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US 11,299,256 B2Granted
Flap lever
AssigneeTextron Innovations Inc.
InventorsMark Sheridan Hunter, Ronald J. Parker
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An aircraft flap lever is disclosed. The lever is included in a housing, and is supported on an axle. The lever also has a protruding pin that is biased upwards towards four optional radially-spaced notches. Each notch results in a different lever setting, and thus different flap position. The system includes a rocker mechanism that is pivotally mounted on the axle, and prevents skipping over notches when the lever is activated.
Claims20
A system for changing positions of a control surface on an aircraft, the system comprising:
- a lever included in a housing, the lever being mounted on an axle and having an activation top portion which extends out of the housing and actuates the lever, and a body;
- a biasing device configured to offer resistance to a compressive force applied axially when the lever is pushed down, the biasing device being located between a rigid portion of the lever and the axle;
- a locking pin protruding substantially transversely from the rigid portion of the lever such that the locking pin moves with the lever;
- a plurality of angularly spaced apart notches defined into the housing above the pin, each notch in the plurality representing a different position for a control surface of an aircraft when the pin is received in each of the notches in the plurality;
- a rocker mechanism pivotally mounted on the axle, the rocker mechanism being biased into an upright equilibrium state, the rocker mechanism including a plurality of upwardly extending teeth;
- at least one pin-receiving area defined between each of the plurality of teeth, the pin-receiving area being adapted to receive the pin from a first notch in the plurality when the lever is pushed down, and rotate such that the pin is then received within a second notch;
- and
- the rocker mechanism being limited to a range of angular rotation by a rotation-limiting arrangement.
5 more elements
An aircraft flap lever comprising:
- a housing including a lever;
- the lever on an axle supported in the housing;
- a pin on the lever, the lever and thus pin being biased upwards towards any of a plurality of radially-spaced notches defined in the housing, each notch resulting in a different lever setting, the upward bias locking the pin in place;
- a rocker mechanism pivotally mounted on the axle, the rocker mechanism being biased into an upright equilibrium state, the rocker mechanism including a plurality of upwardly extending teeth, the rotation of the rocker mechanism being limited such that when the pin is moved to a different notch in the plurality it will not skip to a next notch in the plurality.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.