) is aligned with the first and second apertures when the tip section (13) is in the deployed position.

12. A wing arrangement for an aircraft (1), the wing arrangement comprising:

-an airfoil (9) comprising a base section (11) having a first end portion (11a) adapted to be fastened to a fuselage (5) of an aircraft (1) and an opposite second end portion (11b), and a tip section (13) having a third end portion (13a) and an opposite fourth end portion (13b), wherein the third end portion (13a) is pivotably connected to the second end portion (11b) such that the tip section (13) is pivotable about a pivot axis (17) between a deployed position and a stowed position in which a distance between the first end portion (11a) and the fourth end portion (13b) is smaller than in the deployed position, wherein a first engagement portion (23 a) with a first hole (27), 25a) a second engagement portion (23b, 25b) extending from the base section (11) at the second end portion (11b) and having a second aperture (27) extending from the tip section (13) at the third end portion (13a) such that the first aperture is aligned with the second aperture (27) when the tip section (13) is in the deployed position and the first aperture is misaligned with the second aperture (27) when the tip section (13) is in the collapsed position,

At least one latching device (29) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the diameter of the latch bolt (31) matches the diameter of the first and second holes (27), and the housing (33) is fixedly mounted to the surface of the first (23a, 25a) or second (23b, 25b) engaging portion by the mounting arrangement such that the opening (37) is aligned with the first and second holes (27) when the tip section (13) is in the deployed position, such that the opening (37) is aligned with the first and second holes (27) such that the opening is aligned with the first and second holes (27)

In the deployed position of the tip section (13), the first and second holes (27) are aligned with the latch bolt (31) such that the latch bolt (31) is movable into engagement with the first and second holes (27) by moving it into the extended position and out of engagement with the first and second holes (27) by moving it into the retracted position, wherein the latch bolt prevents the tip section (13) from moving out of the deployed position when the latch bolt (31) is engaged with the first and second holes (27).

13. The wing arrangement of claim 12, wherein the first engagement portion (23a, 25a) comprises a plurality of first lugs (25a) through which the first holes (27) extend and the second engagement portion (23b, 25b) comprises a plurality of second lugs (25b) through which the second holes (27) extend, wherein in the deployed position the first and second lugs (25a, 25b) engage with each other such that at least one second lug (25b) is arranged between each pair of adjacent first lugs (25 a).

14. The wing arrangement of claim 12 or 13, wherein the surface to which the housing (33) is fixedly mounted is a lateral surface of one of the first and second lugs (25a, 25b), in which lateral surface a respective first or second hole (27) is provided, wherein the first or second hole (27) in the respective one of the lugs (25a, 25b) comprises a bushing (27) for supporting the latch bolt (31) against radial movement.

15. an aircraft comprising

A machine body (5),

The wing arrangement (3) of any of claims 12 to 14, wherein the first end portion (11a) of the base section (11) is attached to the fuselage (5) and the base section (11) is arranged between the fuselage (5) and the tip section (13).

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a latching device for a wing arrangement of an aircraft, the wing arrangement comprising a wing comprising a base section having a first end portion adapted to be secured to the fuselage of the aircraft and an opposite second end portion, and a tip section having a third end portion and an opposite fourth end portion, wherein the third end portion is pivotably connected to the second end portion such that the tip section is pivotable about a pivot axis between a deployed position and a stowed position in which the spanwise length of the wing is less than the spanwise length in the deployed position.

Background

The aspect ratio (i.e., span to chord ratio) of an aircraft wing is one factor that affects the efficiency of an aircraft during flight. Overall, an increase in aspect ratio is associated with an increase in efficiency during stable flight. Increasing the wingspan of an aircraft is therefore one factor to consider when seeking to reduce fuel consumption. However, in extending the wings of an existing series of aircraft, it may be necessary to adapt the aircraft series specific infrastructure, and airport costs may increase.

One possibility to increase the wingspan without having to adapt to the specific infrastructure of the aircraft series and without having to involve increasing airport costs or reducing airport costs of existing aircraft is to provide a foldable wing construction that allows pivotally moving the outboard end portion of the wing between a deployed position, in which the wing has its normal flight configuration, and a stowed position, in which the wing has a folded configuration and a reduced wingspan compared to the deployed position. It is desirable to provide a latch device that enables the outboard end portion to be safely retained in this position whenever such a deployed position is desired.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a latching device for a wing arrangement with a foldable wing, which latching device is safe and reliable in operation and at the same time simple in construction and provides easy installation, maintenance and replacement.

