US 11,999,469 B2
Compound helicopter with braced wings in joined-wing configuration
Axel Fink, Donauworth (DE); Pierre Pardoux, Aix les Milles (FR); and Dominique Mailliu, Saint Chamas (FR)
Assigned to AIRBUS HELICOPTERS DEUTSCHLAND GmbH, Donauworth (DE); and AIRBUS HELICOPTERS, Marignane (FR)
Filed by AIRBUS HELICOPTERS DEUTSCHLAND GMBH, Donauworth (DE); and AIRBUS HELICOPTERS, Marignane (FR)
Filed on Jun. 17, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/350,609.
Claims priority of application No. 20400023 (EP), filed on Dec. 2, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0169372 A1, Jun. 2, 2022
Int. Cl. B64C 27/26 (2006.01); B64C 39/06 (2006.01); B64D 25/18 (2006.01)
CPC B64C 27/26 (2013.01) [B64C 39/068 (2013.01); B64D 25/18 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A compound helicopter with at least one main rotor and a fuselage that extends along a longitudinal axis from a front fuselage section to a rear fuselage section, comprising:
at least a first braced wing in joined-wing configuration and a second braced wing in joined-wing configuration, wherein the first braced wing comprises a first upper wing having a first outermost upper wing tip and a first lower wing having a first outermost lower wing tip, the first outermost upper and lower wing tips are interconnected in a first interconnection region, and wherein the second braced wing comprises a second upper wing having a second outermost upper wing tip and a second lower wing having a second outermost lower wing tip, the second outermost upper and lower wing tips are interconnected in a second interconnection region; and
an emergency floatation system with main floatation balloons and lateral floatation balloons, wherein the main floatation balloons comprise at least one front floatation balloon that is arranged in the front fuselage section and at least one rear floatation balloon that is arranged in the rear fuselage section, and wherein the lateral floatation balloons comprise at least one first lateral floatation balloon arranged at the first interconnection region below the first lower wing and at least one second lateral floatation balloon arranged at the second interconnection region below the second lower wing; and
wherein the lateral floatation balloons further comprise at least one first additional lateral floatation balloon, the at least one first additional lateral floatation balloon is arranged midway between the fuselage and the first interconnection region and is either mounted to an upper side of the first lower wing and deployed toward in contact with a lower side of the first upper wing in inflated state or mounted to the lower side of the first upper wing and deployed toward in contact with the upper side of the first lower wing in inflated state.