Variable viscosity damper for vane type angle of attack sensor
AssigneeRosemount Aerospace Inc.
InventorsTimothy T. Golly, Thomas J. Bachinski
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An angle of attack sensor has a vane mounted on a rotating shaft that rotates in response to angle of attack. The shaft has a rotor at one end which is in a chamber in a housing supporting the shaft. The chamber includes a space around the rotor filled with either an electrorheological or magnetorheological fluid. A controller is used to provide an electrical signal, such as a signal controlling an electromagnet, to change the magnetic field affecting the fluid in response to various aircraft parameters to thereby control the viscosity of the electrorheological or magnetorheological fluid in the chamber and control the amount of damping of the rotating vane.
Claims14
A variable viscosity damper for an aircraft angle of attack sensing vane, comprising a sensing vane, a housing rotatably mounting the vane, a chamber defined in the housing, a filling of a fluid in the chamber, the fluid being coupled to the vane to create a drag load resisting rotation of the vane, the fluid having a variable viscosity controllable by a signal, and a controller to provide the signal at levels which are functions of at least one aircraft operational parameter.
An angle of attack sensor comprising a vane mounted on a shaft, a housing supporting the shaft and the vane, a chamber in the housing, the shaft extending into the chamber, a rotor in the chamber drivably mounted on the shaft, a quantity of electrorheological or magnetorheological fluid in the chamber, and a controller to provide a signal to control the viscosity of the fluid in the chamber as a function of at least one aircraft operational parameter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.