IP Library Granted Patent US 10,611,461
Granted Patent B2
US 10,611,461 · App. 15/577,712 · Granted Apr 7, 2020

Flap and aircraft

Inventors: Kensuke Hayashi (Aichi, JP); Mitsuhiro Murayama (Tokyo, JP); Kazuomi Yamamoto (Tokyo, JP)
Assignees: Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation; Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
B64C9/20B64C9/16B64C23/06B64C23/065B64C3/50B64C2230/14Y02T50/164Y02T50/44
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,611,461
App. No.
15/577,712
Granted
Apr 7, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

A flap of an aircraft includes a flap body that is provided deployably with respect to a main wing, an inclined portion that protrudes from an upper surface of a tip part on at least an outboard side in a span direction of the flap body and is inclined with respect to an aircraft axis direction, and a protruding portion that smoothly protrudes from a lower surface of the tip part on at least the outboard side. A rear end of the inclined portion is located closer to a side end edge of the tip part in the span direction of the flap body than a virtual line that passes through a front end of the inclined portion and is parallel to the aircraft axis direction.

Claims (51)

1. A flap of an aircraft, comprising:

a flap body that is provided deployably with respect to a main wing;

a plurality of first inclined portions that protrude from an upper surface of a tip part on an outboard side in a span direction of the flap body and are inclined with respect to an axis of the aircraft that is parallel to a fuselage of the aircraft; and

a protruding portion that smoothly protrudes from a lower surface of the tip part on at least the outboard side, wherein

each of the plurality of first inclined portions is a protrusion that protrudes, starting from a front end along an entire length to a rear end of each of the plurality of first inclined portions, from the upper surface, and

for each of the plurality of first inclined portions, a distance from the rear end to a side end edge of the tip part on the outboard side in the span direction of the flap body is shorter than a distance from a virtual line that passes through the front end to the side end edge of the tip part, wherein the virtual line is parallel to the axis of the aircraft, and

wherein the plurality of first inclined portions are disposed within a region from a position of the side end edge of the flap body to a position that is separated from the side end edge by a chord length of the flap body in the span direction, and

wherein two or more of the first inclined portions are adjacently arranged next to each other in the span direction and inclined such that the rear end of the two or more of the first inclined portions is located closer to the side end edge of the flap body compared to the front end of the two or more of the first inclined portions, wherein the adjacent two or more of the first inclined portions are oriented in a same inclination direction.

2. The flap according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of first inclined portions are disposed only within the region from the position of the side end edge of the flap body to the position that is separated from the side end edge by the chord length of the flap body in the span direction.

3. The flap according to claim 1 ,

wherein the front end and the rear end of each of the plurality of first inclined portions are both disposed near a leading edge of the flap body, and

wherein each of the plurality of first inclined portions is:

exposed from the main wing when the flap body is totally deployed, and

hidden by the main wing when the flap body is retracted in the main wing.

4. The flap according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of first inclined portions is a protrusion that has a rectangular cross-section over an entire length from the front end to the rear end.

5. The flap according to claim 1 , wherein a length and a height of each of the plurality of first inclined portions satisfy L/h>1, where L is the length and h is the height.

6. The flap according to claim 1 , wherein a length and a height of each of the plurality of first inclined portions satisfy 3≤L/h≤10, where L is the length and h is the height.

7. The flap according to claim 1 , wherein an inclination angle of each of the plurality of first inclined portions is within a range of 10 degrees to 30 degrees.

8. An aircraft comprising the flap according to claim 1 .

9. The flap according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a second inclined portion that protrudes from the upper surface of the tip part on an inboard side in the span direction of the flap body and is inclined with respect to the axis of the aircraft.

10. The flap according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of first inclined portions are disposed in a single horizontal row.

