Gear for a flapping wing aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11873883-B2
Application number	US-202117306323-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 3, 2021
Priority date	May 4, 2020
Publication date	Jan 16, 2024
Grant date	Jan 16, 2024

Abstract

Gear for a flapping wing aircraft, having a gearwheel support, on which a gearwheel is mounted so as to be rotatably movable about a gearwheel axis, which gearwheel is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to a crankshaft, which has a central section extending coaxially to the gearwheel axis and end regions adjoining the central section on both sides, the end regions each delimiting an angle between 0 degrees and 90 degrees with the central section and engage in a guide slot of an associated joint part which is mounted pivotably movable about a pivot axis on a joint support which is connected to the gearwheel support and which is mounted pivotably movable about a respective support axis on the gearwheel support wherein the joint supports are connected to a coupling strut and wherein an actuator, which is motion-coupled to the coupling strut, is arranged on the gearwheel support.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gear for a flapping wing aircraft, comprising a gearwheel support, on which a gearwheel is rotatably mounted about a gearwheel axis, further comprising a crankshaft, which is non-rotatably connected to the gearwheel and which has a central section extending coaxially with the gearwheel axis and which has end regions, wherein the central section passes through the gearwheel and wherein the end regions delimit an angle between 0 degrees and 90 degrees with the central section, wherein each of the end regions is inserted into a guide slot of an associated joint part which is mounted on a joint support connected to the gearwheel support so as to be pivotable about a pivot axis, and wherein each of the joint supports is mounted on the gearwheel support so as to be pivotable about a respective support axis, wherein the joint supports are connected to a coupling strut, wherein an actuator for providing an actuating movement is arranged on the gearwheel support and is coupled to the coupling strut.

2. The gear according to claim 1 , wherein the pivot axis delimits an angle in a range between 70 degrees and 90 degrees with the gearwheel axis or wherein the support axis delimits an angle in a range between 0 degrees and 30 degrees with the gearwheel axis or wherein the support axis is arranged parallel to the gearwheel axis.

3. The gear according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling strut is arranged on a bearing journal of the gearwheel support so as to be pivotable about a journal axis which is aligned transversely to the gearwheel axis and which intersects the gearwheel axis.

4. The gear according to claim 3 , wherein the actuator has a pivoted lever which is connected in an articulated manner to the coupling strut via a control strut.

5. The gear according to claim 1 , wherein the gearwheel support is provided on mutually opposite outer surfaces with a respective bearing journal which is aligned parallel to the gearwheel axis and through which the crankshaft passes, and wherein the joint support is mounted pivotably on the bearing journal.

6. The gear according to claim 1 , wherein the joint supports are accommodated on the gearwheel support at a fixed distance from one another and/or wherein the joint supports are accommodated on the gearwheel support so as to be exclusively pivotable.

7. The gear according to claim 1 , wherein the associated joint part is mounted on the joint support so as to be exclusively pivotable about the pivot axis.

8. The gear according to claim 1 , wherein the guide slot of the associated joint part is of groove-shaped design and is penetrated by the end region of the crankshaft, the guide slot having a rectangular cross-section in a cross-sectional plane aligned transversely to the end region.

9. The gear according to claim 8 , wherein a cross-sectional plane aligned transversely to the pivot axis and comprising the gearwheel axis is at a distance from a center of the guide slot.

Assignees

• Festo Se & Co Kg

Inventors

• Mugrauer Rainer

Classifications

• F16H21/52 Primary

  for interconverting rotary motion and oscillating motion · CPC title

• B64C33/02 Primary

  Wings; Actuating mechanisms therefor · CPC title

• B64C33/00 Primary

  Ornithopters · CPC title

• F16H37/122

  for interconverting rotary motion and oscillating motion · CPC title

• A63H31/08

  Gear-control mechanisms; Gears for imparting a reciprocating motion · CPC title