This object is achieved by a latching device as defined in claim 1, a wing arrangement as defined in claim 12, and an aircraft as defined in claim 15. Advantageous embodiments of the latching device and of the wing arrangement are defined in the respective dependent claims.

according to the present invention, a latching device for a specific wing arrangement of an aircraft is provided.

The wing arrangement includes a wing having a base section and a tip section. The base section has a first end portion adapted to be fastened to the fuselage of an aircraft and an opposite second end portion. Thus, when the wing is mounted at its first end portion to the fuselage of the aircraft, the second end portion of the base section is remote from the fuselage, i.e. the terminal end of the first end portion constitutes the inboard end of the base section and the entire wing, and the opposite terminal end of the second end portion constitutes the outboard end of the base section.

the tip section has a third end portion and an opposite fourth end portion. The third end portion is pivotably connected to the second end portion such that the tip section is pivotable about a pivot axis between a deployed position and a stowed position in which a spanwise length of the wing is less than in the deployed position. In other words, the length of the shortest straight line between the outermost wingtips of two wings is greater, and preferably greatest, in the deployed position than in the stowed position when the two wings are mounted to opposite sides of the fuselage of the aircraft. In particular, the distance between the first end portion and the fourth end portion may be greater in the deployed position than in the stowed position, and is preferably maximal.

the pivot axis is preferably oriented in a direction extending in a chord length direction of the wing between a first edge and a second edge of the wing opposite to each other, and preferably in one or a local chord length direction and/or in a flight direction of an aircraft on which the wing arrangement is mounted. Thus, when moving the tip section from the unfolded position to the folded position, the tip section is pivoted downwards or preferably upwards with respect to the base section. Alternatively, the pivot axis may be oriented in a vertical direction, and/or in a wing depth direction, and/or in a direction transverse or perpendicular to the wing surface. In this case, the tip section is pivoted forward or preferably rearward relative to the base section when moving the tip section from the deployed position to the folded position.

Thus, when the wing is mounted at its first end portion to the fuselage of an aircraft and at least in the deployed position of the tip section, the third end portion of the tip section is spaced from the fuselage by the base section and the fourth end portion is the outermost portion of the wing, i.e. the terminal end of the third end portion constitutes the inboard end of the tip section and the opposite terminal end of the fourth end portion constitutes the outboard end of the tip section and the entire wing.

It should be noted that where the wing includes a wing tip device, the tip section may be identical to the wing tip device, but it is preferred that the tip section includes the wing tip device and additionally another part of the wing inboard of the wing tip device. In this connection, in a general manner, a wing tip device is understood to be a device or wing section which is mounted at the outermost end of the wing and which is adapted to increase the effective aspect ratio of the wing without substantially increasing the span and to reduce drag by partially recovering the energy of the tip vortex.

The wing arrangement further includes a first engagement portion having a first aperture and extending from the base section at the second end portion and a second engagement portion having a second aperture and extending from the tip section at the third end portion such that the first aperture is aligned with the second aperture when the tip section is in the deployed position and the first aperture is misaligned with the second aperture when the tip section is in the collapsed position. Thus, in the deployed position, the first and second apertures effectively constitute a single aperture through which the latch bolt may be inserted, thereby engaging both the first and second engagement portions and preventing the tip segment from moving out of the deployed position. For this purpose, the latch device is configured as follows.

The latching device includes a housing or shell including an interior cavity and an opening where the interior cavity opens to the exterior of the housing.

The latching device further comprises an elongated, linear spindle which is threaded on the outside, i.e. has an external thread on its outer circumferential surface. The spindle is supported in the internal cavity such that the spindle is rotatable relative to the housing about a longitudinal axis of the spindle and is secured against axial movement relative to the housing, i.e., the spindle is not movable in an axial direction relative to the housing. Further preferably, the spindle is also supported against radial movement relative to the housing. It is however possible to support the spindle at two locations spaced apart in the longitudinal direction, so that some radial movement of the spindle is possible. In the alternative it is preferred that the end of the spindle is capable of some radial movement, so that radial movement of the opposite end portion of the spindle relative to the housing is possible.

