Helicopter hub mounted vibration control and circular force generation systems for canceling vibrations
First Claim
1. A rotary wing aircraft, said rotary wing aircraft having a nonrotating aerostructure body and a rotating rotary wing hub driven to rotate about a rotating hub center Z axis of rotation by an engine through a gear box transmission,said rotary wing aircraft including a vehicle vibration control system,a rotating hub mounted vibration control system, said rotating hub mounted vibration control system mounted to said rotating rotary wing hub with said rotating hub mounted vibration control system rotating with said rotating rotary wing hub, said rotating hub mounted vibration control system including a plurality of imbalance mass concentration rotors driven to rotate about said rotating hub center Z axis of rotation,a rotary wing aircraft member sensor for outputting rotary wing aircraft member data correlating to said relative rotation of said rotating rotary wing hub member rotating relative to said nonrotating body,at least a first nonrotating body vibration sensor, said at least first nonrotating body vibration sensor outputting at least first nonrotating body vibration sensor data correlating to vibrations,at least a first nonrotating body circular force generator having a first circular force generator rotating masses axis, said at least first nonrotating body circular force generator fixedly coupled with said nonrotating body proximate said gear box transmission with said first circular force generator rotating masses axis perpendicular to said rotating hub center Z axis of rotation,at least a second nonrotating body circular force generator having a second circular force generator rotating masses axis, said at least second nonrotating body circular force generator fixedly coupled with said nonrotating body proximate said gear box transmission with said second circular force generator rotating masses axis perpendicular to said rotating hub center Z axis of rotation,a distributed force generation data communications network link, said distributed force generation data communications system network link linking together at least said first nonrotating body circular force generator, said second nonrotating body circular force generator, and said rotating hub mounted vibration control system wherein said rotating hub mounted vibration control system and said nonrotating body circular force generators communicate force generation vibration control data through said distributed force generation data communications network,said first nonrotating body circular force generator controlled to produce a first nonrotating body circular force generator rotating force centered about said first nonrotating body circular force generator rotating masses axis with a controllable rotating force magnitude and a controllable rotating force phase, said controllable rotating force magnitude controlled from a minimal force magnitude up to a maximum force magnitude, and with said controllable rotating force phase controlled in reference to said rotary wing aircraft member sensor data correlating to said relative rotation of said rotating rotary wing hub rotating relative to said nonrotating body wherein said vibration sensed by said at least first nonrotating body vibration sensor is reduced.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A rotary wing aircraft including a vehicle vibration control system. The vehicle vibration control system includes a rotating hub mounted vibration control system, the rotating hub mounted vibration control system mounted to the rotating rotary wing hub with the rotating hub mounted vibration control system rotating with the rotating rotary wing hub driven to rotate about a rotating hub center Z axis by a gear box transmission. The vehicle vibration control system includes a rotary wing aircraft member sensor for outputting rotary wing aircraft member data correlating to the relative rotation of the rotating rotary wing hub member rotating about the rotating hub center Z axis relative to the nonrotating body, a first nonrotating body vibration sensor outputting first nonrotating body vibration sensor data correlating to vibrations.
-
Citations
14 Claims
-
1. A rotary wing aircraft, said rotary wing aircraft having a nonrotating aerostructure body and a rotating rotary wing hub driven to rotate about a rotating hub center Z axis of rotation by an engine through a gear box transmission,
said rotary wing aircraft including a vehicle vibration control system, a rotating hub mounted vibration control system, said rotating hub mounted vibration control system mounted to said rotating rotary wing hub with said rotating hub mounted vibration control system rotating with said rotating rotary wing hub, said rotating hub mounted vibration control system including a plurality of imbalance mass concentration rotors driven to rotate about said rotating hub center Z axis of rotation, a rotary wing aircraft member sensor for outputting rotary wing aircraft member data correlating to said relative rotation of said rotating rotary wing hub member rotating relative to said nonrotating body, at least a first nonrotating body vibration sensor, said at least first nonrotating body vibration sensor outputting at least first nonrotating body vibration sensor data correlating to vibrations, at least a first nonrotating body circular force generator having a first circular force generator rotating masses axis, said at least first nonrotating body circular force generator fixedly coupled with said nonrotating body proximate said gear box transmission with said first circular force generator rotating masses axis perpendicular to said rotating hub center Z axis of rotation, at least a second nonrotating body circular force generator having a second circular force generator rotating masses axis, said at least second nonrotating body circular force generator fixedly coupled with said nonrotating body proximate said gear box transmission with said second circular force generator rotating masses axis perpendicular to said rotating hub center Z axis of rotation, a distributed force generation data communications network link, said distributed force generation data communications system network link linking together at least said first nonrotating body circular force generator, said second nonrotating body circular force generator, and said rotating hub mounted vibration control system wherein said rotating hub mounted vibration control system and said nonrotating body circular force generators communicate force generation vibration control data through said distributed force generation data communications network, said first nonrotating body circular force generator controlled to produce a first nonrotating body circular force generator rotating force centered about said first nonrotating body circular force generator rotating masses axis with a controllable rotating force magnitude and a controllable rotating force phase, said controllable rotating force magnitude controlled from a minimal force magnitude up to a maximum force magnitude, and with said controllable rotating force phase controlled in reference to said rotary wing aircraft member sensor data correlating to said relative rotation of said rotating rotary wing hub rotating relative to said nonrotating body wherein said vibration sensed by said at least first nonrotating body vibration sensor is reduced.
