COMPENSATION ACTUATOR FOR A ROTORCRAFT FLIGHT CONTROL

• US 20090065648A1
• Filed: 09/08/2008
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Helicopters
• Original Assignee: Eurocopter
• Inventors: VINCENT, PHILIPPE, GEMMATI, BERNARD, PELLEGRINO, SEBASTIEN
• Granted Patent: US 7,969,110 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 244/178
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 13/0421 control sticks for primary flight controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 13/506 overriding of personal controls; with automatic return to inoperative position
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/68 using electrical energy, e.g. having electrical power amplification
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 1/08 Controlling members for hand actuation by rotary movement, e.g. hand wheels
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 5/03 Means for enhancing the operator's awareness of arrival of the controlling member at a command or datum position; Providing feel, e.g. means for creating a counterforce arrangements for indicating the position of the controlling member G05G1/015

Abstract

The invention relates to an actuator (10) comprising: an (auto)synchronous rotary electric motor (11); a reversible speed-reducing gearbox (13) coupled to the motor to be driven in rotation thereby; an outlet shaft (16) coupled to the speed-reducing gearbox to be driven in rotation thereby; a first angular position sensor responsive to the angular position of the outlet shaft; and a control circuit connected to the angular position sensor and to the motor, said the circuit delivering a motor power supply signal that varies as a function of a position setpoint signal applied to the control circuit and as a function of signals delivered by the angular position sensor. The gearbox comprises a plurality of speed-reducing modules or stages (131 to 134), each comprising a pair of gears mounted to rotate about two parallel axes of rotation (17, 160).

Claims

1. An actuator (10) comprising:

an (auto)synchronous rotary electric motor (11);

a reversible speed-reducing gearbox (13) coupled to the motor to be driven in rotation thereby;

an outlet shaft (16) coupled to the speed-reducing gearbox to be driven in rotation thereby;

a first angular position sensor responsive to the angular position of the outlet shaft; and

a control circuit connected to the angular position sensor and to the motor, said circuit delivering a motor power supply signal that varies as a function of a position setpoint signal applied to the control circuit and as a function of signals delivered by the angular position sensor;

wherein the gearbox comprises a plurality of speed-reducing modules or stages (131 to 134) each comprising a pair of gears, the gears being mounted to rotate on two parallel axes of rotation (17, 160), and wherein said motor (11) comprising a rotor cage (111), said actuator (10) is provided with a brake lining (20) and with an electromagnetic field winding (19) which is able to engage or disengage said brake lining against said rotary cage (111).

2. An actuator according to claim 1, in which the gearbox comprises three or four speed-reducing modules or stages, at least two speed-reducing modules or stages presenting an identical reduction ratio.

3. An actuator according to claim 1, in which the gears are mounted to rotate about only two axes of rotation, which axes are mutually parallel, and one of which coincides with the axis (160) of the outlet shaft (16).

4. An actuator according to claim 1, including a member (14) responsive to the opposing torque transmitted by the outlet shaft, said member being interposed between—

and coupled to rotate with—

the outlet shaft and the gearbox, said member comprising a structure that is deformable in twisting, two sensors that are responsive to angular position and that are disposed at opposite ends of the structure that is deformable in twisting, and a circuit connected to the two angular position sensors and arranged to determine an opposing torque value as a function of the signals delivered by the two sensors and as a function of the twisting stiffness of the deformable structure.

5. An actuator according to claim 4, in which the structure that is deformable in twisting comprises a helical spring, two parallel plates (23, 24) connected to the ends of the spring, a first finger (26) connecting the plates and the spring to the gearbox, and a second finger connecting the plates and the spring to the outlet shaft of the actuator.

6. An actuator according to claim 4, in which the two angular position sensors are magnetic sensors and include said first angular position sensor that is responsive to the angular position of the outlet shaft.

7. An actuator according to claim 1, in which the or each angular position sensor includes all or part of a magnetized rotary ring (33) and a stationary sensor (32) responsive to variations in the magnetization of the magnetized ring.

8. An actuator according to claim 7, in which each magnetized ring has two circular or circularly arcuate tracks (30, 31) that are concentric, each having several tens of north poles alternating with south poles, the two tracks being angularly offset, and the sensor (32) responsive to variations in magnetization is a Hall effect sensor.

9. An actuator according to claim 4, including a weakened structure (15) forming a mechanical “

fuse”

for interrupting torque transmission between the motor and the outlet shaft when the opposing torque reaches a determined value, the weakened structure being interposed between the angular position sensor of the outlet shaft and the structure that is deformable in twisting.

10. An actuator according to claim 1, including an electromagnetic brake incorporated in the motor.

11. An actuator according to claim 4, including an electromagnetic clutch interposed between the gearbox and the structure that is deformable in twisting.

12. An actuator according to claim 1, including an electromagnetic clutch interposed between two stages of the gearbox.