11. A flap of an aircraft, comprising:

a flap body that is provided deployably with respect to a main wing; and

a plurality of first inclined portions that protrude from an upper surface of a tip part on an outboard side in a span direction of the flap body and are inclined with respect to an axis of the aircraft that is parallel to a fuselage of the aircraft, wherein

the tip part on at least the outboard side is smoothly formed on a lower surface side,

each of the plurality of first inclined portions is a protrusion that protrudes, starting from a front end along an entire length to a rear end of each of the plurality of first inclined portions, from the upper surface, and

for each of the plurality of first inclined portions, a distance from the rear end to a side end edge of the tip part on the outboard side in the span direction of the flap body is shorter than a distance from a virtual line that passes through the front end to the side end edge of the tip part, wherein the virtual line is parallel to the axis of the aircraft, and

wherein the plurality of first inclined portions are disposed within a region from a position of the side end edge of the flap body to a position that is separated from the side end edge by a chord length of the flap body in the span direction, and

wherein two or more of the first inclined portions are adjacently arranged next to each other in the span direction and inclined such that the rear end of the two or more of the first inclined portions is located closer to the side end edge of the flap body compared to the front end of the two or more of the first inclined portions, wherein the adjacent two or more of the first inclined portions are oriented in a same inclination direction.

12. The flap according to claim 11 , wherein the plurality of first inclined portions are disposed only within the region from the position of the side end edge of the flap body to the position that is separated from the side end edge by the chord length of the flap body in the span direction.

13. The flap according to claim 11 ,

wherein the front end and the rear end of each of the plurality of first inclined portions are both disposed near a leading edge of the flap body, and

wherein each of the plurality of first inclined portions is:

exposed from the main wing when the flap body is totally deployed, and

hidden by the main wing when the flap body is retracted in the main wing.

14. The flap according to claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of first inclined portions is a protrusion that has a rectangular cross-section over an entire length from the front end to the rear end.

15. The flap according to claim 14 , wherein a length and a height of each of the plurality of first inclined portions satisfy L/h>1, where L is the length and h is the height.

16. The flap according to claim 14 , wherein a length and a height of each of the plurality of first inclined portions satisfy 3≤L/h≤10, where L is the length and h is the height.

17. The flap according to claim 11 , wherein an inclination angle of each of the plurality of first inclined portions is within a range of 10 degrees to 30 degrees.

18. An aircraft comprising the flap according to claim 11 .

19. The flap according to claim 11 , further comprising:

a second inclined portion that protrudes from the upper surface of the tip part on an inboard side in the span direction of the flap body and is inclined with respect to the axis of the aircraft.

20. The flap according to claim 11 , wherein the plurality of first inclined portions are disposed in a single horizontal row.

21. A flap of an aircraft, comprising:

a flap body that is provided deployably with respect to a main wing;

a plurality of first inclined portions that protrude from an upper surface of a tip part on an outboard side in a span direction of the flap body and are inclined with respect to an axis of the aircraft that is parallel to a fuselage of the aircraft; and

a protruding portion that smoothly protrudes from a lower surface of the tip part on at least the outboard side, wherein

each of the plurality of first inclined portions is a protrusion that protrudes, starting from a front end along an entire length to a rear end of each of the plurality of first inclined portions, from the upper surface,

for each of the plurality of first inclined portions, a distance from the rear end to a side end edge of the tip part on the outboard side in the span direction of the flap body is shorter than a distance from a virtual line that passes through the front end to the side end edge of the tip part, wherein the virtual line is parallel to the axis of the aircraft, and

the flap is configured such that a lower surface of the flap body is totally exposed from a lower side of the main wing when the flap is retracted.

Assignments (4)
NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT Recorded Jul 3, 2024
From: MSJ ASSET MANAGEMENT COMPANY
To: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
Reel/Frame 067902/0051 →
CHANGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Jul 3, 2024
From: MSJ ASSET MANAGEMENT COMPANY
To: MSJ ASSET MANAGEMENT COMPANY
Reel/Frame 068105/0723 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jul 3, 2024
From: MITSUBISHI AIRCRAFT CORPORATION
To: MSJ ASSET MANAGEMENT COMPANY
Reel/Frame 068119/0363 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 6, 2017
From: HAYASHI, KENSUKE; MURAYAMA, MITSUHIRO; YAMAMOTO, KAZUOMI
To: MITSUBISHI AIRCRAFT CORPORATION; JAPAN AEROSPACE EXPLORATION AGENCY
Reel/Frame 044317/0286 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2015-108344 · May 28, 2015 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20180155007A1 · Jun 7, 2018