Thrust-deflecting vane devices of v/stol aircraft

Abstract: Two tail control surfaces operable doubly as thrust-­ deflectng vanes are rotatably supported on respective lateral sides of a jet engine of a V/STOL aircraft. Each tail surface (8) can be actuated to rotate about an axis parallel to the engine axis (9) and also to rotate about an axis perpendicular to the engine axis. The tail surfaces can be placed in outer positions on respective lateral sides of the engine for high-speed flight to function as stabilizer surfaces and to be placed within the engine exhaust gas stream and, moreover, to be placed in an inclined state relative thereto thereby to deflect the stream downward for slow-speed or hovering flight.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to vertical/short take-off and landing (hereinafter referred to as V/STOL) aircraft and particularly to surfaces to operate in slipstreams of such aircraft. More particularly, the invention relates to thrust-deflecting vanes operable doubly as tail surfaces of V/STOL aircraft. Still more specifically, the invention relates to such vanes which are operable, at the time of high-speed flight, to project as tail surfaces outward from the aircraft fuselage and, at the time of low-speed flight, to be inserted into the exhaust gas slipstream from the jet engine to deflect the same. In general, when a V/STOL aircraft is flying at a low speed or is hovering, its ordinary control surfaces which depend on the force of flowing air lose their effectiveness, and the aircraft tends to become aerodynamically unstable. Accordingly, control of the attitude of the airframe is carried out by means of reaction jets or thrust-deflecting vanes. (Reference: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publn. No. 134396/1982, Patent Publication No. 26038/1980.) In the method of controlling the attitude of the airframe by means of reaction jets, gas or air is ejected from nozzles mounted on the airframe nose, tail, and wing tips, and the attitude of the aircraft is controlled by adjusting the thrust force, direction and ejection time of the jets thus ejected. In the method of attitude control by means of thrust-deflecting vanes, the flow of the exhaust gas of each jet engine is deflected by one or more vanes provided in the exhaust gas flow, and the attitude of the aircraft is controlled by adjusting the moment thus obtained. (Reference: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Pubin. No. 141753/1984, Patent Application Laid-Open Publn. No. 237147/1985.) However, by the reaction jet method, while control of the attitude of the aircraft is possible without greatly altering the profile of the entire airframe and without causing an increase in the drag of the aircraft at the time of high-speed flight, the control power is insufficient since the bleeding capacity is inadequate. By the thrust-deflecting vane method, the control power is large, and the control force can be varied linearly, control being relatively easy. On the other hand, a large number of moving parts are required and the mechanism becomes complicated and heavy. Furthermore, since the vanes are in the exhaust gas stream, the drag of the aircraft flying at high speed is increased. GB-A-927779 discloses a VTOL/STOL aircraft having a pair of vanes movable between a first position on the outer lateral side of airframe and a second position in the exhaust gas stream. The tail surface deflecting mechanism of said aircraft comprises brackets fixed relative to a housing of said jet engine, vane bosses so mounted on respective brackets as to be rotatable about respective rotational axes, and said tail surfaces are mounted on the bosses via axle, boss and bracket, and can thus rotate about two axes. This mechanism does not provide a precise control of the tail surfaces. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly it is an object of this invention to provide tail control surfaces operable doubly as thrust-deflecting vanes of a V/STOL aircraft, in which: the above describes problems relating to attitude control of V/STOL aircraft in the prior art have been overcome; increase in drag due to thrust-deflecting vanes during high-speed flight is prevented; power for controlling the aircraft attitude at low flight speed is positively secured by inserting the tail surfaces into the exhaust gas stream from the jet engine and the movement of the tail surfaces is precisely controlled. Accordingly to this invention there is provided a vertical/short take-off and landing (V/STOL) aircraft having an airframe and a jet engine which discharges an exhaust gas stream, having tail surfaces provided at an aft part of said airframe and a tail surface deflecting device intercoupling said tail surface and said airframe and being operable to move said tail surfaces selectively between first positions on the outer lateral sides of said airframe and second positions in said exhaust gas stream, the tail surfaces together with their deflecting device(s) forming a thrust-deflecting vane device, which is characterized in that said tail surface deflecting device includes a universal joint mechanism with a first yoke having a root part secured to the airframe side, a second yoke having a root part secured to the tail surface side, first and second rods rigidly fixed perpendicularly to each other to form a cross-shaped spider, the ends of said first rod being pivotally connected to respective tines of said first yoke, the ends of said second rod being pivotally connected to respective tines of said second yoke, a horizontal actuator connected between one end of said first rod and the tail surface side to controllably vary the distance therebetween, and a vertical actuator connected between one end of said second rod and the airframe side to controllably vary the distance therebetween. The nature, utility, and further features of this invention will come understood from the following detailed description with respect to a preferred embodiment of the invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, briefly described below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings: FIG. 1 is a plan view of an example of the tail surfaces/thrust-deflecting vanes according to the invention, shown in their state for high-speed flight; FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same in their state of low-speed flight; and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a universal joint operable as a tail surface deflecting device according to the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION According to an embodiment of this invention as illustrated in a simple manner in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tail surface deflecting device is constituted by a universal joint 12. The tail surfaces 8, 8 are capable of rotating about centers O within a horizontal plane and, at the same time, of swinging in the up-and-down flapping directions. FIG. 1 shows the state wherein the tail surfaces are extended laterally outward from the airframe, while FIG. 2 shows the state wherein the tail surfaces 8, 8 have been swung inward until their edges are in contact, and moreover a large portion of the surfaces 8 are in the exhaust gas stream 4. A specific example of the universal joint 12, as shown in FIG. 3, is essentially a mechanism commonly known as a Hooke's joint or a Cardan joint and comprises a first clevis yoke 14 fixed to a structural part 5a of the bracket 5 on the airframe side, a second clevis yoke 15 fixed to a root part 8a of the tail surface 8 and orientated at 90 degrees of angle relative to the first yoke 14, and a cross-shaped spider consisting of first and second rods 16 and 17, the ends of the first rod 16 being pivotally supported respectively on the tine arms of the first yoke 14 and the ends of the second rod 17 being pivotally supported respectively on the tine arms of the second yoke 15. The first and second yokes 14 and 15 are thus coupled by the spider 16, 17 to be universally rotatable about the axis of the first rod 16 and about the axis of the second rod 17, respectively. Furthermore, a horizontal actuator 18 is connected between one end of the first rod 16 and the root part 8a of the tail surface 8. A vertical actuator 19 is connected between one end of the second rod 17 and the structural part 5a of the bracket 5. Thus, in the operation of the above described universal joint mechanism, by activating the horizontal actuator 18, the second yoke 15 is rotated in swinging movement within a horizontal plane about the second rod 17 as a pivotal axis. Therefore, the tail surface 8, which is unitarily connected to this second yoke 15 can be swung within a horizontal plane between the two positions indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Furthermore, by activating the vertical actuator 19 when the tail surfaces 8, 8 are in their position within the exhaust gas stream as shown in FIG. 2, the second yoke 15 is caused to swing about the first rod 16, whereby the tail surfaces 8, 8 also swing up or down within the exhaust gas stream. As described above, this invention provides a tail surface deflecting device by which tail surfaces can be moved in a horizontal plane and in a vertical plane, whereby, at the time of high-speed flight, the tail surfaces can be extended outward from the air frame and can be used to control the stability of the aircarft by varying the angle of attack of the tail surfaces. During this operation, increase in drag due to deflecting vanes is eliminated, and weight reduction is achieved. At the time of low-speed flight or hovering flight, the tail surfaces can be positioned within the exhaust gas stream to deflect the exhaust gas stream downward and thereby to control the attitude of the aircraft.

