Support assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9346534-B2
Application number	US-201314101791-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2013
Priority date	Dec 11, 2012
Publication date	May 24, 2016
Grant date	May 24, 2016

Abstract

An assembly to support a wing leading or trailing edge device during deployment and retraction of the device includes a fixed support member attachable to the support structure of an aircraft wing, an intermediate link arm having one end pivotally mounted for rotation relative to the support member about a first axis and, a primary link arm having a first end pivotally mounted to the opposite end of the intermediate link arm for rotation relative to the intermediate link arm about a second axis. A second end of the primary link arm is for attachment to the device via a bearing element so that the device can move relative to the primary link arm in any direction when the intermediate and primary link arms rotate about the first and second axes, respectively, during deployment or retraction of the device from the aircraft wing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An assembly to support a wing leading or trailing edge device during deployment and retraction of said wing leading or trailing edge device from a wing of an aircraft, the assembly comprising a fixed support member attachable to the support structure of an aircraft wing, an intermediate link arm having one end pivotally mounted to the support member for rotation relative to the support member about a first axis and, a primary link arm having a first end attached to the opposite end of the intermediate link arm such that the primary link arm and intermediate link arm are movable relative to each other, a second end of the primary link arm being configured for attachment to a wing leading or trailing edge device, wherein said first end of the primary link arm is attached to said opposite end of the intermediate link arm via a part-spherical bearing element so that the part-spherical bearing element allows the primary link arm, together with a wing leading or trailing edge attached to the second end of the primary link arm to move relative to the intermediate link arm in any direction during deployment or retraction of said wing leading or trailing edge device from an aircraft wing about said part-spherical bearing element.

2. An assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the second end of the primary link arm is configured for attachment to a wing leading or trailing edge device so that the wing leading or trailing edge device can pivot relative to the primary link arm about a second axis during deployment or retraction of said wing leading or trailing edge device from an aircraft wing.

3. An assembly according to claim 2 , wherein the first and second axes are not parallel to each other.

4. An assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the first axis is substantially vertical.

5. An assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the support member comprises a bracket immovably mountable to a structural component of the aircraft wing.

6. An assembly according to claim 5 , comprising a pivot pin extending through said one end of the intermediate link arm and the support member to pivotally attach the intermediate link arm to the support member for rotation about said first axis.

7. An assembly according to claim 6 , wherein the support member comprises a pair of spaced webs and said one end of the intermediate link arm comprises a pair of spaced flanges, the flanges being received between the webs of the support member so that holes in the webs and in the flanges align, said pin being received through said holes to couple the intermediate link arm to the support member for rotation about said first axis.

8. An assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the part-spherical bearing element comprises inner and outer bearing races, the inner bearing race being received within and rotatable relative to the outer bearing race, the outer bearing race being immovably mounted in an opening in an end of the primary link arm.

9. An assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising a flap having support flanges and a shaft extending between said flanges for attachment to said second end of the primary link arm.

10. An aircraft wing having at least one wing leading or trailing edge device and at least one assembly according to claim 1 , supporting the or each wing leading or trailing edge device.

11. An assembly to support a wing leading or trailing edge device during deployment and retraction of said wing leading or trailing edge device from a wing of an aircraft, the assembly comprising a fixed support member attachable to the support structure of an aircraft wing, an intermediate link arm having one end pivotally mounted to the support member for rotation relative to the support member about a first axis and, a primary link arm having a first end attached to the opposite end of the intermediate link arm such that the primary link arm and intermediate link arm are movable relative to each other, a second end of the primary link arm being configured for attachment to a wing leading or trailing edge device, wherein the second end of the primary link arm is configured for attachment to a wing leading or trailing edge device via a part-spherical bearing element so that the part-spherical bearing element allows a wing leading or trailing edge device to move relative to the primary link arm in any direction during deployment or retraction of said wing leading or trailing edge device from an aircraft wing about said part-spherical element.

12. An assembly according to claim 11 , comprising a second pivot pin extending through said opposite end of the intermediate link arm and the primary link arm to pivotally attach the intermediate link arm to the primary link arm for rotation about said second axis.

13. An assembly according to claim 12 , wherein said opposite end of the intermediate link arm comprises a pair of spaced flanges and said first end of the primary link arm comprises a pair of spaced flanges that are spaced by a distance which is less than the distance between the spaced flanges on the intermediate link arm so that the flanges of the primary link arm fit between the flanges of the intermediate link arm, said second pivot pin extending through aligned holes in said flanges to couple the primary link arm to the intermediate link arm for rotation about said second axis.

14. An assembly according to claim 11 , wherein the part-spherical bearing element comprises inner and outer bearing races, the inner bearing race being received within and rotatable relative to the outer bearing race, the outer bearing race being immovably mounted in an opening in an end of the primary link arm.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Ltd

Inventors

• Langley Anthony
• King Simon

Classifications

• Y02T50/44

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B64C9/02 Primary

  Mounting or supporting thereof · CPC title

• B64C9/16

  at the rear of the wing · CPC title

• Y02T50/40

  Weight reduction · CPC title

• B64C9/22

  at the front of the wing · CPC title