-
11. An aircraft vibration control system, for a aircraft vehicle having a nonrotating aerostructure body and a rotating rotary wing hub driven to rotate about a rotating hub center Z axis of rotation by an engine through a gear box transmission,
including, a rotating hub mounted vibration control system, said rotating hub mounted vibration control system mounted to said rotating rotary wing hub with said rotating hub mounted vibration control system rotating about said rotating hub center Z axis of rotation with said rotating rotary wing hub, a rotary wing aircraft member sensor for outputting rotary wing aircraft member data correlating to said relative rotation of said rotating rotary wing hub member rotating relative to said nonrotating body, at least a first nonrotating body vibration sensor, said at least first nonrotating body vibration sensor outputting at least first nonrotating body vibration sensor data correlating to vibrations, at least a first nonrotating body force generator and a second nonrotating body force generator, said at least first nonrotating body force generator fixedly coupled with said nonrotating body adjacent said gear box transmission, said first nonrotating body circular force generator having a first circular force generator rotating masses axis, said at least first nonrotating body circular force generator fixedly coupled with said nonrotating body adjacent said gear box transmission with said first circular force generator rotating masses axis perpendicular to said rotating hub center Z axis of rotation, said second nonrotating body circular force generator having a second circular force generator rotating masses axis, said at least second nonrotating body circular force generator fixedly coupled with said nonrotating body adjacent said gear box transmission with said second circular force generator rotating masses axis perpendicular to said rotating hub center Z axis of rotation, said first circular force generator rotating masses axis nonparallel to said second circular force generator rotating masses axis, a distributed force generation data communications network link, said distributed force generation data communications network link linking together at least said first and second nonrotating body force generators and said rotating hub mounted vibration control system wherein said rotating hub mounted vibration control system and said first nonrotating body force generator communicate through said distributed force generation data communications network, said first nonrotating body circular force generator controlled to produce a first nonrotating body circular force generator rotating force centered about said first nonrotating body circular force generator rotating masses axis with a controllable rotating force magnitude and a controllable rotating force phase, said controllable rotating force magnitude controlled from a minimal force magnitude up to a maximum force magnitude, and with said controllable rotating force phase controlled in reference to said rotary wing aircraft member sensor data correlating to said relative rotation of said rotating rotary wing hub rotating relative to said nonrotating body, and said second nonrotating body circular force generator controlled to produce a second nonrotating body circular force generator rotating force centered about said second nonrotating body circular force generator rotating masses axis with a controllable rotating force magnitude and a controllable rotating force phase, said controllable rotating force magnitude controlled from a minimal force magnitude up to a maximum force magnitude, and with said controllable rotating force phase controlled in reference to said rotary wing aircraft member sensor data correlating to said relative rotation of said rotating rotary wing hub rotating relative to said nonrotating body, and said rotating hub mounted vibration control system includes at least a first hub mounted vibration control system rotor with a first imbalance mass concentration, said first hub mounted vibration control system rotor driven to rotate at a first rotation speed greater than an operational rotation frequency of said rotating rotary wing hub, and at least a second hub mounted vibration control system rotor with a second imbalance mass concentration, said second hub mounted vibration control system rotor driven to rotate at said first rotation speed greater than said operational rotation frequency of said rotating rotary wing hub, wherein said vibration sensed by said at least first nonrotating body vibration sensor is reduced.
-
13. A method of controlling aircraft vibrations in a rotary wing
aircraft having a nonrotating aerostructure body and a rotating rotary wing hub driven to rotate about a rotating hub center Z axis of rotation by an engine through a gear box transmission, said method including, providing a rotating hub mounted vibration control system, said rotating hub mounted vibration control system mounted to said rotating rotary wing hub with said rotating hub mounted vibration control system rotating about said rotating hub center Z axis of rotation with said rotating rotary wing hub, said rotating hub mounted vibration control system including a first hub mounted vibration control system rotor with a first imbalance mass concentration, and a second hub mounted vibration control system rotor with a second imbalance mass concentration, said second hub mounted vibration control system rotor, providing a first nonrotating body force generator, said first nonrotating body force generator fixedly coupled with said nonrotating body adjacent said gear box transmission, said first nonrotating body circular force generator having a first circular force generator rotating masses axis, with said first circular force generator rotating masses axis perpendicular to said rotating hub center Z axis of rotation, providing a second nonrotating body circular force generator having a second circular force generator rotating masses axis, said second nonrotating body circular force generator fixedly coupled with said nonrotating body adjacent said gear box transmission with said second circular force generator rotating masses axis perpendicular to said rotating hub center Z axis of rotation, with said first circular force generator rotating masses axis nonparallel to said second circular force generator rotating masses axis, controlling said first nonrotating vehicle body circular force generator to produce a rotating force with a controllable rotating force magnitude and a controllable rotating force phase, controlling said second nonrotating vehicle body circular force generator to produce a rotating force with a controllable rotating force magnitude and a controllable rotating force phase, and driving said first hub mounted vibration control system rotor and said second hub mounted vibration control system rotor to control said vibrations.
Specification