Aircraft rotor fitted with a connector device for connecting electrical power between a hub and blades of the rotor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9673554-B2
Application number	US-201313944255-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 17, 2013
Priority date	Jul 18, 2012
Publication date	Jun 6, 2017
Grant date	Jun 6, 2017

Abstract

The invention provides a rotary-wing aircraft rotor fitted with a connector device for connecting electrical power between a hub ( 1 ) and blades ( 2 ) of said rotor. For each of the blades ( 2 ), a wired connection ( 4 ) provides an electrical connection between the hub ( 1 ) and the blade ( 2 ). A guide path ( 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 ) holds the wired connection ( 4 ) in shape and guides it under tension to move over itself, accompanying the pivoting movement of the blade root ( 3 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rotary-wing aircraft rotor fitted with a connector device for connecting electrical power between a hub and blades of the rotor, each of the blades being provided with a blade root via which the blade is mounted individually on the hub so as to pivot in its general plane about a pivot axis, the connector device comprising, for each of the blades:
at least one wired connection that acts, via connectors fitted to opposite ends of the wired connection, to connect together a hub connector that is carried by the hub and a blade connector that is carried by the blade;
attachment means for attaching the wired connection, between the opposite ends, to the hub and to the blade root respectively, accompanying pivoting movement of the blade root; and
a guide path for guiding the wired connection of the blade, the guide path having opposite ends;
wherein, the guide path includes tensioning means for putting the wired connection resiliently under tension, the wired connection being guided to move over itself under tension by the guide path, while accompanying the pivoting movement of the blade root, wherein the guide path includes at least two deflector members, each deflector member causing the wired connection to back onto itself and shaping the wired connection into at least one loop, with each of the two deflector members being put resiliently under tension by the tensioning means towards one opposite end of the guide path.

2. An aircraft rotor according to claim 1 , wherein the wired connection is held, by the path, in a generally arcuate shape that is centered on the pivot axis, the wired connection being guided to move over itself about the pivot axis.

3. An aircraft rotor according to claim 2 , wherein the path includes two facing curved walls that are centered on the pivot axis, the walls forming between them a space for holding the wired connection in an arcuate shape.

4. An aircraft rotor according to claim 1 , wherein the path includes at least one guide member for guiding and shaping the wired connection so that it is movable over itself, the guide member comprising at least any of the following guide members:
the at least two deflector members for causing the wired connection to back onto itself into the at least one loop, the loop being movable over itself while accompanying the pivoting movement of the blade;
one or more bearing fingers distributed along the wired connection, the bearing finger(s) holding the wired connection in shape;
at least one guide ramp for guiding the wired connection in shape.

5. An aircraft rotor according to claim 3 , wherein the path includes at least one guide member for guiding and shaping the wired connection so that it is movable over itself, the guide member comprising at least any of the following guide members:
the at least two deflector members for causing the wired connection to double back onto itself into the at least one loop, the loop being movable over itself while accompanying the pivoting movement of the blade;
one or more bearing fingers distributed along the wired connection, the bearing finger(s) holding the wired connection in shape;
at least one guide ramp for guiding the wired connection in shape;
and wherein the tensioning means for putting the wired connection under tension may equally well be interposed between:
the wired connection and the at least one guide member; and/or
the wired connection and the hub, via the at least one guide member.

6. A rotary-wing aircraft rotor fitted with a connector device for connecting electrical power between a hub and blades of the rotor, each of the blades being provided with a blade root via which the blade is mounted individually on the hub so as to pivot in its general plane about a pivot axis, the connector device comprising, for each of the blades:
at least one wired connection that acts, via connectors fitted to opposite end of the wired connection, to connect together a hub connector that is carried by the hub and a blade connector that is carried by the blade;
attachment means for attaching the wired connection, between the opposite ends, to the hub and to the blade root respectively, accompanying pivoting movement of the blade root; and
a guide path for guiding the wired connection of each of the blades;
wherein, for each of the blades, the guide path includes tensioning means for putting the wired connection resiliently under tension, the wired connection being guided to move over itself under tension by the path, while accompanying the pivoting movement of the blade root,
wherein at least one deflector member is guided to move along a shaped track while accompanying the movement of the wired connection over itself,
wherein the path includes at least one guide member for guiding and shaping the wired connection so that it is movable over itself, the guide member comprising at least any of the following guide members:
at least one deflector member for causing the wired connection to double back onto itself into at least one loop, the loop being movable over itself while accompanying the pivoting movement of the blade;
one or more bearing fingers distributed along the wired connection, the bearing finger(s) holding the wired connection in shape;
at least one guide ramp for guiding the wired connection in shape;
and wherein the tensioning means for putting the wired connection under tension comprise movably mounting the deflector member on the hub, and interposing elastically-deformable means between the deflector member and the shaped track formed on the hub.

7. An aircraft rotor according to claim 1 , wherein the wired connection is housed, at least in part, inside a protective housing.

8. An aircraft rotor according to claim 4 , wherein the wired connection is housed, at least in part, inside a protective housing, and wherein an assembly comprising the at least one guide member and the wired connection is housed in a housing, the housing forming a mounting module for mounting at least the wired connection or the at least one guide member on the hub or on the blade root.

9. An aircraft rotor according to claim 8 , wherein the housing is at least arcuate in shape if not ring shaped, and is mounted on the blade root, with which blade root the housing moves together in pivoting.

10. An aircraft rotor according to claim 9 , wherein the housing is carried by a ring that is mounted on the blade root and that is centered on the pivot axis.

11. An aircraft rotor according to claim 10 , wherein, the ring has an end face, and at the end face of the ring oriented towards the blade, the ring is closed by covers that are mounted on the blade root and that are arranged laterally, on a side of the blade.

12. An aircraft rotor according to claim 10 , wherein the hub is fitted with a peripheral shield that is centered on the axis of rotation of the hub, the shield forming a protective member for protecting the housing, and including respective through holes through which there pass respective rings that are mounted on the various blade roots.

13. An aircraft rotor according to claim 4 , wherein the wired connection is housed, at least in part, inside a protective housing and wherein the attachment means are formed by the housing and by the at least one guide member mounted on respective members of the hub and the blade root.

14. An aircraft rotor according to claim 1 , wherein the connectors are of the type having coaxial plugs for interfitting and for electrical connection.

15. An aircraft rotor according to claim 1 , wherein the wired connection is arranged as a flat cable that incorporate

Assignees

• Airbus Helicopters

Inventors

• Gaffiero Jacques
• Amari Andre
• Rinaldi Benedicte
• Broucke David

Classifications

• Y02T50/66

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• B64C11/06

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• B64D2027/005

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