Method for rotationally driving the wheel of an airplane

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10604239-B2
Application number	US-201615003191-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 21, 2016
Priority date	Jan 23, 2015
Publication date	Mar 31, 2020
Grant date	Mar 31, 2020

Abstract

An assembly for rotationally friction driving the wheel of an airplane provided with a driving track. The assembly has a base intended to be fixed to a lower part of the landing gear, two arms mounted to pivot on the base, and rollers so mounted as to rotate at the end of each arm, with each roller being associated with a pinion for rotationally driving the roller. A central pinion is mounted so as to rotate along the arms pivot axis so that the rollers driving pinions engage with the central pinion. A drive actuator acts on the arms of the assembly so as to position the assembly either in a disengaged position in which the rollers are separated from the driving track, or in an engaged position in which the rollers are held to rest on the driving track.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An assembly for rotationally friction driving a wheel of an airplane mounted as to rotate about a wheel axis of rotation on an axle carried by a lower part of an airplane landing gear, the wheel being provided with an annular driving track centered around the wheel axis of rotation and having a surface which extends parallel to said wheel axis of rotation, with the assembly comprising:
a base configured to be fixed to the lower part of the landing gear;
two arms mounted to pivot on the base along an arms' pivot axis parallel to the wheel axis of rotation;
rollers so mounted as to rotate at the end of each arm about a roller axis of rotation, with each roller being associated with a pinion for rotationally driving the roller;
a central pinion so mounted as to rotate along the arms' pivot axis so that the rollers' driving pinions engage with the central pinion; and
a drive actuator so acting on the arms of the assembly as to position said arms either in a disengaged position in which the rollers are separated from the drive track, or in an engaged position in which the rollers are held to rest on the drive track with a predetermined bearing force.

2. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the drive actuator comprises a positioning actuator coupled between ends of the arms facing the ends of the arms supporting the rollers.

3. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the arms are mounted so as to have a scissor-like configuration on a common pivot.

4. The assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the common pivot consists of a shaft coupled with the central pinion.

5. A friction rotational driving device comprising:
at least one assembly according to claim 1 , so positioned as to cooperate with the wheel to be driven;
a rotational driving actuator integral with the lower part of the airplane landing gear and having an output shaft; and
a motion transmitter for transmitting a rotation motion between the output shaft of the driving actuator and the central pinion of the assembly.

6. The driving device according to claim 5 , wherein the actuator output shaft is so mounted as to rotate along an axis of rotation parallel to the axes of rotation of the rollers, with transmission means comprising a flexible endless driving element wound around a driving member integral with the output shaft of the driving actuator, and around a driving member associated with the central pinion of the assembly.

7. The driving device according to claim 6 , wherein the flexible endless driving element comprises at least one of a chain, a belt and a cable.

8. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the arms are mounted so as to have a scissor-like configuration on different pivots.

9. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein in both the engaged and disengaged positions, the roller's axis of rotation, the arm pivot axis, and the wheel axis of rotation are all parallel.

10. The assembly according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the two arms has opposed ends, on one end is disposed a roller and on an opposite end is a coupling to the drive actuator and between the two ends is the pivot axis, and
wherein the drive actuator is operable between an extension position and a retraction position, thereby providing a scissor-like action to move the rollers between the engaged and disengaged positions with respect to the drive track.

Assignees

• Messier Bugatti Dowty

Inventors

• Rodrigues Fernand
• Martin Frederic

Classifications

• F16H13/02

  without members having orbital motion · CPC title

• B64C25/405 Primary

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

• B64C25/34

  wheeled type, e.g. multi-wheeled bogies · CPC title

• Y02T50/823

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02T50/80

  Energy efficient operational measures, e.g. ground operations or mission management · CPC title