The latching device further comprises a nut which is threaded on the inside and which is screwed onto the spindle and which is supported in the housing such that the nut is prevented from rotating relative to the housing and rotation of the spindle causes the nut to move along the spindle, more particularly along the longitudinal axis of the spindle.

In addition, the latching device comprises a latch bolt which has a longitudinal axis and which is coupled at one of its end portions to a nut and which is slidably supported in the housing in such a way that it can be selectively moved along the longitudinal axis of the spindle between a retracted position and an extended position by moving the nut along the spindle (i.e. by rotating the spindle in the respective direction). The latch bolt extends further outside of the housing through the opening in the extended position than in the retracted position. Thus, the latch bolt is supported on or by the housing or shell and is at least partially received in the internal cavity. In the retracted position, the latching bolt is preferably retracted into the housing in its entirety, i.e. not at all outside the opening.

Further, the latching device further comprises a guide adapted to guide movement of the nut along the primary axis and to guide movement of the latch bolt between the retracted position and the extended position. The guide may be arranged in the internal cavity as a separate component connected to the housing, or may be integrally formed with and part of the housing, and the guide may define the internal cavity or at least a portion of the internal cavity. For example, the guide may comprise a portion in the form of a hollow cylinder. In order to improve the guidance of the latching bolt, the guide can comprise, for example, a linear bearing, and the linear bearing is, in particular, a linear ball bearing.

Furthermore, the latching device comprises a latch actuator adapted to effect rotation of the spindle about the longitudinal axis and thereby movement of the latch bolt between the extended position and the retracted position via the nut. To this end, a latch actuator is drivingly coupled to the spindle.

The construction of the above-described latching device is simple, but still capable of providing a reliable latching of the tip section of the wing arrangement of the same kind as has been described above in the deployed position. The latching device further provides for easy installation, maintenance and replacement, in that the latching device can be easily mounted on the wing as a unit, such that, as already described above, the latching bolt is inserted through the apertures of the first and second engagement portions arranged by the wing by moving the latching bolt from the retracted position to the extended position when the tip section is in the deployed position, thereby engaging both the first and second engagement portions and preventing the tip section from moving out of the deployed position. The mounting as a unit facilitates accurate positioning of the latching means, thereby making it possible to reduce mounting time and investment. Similarly, in case of maintenance or replacement, it is also very simple to remove the latching device from the wing arrangement.

In a preferred embodiment, the nut is a ball nut. By means of this configuration of the nut, a coupling between the bolt lock bolt and the spindle, which effectively constitutes a universal joint, can be provided, so that the bolt can be reliably moved between the extended position and the retracted position, while having a predetermined orientation of its longitudinal axis, even in the event of slight misalignments between the spindle and the longitudinal axis of the bolt lock bolt. Alternatively or additionally it is also preferred that the latch actuator is drivingly coupled to the spindle via a universal joint.

In a preferred embodiment, the latch bolt is releasably coupled to the nut. This facilitates maintenance since the latch bolt can be easily removed and replaced. For example, the releasable coupling between the nut and the latch bolt may be a threaded connection, e.g., the latch bolt may be threaded onto a portion of the nut. Alternatively or additionally, the latch bolt is rigidly coupled to the nut, i.e. such that during normal operation the latch bolt is prevented from rotating relative to the nut. In the case of a screw-releasable coupling between the nut and the latch bolt, the latch bolt can be rotated relative to the nut anyway for the purpose of removing the latch bolt from the nut.

In a preferred embodiment, the latch bolt is a hollow cylinder.

In a preferred embodiment, at least one portion of the guide is a hollow cylinder. The latch bolt and the nut are in contact with an interior surface of the guide. The inner surface may for example be provided at least partly by the linear bearing already mentioned above and in particular a linear ball bearing.

In a preferred embodiment, the nut includes one of a slot and a radial projection, and the guide includes the other of the slot and the radial projection. In any case, the slot and the radial projection engage one another and are configured to thereby prevent relative rotation between the nut and the housing and to guide movement of the nut along the spindle. For example, if a slot is provided in the housing, the slot may be elongated and extend along the length of the guide or at least a part of the length of the guide, i.e. in the longitudinal direction of the spindle. In addition, two or more such slots and two or more such projections may preferably be provided, wherein the slots are each engaged by at least one of the projections.

In a preferred embodiment, the latch actuator is or comprises an electric actuator (e.g. an electric motor), a hydraulic actuator (e.g. a linear hydraulic actuator) or a pneumatic actuator.

In general, the latch actuator is preferably a rotary actuator. In any case, the latch actuator is preferably arranged to be located outside the housing and may preferably be drivingly connected to the spindle by, for example, a transmission (e.g. a bias transmission and/or a planar transmission).

In a preferred embodiment, the latching device further comprises one or more locking mechanisms, and possibly two or more locking mechanisms for redundancy reasons, each locking mechanism having a locking element that is selectively movable between a locking position and an enabling position. Each such locking mechanism and corresponding locking element is configured and arranged such that when the latch bolt is in the extended position and the locking element is moved from the enabled position to the locked position, the locking element engages the latch bolt (e.g., a groove provided in an outer circumferential surface of the latch bolt) or a component secured to the latch bolt (e.g., the nut) and prevents the latch bolt from moving out of the extended position. Conversely, when the bolt lock is in the extended position and the locking element is moved from the locking position to the enabling position, the locking element no longer prevents the bolt lock from moving from the extended position to the retracted position. The locking element may be or comprise, for example, a locking pin, or the locking element may be or comprise, for example, a cam element connected to the rotatable shaft, i.e. the locking mechanism then comprises a rotatable shaft with radially extending protrusions constituting or forming part of the locking element.

In the above-described embodiment wherein the latching means comprises one or more locking mechanisms, it is further preferred that each of these locking mechanisms further comprises a locking actuator, preferably hydraulically or electrically driven, operable to move said locking element from said locking position to said enabling position, and a biasing arrangement arranged and adapted to bias said locking element to said extended position such that locking is ensured when said locking actuator is unpowered. In particular, the locking actuator may be, for example, a solenoid, which requires electrical power to achieve such movement of the at least one locking element. Preferably, for redundancy reasons, each locking mechanism may comprise two of the locking actuators adapted to effect the above-mentioned movement or movements of the locking element independently. It is further preferred that the locking mechanisms are each configured such that the locking actuators can be switched between an operating mode in which the locking actuators actively move the locking element against the biasing force of the biasing arrangement from the locking position to the enabling position and another operating mode in which the locking element is free to be moved by the biasing arrangement towards the locking position but the locking actuators or a separate detector detects the position of the locking element. For example, in case the locking actuator is a solenoid, in this further mode of operation the current through the solenoid may be used as a measure for the position of the locking element. In any case, this configuration has the advantage of providing the error detection function in a simple manner. More specifically, after the locking element has been actively moved from the locking position to the enabling position by the locking actuator and the latch actuator has started to move the latch bolt out of the extended position, the locking actuator may be switched to the measuring mode such that the biasing arrangement biases the locking element against the outer surface of the latch bolt. Thus, upon further movement of the latch bolt (during which the locking element can slide on the outer surface of the latch bolt), the locking element is prevented from moving into the locking position by abutting against the latch bolt. However, in the event of a break in the latch bolt, the locking element can be moved into the locking position, which is detected by measuring its position and indicates an error.

In a preferred embodiment, an end portion of the latch bolt opposite the nut is chamfered. This configuration facilitates insertion of the latch bolt into the first and second apertures of the first and second engagement portions of the wing arrangement.

In a preferred embodiment, the latching arrangement further comprises a mount arrangement adapted to fixedly mount the housing to a surface in a defined orientation in which the opening faces the surface. Thus, the housing may be mounted to a surface of a first engagement portion or a second engagement portion of a wing arrangement of an aircraft by the mount arrangement such that the opening is aligned with the first and second apertures when the tip section is in the deployed position. For example, the mount arrangement may preferably comprise a flange portion of the housing in which at least two holes and/or at least two pegs or nails are provided for bolting or fixing the housing to the surface in a predetermined orientation.

