Patent ID: 11866191
Assignee: AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE SAS
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 0:
1. An air to air active refueling system for a tanker aircraft, the system comprising:
a hose configured to convey fuel from the tanker aircraft to a receiver aircraft and including a hose-end;
a coupling at the hose-end and comprising a drogue, the coupling is configured to be coupled to a receiver probe of the receiver aircraft in an air-to air refueling operation,
a hose-end control unit mounted to the hose at a region of the hose proximate the hose- end, wherein the hose-end control unit includes:
a fixed frame mechanically connecting the hose to the coupling, and
a rotary frame rotationally connected to the fixed frame and comprising at least three fin shafts extending outward from the rotary frame, and wherein the rotary frame is rotatable about the fixed frame;
at least three grid fins each mounted to a respective one of the at least three fin shafts and configured to fold and deploy, wherein each of the at least three grid fins are configured to rotate about an axis of the fin shaft on which the grid fin is mounted; and
an inertial measurement unit configured to measure an acceleration of the hose-end;

wherein the air to air active refueling system further includes:
a first sensor configured to sense a relative position between the first sensor and the receiver probe of the receiver aircraft; and
a processing unit configured to:
receive measurements of the acceleration of the hose-end made by the inertial measurement unit,
receive the relative position sensed by the first sensor,
determine one or more desired deflection angles for rotation of one or more of the grid fins based on the measurements of the acceleration and the relative position, and
actuate one or more of the grid fins to rotate the grid fin mounted to the grid shaft to the one or more desired deflection angles.