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US 10,519,865 B2Granted
Air turbine starter with decoupler
AssigneeGE Aviation Systems LLC
InventorsEliel Fresco Rodriguez, David Allan Dranschak
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and decoupler for disengaging an output shaft from an engine in a back drive event with a backdrive decoupler. The backdrive decoupler includes a threaded shaft and a retention mechanism selectively coupling the output shaft to the threaded shaft. In a backdrive event, the decoupler decouples the output shaft from a drive shaft.
Claims20
An air turbine starter for starting an engine, comprising:
- a housing defining an inlet, an outlet, and a flow path extending between the inlet and the outlet for communicating a flow of gas therethrough;
- a turbine member journaled within the housing and disposed within the flow path for rotatably extracting mechanical power from the flow of gas;
- a gear train drivingly coupled with the turbine member;
- a clutch having a drive shaft that is operably coupled with the gear train;
- an output shaft with a threaded portion configured to be operably coupled to and rotate with the engine;
- and
- a backdrive decoupler, comprising:
- a threaded shaft operably coupled to the output shaft and where the threaded shaft is selectively receivable and axially moveable with respect to the threaded portion of the output shaft;
- and
- a retention mechanism having a primary axis extending axially through a portion of the output shaft and a portion of the threaded shaft and selectively operably coupling the output shaft to a first end of the threaded shaft;
- and
- wherein when driving torque is transmitted from the drive shaft of the clutch to the output shaft, the retention mechanism is not loaded, when overrunning torque is transmitted below a certain level the output shaft, the retention mechanism, and the threaded shaft are loaded, and when the overrunning torque reaches a certain level the retention mechanism uncouples the drive shaft and the first end of the threaded shaft to define a decoupled and separated position where the output shaft is disengaged from the engine.
9 more elements
A decoupler assembly for decoupling an output shaft during backdrive, the output shaft having a threaded portion, comprising:
- a threaded shaft having a first end with a stop and a second end configured to be operably coupled to a drive shaft of an engine and where the threaded shaft is selectively receivable and axially moveable with respect to the threaded portion of the output shaft;
- and
- a retention mechanism having a primary axis extending axially through a portion of the output shaft and a portion of the threaded shaft and selectively operably coupling the output shaft to the first end of the threaded shaft;
- wherein when driving torque is transmitted to the output shaft, the retention mechanism is not loaded, when overrunning torque is transmitted below a certain level the output shaft, retention mechanism, and threaded shaft are loaded, and when the overrunning torque reaches a certain level the retention mechanism uncouples the output shaft and the first end of the threaded shaft and the output shaft moves in a direction away from the first end of the threaded shaft.
1 more element
A method for operating a starter motor, comprising:
- extracting mechanical power from a flow of gas utilizing a turbine and driving a gear train and clutch having a threaded output shaft therewith;
- transmitting a driving torque from a drive shaft through a threaded shaft, which is retained within the threaded output shaft by a retention mechanism having a primary axis extending axially through a portion of the threaded output shaft and a portion of the threaded shaft, to the threaded output shaft, which is operably coupled to an engine;
- and
- during back driving, ceasing retention by the retention mechanism when overrunning torque reaches a certain level such that the threaded output shaft decouples from the engine.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.