In accordance with the purpose of the latching device described above, one or more of the latching devices may be part of a wing arrangement of an aircraft. The wing arrangement has the configuration already described in detail above. Briefly, therefore, the wing arrangement comprises a wing comprising a base section having a first end portion adapted to be fastened to the fuselage of an aircraft and an opposite second end portion, and a tip section having a third end portion and an opposite fourth end portion, wherein the third end portion is pivotably connected to the second end portion such that the tip section is pivotable about a pivot axis between a deployed position and a stowed position in which the distance between the first and fourth end portions is smaller than in the deployed position. The wing arrangement further includes one or more first engagement portions and one or more second engagement portions, each first engagement portion having a first aperture and extending from the base section at the second end portion, each second engagement portion having a second aperture and extending from the tip section at the third end portion, wherein the first and second engagement portions are associated in pairs such that the first aperture of each pair of first and second engagement portions is aligned with the second aperture when the tip section is in the deployed position and the first aperture is not aligned with the second aperture when the tip section is in the collapsed position. For further details, reference is made to the above extensive explanations.

one or more latching devices are each associated with one of the pairs of first and second engagement portions. For each of the one or more latching devices, the diameter of the latch bolt matches the diameter of the associated pair of first and second holes, and the housing is fixedly mounted to a surface of the pair of first or second engagement portions by the mount arrangement such that the opening is aligned with the first and second holes when the tip segment is in the deployed position. The alignment is such that in a deployed position of the nib segment, the first and second apertures are aligned with the latch bolt such that the latch bolt is movable into engagement with the first and second apertures by moving it to the extended position and out of engagement with the first and second apertures by moving it to the retracted position, wherein when the latch bolt is engaged with the first and second apertures, the latch bolt prevents the nib segment from moving out of the deployed position.

In a preferred embodiment of the wing arrangement, the first engagement portions each comprise a plurality of first lugs through which the first apertures extend and the second engagement portions each comprise a plurality of second lugs through which the second apertures extend, wherein in the deployed position the first and second lugs of the associated first and second engagement portions engage with each other such that at least one second lug is disposed between each pair of adjacent first lugs.

In a preferred embodiment, the surface to which the housing is fixedly mounted is a lateral surface of one of the first and second lugs in which a respective first or second hole is provided, wherein the first or second hole in a respective one of these lugs comprises a bushing for supporting the latch bolt against radial movement. In this way, once the latch bolt has been extended from the housing to the extent that it is inserted into the bushing, further movement of the guide latch bolt is effected not only by the guide, but by the combination of the guide and the bushing. Preferably, during normal operation, the latch bolt is never fully retracted into the housing (i.e. moved to the retracted position), but only retracted to the extent that the tip of the latch bolt remains seated in the bushing. This still allows the tip section to move out of and into the extended position. The latch bolt is preferably moved into the retracted position only when the latching device is serviced or removed.

The wing arrangement according to any of the embodiments described above may be part of an aircraft. The aircraft further comprises a fuselage, wherein the first end portion of the base section is attached to the fuselage and the base section is arranged between the fuselage and the tip section.

Drawings

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1a shows a schematic top view of an aircraft for use, in which an embodiment of the latching device according to the invention is fitted.

Fig. 1b shows a top view of the wing arrangement of the aircraft of fig. 1 a.

Fig. 2 shows a partial perspective view of the connection region of the wing arrangement shown in fig. 1b between the respective two end portions of the base section and the tip section.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic perspective view of a latching device according to an embodiment of the invention.

fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the latch device of fig. 3.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1a shows a schematic top view of an aircraft 1 with two wing arrangements 3 comprising two or more latching devices according to the invention (not visible in fig. 1 a). The aircraft 1 further comprises a fuselage 5 extending along a longitudinal axis 7, which corresponds to the x-axis of the aircraft 1. The wing arrangements 3 each comprise wings 9 extending away from the fuselage 5, and each wing 9 comprises a base section 11 and a tip section 13. The base section 11 has a first or inboard end portion 11a configured or adapted to be coupled to the fuselage 5 and shown coupled to the fuselage 5 and an opposite second or outboard end portion 11b spaced from the fuselage 5 by the remainder of the base section 11.

The tip section 13 of the wing 9 is pivotably connected to the second end portion 11b of the base section 11. More specifically, the tip section 13 extends away from a second or outboard end portion 11b of the base section 11 and includes a third or inboard end portion 13a and an opposite fourth or outboard end portion 13b spaced from the base section 11 by the remainder of the tip section 13 (as can be seen from the inset of fig. 1a, which shows in exaggerated form the outboard end region of one of the wings 9). The fourth end portion may be provided by a portion of the wing tip device 15 which itself is part of the tip section 13. The third end portion 13a is pivotably mounted on or coupled to the second end portion 11b of the base section 11 in such a way that the tip section 13 can pivot about a pivot axis 17 between a deployed position and a folded or stowed position (see also the inset of fig. 1 a).

the pivot axis 17 extends generally in the direction of flight of the aircraft.

