Landing Gear

About

Background: Rotorcraft are known for their versatility, maneuverability, and vertical take-off/landing capabilities. However, the landing gear dictates the surfaces on which they can land, which then limits their mission capabilities. Although some advanced rotorcraft landing gear systems do exist for sloped landing, they use passive methods or mechanical feedback to maintain a level fuselage during landing. Technology: Inventors at Georgia Tech have developed a robotic-legged landing gear system for rotorcraft. The landing gear enables rotorcraft to land on complex terrain using active control via actuators and force feedback, which can adapt precisely to surfaces and significantly reduce landing loads. The system consists of four two-segment legs attached to the four corners of the lower fuselage. The legs are connected to the fuselage via hinges, as are the segments to each other.  The hinges can be actuated using electric motors, hydraulics, or pneumatics. The active control process enables the gear to conform to the ground surface shape while allowing the fuselage to remain level. This can significantly improve the landing capability of rotorcraft on bumpy terrain, slopes, and moving terrain (such as ship decks), which significantly widens the potential operating area of rotorcraft. Landings can also be executed more quickly than currently possible. Additionally, the invention can greatly improve hard landing performance by more effectively absorbing landing loads and can also help to mitigate ground resonance. Potential Commercial Applications: This invention would be useful in rotorcraft landing gear systems for commercial, law enforcement, rescue, and military applications. It can also be implemented in advanced UAV systems. Rotorcraft are particularly useful in mountainous and remote terrain where fixed-wing aircraft are unable to take off or land due to the lack of runways. Advantages: ·  Active control and force feedback enable rotorcraft to land on complex terrain and greatly extend mission capabilities ·  Landing gear system reduces landing loads and mitigates ground resonance ·  System can allow for increased landing speed ·  Development could be useful in commercial, law enforcement, rescue, military, and UAV rotorcraft applications