# US 10,864,984 B2 · Landing gear drive system flexible interface

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- Number: US 10,864,984 B2
- Document ID: US10864984B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/852,725
- Filed: 2017-12-22
- Published: 2018-05-03
- Granted: 2020-12-15
- Earliest claimed: 2013-09-05
- Assignees: Airbus Operations GmbH
- Applicants: Airbus Operations Limited
- Inventors: Arnaud Didey
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10864984B2

## CPC

- B64C 25/405: {Powered wheels, e.g. for taxing}
- F16D 3/56: comprising elastic metal lamellae, elastic rods, or the like, e.g. arranged radially or parallel to the axis, the members being shear-loaded collectively by the total load
- F16H 1/006: {the driving and driven axes being designed to assume variable positions relative to one another during operation}
- F16H 1/06: with parallel axes
- F16H 1/26: Special means compensating for misalignment of axes
- F16D 3/185: {radial teeth connecting concentric inner and outer coupling parts}
- Y02T 50/80: Energy efficient operational measures, e.g. ground operations or mission management
- B64C: AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS
- F16D: COUPLINGS FOR TRANSMITTING ROTATION; CLUTCHES; BRAKES
- F16H: GEARING
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

A drive system for an aircraft landing gear, the drive system including a pinion gear, a drive shaft arranged to rotate the pinion gear about a drive axis, a driven gear arranged to mesh with the pinion gear to be rotatable by the pinion gear, the driven gear being connectable to a wheel of the landing gear to be capable of rotating the wheel about a wheel axis; and a flexible interface. The flexible interface includes a plurality of driven gear coupling members, each driven gear coupling member having a first connection portion attached to the driven gear, a second connection portion adapted to be attached to the wheel at an offset distance from the wheel axis, and a joint between the first connection portion and the second connection portion, the joint permitting relative movement between the first connection portion and the second connection portion.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A drive system for an aircraft landing gear, the drive system comprising:
a pinion gear having a hub;
a drive shaft connected to a motor and arranged to rotate the pinion gear about a drive axis;
a driven gear arranged to mesh with the pinion gear to be rotatable by the pinion gear, the driven gear being connectable to a wheel of the landing gear to be capable of rotating the wheel about a wheel axis;
a flexible interface comprising a pinion gear coupling member arranged to connect the pinion gear to the drive shaft to permit tilting of the pinion gear relative to the drive axis,
wherein the pinion gear coupling member comprises a crowned spline joint between the drive shaft and the pinion gear; and,
wherein the hub of the pinion gear is bounded between a flange permanently fixed with the drive shaft at an end of the crowned spline joint proximal to the motor and a flange removably fixed to the drive shaft at an opposite end of the crowned spline joint distal to the motor.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A drive system according to claim 1, wherein the joint permits relative movement within at least two degrees of freedom.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A drive system according to claim 1, wherein the pinion gear coupling member comprises a constant velocity joint (CV joint) between the drive shaft and the pinion gear.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A drive system according to claim 1, wherein the pinion gear coupling member is arranged to permit translation of the pinion gear along the drive axis.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

A drive system according to claim 1, wherein one of the pinion gear and the driven gear comprises a sprocket and the other of the pinion gear and the driven gear comprises a series of rollers arranged to form a ring, each roller being rotatable about a roller axis at a fixed distance from an axis of rotation of the pinion gear or driven gear, respectively.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

A drive system according to claim 5, wherein each of the series of rollers is rotatable about a pin, the pins each being fixed at at least one end to an annular support member.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

A drive system according to claim 1, wherein the crowned spline joint comprises a plurality of curved male splines positioned in a middle portion of the drive shaft.