Shape memory alloy micro-aero control surfaces
US9879959B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 18, 2013 |
| Grant date | Jan 30, 2018 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 1, 2034 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF42B10/62
- WIPO fieldOther special machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A control system for a missile includes a plurality of control surfaces that can be arrayed across a surface of the missile body, and a controller connected to the control surfaces to selectively move the control surfaces between an aerodynamic stowed position where the control surfaces conform to the surface of the body, and a deployed control position removed from the aerodynamic stowed position where the control surfaces extend from the surface of the body to interact with airflow over the body. The control surfaces are made of a material that includes a shape-memory alloy. Heating the control surfaces causes the shape-memory alloy to move the control surfaces from the aerodynamic stowed position to the deployed control position. By selectively extending and retracting the control surfaces, the control system provides the ability to control the missile's direction of travel or to reduce roll about a longitudinal axis of the body.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.