Electrically activated pivot assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10280904-B2
Application number	US-201615065185-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2016
Priority date	Mar 9, 2016
Publication date	May 7, 2019
Grant date	May 7, 2019

Abstract

An exemplary rotational assembly includes a base having a circular collar and first and second arms that rotate about the circular collar in opposite angular directions. In a stored state the arms have substantially the same angle relative to the circular collar; in a deployed state the arms have rotated into opposing positions. Each end of a Nitinol wire is coupled to the first and second arms and contracts when heated by the flow of electrical current. This contraction causes the simultaneously application of a rotational force to the first and second arms causing the first and second arms to rotate about the circular collar in opposite angular directions. The simultaneous counter rotating angular forces during rotation of the arms causes no substantial change in angular inertia at the base.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A rotational assembly comprising:
a base;
a circular collar member rotatably mounted to the base, the circular collar member having a circular periphery;
first and second arms dimensioned to engage and rotate about the circular member in opposite angular directions, the first and second arms being in a stored state when each arm has substantially the same angle relative to the circular member and a deployed state when the first and second arms have each rotated and are not at substantially the same angle relative to the circular member;
an electrical member coupled to the circular collar and residing within the circular periphery, the electrical member changing dimensions when heated due to electrical current flowing in the electrical member, a change in dimension of the electrical member simultaneously applying a rotational force to the first and second arms in the stored state when electrical current is applied to the electrical member causing the first arm to rotate about the circular member in one angular direction and the second arm to rotate about the circular member in an angular direction opposite the one angular direction, the electrical member residing within the circular periphery when heated and when not heated.

2. The rotational assembly of claim 1 wherein the electrical member is Nitinol wire having at least one portion that has been conditioned to deform when subjected to higher temperatures due to the flow of current causing the length of the Nitinol wire to shorten from its length in the stored state to a shorter length in the deployed state.

3. The rotational assembly of claim 1 further comprising at least two pulleys, a single length of the electrical member being wound about the at least two pulleys, the at least two pulleys residing within the circular periphery.

4. The rotational assembly of claim 3 wherein the at least two pulleys comprise three pulleys each with a fixed axis of rotation relative to the base.

5. The rotational assembly of claim 3 wherein the circular collar member rotates around the at least two pulleys.

6. The rotational assembly of claim 1 further comprising at least one anchor at a fixed position relative to the base, the electrical member being elongated and an intermediate segment of the electrical member being supported by the at least one anchor, one end of the electrical member attached to the first arm and the other end of the electrical member attached to the second arm, a first segment of the electrical member being between the one end and the anchor and a second segment of the electrical member being between the other end and the anchor, the first and second segment of the electrical member contracting in length when electrical current is applied to the electrical member.

7. The rotational assembly of claim 3 wherein axes of rotation of each of the at least two pulleys maintain a fixed relationship to each other regardless of whether the electrical member is heated or not.

8. A rotational assembly comprising:
a base having a circular member;
first and second arms dimensioned to engage and rotate about the circular member in opposite angular directions, the first and second arms being in a stored state when each arm has substantially the same angle relative to the circular member and a deployed state when the first and second arms have each rotated and are not at substantially the same angle relative to the circular member;
an electrical member coupled to the first and second arms, the electrical member changing dimensions when heated due to electrical current flowing in the electrical member, a change in dimension of the electrical member simultaneously applying a rotational force to the first and second arms in the stored state when electrical current is applied to the electrical member causing the first arm to rotate about the circular member in one angular direction and the second arm to rotate about the circular member in an angular direction opposite the one angular direction;
the circular member being a circular collar projecting from and attached to the base;
at least one slot within the circular collar;
the first and second arms each having an interior circular wall dimensioned to fit about an exterior wall of the circular collar for rotation of the first and second arms about the circular collar;
at least one slot within the circular collar;
first and second tabs extending inward from the interior circular wall of the first and second arms, respectively;
the first and second tabs projecting into the at least one slot;
the electrical member coupled to the first and second tabs and causing the first and second tabs to move along the at least one slot from respective positions along the at least one slot in the stored state to different positions along the at least one slot in the deployed state, whereby the first and second arms are rotated about the circular collar.

9. The rotational assembly of claim 8 wherein the electrical member and at least a portion of the first and second tabs reside within an interior wall of the circular collar.

10. The rotational assembly of claim 8 wherein the electrical member is Nitinol wire.

11. The rotational assembly of claim 10 further comprising at least one pulley that is free to rotate at a fixed position relative to the base and mounted inside the interior wall of the circular collar, at least an intermediate portion of the Nitinol wire wound about the pulley and ends of the Nitinol wire attached to the first and second tabs, respectively.

12. The rotational assembly of claim 10 further comprising at least one anchor at a fixed position relative to the base and mounted inside the interior wall of the circular collar, at least an intermediate portion of the Nitinol wire wound supported by the anchor and ends of the Nitinol wire attached to the first and second tabs, respectively.

13. The rotational assembly of claim 1 wherein the electrical member applies simultaneous equal counter rotating angular forces while causing rotation of the first and second arms so as to cause no substantial change in angular inertia at the base.

14. The rotational assembly of claim 2 wherein the Nitinol wire applies simultaneous equal counter rotating angular forces while causing rotation of the first and second arms so as to cause no substantial change in angular inertia at the base.

15. The rotational assembly of claim 10 wherein the electrical member applies simultaneous equal counter rotating angular forces while causing rotation of the first and second arms so as to cause no substantial change in angular inertia at the base.

16. An unmanned aeronautical vehicle having first and second arms that are substantially adjacent each other in a stored state but being extendible in a deployed state to be substantially opposite each other, the unmanned aeronautical vehicle comprising:
a base;
a circular collar member rotatably mounted to the base, the circular collar member having a circular periphery;
the first and second arms dimensioned to engage and rotate about the circular member in opposite angular directions, the first and second arms being in the stored state when each arm has substantially the same angle relative to the circular member and being in the deployed state when the first and second arms have each rotated and are not at substantially the same angle relative to the circular member;
an electrical member coupled to the circular collar and residing within the circular periphery, the electrical member changing dimensions when heated due to electrical current flowing

Assignees

• Northrop Grumman Systems Corp

Inventors

• Larson Gregory L
• Barnett Peter A

Classifications

• B64U70/20

  for releasing or capturing UAVs in flight by another aircraft · CPC title

• B64D5/00

  Aircraft transported by aircraft, e.g. for release or reberthing during flight · CPC title

• B64D7/00

  Arrangement of military equipment, e.g. armaments, armament accessories or military shielding, in aircraft; Adaptations of armament mountings for aircraft (dropping bombs or the like B64D1/00) · CPC title

• B64C3/40

  Varying angle of sweep · CPC title

• B64C2201/021

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic