Folding wing for a missile and a missile having at least one folding wing arranged thereon

Abstract

A folding wing comprises a wing root, an upper wing part foldable relative to the wing root, at least one guiding device, and an elastically pre-stressed force element. The upper wing part comprises an end edge and a profile foot, wherein the wing root comprises a base and an opposing receiving groove, which is designed to receive the profile foot in a flush manner and is delimited by two delimiting edges having a separation distance that at least equals the maximum profile thickness of the profile foot. The guiding device is arranged at one of the upper wing part and the wing root and is designed for guiding the profile foot in a variable distance to the ground of the receiving groove. The force element is coupled with the wing root and the upper wing part and urges the upper wing part into the receiving groove through the pre-stress.

Claims

1. A folding wing for a missile, comprising: a wing root, an upper wing part foldable relative to the wing root, at least one guiding device, and an elastically pre-stressed force element, wherein the foldable upper wing part comprises an end edge and a profile foot, wherein the wing root comprises a base and a receiving groove opposite to the base, which receiving groove is designed corresponding to the profile foot at least in a ground of the groove for receiving the profile foot in a flush manner and is delimited by two delimiting edges, which comprise a distance to each other, which at least equals the maximum profile thickness of the profile foot, wherein the at least one guiding device is arranged at one of the upper wing part and the wing root and is designed for guiding the profile foot in a variable distance to the ground of the receiving groove, wherein the elastically pre-stressed force element is coupled with the wing root and the upper wing part and urges the upper wing part into the receiving groove through the pre-stress, and wherein the pre-stressed force element is a belt-type element that extends through at least one through-opening from one lateral surface of the wing root to an opposite lateral surface of the wing root, and is coupled with the profile foot in the region of both lateral surfaces.

2. The folding wing of claim 1, wherein the at least one guiding device is a linear guide.

3. The folding wing of claim 1, wherein the at least one guiding device is arranged at outer surfaces of the wing root, which enclose the delimiting edges between each other.

4. The folding wing of claim 1, wherein the pre-stressed force element comprises at least one elastical tension element.

5. The folding wing of claim 1, wherein the profile foot comprises a protruding engagement body at each of two opposite lateral surfaces, which engagement body is engageable with the at least one guiding device.

6. The folding wing of claim 5, wherein the pre-stressed force element is mechanically coupled with the wing root and the engagement bodies of the profile foot at the same time.

7. The folding wing of claim 1, wherein the receiving groove comprises flanks, which are designed for guiding the upper wing part in the receiving groove of the wing root without play or for clamping the upper wing part.

8. A missile comprising a fuselage and the folding wing of claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further characteristics, advantages and potential applications of the present embodiment result from the following description of the exemplary embodiments and the figures. In this respect, all described and/or graphically illustrated characteristics also form the object of the embodiment individually and in arbitrary combination regardless of their composition in the individual claims or their references to other claims. Furthermore, identical or similar objects are identified by the same reference symbols in the figures

(2) FIG. 1a shows a first exemplary embodiment of a folding wing in an isometric view.

(3) FIG. 1b shows an exemplary embodiment of the wing root in an isometric view.

(4) FIG. 2 shows the beginning movement of an upper wing part during the unfolding process.

(5) FIG. 3 shows the folding wing of FIGS. 1 and 2 in a sectional view.

(6) FIGS. 4a and 4b show alternative force elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) FIG. 1a shows an isometric illustration of a folding wing 2 having a wing root 4 and an upper wing part 6 foldable thereto, which comprises an end edge 8 facing away from the wing root 4, and a profile foot 10 exemplarily continuously vaulted. The wing root 4 comprises a receiving groove 12, which is arranged between two delimiting edges 14 and 16, and is designed corresponding to the profile foot 10 at least in a ground 13 of the groove. At lateral surfaces 18 and 20, which lie perpendicular to a plane spanned up by the delimiting edges 14 and 16 and run between the delimiting edges 14 and 16, guiding devices 22 and 24 are arranged. These define a motion path perpendicular to a base 26 of the wing root 4, and therefore radial to a fuselage (not shown) connecting to the base 26. Along the motion paths, which exemplarily result through slits 28 and 30 running perpendicular to the base 26, engagement bodies 32 and 34 of the profile foot 10 are guided, which exemplarily protrude perpendicular to a lateral surface 33 each.

