Drive system for aircraft landing gear

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10144506-B2
Application number	US-201515126806-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 16, 2015
Priority date	Mar 17, 2014
Publication date	Dec 4, 2018
Grant date	Dec 4, 2018

Abstract

A drive system for rotating a wheel of an aircraft landing gear. The drive system has a drive pinion and a motor operable to rotate the drive pinion via a drive path. A rotary damper is provided in the drive path between the motor and the drive pinion. A driven gear is adapted to be attached to the wheel so as to be capable of rotating the wheel. The drive system has a drive configuration in which the drive pinion is capable of meshing with the driven gear to permit the motor to drive the driven gear via the drive path. One of the drive pinion and the driven gear comprises a roller gear having a series of rollers arranged to form a ring, each roller being rotatable about a roller axis, and the other of the drive pinion and the driven gear comprises a sprocket.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A drive system for rotating a wheel of an aircraft landing gear, the drive system comprising: a drive pinion; a motor operable to rotate the drive pinion via a drive path; a rotary damper in the drive path between the motor and the drive pinion; and a driven gear adapted to be attached to the wheel so as to be capable of rotating the wheel, wherein the drive system has a drive configuration in which the drive pinion is capable of meshing with the driven gear to permit the motor to drive the driven gear via the drive path.

2. A drive system according to claim 1 , wherein one of the drive pinion and the driven gear comprises a roller gear having a series of rollers arranged to form a ring, each roller being rotatable about a roller axis, and the other of the drive pinion and the driven gear comprises a sprocket.

3. A drive system according to claim 1 , wherein the rotary damper is a hydraulic rotary damper.

4. A drive system according to claim 3 , wherein the hydraulic rotary damper comprises an input part and an output part, and a damping liquid for hydraulic damping of rotational oscillations between the parts.

5. A drive system according to claim 4 , wherein the rotary damper comprises one or more springs arranged to bias the input part or output part towards a centred position relative to the other part.

6. A drive system according to claim 3 , further comprising a flow circuit arranged to supply liquid to the motor and the hydraulic rotary damper; and a pump arranged to pump the liquid around the flow circuit so the liquid cools the motor and provides damping liquid for the hydraulic rotary damper.

7. A drive system according to claim 6 wherein the drive path further comprises a set of meshed gears provide a desired gearing ratio between the motor and the drive pinion, the flow circuit is arranged to supply the liquid to the set of meshed gears, and the pump is arranged to pump the liquid around the flow circuit so the liquid lubricates the set of meshed gears.

8. A drive system according to claim 6 , wherein the flow circuit comprises a heat exchanger arranged to remove heat from the liquid.

9. A drive system according to claim 6 , wherein the flow circuit comprises a filter arranged to filter the liquid.

10. A drive system according to claim 9 , wherein the rotary damper comprises an input part and an output part, one of the parts having a cantilevered resilient finger, a free end of which frictionally engages a cam surface on the other part via a frictional interface thereby to provide resilient resistance to relative rotation of the part in either direction from a minimum energy position, with damping of rotational oscillations between the parts.

11. A drive system according to claim 10 , wherein one of the parts has one or more channels for feeding damping liquid into the frictional interface.

12. A drive system according to claim 11 , wherein the one or more channels form part of the flow circuit.

13. A drive system according to claim 3 , wherein the drive path further comprises a set of meshed gears provide a desired gearing ratio between the motor and the drive pinion; and the drive system further comprises a flow circuit arranged to supply liquid to the set of meshed gears and the hydraulic rotary damper, and a pump arranged to pump the liquid around the flow circuit so the liquid lubricates the set of meshed gears and provides damping liquid for the hydraulic rotary damper.

14. A drive system according to claim 3 , wherein the drive path further comprises one or more hydrostatic bearings, and the drive system further comprises a flow circuit arranged to supply liquid to the hydrostatic bearing(s) and the hydraulic rotary damper, and a pump arranged to pump the liquid around the flow circuit so the liquid lubricates the hydrostatic bearing(s) and provides damping liquid for the hydraulic rotary damper.

15. A drive system according to claim 1 , wherein the drive system is switchable between the drive configuration and a neutral configuration in which the drive pinion is not capable of meshing with the driven gear.

16. An aircraft landing gear comprising a wheel and a drive system according to claim 1 , wherein the driven gear of the drive system is attached to the wheel so as to be capable of rotating the wheel.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Ltd

Inventors

• Didey Arnaud
• Wilson Fraser

Classifications

• F16H57/042

  Guidance of lubricant · CPC title

• F16H57/0436

  Pumps · CPC title

• F16H57/0404

  Lubricant filters · CPC title

• B64C25/405 Primary

  Powered wheels, e.g. for taxing · CPC title

• F16H55/10

  Constructively simple tooth shapes, e.g. shaped as pins, as balls · CPC title