Feedback device with variable magnetic permeability
AssigneePratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
InventorDana Tomescu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for providing feedback for an aircraft-bladed rotor about a longitudinal axis and having an adjustable blade pitch angle. At least one position marker is provided at the rotor, extends along an axial direction, from a first end to a second end, and has varying magnetic permeability from the first end to the second end. At least one sensor is coupled to the rotor and configured for producing, as the rotor rotates about the longitudinal axis, at least one sensor signal in response to detecting passage of the at least one position marker. A control unit is communicatively coupled to the at least one sensor and configured to generate a feedback signal indicative of the blade pitch angle in response to the at least one sensor signal received from the at least one sensor.
Claims12
A blade angle feedback system for an aircraft-bladed rotor, the rotor rotatable about a longitudinal axis and having an adjustable blade pitch angle, the system comprising:
- at least one position marker extending along an axial direction relative to the longitudinal axis, from a first end to a second end, and having a varying magnetic permeability from the first end to the second end;
- at least one sensor configured for producing at least one sensor signal in response to detecting a relative movement between the at least one position marker and the at least one sensor, as one of the at least one position marker and the at least one sensor is displaced along the axial direction in response to an adjustment of the blade pitch angle;
- and
- a control unit communicatively coupled to the at least one sensor and configured to generate a feedback signal indicative of the blade pitch angle in response to the at least one sensor signal received from the at least one sensor.
A method for providing feedback for an aircraft-bladed rotor, the rotor rotatable about a longitudinal axis and having an adjustable blade pitch angle, the method comprising:
- receiving at least one sensor signal from at least one sensor, the at least one sensor signal produced by the at least one sensor in response to detecting a relative movement between at least one position marker and the at least one sensor, as one of the at least one position marker and the at least one sensor is displaced along the axial direction in response to an adjustment of the blade pitch angle, the of at least one position marker extending along an axial direction relative to the longitudinal axis, from a first end to a second end, and having a varying magnetic permeability from the first end to the second end;
- and
- processing the at least one sensor signal to generate a feedback signal indicative of the blade pitch angle of the rotor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.