Actuator for controlling a horizontal stabilizer of an aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10040539-B2
Application number	US-201515112668-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2015
Priority date	Jan 20, 2014
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

The invention relates to an actuator (4) for controlling a horizontal stabilizer (3) of an aircraft, including: a primary channel including a screw (6) and a primary nut (7), the primary nut (7) being suitable for engaging with the screw (6), such that a rotation of the screw (6) relative to the primary nut (7) about a rotation axis (X) causes the primary nut (7) to translate relative to the screw (6) along the axis (X), such as to move the horizontal stabilizer (3); a secondary channel including a secondary part (25, 28), and a housing (23, 26), the secondary part (25, 28) being mounted in the housing (23, 26) with play between the secondary part and the housing, in which the secondary channel also includes a play take-up device (27), configured to, in the event of a breakdown of the primary channel causing the secondary part (25, 28) to move relative to the housing, eliminate the play between the secondary part (25, 28) and the housing (23, 26) such as to keep the secondary part (25, 28) in contact with the housing (23, 26).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An actuator for controlling a horizontal stabilizer of an aircraft, comprising:
a primary path comprising a screw and a primary nut, the primary nut cooperating with the screw such that rotation of the screw relative to the primary nut along an axis of rotation causes translation of the primary nut relative to the screw along the axis of rotation to move the horizontal stabilizer,
a secondary path comprising a secondary part, and a housing, the secondary part mounted in the housing with a clearance between the secondary part and the housing,
wherein the secondary path further comprises a clearance take-up device, the clearance take-up device comprising a clearance take-up part having a tightening ramp inclined relative to the axis of rotation, the clearance take-up device arranged, in case of breaking of the primary path causing displacement of the secondary part relative to the housing along the axis of rotation in a first direction tending to reduce a clearance between the secondary part and the housing, to move the clearance take-up part towards a blocking position in which the clearance take-up part prevents displacement of the secondary part relative to the housing in a second direction, opposite the first direction, the clearance take-up part tightening the secondary part against the housing by means of the tightening ramp so as to keep the secondary part in contact with the housing.

2. The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein the clearance take-up part is rotatably mounted relative to the housing between a cocked position in which the clearance take-up part enables the clearance between the secondary part and the housing, and the blocking position.

3. The actuator according to claim 2 , wherein the clearance take-up part is rotatably mounted about an axis of rotation parallel to the axis of rotation of the screw.

4. The actuator according to claim 2 , wherein the tightening ramp is a helical ramp.

5. The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein the clearance take-up device comprises an elastic return element arranged to urge the clearance take-up part towards the blocking position.

6. The actuator according to claim 5 , wherein the elastic return element comprises a torsion spring.

7. The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein the clearance take-up device comprises a second clearance take-up part movably mounted in translation relative to the housing, between a first position in which the second clearance take-up part is engaged with the first clearance take-up part to keep the first clearance take-up part in a cocked position, and a second position in which the second clearance take-up part is freed from the first clearance take-up part to enable displacement of the first clearance take-up part towards the blocking position.

8. The actuator according to claim 7 , wherein the first clearance take-up part comprises teeth and the second clearance take-up part comprises teeth capable of engaging with the teeth of the first clearance take-up part when the second clearance take-up part is in the first position so as to prevent displacement of the first clearance take-up part towards the blocking position.

9. The actuator according to claim 7 , wherein the second clearance take-up part comprises a ramp capable of cooperating with the ramp of the first clearance take-up part to tighten the secondary part against the housing.

10. The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein the secondary part is a rod extending inside the screw.

11. The actuator according to claim 10 , wherein the primary path comprises a primary universal joint to connect the screw to a fuselage of the aircraft, and the secondary path comprises a secondary universal joint to connect the housing to the fuselage, the primary universal joint and the secondary universal joint having coincident axes of rotation.

12. The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein the secondary part is a secondary nut capable of cooperating with the screw, such that rotation of the screw relative to the secondary nut along an axis of rotation causes translation of the secondary nut relative to the screw along the axis of rotation.

13. The actuator according to claim 12 , wherein the primary path comprises a primary universal joint to connect the primary nut to the horizontal stabilizer, and the secondary path comprises a secondary universal joint to connect the housing to the horizontal stabilizer, the primary universal joint and the secondary universal joint having coincident axes of rotation.

14. The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a window enabling insertion of a tool inside the housing to return the first clearance take-up part in a cocked position.

15. The actuator according to claim 1 , comprising one or more position sensors for detecting the position of the first clearance take-up part.

16. The actuator according to claim 15 , wherein the first clearance takeup part comprises one or more magnets and the position sensor(s) are Hall-effect sensors for detecting the presence of the magnet(s) facing the sensor(s).

17. A horizontal stabilization assembly of an aircraft, comprising:
a horizontal stabilization rudder of the aircraft, and
the control actuator according to claim 1 to move the horizontal stabilizer.

Assignees

• Safran Electronics & Defense
• Safran Electronics And Defense

Inventors

• Antunes Bruno
• Gouard Christian
• Gorecki Hervé
• Mehez Jérôme
• Humanes Jesus-Angel

Classifications

• F16H25/2472

  Safety nuts · CPC title

• F16H25/205

  comprising alternate power paths, e.g. for fail safe back-up · CPC title

• B64C5/10

  adjustable · CPC title

• B64C13/28 Primary

  mechanical · CPC title

• B64C13/341 Primary

  having duplication or stand-by provisions · CPC title