US 12,337,963 B2
Folding wing tip for aircraft
Gregory Pomrehn, Seattle, WA (US); and Kevin Tsai, Redmond, WA (US)
Assigned to The Boeing Company, Arlington, VA (US)
Filed by The Boeing Company, Arlington, VA (US)
Filed on Aug. 22, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/453,814.
Prior Publication US 2025/0066011 A1, Feb. 27, 2025
Int. Cl. B64C 3/56 (2006.01)
CPC B64C 3/56 (2013.01) 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A wing for use with an aircraft, the wing comprising:
a wing root comprising a leading edge, a trailing edge, and a distal end;
a wing tip comprising a leading edge, positioned proximate to the distal end of the wing root, and configured to be foldable, relative to the wing root, along a folding plane that is co-planar with or parallel to a wing root plane of the wing root;
a wing-tip hinge pivotally coupling the wing tip to the wing root and defining a wing-tip axis that is perpendicular to the folding plane;
an upper wing-tip panel coupled to the wing tip; and
a lower wing-tip panel coupled to the wing tip, wherein:
the wing tip is pivotable about the wing-tip axis, within the folding plane, between, and inclusive of, an extended position and a retracted position, relative to the wing root;
when in the extended position, the leading edge of the wing tip extends from the leading edge of the wing root in a spanwise direction of the wing root;
when in the retracted position, the leading edge of the wing tip extends from the leading edge of the wing root in a chordwise direction of the wing root;
the upper wing-tip panel is pivotable, relative to the wing tip, and extends vertically upward from the wing tip when the wing tip is in the retracted position; and
the lower wing-tip panel is pivotable, relative to the wing tip, and extends vertically downward from the wing tip when the wing tip is in the retracted position.