Aircraft nose landing gear assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12344368-B2
Application number	US-202318128808-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2023
Priority date	Mar 31, 2022
Publication date	Jul 1, 2025
Grant date	Jul 1, 2025

Abstract

An aircraft nose landing gear assembly is disclosed including two wheels, motors, brakes, and a controller. The wheels are separated by a steering axis and independently rotatable about a rotation axis in a rotation direction. The motors and brakes are each arranged to selectively engage a respective wheel. The motors and brakes supplement and resist rotation of the respective wheel in the rotation direction, respectively. On the basis of an indication to the controller of rotation of the two wheels in the rotation direction, the controller is arranged to: cause one motor to engage its respective wheel and supplement rotation, and cause the brake associated with the other wheel to engage the other wheel and resist rotation. Engagement of the motor and brake causes the wheels to pivot about the steering axis during a turning event.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft nose landing gear assembly, comprising:
two wheels being a first wheel and a second wheel, the two wheels being separated by a steering axis and each being independently rotatable about a rotation axis in a rotation direction;
a first electromotive device associated with the first wheel, the first electromotive device being configured to selectively engage and supplement rotation of the first wheel in the rotation direction, and to selectively engage and resist rotation of the first wheel in the rotation direction;
a second electromotive device associated with the second wheel, the second electromotive device being configured to selectively engage and supplement rotation of the second wheel in the rotation direction, and to selectively engage and resist rotation of the second wheel in the rotation direction;
a controller arranged to, during a turning event, based on an indication to the controller of rotation of the two wheels in the rotation direction, cause the first electromotive device to engage the first wheel and supplement rotation, and the second electromotive device to engage the second wheel and resist rotation, such that said engagement of the electromotive devices causes the two wheels to pivot about the steering axis;
wherein the aircraft comprises one or more propulsion systems separate from the nose landing gear which are arranged to propel the aircraft along the ground when taxiing and capable of causing the aircraft to taxi along flat and level ground in a manner that would maintain a speed greater than or equal to the typical taxiing speed;
wherein each of the first and second electromotive devices is selectively and independently operable by the controller to selectively either function as a motor to supplement rotation or as a brake to resist rotation of the respective wheel of the nose landing gear.

2. The aircraft nose landing gear assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is arranged to cause at least a portion of an energy demand by one of the first and second electromotive devices when functioning as a motor to be provided by energy recovered by the other of the first and second electromotive devices when functioning as a brake.

3. The aircraft nose landing gear assembly according to claim 2 , wherein the controller is arranged to cause most of the energy demand to be provided by the energy recovered.

4. The aircraft nose landing gear assembly according to claim 2 , wherein the controller is arranged to cause the energy demand to be provided by the energy recovered during the same turning event.

5. The aircraft nose landing gear assembly according to claim 2 , comprising an energy storage to store the energy recovered as stored energy, wherein the controller is arranged to cause the energy demand during the turning event or a subsequent turning event to be provided by the stored energy.

6. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the aircraft has a maximum take-off weight of at least 10,000 kg and the two motors arranged to selectively engage and supplement rotation of a respective wheel of the nose landing gear have a combined maximum power output which is insufficient to cause the aircraft to taxi along flat and level ground in a manner that would maintain a typical taxiing speed, the typical taxiing speed being a speed in the range of 10 to 20 knots.

7. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the first and the second electromotive devices are so arranged that, during the turning event, the motor supplementing the rotation of one wheel uses energy recovered from the brake associated with the other wheel.

8. An aircraft comprising the aircraft nose landing gear assembly according to claim 1 .

9. The aircraft according to claim 8 , wherein each of the two electromotive devices is rated to change a ground speed of the aircraft by no more than 5 knots when selectively engaged.

10. The aircraft according to claim 8 , further comprising:
wherein the controller is arranged to cause a maximum energy demand by each of the two electromotive devices to supplement rotation of the wheel corresponding to the motor to be less than an amount of energy required to propel the aircraft by the main propulsion system when taxiing.

11. The aircraft according to claim 8 , wherein the aircraft has a maximum take-off weight of at least 10,000 kg and the two electromotive devices arranged to selectively engage and supplement rotation of a respective wheel of the nose landing gear have a combined maximum power output which is insufficient to cause the aircraft to taxi along flat and level ground in a manner that would maintain a typical taxiing speed, the typical taxiing speed being a speed in the range of 10 to 20 knots.

12. The aircraft nose landing gear assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the combined maximum power output of the motors of the nose landing gear assembly is less than 20% of the maximum power needed by said one or more main propulsion systems to cause the aircraft to taxi along the ground at a threshold taxiing speed of 20 knots.

13. A method of operating an aircraft nose landing gear assembly comprising a port side wheel and a starboard side wheel separated by a steering axis and each independently rotatable about a rotation axis in a rotation direction, the aircraft comprising a main propulsion system having at least one engine, the method comprising:
using the at least one engine to propel the aircraft when taxiing,
during a turning event, while a port side wheel and a starboard side wheel rotating in a same direction as a result of the aircraft being propelled by at least one engine, supplementing rotation of one of the port side and starboard side wheels by engaging a first electromotive device with said one of the port side and starboard side wheels, and resisting rotation of the other wheel of the port side and starboard side wheels by a second electromotive device engaged with said other wheel, the supplementing rotation of the one wheel and the resisting rotation of the other wheel causing said port side and starboard side wheels to pivot about a steering axis,
wherein each of the first and second electromotive devices is selectively and independently operable to selectively either function as a motor to supplement rotation or as a brake to resist rotation of the respective wheel of the nose landing gear.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein at least a portion of an energy demand by the motor that supplements the rotation of the one wheel comprises an energy recovered by the first or the second electromotive device resisting the rotation of the other wheel.

15. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the port side and starboard side wheels are rotated by an energy demand exceeding a maximum energy demand by the first or the second electromotive device.

16. The method according to claim 13 , wherein during the turning event the supplementing rotation of the one wheel and the resisting rotation of the other wheel are both performed at the same time as said one or more main propulsion systems are providing the force that causes rotation of the wheels in the same direction while taxiing.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein said one or more main propulsion systems are also provided for propelling the aircraft when in-flight.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Ltd

Inventors

• Wilson Fraser

Classifications

• B64C25/48

  differentially operated for steering purposes · CPC title

• B64C25/50

  Steerable undercarriages; Shimmy-damping · CPC title

• B64C25/405 Primary

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

• B60T2270/60

  Regenerative braking · CPC title

• B60T2260/02

  Active Steering, Steer-by-Wire · CPC title