초록 ▼

A reinforced inflatable wing improves the tolerance of the OML and reinforces the wing in at least the high load areas. This approach provides fitment constrained air vehicles with wings having increased surface area to improve flight endurance or aerodynamic control. A wing box forms a first portio

A reinforced inflatable wing improves the tolerance of the OML and reinforces the wing in at least the high load areas. This approach provides fitment constrained air vehicles with wings having increased surface area to improve flight endurance or aerodynamic control. A wing box forms a first portion of the wing. A skin having a plurality of rigid plates affixed thereto is inflated to form a second portion of the wing to either increase the chord length or lengthen the wing span. The skin is suitably inflated with foam to form a solid wing.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A wing for deployment from an air frame, comprising: a wing box having a shape and outer mold line (OML) to form a first portion of the wing extending from a wing root attached to the air frame along at least a portion of the wing span and extending aft along at least portion of the wing chord le

1. A wing for deployment from an air frame, comprising: a wing box having a shape and outer mold line (OML) to form a first portion of the wing extending from a wing root attached to the air frame along at least a portion of the wing span and extending aft along at least portion of the wing chord length;a skin attached to the wing box, said skin having a shape and OML of a second portion of the wing;a plurality of plates when assembled having the shape and OML of at least a sub-portion of the second portion of the wing, said plates affixed to corresponding locations on said skin, said skin folds between said plates for storage in a constrained volume within the wing box; andan inflation mechanism in the wing box configured to inflate and unfold the skin to form said second portion of the wing and thereby assemble the plates to reinforce said sub-portion of the wing. 2. The wing of claim 1, wherein plates are affixed to corresponding locations on the inside of the skin. 3. The wing of claim 1, wherein said first portion of the wing formed by said wing box includes the leading edge extending from the wing root, said second portion of the wing is aft of said first portion to increase wing chord length, said sub-portion including at least the trailing edge of the wing. 4. The wing of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the wing formed by said wing box includes a center region extending from the wing root, said second portion extending, both forward and aft to increase wing chord length, said sub-portion including at least the leading edges and trailing edges of the wing. 5. The wing of claim 1, wherein the sub-portion reinforced by said plates covers the entire second portion. 6. The wing of claim 1, wherein the skin is formed from a material selected from a fabric, elastomer, and shape memory polymer (SMP) or SMP composite. 7. The wing of claim 1, wherein the plates are formed from a solid material selected from metal, ceramic, and composite. 8. The wing of claim 1, wherein only the plates are affixed to the skin. 9. The wing of claim 1, wherein said inflation mechanism inflates the skin with foam to reinforce the second portion of the wing. 10. A wing for deployment from an air frame, comprising: a wing box having a telescoping structure, said wing box having a shape and outer mold line (OML), said wing box extending lengthwise from the air frame to form a first portion of the wing extending from a wing root attached to the air frame along a leading edge of at least a portion of the wing span and extending aft along the wing chord length;a deployment mechanism that extends the telescoping structure of the wing box to increase wing span, said telescoping structure forming a center region of the extended wing,a skin attached to the wing box and said telescoping structure, said in having a shape and OML of a second portion of the wing including a leading edge forward of the center region and a trailing edge aft of the center region;a plurality of plates when assembled having the shape and OML of at least a sub portion of the second portion of the wing, said plates affixed to corresponding locations on said skin, said skin and plates folded and stored in a constrained volume with the wing box; andan inflation mechanism in the wing box configured to inflate the skin to form said second portion of the wing and thereby assemble the plates to reinforce said sub-portion including at least the trailing edge of the wing along the increased wing span. 11. The wing of claim 10, wherein the second deployment mechanism extends the telescoping structure to its full extent and then the inflation mechanism inflates the skin. 12. The wing of claim 10, wherein said skin is segmented into cells, said deployment mechanism extending the telescoping structure incrementally as said inflation mechanism extrudes foam to fill the cells sequentially. 