Flap lever

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11299256-B2
Application number	US-202016874947-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 15, 2020
Priority date	May 15, 2019
Publication date	Apr 12, 2022
Grant date	Apr 12, 2022

Abstract

An aircraft flap lever is disclosed. The lever is included in a housing, and is supported on an axle. The lever also has a protruding pin that is biased upwards towards four optional radially-spaced notches. Each notch results in a different lever setting, and thus different flap position. The system includes a rocker mechanism that is pivotally mounted on the axle, and prevents skipping over notches when the lever is activated.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for changing positions of a control surface on an aircraft, the system comprising:
a lever included in a housing, the lever being mounted on an axle and having an activation top portion which extends out of the housing and actuates the lever, and a body;
a biasing device configured to offer resistance to a compressive force applied axially when the lever is pushed down, the biasing device being located between a rigid portion of the lever and the axle;
a locking pin protruding substantially transversely from the rigid portion of the lever such that the locking pin moves with the lever;
a plurality of angularly spaced apart notches defined into the housing above the pin, each notch in the plurality representing a different position for a control surface of an aircraft when the pin is received in each of the notches in the plurality;
a rocker mechanism pivotally mounted on the axle, the rocker mechanism being biased into an upright equilibrium state, the rocker mechanism including a plurality of upwardly extending teeth;
at least one pin-receiving area defined between each of the plurality of teeth, the pin-receiving area being adapted to receive the pin from a first notch in the plurality when the lever is pushed down, and rotate such that the pin is then received within a second notch; and
the rocker mechanism being limited to a range of angular rotation by a rotation-limiting arrangement.

2. The lever system of claim 1 wherein:
the axle passes transversely through a longitudinal slot formed into the body of the lever, and the axle is slidably mounted on a longitudinal pin mounted inside the slot, and
the biasing member is a compression spring loosely mounted on the longitudinal pin above the axle thus compelling the activation portion of the lever outward relative to the housing.

3. The lever system of claim 2 wherein the longitudinal pin is received up through an aperture formed in a longitudinal bore formed at the bottom of the body, the longitudinal bore being bored in line with the slot, the longitudinal pin received through the longitudinal bore, then through a transverse bore made through the axle, then through the compression spring, and the longitudinal pin is then secured into the slot.

4. The lever of claim 3 wherein the longitudinal pin penetrates substantially all the way through the longitudinal slot to the point a top end of the longitudinal pin abuts a top portion of the slot, and then is secured into the longitudinal slot by screwing in a plug into the longitudinal bore underneath a lower end of the longitudinal pin.

5. The lever of claim 1 comprising:
an indicating member extending down from the lever body, the indicating member configured to trigger a position sensor installed proximate the lever.

6. The lever of claim 5 wherein the indicating member, depending on position, is configured to trigger a plurality of position sensors.

7. The lever of claim 1 wherein the rocker mechanism further comprises:
a pair of outwardly directed tension springs having tops attached to the bottom of the rocker mechanism, bottoms attached to a frame member below the rocker mechanism, and the tension springs serving to bias the rocker mechanism into the upright equilibrium state.

8. The lever of claim 1 wherein a first notch in the plurality of notches is configured to dictate a zero-degree control surface position, a second notch in the plurality dictates a 15-degree control surface position, a third notch in the plurality is configured to dictate a 30-degree control surface position, and a fourth notch in the plurality dictates a 40-degree control surface position.

9. The lever of claim 1 wherein:
the lever housing is configured so that when the locking pin is moved down out of the first notch and moved towards the second notch, bears against a left outside edge of a first tooth and rotates the rocker mechanism clockwise where a right edge of the rocker mechanism engages a forward rotation limiting member configured into the housing, the forward rotation limiting member being a component of the said rotation-limiting arrangement, the forward rotation limiting member preventing the locking pin from skipping over into a third notch as the pin is moved into the second notch.

10. The lever of claim 9 wherein:
the lever housing is configured such that once the pin is raised up into the second notch due to lever release, the pin clears a top of the first tooth and the rocker is moved back into the upright equilibrium state.

11. The lever of claim 10 wherein:
the lever housing is configured such that when the lever pin is moved down due to downward pressure on the lever out of the second notch, the pin is received into a receiving area defined between the first tooth and a second tooth, can then be rotated clockwise by lever motion towards the third notch at such time the right edge of the rocker mechanism engages the stop member preventing skipping past the third notch, and the pin is able to be raised and locked into the third notch due to a release of the lever.

12. The lever of claim 11 wherein:
the lever housing is configured such that once the pin is raised up into the third notch due to lever release, the pin clears a top of the second tooth, and the rocker is moved back into the upright equilibrium state.

13. The lever of claim 12 wherein:
the lever housing is configured such that when the lever pin is moved down due to downward pressure out of the third notch, the pin is received into a receiving area defined between the second tooth and a third tooth atop the rocker, and then the lever can be rotated clockwise by lever motion towards a fourth notch and be locked up into the fourth notch upon a release of the lever.

14. The lever of claim 13 wherein:
the lever housing is configured such that once the pin is raised up into the fourth notch due to lever release, the pin clears a top of the third tooth, and the rocker is moved back into the upright equilibrium state.

15. The lever of claim 14 wherein the lever and housing are configured such that when a user returns the locking pin from the fourth notch to third then second then first notches, the mechanical arrangement works in substantially identical but opposite way.

16. The lever of claim 14 wherein:
the lever housing is configured so that when the locking pin is moved down out of the fourth notch and moved back towards the third notch, the pin bears against the right outside edge of the third tooth and rotates the rocker mechanism counter-clockwise where the left edge of the rocker mechanism engages a reverse rotation limiting member configured into the housing, the reverse rotation limiting member being a component of the said rotation-limiting arrangement, the reverse rotation limiting member preventing the locking pin from skipping past the third notch.

17. An aircraft flap lever comprising:
a housing including a lever;
the lever on an axle supported in the housing;
a pin on the lever, the lever and thus pin being biased upwards towards any of a plurality of radially-spaced notches defined in the housing, each notch resulting in a different lever setting, the upward bias locking the pin in place;
a rocker mechanism pivotally mounted on the axle, the rocker mechanism being biased into an upright equilibrium state, the rocker mechanism including a plurality of upwardly extending teeth, the rotation of the rocker mechanism being limited such that when the pin is moved to a different notch in the plurality it will not skip to a next notch in the

Assignees

• Textron Aviation Inc
• Textron Innovations Inc

Inventors

• Hunter Mark Sheridan
• Parker Ronald J

Classifications

• B64C13/14

  lockable · CPC title

• B64C13/0425 Primary

  for actuating trailing or leading edge flaps, air brakes or spoilers · CPC title