Claims: A vertical/short take-off and landing (V/STOL) aircraft having an airframe and a jet engine (2) which discharges an exhaust gas stream, having tail surfaces provided at an aft part of said airframe and a tail surface deflecting device (12) intercoupling said tail surfaces and said airframe and being operable to move said tail surfaces selectively between first positions on the outer lateral sides of said airframe and second positions in said exhaust gas stream, the tail surfaces together with their deflecting device(s) forming a thrust-deflecting vane device characterized in that said tail surface deflecting device (12) includes a universal joint mechanism with a first yoke (14) having a root part secured to the airframe side, a second yoke (15) having a root part secured to the tail surface side, first and second rods (16, 17) rigidly fixed perpendicularly to each other to form a cross-shaped spider, the ends of said first rod being pivotally connected to respective tines of said first yoke, the ends of said second rod (17) being pivotally connected to respective tines of said second yoke, a horizontal actuator (18) connected between one end of said first rod and the tail surface side to controllably vary the distance therebetween, and a vertical actuator (19) connected between one end of said second rod and the airframe side to controllably vary the distance therebetween.

Inventors: KAMO KEISUKE C O FUJI JUKOGYO, KAMO, KEISUKE C/O FUJI JUKOGYO K.K.
Applicants: FUJI HEAVY IND LTD, FUJI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1988
Main classification: B64C15
IPC codes: B64C5, B64C29, B64C15