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US 12,017,773 B2Granted
Aerial firefighting dump gate system
OwnerVictor D. Trotterinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dump gate system for a fluid hopper in a firefighting aircraft. A gate sealably engages a gate opening in the hopper at a closed position. The gate is hingedly connected about the gate opening, and a drive shaft is supported within the hopper. A crank arm is fixed to the drive shaft and is further coupled to the gate by a connecting link. The crank arm and the connecting link define an over-center geometry while the gate is at the closed position, such that weight of the fluid on the gate induces torque on the drive shaft in a gate-closing direction. A linear electric motor is selectively coupled to rotate the drive shaft in a gate-opening direction to thereby enable control of the fluid flow from the hopper according to an angular position of the drive shaft.
Claims22
A dump gate system for a hopper that contains fluid in a firefighting aircraft, comprising:
- a first gate opening located adjacent a lower portion of the hopper;
- a first gate that sealably engages said first gate opening at a closed position to thereby retain the fluid in the hopper, and wherein said first gate is hingedly connected about said first gate opening;
- a first drive shaft supported within the hopper and rotatable in a gates-opening direction and a gates-closing direction, and having a shaft extension located exterior of the hopper;
- a first crank arm fixed to said first drive shaft and coupled to said first gate by a first connecting link;
- a first drive crank fixed to said shaft extension;
- an electric linear actuator, having a linear electric driver operable to extend and retract an actuator rod, said actuator rod pivotally attached to a distal end of said first drive crank, and said linear electric driver fixed in position with respect to the hopper by an anchor pivot;
- a linear drive controller coupled to provide electric current to said linear electric driver to thereby selectively extend and retract said actuator rod such that said drive crank induces rotation of said first drive shaft in either of said gates-opening or said gates-closing directions, and wherein
- rotation of said first drive shaft in said gates-opening direction is coupled through said first crank arm and said first connecting link to open said first gate, and to thereby enable control of the fluid flow from the hopper according to positioning of said actuator shaft by said linear drive controller.
5 more elements
A dump gate system for a hopper that contains fluid in a firefighting aircraft, comprising:
- first and second gate openings formed through a lower portion of the hopper;
- a first and second gates that sealably engage said first and second gate openings, respectively, at closed positions to thereby retain the fluid in the hopper, and wherein said first gate and said second gate are hingedly connected about said first and second gate openings, respectively;
- first and second drive shafts, rotatably supported within the hopper, said first drive shaft having a shaft extension located exterior of the hopper;
- first and second cranks arm fixed to said first and second drive shafts, respectively, and coupled to said first and second gates by first and second connecting links, respectively;
- a shaft synchronizer engaged with said first and second drive shafts to synchronize rotation thereof in respective gate-opening and gate-closing directions;
- a first drive crank fixed to said shaft extension;
- an electric linear actuator, having a linear electric driver operable to extend and retract an actuator rod, said actuator rod pivotally attached to a distal end of said first drive crank, and said linear electric driver fixed in position with respect to the hopper by an anchor pivot;
- a linear drive controller coupled to provide electric current to said linear electric driver to thereby selectively extend and retract said actuator rod such that said drive crank induces rotation of said first drive shaft in either of said gates-opening or said gates-closing directions, and wherein said first drive shaft correspondingly drives said second drive shaft through said shaft synchronizer, and wherein
- rotation of said first and second drive shafts in said gates-opening directions is coupled through said first and second crank arms and said first and second connecting links to open said first and second gates, and to thereby enable control of the fluid flow from the hopper according to positioning of said actuator shaft by said linear drive controller.
6 more elements
A dump gate system for a hopper that contains fluid in a firefighting aircraft, comprising:
- first and second gate openings formed through a lower portion of the hopper;
- a first and second gates that sealably engage said first and second gate openings, respectively, at closed positions to thereby retain the fluid in the hopper, and wherein said first gate and said second gate are hingedly connected about said first and second gate openings, respectively;
- first and second drive shafts, rotatably supported within the hopper in either of a gates-opening or a gates-closing directions, said first drive shaft having a first shaft extension located exterior of the hopper, and said second drive shaft having a second shaft extension located exterior of the hopper;
- first and second cranks arm fixed to said first and second drive shafts, respectively, and coupled to said first and second gates by first and second connecting links, respectively;
- a first drive crank fixed to said first shaft extension, and a second drive crank fixed to said second shaft extension;
- a first electric linear actuator, having a first linear electric driver operable to extend and retract a first actuator rod, said first actuator rod pivotally attached to a distal end of said first drive crank, and said first linear electric driver fixed in position with respect to the hopper by a first anchor pivot;
- a second electric linear actuator, having a second linear electric driver operable to extend and retract a second actuator rod, said second actuator rod pivotally attached to a distal end of said second drive crank, and said second linear electric driver fixed in position with respect to the hopper by a second anchor pivot;
- a linear drive controller coupled to provide electric current to said first and second linear electric driver to thereby selectively extend and retract said first and second actuator rods such that said first and second drive cranks induce rotation of said first and second drive shafts, respectively, in either of said gates-opening or said gates-closing directions, and wherein
- rotation of said first and second drive shafts in said gates-opening directions is coupled through said first and second crank arms and said first and second connecting links to open said first and second gates, and to thereby enable control of the fluid flow from the hopper according to positioning of said actuator shaft by said linear drive controller.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.