US 11,987,345 B2
Methods and apparatus for variable stiffness supports in aircraft testing
Steven F. Griffin, Kihei, HI (US); and Eric Y. Reichenbach, Saint Louis, MO (US)
Assigned to The Boeing Company, Arlington, VA (US)
Filed by The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL (US)
Filed on Jul. 5, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/857,518.
Prior Publication US 2024/0010329 A1, Jan. 11, 2024
Int. Cl. B64C 25/62 (2006.01); B64F 5/60 (2017.01)
CPC B64C 25/62 (2013.01) [B64F 5/60 (2017.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for use with an aircraft, the apparatus comprising:
a variable stiffness support including:
a pad to contact and support the aircraft, and
a spring operatively coupled to the pad;
an actuator operatively coupled to the support;
a sensor;
at least one memory;
machine executable instructions; and
at least one processor to execute the instructions to:
determine at least one of a movement or a distance of the pad based on information from the sensor, and
control movement of the actuator based on the determined at least one of the movement or the distance to statically support the aircraft while enabling movement of the pad above a threshold frequency.