TILT-BALL TURRET WITH GIMBAL LOCK AVOIDANCE
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A turret assembly for attachment on the undersurface of an aircraft that reduces performance limitations due to gimbal lock and reduces the cross section profile of the assembly. The assembly includes a roll actuator including a drive shaft. A yoke having a cross member is coupled to the drive shaft and a pair of prongs. The yoke is rotated via the roll actuator and drive shaft along a roll axis oriented substantially parallel to the body of the aircraft. A turret is mounted on the prongs of the yoke. A tilt actuator is contained within the turret. The tilt actuator tilts the turret on a tilt axis relative to the yoke. The tilt axis is perpendicular to the roll axis.
12 Citations
21 Claims
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1. (canceled)
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2. An aircraft configured to fly at a positive angle of attack relative to a direction of travel, the aircraft comprising:
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a fuselage; and a turret assembly coupled to the fuselage, the turret assembly including; a roll actuator including a drive shaft; a yoke having a pair of prongs coupled to the drive shaft, the yoke being rotatable via the roll actuator and drive shaft along a roll axis oriented substantially parallel to a center axis of the aircraft; a turret mounted on the prongs of the yoke for rotation along a tilt axis perpendicular to the roll axis; a tilt actuator operable to tilt the turret about the tilt axis; and a first sensor housed in the turret for tilting therewith about the tilt axis and rolling therewith about the roll axis, wherein the orientation of the roll axis substantially parallel to the center axis of the aircraft achieves a first sensor field of view that is directed above the direction of travel of the aircraft at gimbal lock. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An aircraft configured to fly at a positive angle of attack relative to a direction of travel, the aircraft comprising:
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a fuselage; and a turret assembly coupled to the fuselage, the turret assembly including; a turret; a first sensor housed in the turret; a roll actuator for imparting to the first sensor roll motion about a roll axis that is substantially parallel to a center axis of the aircraft; and a tilt actuator for imparting to the first sensor a tilt motion transverse to the roll axis, wherein the orientation of the roll axis substantially parallel to the center axis of the aircraft achieves a first sensor field of view that is directed above the direction of travel of the aircraft at gimbal lock. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification