Flight control surface assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11338904-B2
Application number	US-201916418223-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 21, 2019
Priority date	May 23, 2018
Publication date	May 24, 2022
Grant date	May 24, 2022

Abstract

A flight control surface assembly adapted to be mounted to a main wing of an aircraft includes a flight control surface having a first portion and a second portion spaced from each other, a connection assembly adapted for movably connecting the flight control surface to the main wing, such that the flight control surface is selectively movable in a predetermined movement between a retracted position and an extended position with respect to the main wing, and for each of the flight control surface, a first roller with a first axial face and a second roller with a second axial face facing the first axial face mounted rotatably and coaxially. with a gap between the first and second axial end faces. A biasing mechanism biasing the first and second rollers towards each other, and a transmission mechanism coupled between the flight control surface and the rollers are included.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A flight control surface assembly configured to be mounted to a main wing of an aircraft and comprising:
at least one flight control surface having a first portion and a second portion spaced from each other;
a connection assembly configured for movably connecting the at least one flight control surface to a main wing of an aircraft, such that each of the at least one flight control surface is selectively movable in a predetermined movement between a retracted position and an extended position with respect to the main wing,
separately for each of the at least one flight control surface, the connection assembly comprising:
a first roller and a second roller mounted rotatably and coaxially, wherein the first roller has a first end face and the second roller has a second end face facing the first end face with a gap between the first and second end faces;
a detector;
a biasing mechanism biasing the first and second rollers towards each other; and
a transmission mechanism coupled between the flight control surface and the first and second rollers such that a movement of the flight control surface between the retracted and extended positions is configured to cause the first and second rollers to rotate in such a manner that the rotation of the first roller corresponds to the movement of the first portion, the rotation of the second roller corresponds to the movement of the second portion and the first and second rollers rotate synchronously when the flight control surface carries out the predetermined movement,
wherein the first end face comprises a cam surface portion and the second end face comprises at least one projecting element arranged in a fixed position on the second end face and in contact with the cam surface portion, wherein the cam surface portion is shaped such that the width of the gap is minimum when the first and second rollers have a predetermined relative angular position corresponding to the predetermined movement and that the width of the gap continuously increases with an increasing deviation from the predetermined relative angular position,
wherein the detector is configured to provide a detection signal indicative of whether or not the width of the gap exceeds a predetermined threshold.

2. The flight control surface assembly according to claim 1 , wherein for each of the at least one flight control surface the first portion and the second portion are spaced in a span direction of the respective flight control surface.

3. The flight control surface assembly according to claim 2 , wherein for each of the at least one flight control surface the first portion is a first track and the second portion is a second track, wherein the first and second tracks extend from a main body of the flight control surface and are movably connected to the connection assembly.

4. The flight control surface assembly according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the at least one projecting element is integrally formed in one piece with the second end face or another portion of the second roller.

5. The flight control surface assembly according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the at least one projecting element is an element separate from the second roller and is retained in the fixed position on the second end face.

6. The flight control surface assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the at least one projecting element, which is an element separate from the second roller, is a ball rotatably held in an associated recess in the second end face.

7. The flight control surface assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising a detection unit connected to the detector associated with each of the at least one flight control surface and configured to receive the detection signal from each of the detectors and to evaluate the detection signals to determine if for one of the at least one flight control surface the width of the gap has exceeded the predetermined threshold and to provide a predetermined control signal if it is determined that for one of the at least one flight control surface the width of the gap has exceeded the predetermined threshold, which predetermined control signal indicates that the predetermined threshold has been exceeded by one of the flight control surfaces.

8. The flight control surface assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the transmission mechanism of each of the at least one flight control surface comprises first and second wire-shaped elements coupled at one end to the associated flight control surface to move under tension together with the flight control surface upon movement thereof between the retracted and extended positions, such that the movement of the first wire-shaped element corresponds to the movement of the first portion of the flight control surface and the movement of the second wire-shaped element corresponds to the movement of the second portion of the flight control surface, and
wherein the first wire-shaped element is guided at least partially around the first roller and the second wire-shaped element is guided at least partially around the second roller to effect the rotation of the first and second rollers.

9. The flight control surface assembly according to claim 8 , wherein the transmission mechanism of each of the at least one flight control surface comprises a tensioning mechanism adapted to maintain the first and second wire-shaped elements under tension by biasing them towards a position corresponding to the retracted position.

10. The flight control surface assembly according to claim 9 , wherein the tensioning mechanism comprises a first spring-loaded reel onto which the first wire-shaped element is reeled and a second spring-loaded reel onto which the second wire-shaped element is reeled.

11. The flight control surface assembly according to claim 10 , wherein
the first and second spring-loaded reels are rollers separate from the first and second rollers and the first and second rollers are located, along the length of the first and second wire-shaped elements, between the flight control surface and the first and second spring-loaded reels, or
the first and second spring-loaded reels are constituted by the first and second rollers.

12. The flight control surface assembly according to claim 8 , wherein the transmission mechanism of each of the at least one flight control surface further comprises a first deflection pulley and a second deflection pulley, wherein the first deflection pulley is arranged, along the length of the first wire-shaped element, between the flight control surface and the first roller such that the first wire-shaped element is guided at least partially around the first deflection pulley and extends between the flight control surface and the first deflection pulley in a chord direction of the flight control surface, and the second deflection pulley is arranged, along the length of the second wire-shaped element, between the flight control surface and the second roller such that the second wire-shaped element is guided at least partially around the second deflection pulley and extends between the flight control surface and the second deflection pulley in a chord direction of the flight control surface.

13. A wing of an aircraft comprising a main wing and a flight control surface assembly according to claim 1 mounted to the main wing by the connection assembly so as to effect the predetermined movement of the flight control surfaces with respect to the main wing between the retracted position and the extended position.

14. The wing according to claim 13 ,
wherein the flight control surface assembly is a flight control surface assembly

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Gmbh

Inventors

• Bensmann Stefan

Classifications

• B64C9/26

  by multiple flaps · CPC title

• B64D2045/001

  for indicating symmetry of flaps deflection · CPC title

• B64C13/38

  with power amplification · CPC title

• B64C9/02 Primary

  Mounting or supporting thereof · CPC title

• B64D45/0005

  Devices specially adapted to indicate the position of a movable element of the aircraft, e.g. landing gear · CPC title