Hydraulic actuator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9994304-B2
Application number	US-201514872406-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 1, 2015
Priority date	Oct 1, 2014
Publication date	Jun 12, 2018
Grant date	Jun 12, 2018

Abstract

A hydraulic actuator is adapted to drive a spoiler of a wing having a flap. When the hydraulic actuator drives the spoiler in an overlapping region where a driving range of the flap and a driving range of the spoiler overlap, an output suppressing structure suppress a drive output of the hydraulic actuator in the overlapping region to be less than that in a non-overlapping region other than the overlapping region.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hydraulic actuator adapted to drive a spoiler of a wing having a flap, the hydraulic actuator comprising:
a housing; and
a suppressor movable with respect to the housing and configured to, when the hydraulic actuator drives the spoiler in an overlapping region where a driving range of the flap and a driving range of the spoiler overlap, suppress a first drive output which is a drive output of the hydraulic actuator in the overlapping region to be less than a second drive output which is a drive output of the hydraulic actuator in a non-overlapping region other than the overlapping region.

2. The hydraulic actuator according to claim 1 , wherein the suppressor is configured to utilize hydraulic pressure to suppress the first drive output to be less than the second drive output.

3. The hydraulic actuator according to claim 2 , further comprising a piston rod directly or indirectly coupled to the spoiler, wherein the suppressor is configured to utilize a hydraulic pressure that drives the piston rod to suppress the first drive output to be less than the second drive output.

4. The hydraulic actuator according to claim 3 , wherein the piston rod includes a piston configured to partition a first hydraulic chamber and a second hydraulic chamber, and the suppressor includes a resistance piston that is arranged in the second hydraulic chamber and is movable with respect to the piston rod, and
a stopper that contacts the resistance piston to restrict movement of the piston rod when the piston rod moves so as to contract the first hydraulic chamber in the overlapping region.

5. The hydraulic actuator according to claim 4 , wherein the resistance piston and the stopper are adjustable in relative position there between.

6. A hydraulic actuator adapted to drive a spoiler of an aircraft wing having a flap, the spoiler being movable in a spoiler driving range, the flap being movable in a flap driving range, and the spoiler driving range including an overlapping region where the spoiler driving range and the flap driving range overlap, the spoiler taking a neutral position when the aircraft cruises, the hydraulic actuator comprising:
a piston rod configured to transmit a drive output of the hydraulic actuator to the spoiler; and
a movement limiter configured to limit a movement of the piston rod in a direction in which the spoiler approaches the flap when the spoiler is located in the overlapping region and when the spoiler takes the neutral position.

7. The hydraulic actuator according to claim 6 , further comprising a housing and a piston of the piston rod accommodated in the housing, wherein the piston partitions the housing into a first hydraulic chamber that produces a hydraulic pressure for lowering the spoiler and a second hydraulic chamber that produces a hydraulic pressure for raising the spoiler,
wherein the movement limiter includes a stopper piston that is arranged in the housing and partitions between the second hydraulic chamber and a third hydraulic chamber in the housing, and limits movement of the piston rod based on a relationship of a force that the stopper piston receives from hydraulic pressure of the third hydraulic chamber when the first hydraulic chamber and the third hydraulic chamber communicate with each other via a valve device and a force that the piston receives from hydraulic pressure of the first hydraulic chamber, and
wherein the stopper piston has an area receiving hydraulic pressure of the third hydraulic chamber that is larger than an area of the piston receiving hydraulic pressure of the first hydraulic chamber.

8. The hydraulic actuator according to claim 7 , wherein the piston is configured to contact a radially outer part of the stopper piston when the piston moves in a moving direction of the piston.

9. The hydraulic actuator according to claim 7 , further comprising a restricting portion configured to contact a radially inner part of the stopper piston other than a radially outer part of the stopper piston when the stopper piston moves in a moving direction of the stopper piston to restrict a movement of the stopper piston in a direction in which the stopper piston expands the third hydraulic chamber.

10. The hydraulic actuator according to claim 7 , further comprising a restricting portion configured to restrict a movement of the stopper piston in a direction in which the stopper piston expands the third hydraulic chamber, wherein the stopper piston includes a tabular base portion configured to contact with the restricting portion and a guide portion extending from the base portion in a moving direction of the stopper piston to guide a movement of the stopper piston in the moving direction of the stopper piston, and a distal end surface of the guide portion is located at a second hydraulic chamber side further than an end surface of the restricting portion facing toward the third hydraulic chamber when the base portion contacts the restricting portion.

11. The hydraulic actuator according to claim 10 , wherein the restricting portion includes a second hydraulic chamber side surface and a third hydraulic chamber side surface, and the distal end surface of the guide portion is located between the second hydraulic chamber side surface and the third hydraulic chamber side surface of the restricting portion when the base portion contacts the restricting portion.

12. A hydraulic actuator adapted to drive a spoiler of a wing having a flap, the spoiler being movable in a spoiler driving range, the flap being movable in a flap driving range, and the spoiler driving range including an overlapping region where the spoiler driving range and the flap driving range overlap, the hydraulic actuator comprising:
a housing having a housing bore;
a first piston member coupled to the spoiler and axially movable in the housing bore to drive the spoiler; and
a second piston member coupled to the housing and the first piston member, wherein the second piston member is configured to interact with the first piston to prevent the flap from interfering with or pressing down the flap when the spoiler droops down in the overlapping region.

13. The hydraulic actuator according to claim 12 , wherein the first piston member is configured to press the second piston member and move the second piston member together with the first piston member relative to the housing when the spoiler is in the overlapping region.

14. The hydraulic actuator according to claim 13 , wherein the second piston member is configured to generate resistance when the spoiler is in the overlapping region.

15. The hydraulic actuator according to claim 12 , wherein the first piston member includes a piston rod outwardly projecting from the housing through an insertion hole of the housing, and the second piston member includes an outer portion outwardly projecting from the housing through the insertion hole of the housing.

16. The hydraulic actuator according to claim 15 , wherein the second piston member is a cylindrical tubular member including a center through hole and opposite end portions, wherein one of the end portions is an inner portion including a first stopper positioned in the housing bore and the other one of the end portions is the outer portion including a second stopper positioned outside the housing bore, wherein the first stopper is configured to be sandwiched between an inner end surface of the housing bore and the first piston member when the hydraulic actuator fully droops down the spoiler.

17. The hydraulic actuator according to claim 12 , wherein the second piston mem

Assignees

• Nabtesco Corp

Inventors

• Ito Koji

Classifications

• F15B15/16

  of the telescopic type · CPC title

• F15B15/204

  Control means for piston speed or actuating force without external control, e.g. control valve inside the piston (F15B11/02, F15B15/22 take precedence) · CPC title

• B64C9/323

  associated with wings · CPC title

• B64C13/40 Primary

  using fluid pressure · CPC title

• F15B11/123

  by means of actuators with fluid-operated stops · CPC title