EMBRAER - EMPRESA BRASILEIRA DE AERONAUTICA S.A. Patent applications |
Patent application number | Title | Published |
20120318913 | ON-BOARD AIRCRAFT AUXILIARY POWER SYSTEMS HAVING DUAL AUXILIARY POWER UNITS - Aircraft are provided with a pair of auxiliary power units (APUs) adjacently mounted in parallel relative to one another within the tail cone section of the aircraft's fuselage. In some embodiments, the APUs are mounted generally vertically adjacent to one another. Alternatively, the APUs may be mounted generally horizontally adjacent to one another. The aircraft fuselage may include a pair of downwardly and outwardly oriented strakes adjacent the tail cone having lower edges which establish a maximum take-off pitch angle of the fuselage and define a spatial zone therebetween. The APUs are positioned within such a spatial zone defined between the strakes so that the maximum take-off pitch angle is not required to be changed when modifying an existing single APU aircraft with dual APUs. | 12-20-2012 |
20120316706 | Climb-Optimized Auto Takeoff System - The Climb-Optimized Takeoff System is an aircraft functionality aimed at improving the takeoff performance. The improvement is obtained by allowing the airplane to rotate to an optimized pitch attitude at and after VR, while ensuring that the minimum required takeoff climb gradients and the geometric limitations of the airplane are being respected. The optimum takeoff performance is obtained by granting that the airplane pitch attitude, instead of being limited by a single takeoff constraint (such as a given pitch to avoid tail strike) is being tracked to its instantaneous, most constraining limit during the air transition phase (d | 12-13-2012 |
20110282483 | Automated Positioning and Alignment Method and System for Aircraft Structures Using Robots - Automated positioning and alignment methods and systems for aircraft structures use anthropomorphous robots with six degrees of freedom to carry the aero structure parts during the positioning and alignment. The parts and structures (if any) supporting the parts are treated as robot tools. | 11-17-2011 |
20110272526 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO PROVIDE COMPLIANCE WITH STRUCTURAL LOAD REQUIREMENTS FOR AIRCRAFT WITH ADDITIONAL FUEL TANKAGE - Methods and systems are provided to comply with structural load requirements applicable to aircraft additional fuel tank systems. A plurality of aircraft fuel tanks may be positioned adjacent to one another, preferably within the fuselage (e.g., a cargo compartment) of the aircraft so as to be disposed generally along a longitudinal axis of the aircraft. The tank body defining an interior space for holding aircraft fuel, an intercommunication conduit assembly between the fuel tank modules configured to refuel and transfer fuel from the tank modules by a cascade mode and an intentional air-filled ullage space are operatively associated with the tank body to prevent an overpressure condition within the interior space of the fuel tank body. The intentional air-filled ullage is obtained through the predetermined positioning of the terminal open end of the intercommunication tube inside the respective fuel tank module. The intentional air-filled ullage can be configured in all or in only some of the fuel tank modules according to the design of the auxiliary fuel tanks or aircraft structural loads requirements. | 11-10-2011 |
20110101160 | AIRCRAFT GALLEY UNITS - Galley units are provided having a moveable galley structure in the interior aircraft cabin. During passenger ingress/egress and during certain phases of the aircraft's flight (e.g., take-off and landing), the galley structure may be moved so as to be laterally adjacent the main cabin door and thereby provide access to the door. During other phases of the aircraft's flight (e.g., during cruise flight at altitude), the galley structure may be moved laterally so as to cover the main cabin door and thereby provide enhanced acoustic and/or thermal insulation in the main cabin door area. The space vacated by the moveable galley structure may thus expose other galley structures and/or equipment. An aircraft which includes such an aircraft galley unit and methods to achieve acoustic and/or thermal insulation for an aircraft cabin door using such an aircraft galley unit are also provided. | 05-05-2011 |
20110079339 | FRICTION STIR WELDING SPINDLE DOWNFORCE AND OTHER CONTROL TECHNIQUES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS - Friction stir welding equipment control force spindle for mounting in an orbital head housing uses a coaxial sensor to measure downforce. Simultaneously, an axial electrical actuator is controlled to dynamically correct the axial tool position during the welding, by a direct axial force system control, in order to maintain controlled downforce according to parameters previously set, based on numerical control. The equipment also sets up, monitors and controls spindle rotation speed, welding speed, acceleration speed and downforce using for example closed loop control functions. A laser system may scan the backing surface before welding and correct original tool path, in order to get an offset tool path. A precision alarm system may provide safe welding while preventing the tool from colliding with the backing surface. | 04-07-2011 |
20110054720 | STALL, BUFFETING, LOW SPEED AND HIGH ATTITUDE PROTECTION SYSTEM - A flight control system moves elevators according to a pilot command summed with an automatic command. The flight control system monitors a set of flight parameters to determine if the flight vehicle is operating inside a permitted envelope. The flight controls system incorporates automatic protections thru the automatic elevator command if the flight vehicle is close to its envelope limits. The exemplary illustrative non-limiting implementation herein provides automatic protections in order to protect the flight vehicle from low speeds, high attitude, stalls and buffetings. | 03-03-2011 |
20100161274 | PROGNOSTICS AND HEALTH MONITORING FOR ELECTRO-MECHANICAL SYSTEMS AND COMPONENTS - A method and system for monitoring and predicting the health of electro-mechanical systems and components includes collecting data for a fixed pattern of actuation of such system or component. This data is used to build statistical models that correspond to a normal state of the system or component. New measurements are compared to this model in order to monitor the health of the system or component. The comparison can be made using a distance calculation. The combination of new measurements with historical data provides the prediction for future health states of the system or component. | 06-24-2010 |
