| CPC B64C 9/02 (2013.01) [B64C 9/18 (2013.01); B64C 2009/005 (2013.01)] | 7 Claims |
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1. A system, comprising:
a wing, said wing comprising:
an upper surface;
a lower surface; and
a primary structure at a rear of said wing, wherein said upper surface and said lower surface extend rearward of said primary structure
a wing flap;
a flap extension linkage structurally coupled to said primary structure on a forward side of the linkage and structurally coupled to said flap on a rearward side of the linkage,
wherein said flap extension linkage is configured to transform the wing flap between a retracted configuration and an extended configuration, and wherein said flap extension linkage resides entirely between said upper surface and said lower surface of said wing rearward of said primary structure when said wing flap is in the retracted configuration,
wherein said flap extension linkage comprises:
a plurality of arms, each arm comprising:
a proximal element;
a distal element;
a wing mount fixed to the primary structure;
a first revolute joint connecting the proximal element to the wing mount;
a second revolute joint connecting the proximal element to the distal element; and
a third revolute joint connecting the distal element to the wing flap
an actuation mechanism coupled to the plurality of arms and configured to transform the wing flap between a retracted configuration and an extended configuration; and
a tie rod coupled to each of the plurality of arms by a respective spherical joint.
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