(8) A clearance between the delimiting edges 14 and 16 equals at least the maximum profile thickness 36 of the profile foot 10, such that the profile foot 10 may enter the receiving groove 12 from an exterior through the delimiting edges 14 and 16 and may also be pulled out of it again.

(9) FIG. 1a shows the upper wing part 6 in a folded-away state in which the missile carrying the folding wing 2 is storable in a space-saving manner. In this state, the skeleton line 38 of the upper wing part 6 is arranged in an angle to a skeleton line 40 of the wing root 4. The profile foot 10 does not lie in the receiving groove 12 then, instead a surface 42 of the upper wing part 6 rests on the delimiting edge 14.

(10) Exemplarily, the wing root 4 comprises two through-openings in form of continuous boreholes 44 and 46, through which a tensioning element 48, exemplarily in the form of a cable, extends and is guided through the engagement bodies 32 and 34. In the interior of the wing root 4 pre-stressed force elements in the form of springs connected with the tensioning element 48 may be present, which pull the engagement body 32 along the slit 40 to the receiving groove 12, such that the profile foot 10 is urged into it. Thus, the upper wing part 6 rolls over the delimiting edge 14 into the receiving groove 12, such that the upper wing part is erected progressively, until its skeleton line 38 continuously merges with the skeleton line 40 of the wing root 4.

(11) FIG. 1b shows a wing root 4, which is exemplarily realized as a single component, which may exemplarily be manufactured by precision extrusion and comprises a stiffening rib 15 underneath the ground of the grove 13. The profile visible at the lateral surface 18 may continuously extend over the whole wing root 4. The space underneath the ground 13 of the groove lateral to the stiffening rib 15 may inter alia serve as a cable duct. The guiding devices 22 and 24, which are exemplarily realized sheet-metal-like and correspond to the profile cross-section of the lateral surfaces 18 and 20, may be arranged on the wing root 4 through glueing, welding, screwing or other force-, form- or material-fit connection methods.

(12) FIG. 2 shows a sectional view, in which in particular tension springs 50 are visible, which are connected to the tensioning element 48. The engagement bodies 32 may also be ends of a continuous axle 52, which is protected through securing pins, flanges or the like (not shown) from slipping out. Should the space underneath the ground of the grove 13 not serve as a cable duct, an arrangement of the tension belt 48 as well as the tension spring 50 may be realized there.

(13) In FIG. 3 the process of erecting the upper wing part 6 is shown merely schematically, in which the engagement body 32 is pulled into the direction of the base 26, resulting in the profile foot being moved in the receiving groove 12. Thereby a form-fit connection is accomplished progressively, which is held through a permanent action of force of the tension belt 48.

(14) FIGS. 4a and 4b show a modification with directly acting tensioning elements 54 (FIG. 4a) and 56 (FIG. 4b), wherein depending on the distance between receiving points 58 and protrusions 32 a different number of tensioning elements 54 would be usable. This may be realized particularly in case a sufficient installation space at the outer side of the wing root 4 is present.

(15) In addition, it should be pointed out that comprising does not exclude other elements or steps, and a or an does not exclude a plural number. Furthermore, it should be pointed out that characteristics or steps which have been described with reference to one of the above exemplary embodiments may also be used in combination with other characteristics or steps of other exemplary embodiments described above. Reference characters in the claims are not to be interpreted as limitations

(16) While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the embodiment in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment, it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of the embodiment as set forth in the appended claims and their legal equivalents.