Clutch driven reaction wheel steering unit
OwnerMonty Smith, Jeffery Maestasinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
What is disclosed is a clutch driven reaction wheel steering unit having at least a single drive motor (101) coupled indirectly to a plurality of flywheels operable to provide momentum for all three axes in a single unit. In an exemplary embodiment, the drive motor (101) is mounted within a unit frame (203). A plurality of gears, including miter gears, are coupled directly or indirectly to the drive motor (101). Six flywheels (102A, 102B, 102C, 102D, 102E and 102F) are coupled to the ends of a plurality of shafts which extend through or are supported by the unit frame (203). Clutches are operable to selectively transmit rotational motion to the second plurality of shafts.
Claims20
A clutch driven reaction wheel steering unit, comprising:
- a unit frame;
- at least one drive motor mounted within the unit frame;
- a rotatable drive motor shaft extending from the at least one drive motor;
- a drive motor gear coupled to an end of the drive motor shaft;
- a plurality of gears coupled directly or indirectly to the drive motor gear;
- a first plurality of shafts coupled to the plurality of gears and rotatably mounted to, through or supported by the unit frame;
- a second plurality of shafts;
- and
- a plurality of flywheels coupled to the ends of the second plurality of shafts.
A device for controlling rotations of a vehicle, comprising:
- a frame unit;
- a drive motor within the frame unit;
- a plurality of interconnected shafts and gears;
- and
- six flywheels having an orthogonal arrangement in three dimensions.
A method for providing a torque, comprising:
- coupling six flywheels to a source of rotational motion within a frame;
- spinning the six flywheels at a substantially constant speed;
- and
- slowing at least one of the flywheels to provide a net torque.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.