Ganged servo flight control system for an unmanned aerial vehicle
AssigneeAeroVironment, Inc.
InventorsLance Holly, William Donovan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A ganged servo flight control system for an unmanned aerial vehicle is provided. The flight control system may include a swashplate having first, second, and third connection portions; a first control assembly connected to the first connection portion of the swashplate; a second control assembly connected to the second connection portion of the swashplate; and a third control assembly connected to the third connection portion of the swashplate. The first control assembly may include two or more servo-actuators connected to operate in cooperation with each other.
Claims18
A flight control system for a helicopter comprising:
- a swashplate having more than one connection portions including a first connection portion and a third connection portion;
- a first control assembly coupled to the first connection portion and having at least two first servo-actuators;
- a third control assembly coupled to the third connection portion and having at least two third servo-actuators, wherein the at least two third servo-actuators are arranged in a facing relationship across a vertical midline of the helicopter such that a first servo arm attached to one of the at least two third servo-actuators and a second servo arm attached to the other of the at least two third servo-actuators move within parallel planes.
A flight control system for a helicopter comprising
- a swashplate;
- a first control assembly coupled to a first connection portion of the swashplate and having at least two first servo-actuators;
- a third control assembly coupled to a third connection portion of the swashplate and having at least two third servo-actuators, the two or more third servo-actuators are arranged in a facing relationship across a vertical midline of the helicopter such that a first servo arm attached to one of the at least two third servo-actuators and a second servo arm attached to the other of the at least two third servo-actuators move within parallel planes;
- a control signal generator electrically coupled to the first control assembly by a first output and the third control assembly by a third output;
- and
- wherein the control signal generator manipulates each of the at least two first servo-actuators or the at least two third servo-actuators with a single signal output.
An aerial vehicle, wherein the aerial vehicle is in a form of a helicopter comprising:
- a swashplate having a plurality of connection portions;
- two or more control assemblies each having two or more servo-actuators, each of the two or more control assemblies operatively coupled to one of the plurality of connection portions, wherein the two or more servo-actuators of one of the two or more control assemblies are arranged in a facing relationship across a vertical midline of the helicopter such that a first servo arm attached to one of the two or more servo-actuators and a second servo arm attached to the other of the two or more servo-actuators move within parallel planes;
- a rotor assembly including a plurality of rotor blades operably controlled by the swashplate;
- a control signal generator having two or more outputs each electrically coupled to the two or more control assemblies;
- and
- wherein the control signal generator controls both of the two or more servo-actuators of one of the two or more control assemblies by providing a respective single signal to change an orientation of the swashplate, the change in orientation of the swashplate changing a pitch of the one or more rotor blades.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.