Flexure mount assembly for a dynamically tuned gyroscope and method of manufacturing same
First Claim
1. A two degree of freedom flexure mount that couples a drive shaft to an outer inertial element connected to an outer ring that is rotating about a spin axis through an inner ring that is surrounded by and substantially coaxial with said outer ring, comprising a plurality of equiangularly spaced flexure arms each extending between and secured to said inner ring and said outer ring, said flexure arms each having a horizontal web portion aligned substantially transverse to said spin axis and a vertical flexure member oriented substantially perpendicular to said horizontal web portion and having upper and lower portions disposed on opposite sides of said web portion, said web portion and flexure member being formed from a resilient structural sheet material having a substantially uniform thickness, and said web and vertical portions of each of said flexure arms being substantially continuous from said inner ring to said outer ring to provide uniform and reliably known axial, radial and torsional spring rates for each of said flexure arms said horizontal webs each extending from a central portion which together with said webs forms a substantially planar spider member that is symmetrical about the spin axis.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A flexure mount particularly adapted for use in a dynamically tuned gyroscope provides a universal coupling between a rotor element and a drive shaft. The mount features a substantially planar "spider" member oriented transversely to the spin axis of the rotor. The spider has four webs that each extend radially from an inner gimbal ring to a segmented outer ring having four independent sectors each associated with and centered on one of the webs. Two mutually perpendicular "vertical" or cross flexure members each have key portions that extend through radial slots in the webs of the spider. The inner gimbal ring and the spider have central apertures coaxial with the spin axis. An alignment member is seated in the aligned apertures. The vertical flexure members are seated in a set of mutually perpendicular and axially extending slots formed in the alignment member. The spider and the cross members are preferably etched or stamped from precision rolled sheet material. In the preferred form, the inner gimbal ring and the outer mounting ring are formed by substantially identical upper and lower halves which sandwich the spider. The halves each have a set of radially aligned slots formed in their opposed faces to receive the vertical cross members. The components of the flexure mount are self-jigging and self-aligning. Once assembled, all of the components are secured simultaneously with only one brazing operation, preferably one using preformed brazing foil.
59 Citations
21 Claims
- 1. A two degree of freedom flexure mount that couples a drive shaft to an outer inertial element connected to an outer ring that is rotating about a spin axis through an inner ring that is surrounded by and substantially coaxial with said outer ring, comprising a plurality of equiangularly spaced flexure arms each extending between and secured to said inner ring and said outer ring, said flexure arms each having a horizontal web portion aligned substantially transverse to said spin axis and a vertical flexure member oriented substantially perpendicular to said horizontal web portion and having upper and lower portions disposed on opposite sides of said web portion, said web portion and flexure member being formed from a resilient structural sheet material having a substantially uniform thickness, and said web and vertical portions of each of said flexure arms being substantially continuous from said inner ring to said outer ring to provide uniform and reliably known axial, radial and torsional spring rates for each of said flexure arms said horizontal webs each extending from a central portion which together with said webs forms a substantially planar spider member that is symmetrical about the spin axis.
-
16. A method of manufacturing a flexure assembly comprising,
forming from a structural sheet material of substantially uniform thickness a spider member including a central hub portion and a plurality of equiangulary spaced webs each extending radially from said central hub portion with a central radial slot extending substantially the length of said web, forming from a structural sheet material of substantially uniform thickness a plurality of cross flexure members each having generally rectangular configuration with a pair of generally rectangular key portions extending from one of its longitudinal edges, providing upper and lower halves of an inner ring, providing upper and lower halves of an outer ring, interlocking said cross flexure members with said spider member by inserting said key portions in said radial slots, positioning said inner ring halves on opposite sides of said central spider portion, positioning said outer ring halves in opposite sides of said outer ends of said spider webs, and simultaneously brazing said inner ring halves to said spider, said outer ring halves to said spider and said cross flexure members to said inner and outer ring halves.
Specification