20100158068 | BLEED LEAKAGE DETECTION SYSTEM AND METHOD - A bleed leakage detection system includes an arrangement of thermostats that are capable of detecting the place where the bleed air leakage is occurring (e.g., the failed junction in bleed air duct work). The exemplary illustrative non-limiting implementation provides a bleed leakage detection system with continuous monitoring of thermostat sensor wiring during flight and thermostat self-test function (“Initiated Built In Test”—“IBIT”). The IBIT self-testing can be initiated before the aircraft takes off or optionally, during periodic self testing that may be run during predetermined periods such as overnight when the aircraft is not being flown. By the continuous monitoring the pilot is alerted when a bleed leakage has occurred or when the bleed leakage detection system has failed. | 06-24-2010 |
20090326745 | AIRCRAFT CRUISE SPEED CONTROL - The present invention provides an alternative to the auto-throttle integrated in an aircraft autopilot by restricting the conditions in which the system operates. The proposed system removes the auto-throttle function from the autopilot system and gives it directly to the Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC). A cruise control mode is available to the pilot only under stable flight conditions. | 12-31-2009 |
20090314898 | DEVICES AND METHODS TO IMPROVE WING AERODYNAMICS AT LOW AIRSPEEDS - Aircraft wings are provided with aerodynamic devices that improve the wing's low airspeed aerodynamics. In preferred embodiments, the aircraft wings include a slat operatively positioned at the wing's leading edge for movement between a retracted position for relatively high airspeed aircraft operations, and a deployed position for relatively low airspeed aircraft operations. An aerodynamic device is positionally fixed to the wing laterally adjacent the leading edge slat, the device having a forward end extending forwardly of the wing leading edge. The device is operable in response to movement of the slat into the deployed position thereof so as to improve the aerodynamics of the wing at low airspeed aircraft operations, but provides substantially no aerodynamic improvement when the slat is in the retracted position thereof during high airspeed aircraft operations. | 12-24-2009 |
20090090816 | MECHANISMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING RUDDER CONTROL ASSIST DURING SYMMETRICAL AND ASYMMETRICAL THRUST CONDITIONS - Rudder assist mechanisms and methods are capable of being operably connected to an aircraft's rudder control system. The rudder assist mechanisms most preferably have over-the-center spring biasing functions so as to cause either substantially no spring force (i.e., when the linkage is over the spring-bias center) or substantially all spring force (i.e., when the linkage is left or right of the spring-bias center) to be exerted on the rudder control system. The rudder assist mechanism may include a control spring assembly, and a linkage assembly which operably connects the control spring assembly to the rudder control assembly. The linkage assembly is moveable operably between a null position wherein substantially no spring force of the control spring assembly is transferred to the rudder control system by the linkage assembly, and right and left spring-biased positions wherein right and left spring forces of the control spring assembly are transferred to the rudder control system, respectively. The null position may therefore establish a dead zone of rudder deflection within a selected range of right and left rudder control surface deflection angles. Thus, right and left spring forces may be transferred to the rudder control system when the rudder control surface is deflected at an angle which exceeds the selected range of deflection angles. Some embodiments include an actuator unit which is operably capable of moving the spring assembly and the linkage assembly connected thereto between a thrust symmetrical mode (TSM) condition and a thrust asymmetrical mode (TAM) condition so as to cause different spring forces to be exerted on the rudder control system in such different thrust conditions. | 04-09-2009 |
20090050748 | AIRCRAFT FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEMS AND METHODS - An aircraft flight control system advantageously is provided with a control rod which is spline-connected to a bearing assembly so as to permit simultaneous independent longitudinal and rotational movements of the control rod while isolating such movements from one another (e.g., so as to allow operative interconnection to an aircraft's aileron and elevator control surfaces). Thus, the control rod is moveable in longitudinal and rotational directions relative to a longitudinal axis of the control rod in response to pitch and roll command inputs, respectively. The rotatable bearing assembly is adapted for connection to aileron control surfaces of the aircraft. The control rod is splined operatively to the bearing assembly so as to allow for independent simultaneous longitudinal and rotational movements of the control rod relative to the longitudinal axis thereof. As such, longitudinal movements of the control rod are isolated from the bearing member but rotational movements of the control rod are transferred to the bearing member to cause rotation thereof and thereby allow operation of the aileron control surfaces. Longitudinal movements of the control rod may however be transferred to a torque tube assembly via an articulated linkage to allow for operation of an aircraft's elevator control surface. | 02-26-2009 |
20090050743 | Aircraft fuel tanks, systems and methods for increasing an aircraft's on-board fuel capacity - Aircraft fuel tanks, systems and methods increase an aircraft's fuel capacity. The fuel tanks have a tank body defining an interior space for holding aircraft fuel, and a relief manifold assembly operatively associated to the tank body to prevent an overpressure condition within the interior space of the fuel tank body. The relief manifold assembly preferably includes a buffer vessel defining a buffer chamber in fluid communication with the interior space defined by the fuel tank body. The buffer vessel may advantageously be fixed to the tank body within the interior space thereof. At least one of a fuel vent manifold assembly for venting the interior space of the fuel tank and a fuel refill/transfer manifold assembly for supplying fuel to and withdrawing fuel from the interior space of the fuel tank. At least one control box (e.g., containing valves, pumps and/or sensors) external of the fuel tank may be provided so as to fluid-connect the at least one fluid manifold assembly to the main fuel system of the aircraft. A plurality of aircraft fuel tanks may therefore be positioned adjacent to one another, preferably within the fuselage (e.g., a cargo compartment) of the aircraft so as to be disposed generally along a longitudinal axis of the aircraft. | 02-26-2009 |