In the deployed position shown in fig. 1a, the tip section 13 extends substantially in the plane of the base section 11, whereas in the folded position, the tip section 13 is angled upwards relative to the base section 11 such that the spanwise length of the wing 9 is reduced. Alternatively, it may be provided that the tip section 13 is angled downwards in the folded position, which has the same effect. Thus, in the deployed position, the fourth end portion or the outermost outboard end of the tip sections 13 of the wings 9 has a greater distance than in the folded position, so that the span of the aircraft 1 can be selectively reduced by moving the tip sections 13 of the wings 9 from the deployed position to the folded position, in order to allow the use of infrastructure adapted to such reduced-span aircraft and to save airport costs, and in order to allow the span to be selectively increased, in order to allow a reduction in fuel consumption during flight.

Fig. 1b shows one of the wing arrangements 3 separately.

To achieve pivotal movement of the tip section 13 between the deployed and stowed positions, the wing arrangements 3 each include an actuation arrangement which is not shown in the drawings.

As shown in fig. 2, the pivotable coupling between the base section 11 and the tip section 13 may advantageously comprise two pairs of brackets 19a, 19b, wherein the bracket 19a of each pair of brackets is fixedly secured to the base section 11 and the bracket 19b of each pair of brackets is fixedly secured to the tip section 13. The brackets 19a each comprise a plurality of hinge lugs 21a extending from the remainder of the bracket 19a towards the tip section 13, and the brackets 19b each comprise a plurality of hinge lugs 21b extending from the remainder of the bracket 19b towards the base section 11. The hinge lugs 21a, 21b are plate-shaped and have apertures (not visible in figure 2) extending therethrough and are arranged such that for each pair of brackets 19a, 19b, one of the hinge lugs 21b is disposed between each adjacent pair of hinge lugs 21a and the apertures of the hinge lugs 21a, 21b are aligned with one another, effectively forming a single aperture. A hinge bolt (not visible in fig. 2) is fastened in the single hole of each pair of brackets 19a, 19b, so that the brackets 19a, 19b are pivotably fastened to each other about an axis defined by the hinge bolt. The hinge bolts of these pairs of brackets 19a, 19b are aligned with each other to form the pivot axis 17.

Two further pairs of brackets 23a, 23b are provided in the depth direction of the wing 9 (i.e. below the pairs of brackets 19a, 19b and the hinge lugs 21a, 21b in fig. 2), which pairs are not visible in fig. 2, but are visible in fig. 3 and 4. The bracket 23a of each pair of brackets is fixedly secured to the base section 11, and the bracket 23b of each pair of brackets is fixedly secured to the tip section 13. The brackets 23a each comprise a plurality of latching lugs 25a extending from the remainder of the bracket 23a towards the tip section 13, and the brackets 23b each comprise a plurality of latching lugs 25b extending from the remainder of the bracket 23b towards the base section 11. The latching lugs 25a, 25b are plate-shaped and have apertures 27 extending therethrough, and are arranged such that for each pair of brackets 23a, 23b, when the tip section 13 is in the deployed position illustrated in figures 2 to 4, one of the latching lugs 25b is disposed between each adjacent pair of latching lugs 25a, and the apertures 27 of the latching lugs 25a, 25b are aligned with one another, effectively forming a single aperture 27. The single aperture 27 is spaced from the pivot axis 17. Thus, when moving the tip section 13 out of the unfolded position towards the folded position, the latching lug 25a moves away from the latching lug 25b such that the hole 27 of the latching lug 25a is no longer aligned with the hole 27 of the latching lug 25 b. To prevent this from happening and to latch the tip section 13 in the deployed position, a latching device 29 is provided for each pair of brackets 23a, 23 b.

Fig. 3 and 4 show a schematic perspective view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, of an embodiment of the latching device 29. The latching device 29 is adapted and is capable of latching the tip section 13 against movement relative to the base section when the tip section 13 is in the deployed position by selectively extending a hollow cylindrical latch bolt 31 through the aligned apertures 27 of the latching lugs 25a, 25b and of enabling the tip section 13 to be moved from the deployed position to the folded position by selectively retracting the latch bolt 31 from the aperture 27.

