c12)
United
States
Patent
McKeon
(54)
CONTROL
OF
AERODYNAMIC
FORCES
BY
VARIABLE
WETTED
SURFACE
MORPHOLOGY
(75) Inventor:
Beverley
J.
McKeon,
Tujunga,
CA
(US)
(73)
Assignee:
California
Institute
of
Technology,
Pasadena,
CA
(US)
(
*)
Notice:
Subject
to
any
disclaimer,
the
term
ofthis
patent
is
extended
or
adjusted
under
35
U.S.C.
154(b)
by
1190
days.
(21)
Appl.
No.:
12/117,959
(22)
Filed:
May9,
2008
(65)
Prior
Publication
Data
US
2009/0001222
Al
Jan.
1,
2009
Related
U.S.
Application
Data
(60)
Provisional
application
No.
60/928,737,
filed
on
May
10,
2007.
(51)
Int.
Cl.
B64C
21110
(2006.01)
(52)
U.S.
Cl.
......................
244/204;
244/130;
296/181.5
( 58)
Field
of
Classification
Search
.
... ... ... ...
..
...
244/200,
244/204,
130,
205;
296/181.5
See
application
file
for
complete
search
history.
(56)
References
Cited
U.S.
PATENT
DOCUMENTS
4,516,747
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A *
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l
I
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Ill
lllll
lllll
lllll
lllll
lllll
111111111111111111111111111111111
US008276851B2
(IO)
Patent
No.:
US
8,276,851
B2
Oct.
2,
2012
(45)
Date
of
Patent:
7,059,664
B2
*
7,147,269
B2
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7,147,271
B2
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7,178,395
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DE
(Continued)
FOREIGN
PATENT
DOCUMENTS
3913678
Cl
*
7/1990
(Continued)
Primary
Examiner
-
Benjamin
P Lee
(7
4)
Attorney,
Agent,
or
Firm
-
Milstein
Zhang
&
Wu
LLC;
Joseph
B.
Milstein
(57)
ABSTRACT
Systems
and
methods
for
providing
dynamic
control
to
a
vehicle
in
a dynamic
fluid.
The
systems
and
methods
of
the
invention
relate
to
one
or
more
morphable
surfaces
that
can
be
controlled
by
a controller
and
an
actuator
in
an
active
manner
to
provide
asperities
that
interact
with
a fluid
moving
across
the
morphable
surfaces.
By
controlling
the
size,
shape
and
location
of
the
asperities,
one
can
exert
control
authority
over
the
motion
of
the
vehicle
relative
to
the
fluid,
including
a
speed,
a direction
and
an
attitude
of
the
vehicle.
Examples
of
materials
that
provide
suitable
morphable
surfaces
include
ionic
polymer
metal
composites
and
shape
memory
poly-
mers,
both
of
which
types
of
material
are
commercially
avail-
able.
Useful
morphable
surface
systems
have
been
examined
and
are
described.
27
Claims,
8 Drawing
Sheets
A
T
US
8,276,851
B2
Page
2
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PATENT
DOCUMENTS
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Jr.
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WO
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12/2003
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eta!.
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.........................
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cited
by
examiner
U.S.
Patent
Oct.
2,
2012
Sheet
1of8
POLYMER
+
METAL
(Pt)
a).
POSITIVE
b).
NO
-..-~-+-MATERIAL
c).
NEGATIVE
FIG.
1
PRIOR
ART
+
.i
e
SIDE
CHAIN
HYDRATED
CATION-
WATER
FIXED
Na(H20)+
ANION
FIG.
2
PRIOR
ART
US
8,276,851
B2
+
MOBILE
CATION
U.S.
Patent
Oct.
2,
2012
Sheet
2of8
FIG.
3
PRIOR
ART
FIG.
4
PRIOR
ART
US
8,276,851
B2
U.S.
Patent
Oct.
2,
2012
Sheet
3of8
US
8,276,851
B2
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U.S.
Patent
Oct.
2,
2012
Sheet
4
of
8
DEAD
CENTER
FLUTE
POINT
ANGLE
FIG.
6
PRIOR
ART
US
8,276,851
B2