13. A wing for deployment from an air frame, comprising: a wing box having a shape and outer mold line (OML) to form a first portion of the wing extending from a wing root attached to the air frame along at least a portion of the wing span and extending aft along at least portion of the wing chord length;a skin attached to the wing box, said skin having a shape and OML of a second portion of the wing;a plurality of plates when assembled having the shape and OML of at least a sub-portion of the second portion of the wing, said plates affixed to corresponding locations on said skin, said skin and plates folded and stored in a constrained volume with the wing box; andan inflation mechanism in the wing box configured to inflate the skin to form said second portion of the wing and thereby assemble the plates to reinforce said sub-portion of the wing,wherein the plates have a flat stored state and a curved deployed state corresponding to the shape of the wing at their respective locations on the skin, further comprising means to heat the plates to transition them from their flat stored state to their curved deployed state. 14. A wing for deployment from an air frame, comprising: a wing box retracted within said airframe, said wing box having a shape and outer mold line (OML);a deployment mechanism on the air frame to deploy the rigid wing box to extend lengthwise from the air frame to form a first portion of the wing extending, from a wing root attached to the air frame along a leading edge of the wing span and extending aft along at least portion of the wing chord length;a skin attached aft to the wing box, said skin having a shape and OML of a second portion to increase wing chord length and form the trailing edge of the wing;a plurality of plates when assembled having the shape and OML of at least a sub-portion of said second portion including at least the trailing edge of the wing, said plates affixed to corresponding locations on the inside of said skin, said skin folds between said plates for storage in a constrained volume within the wing box; andan inflation mechanism in the wing box configured to deploy, inflate and unfold the skin to form a second portion of the wing aft of the wing box to increase the wing chord length and thereby assemble the plates to reinforce said sub-portion including, at least the trailing edge of the wing. 15. The wing of claim 14, wherein only said solid plates are affixed to the skin. 16. A wing for deployment from an air frame, comprising a wing hex retracted within said airframe, said wing box having a shape and outer mold line (OML);a first deployment mechanism on the air frame to deploy the rigid, wing box to extend lengthwise from the air frame to form a first center portion of the wing extending from a wing root attached to the air frame and extending aft along the wing chord length;a skin attached forward and aft of the wing box, said skin having a shape and OML of a second portion to form a leading edge forward of the wing box and a trailing edge aft;a plurality of plates when assembled having the shape and OML of at least a sub-portion of said second portion including at least the trailing edge of the wing, said plates affixed to corresponding locations on the inside of said skin, said skin and folds between said plates for storage in a constrained volume within the wing box; andan inflation mechanism in the wing box configured to inflate and unfold the skin to form a second portion of the wing forward and aft of the deployed wing box to extend the chord length and thereby assemble the plates to reinforce said sub-portion including at least the trailing edge of the wing. 17. The wing of claim 16, wherein said sub-portion includes a leading edge of the wing, forward of the wing box. 18. A wing for deployment from an air frame, comprising: a wing box having a telescoping structure retracted within said airframe, said wing box having a shape and outer mold line (OML);a first deployment mechanism on the air frame to deploy the rigid wing box to extend lengthwise from, the air frame to form a first portion of the wing extending from a wing root attached to the air frame along a leading edge of at least a portion of the wing span and extending aft along the wing chord length;a second deployment mechanism for extending the telescoping structure of the wing box along the wing span, said telescoping structure forming an extended center region of the wing;a skin attached to the wing box and telescoping structure, said skin having a shape and OML second portion to form a leading edge forward of the center region and a trailing edge aft;a plurality of plates when assembled having the shape and OML of at least a sub-portion of said second portion including at least the trailing edge of the wing, said plates affixed to corresponding locations on said skin, said skin and plates folded and stored in a constrained volume with the wing box; andan inflation mechanism in the wing box configured to inflate the skin with foam to form a solid second portion of the wing forward and of the telescoped structure to extend the wing span and thereby assemble the plates to reinforce said sub-portion including at least the trailing edge of the wing. 19. The wing of claim 18, wherein the sub-portion reinforced by said plates covers the entire second portion. 20. The wing of claim 18, wherein the wing span of said first and second portions of the wing is at least twice the wing span of the first portion of the wing. 21. The wing of claim 18, wherein the second deployment mechanism extends the telescoping structure to its full extent and then the inflation mechanism inflates the skin. 22. The wing of claim 21, wherein said skin is segmented into cells, said second deployment mechanism extending the telescoping structure incrementally as said inflation mechanism extrudes foam to fill the cells sequentially.