The latching arrangement 29 comprises a housing 33 having an internal cylindrical cavity 35 and an opening 37 at which the cavity 35 opens to the exterior of the housing 33. An elongate, linear spindle 39 is supported within the cavity 35 so that it is selectively rotatable about its longitudinal axis in both directions by a motor 41 arranged externally of the housing and offset from the spindle 39, i.e. the output shaft of the motor 41 is parallel to and offset from the spindle 39. One of the end portions 39a of the main shaft 39 is rotatably supported in a cover 43 of the housing 33, the cover 43 closing the cavity 35 at an axial end opposite the opening 37, thereby preventing axial movement of the main shaft 39. The output shaft of the motor 41 is drivingly coupled to the end portion 39a of the main shaft 39 via a flat gear 45. This coupling is preferably achieved via a universal joint, so that if the longitudinal axis of the spindle 39 deviates from the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical inner cavity 35, the spindle 39 can still be reliably rotated by the motor 41.

The latching device 29 also comprises a ball nut 47 to which one end of the latching bolt 31 is rigidly but releasably coupled, preferably in such a way that the coupling between the spindle 39 and the latching bolt 31 likewise constitutes a universal joint. The ball nut 47 is supported such that it cannot rotate relative to the housing 33, so that upon rotation of the spindle 39, the ball nut 47 moves along the spindle 39 in a direction determined by the direction of rotation of the spindle 39. The latch bolt 31 moves with the ball nut 47 so that by operation of the motor 41 the latch bolt 31 can be selectively extended from the opening 37 of the housing 33 to the extended position shown in fig. 4 and retracted into the interior cavity 35 and out of the aperture 27 of the latch lugs 25a, 25 b. Preferably, during normal operation, the latching bolt 31 is only retracted to the extent that the end portion 39b of the main shaft 39 opposite the end portion 39a is still located within the bore 27 of the latching lug 25 closest to the latching arrangement 29, thereby providing a bushing for enhanced guidance of the main shaft 39. To facilitate insertion of the latch bolt 31 into the bore 27, the end portion of the spindle 39 opposite the ball nut 47 may be chamfered.

to guide the movement of the ball nut 47 along the spindle 39 and the movement of the latch bolt 31 between the retracted and extended positions, a hollow cylindrical guide 49 is disposed within the cavity 35. Guide 49 includes an elongated slot 51 extending along the longitudinal axis of guide 49, and ball nut 47 includes a radially extending projection 53 extending into slot 51, allowing guide 49 to prevent ball nut 47 from rotating relative to guide 49 and housing 33 and to guide ball nut 47 for linear movement along spindle 39. The inner cylindrical wall of the guide 49 or a linear ball bearing provided in this wall contacts the outer circumferential surface of the latch bolt 31 at least when the latch bolt is not fully in the extended position, thereby guiding the movement of the latch bolt 31, preferably in combination with a bushing provided by the hole 27 closest to the latching lug 25b of the latching device 29.

In order to be able to securely fasten the latch bolt 31 in the extended position and thus latch the tip section 13 in the deployed position, the latching device 29 further comprises a locking mechanism 55 having a locking pin 57 which is selectively movable between a locking position and an enabling position. When the latch bolt 31 is in the extended position shown in fig. 4 and the locking pin 57 is moved from the enabled position to the locked position, the locking pin 57 engages the circumferential groove 59 of the latch bolt 31 and prevents the latch bolt 31 from moving out of the extended position. When the latch bolt 31 is in the extended position and the locking pin 57 is moved from the locking position to the enabling position, the latch bolt 31, the locking pin 57 are disengaged from the groove 59 and can thus be moved from the extended position into the retracted position. The locking mechanism 55 comprises a locking actuator operable to move the locking pin 57 from the locking position to the enabling position and a biasing arrangement arranged and adapted to bias the locking pin 57 to the extended position.

the latching device 29 is mounted to the surface of the latching lug 25b closest to the latching device 29 such that the opening 37 is axially aligned with the hole 27 in the latching lug 25 b. This mounting is achieved by a flange 61 of the housing 33 in which a hole 63 is provided, so that the entire latching arrangement 29 can be easily fastened to the latching lug 25b in a predetermined orientation and arrangement by means of a bolt extending through the hole 63 and a corresponding hole in the latching lug 25 b.