| Pivotable pylon for external carriage of aircraft stores -> Monitor Keywords |
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Pivotable pylon for external carriage of aircraft storesPivotable pylon for external carriage of aircraft stores description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20090084901, Pivotable pylon for external carriage of aircraft stores. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
This application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/966,544, filed Oct. 15, 2004, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. This invention generally relates to apparatus for carrying stores, such as weapons, fuel, sensors and the like, on an external surface of an aircraft. More particularly, this invention relates to a pivotable pylon that enables the aircraft to carry stores that are too large for its equipment bays, and to carry an optimum number of external stores. The carriage of stores, such as ordinance, fuel, sensor and camera pods and the like, on an external surface of an aircraft is well known in the aviation industry, and is typically effected through the use of surface-mounted, cantilevered “pylons” that couple to the aircraft\'s structure, and to which the stores are then attached, either fixedly or releasably. The use of streamlined fairings extending between the skin of the aircraft and the stores to reduce parasitic drag of the pylon during flight is also known. In modern, high-performance military aircraft, e.g., those with smoothly changing shapes, such as the so-called “Blended-Wing-Body” (“BWB”) family of aircraft, the space on the underside of the aircraft\'s fuselage between its equipment bays and its engine nacelles is relatively narrow, thereby limiting the space available for the external carriage of stores. For example, in the case of the Boeing B-1B bomber, all pylon stations have a common electromechanical interface configuration. As is typical, the aircraft “moldline” at the left side pylon stations is a mirror image of the moldline at the right side pylon stations. However, a common pylon configuration used at all front-to-rear stations on each side of the aircraft does not produce an optimal weapons loadout due to the variety of clearance constraints imposed between the loaded pylons and the doors of the equipment bays and/or the engine nacelles. Depending on the pylon locations and the types of stores carried internally and externally, the pylons may need to be oriented vertically, or alternatively, to be canted outboard somewhat, to provide for an optimal external stores loadout. Additionally, uploading internal stores into or releasing them from the aircraft\'s bays typically requires that the bay doors be opened fully, which precludes the presence of conventional, vertically oriented pylons adjacent to the doors. Accordingly, a need exists for a “universal” pylon that is capable of attaching at any station on either side of an aircraft like the B-1B, and that is also compatible with a wide variety of internal/external stores and the associated clearance constraints unique to each pylon station. In accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention, a universal, pivotable pylon is provided for the external carriage of aircraft stores, which is usable at any station on either side of the aircraft, and which is compatible with a wide variety of internal and external stores and the associated clearance constraints unique to each pylon station of the aircraft. The pylon enables the aircraft to carry an optimum number of stores externally of the aircraft. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment thereof, the novel pivotable pylon comprises an elongated strongback having fasteners disposed on a first surface thereof for coupling the strongback to the pylon mounting hardpoints of an aircraft such that the first surface is held generally flush against an external surface of the aircraft, and the strongback is disposed generally parallel to the aircraft\'s longitudinal axis, or direction of flight. In one possible embodiment, the fasteners of the strongback comprise a conventional pylon suspension fitting and a pylon suspension post that are longitudinally spaced by a standard distance, and which are interchangeable with each other on the strongback. The strongback may be asymmetrical with respect to a sagital plane extending through it to accommodate a bilaterally symmetrical aircraft shape, and still be mountable on either side of the aircraft, in any one of a plurality of longitudinal positions thereon. An elongated pivoting structure is pivotally coupled to the strongback for parallel angular movement relative to the longitudinal axis of the strongback. In one possible embodiment, the pivoting structure may be pivotally coupled to the strongback by a pair of pivot pins, each disposed at an opposite end of the pivoting structure and rotatably engaged in a corresponding pivot bearing at a corresponding end of the strongback. At least one stores ejector rack, such as a multiple ejector rack (“MER”), is coupled to the pivoting structure for receiving and releasably coupling one or more stores items, such as a weapon or a sensor, to the pivoting structure. The stores ejector rack may include conventional fasteners that are adapted to engage in corresponding sockets in the pivoting structure, and the ejector rack may be of a type that is capable of releasing, or ejecting, the stores item from the pylon during flight. Advantageously, both the pivoting structure and the stores rack may each be symmetrical with respect to a sagital plane respectively extending longitudinally therethrough. A locking mechanism, such as locking pins, is provided for locking the pivoting structure in a selected one of a plurality of angular pivot positions relative to the strongback, thereby enabling the angular position of the stores items to adjusted relative to the exterior surface of the aircraft, and thereby provide the necessary clearance between the stores and adjacent aircraft structures, such as the doors of a weapons bay, for each unique pylon mounting station thereon. In a high-performance aircraft, an aerodynamic fairing that extends generally between the external surface of the aircraft and an external surface of the at least one stores item may be disposed on the pylon to limit its parasitic drag. A better understanding of the above and many other features and advantages of the pivotable pylon of the present invention may be obtained from a consideration of the detailed description thereof below, particularly if such consideration is made in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which like reference numerals are used to identify like elements illustrated in one or more of the figures. Continue reading about Pivotable pylon for external carriage of aircraft stores... Full patent description for Pivotable pylon for external carriage of aircraft stores Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Pivotable pylon for external carriage of aircraft stores patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Pivotable pylon for external carriage of aircraft stores or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Window element for insertion in a window cutout in an outer skin of an aircraft Next Patent Application: Spacecraft having a magnetic space radiation shield Industry Class: Aeronautics ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Pivotable pylon for external carriage of aircraft stores patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 2.32095 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Qualcomm , Schering-Plough , Schlumberger , Seagate , Siemens , Texas Instruments , paws |
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